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Thornberry Road resident Patricia Favreau is a writer of stories — but not fictional stories. Instead, she writes about “unlikely entrepreneurs,” in her new book “Unlikely Entrepreneurs” along with co-author N. Louis Shipley.
Favreau got her start as a writer when she earned a BA in journalism from UMass Amherst, and was a stringer for the Fitchburg Sentinel.
“My editor trained me to bring a story to life,” she says.
And that’s what her book is about.
Favreau says her favorite story is about Marvin Pierre, a Queens, New York man who’d pass a homeless person named Jungle. The book says, “Sometimes, when he was sober, [Jungle] dropped little pearls of wisdom. ‘Stay in school, young man.’”
But finding a way out of the federally designated “poverty zone” wasn’t easy. Ironically, Pierre went with a friend who was applying to Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. They both went for an interview and his friend didn’t apply, but Pierre won a scholarship — and his mother told him to never forget where he came from.
Years later, he founded Eight Million Stories because his college mentor told him to “Lift as you climb.” The organization helps “at-promise youth” to succeed based on education, employment and personal development.
Favreau worked for a time at the Worcester Telegram-Gazette.
“But I pivoted to public relations,” she says and went to work for MIT’s Sloan School of Management in media relations.
“And I decided to earn an MFA in creative writing at Lesley University,” she adds. “My book weaves stories about students of Louis Shipley and also about entrepreneurs in the field.”
Favreau grew up in Gardner where her father was an entrepreneur.
“He was an auto mechanic who never finished high school,” she says. “But he built boats, an electric car for me and modified all sorts of tools while he was working for a utility company. His experience always stayed with me.
“At Sloan School, I met MBAs launching companies and I was learning a lot from the professors,” she adds. “I had an idea for a company logo, but I lacked confidence and then I was angry at myself.
“My co-author taught at the Harvard Business School — he introduced the subject of sales to the school. I was working on opinion pieces which I tried to place in media outlets. I asked him if he’d like to help me write the book,” she continues.
Asked who’s likely to read it, Favreau says not only “people who want to be entrepreneurs, but also those who want to become ‘intrepreneurs’ [defined as those who act as entrepreneurs within their organizations]. Companies need to foster such thinking in order to stay competitive.”
She writes when she can, and interviewed her subjects, including Katie Couric, on Zoom.
She’s also written two children’s books about a hair snarl and detangler, and says her next book will be about sales.
“And I’ve got a novel that’s about 60% done,” she says. “I won a competition sponsored by the Mark Twain Museum. I hope readers find inspiration in my new book, including how to handle failure. Entrepreneurship is a gift you give yourself.”
Winchester resident Joyce Westner is one of the founders of Winchester News. She holds a degree in English and journalism from Northeastern University. If you have a suggestion for either a Meet the Artist or Helpers Among Us resident, email editor@winchesternews.org.
