San Francisco Writers Conference Podcast

* Lee Kravetz is author of the acclaimed nonfiction, Strange Contagion and SuperSurvivors. He has written for print and television, including The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, Psychology Today, The Daily Beast, The San Francisco Chronicle, and PBS. Lee’s new book is a work of fiction, his novel The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. * The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. is told through three unique interwoven narratives that build on one another, reimagining a chapter in the life of the poet and novelist Sylvia Plath, telling the story behind the creation of her classic, The Bell Jar. * Lee gave an introduction to Plath, explaining that she was best known as a poet, until The Bell Jar, her semi-autobiographical novel about struggles with mental illness, became a huge posthumous success. * Podcast host Matthew Félix asked Lee about his decision to transition from nonfiction to fiction, including pushback he got initially from his agent—and why he persisted in spite of it. * Matthew and Lee discussed the challenges he faced as a man writing from the perspective of three first-person women narrators, as well as the challenges of effectively weaving together three stories taking place at different times. * One of the novel's main story lines entails a rivalry between a fictional poet and Sylvia Plath. Lee spoke about his decision to build much of the story around that rivalry, as well as the process of creating both characters and the rivalry itself. * Lee, who has a background in psychotherapy, explained the role of mental illness both in Plath's work and his novel. Matthew also asked Lee about the role Sylvia and other poets in the Confessional Poetry moment played in opening society to discussions about mental health. * Lee addressed the commonly held belief that there is a correlation between being "crazy" and creativity. * Lee elaborated on the notion, expressed by one of the characters in the novel, that insight into the past—while often considered essential to resolving mental health issues—can also trap a person there. * Matthew and Lee explored two other recurring themes of the book: the importance of objects and our relationships with them, and the notion that people's lives often come full circle. * Regarding craft, Lee shared his thoughts on and approach to writing suspense, pacing, and more. * The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. is out March 8.

* A graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies, UC Berkeley, Kate Farrell has been a language arts classroom teacher, an author, a librarian, a university lecturer, and a storyteller since 1966. She founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project, and she has published numerous educational materials on the art of storytelling. Kate edited the anthology, Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother, and co-edited two others: Times They Were A-Changing: Women Remember the ’60s & 70s and Cry of the Nightbird: Writers Against Domestic Violence. She is past president of the San Francisco Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association and a presenter for the San Francisco Writers Conference. * Podcast host Matthew Félix asked Kate about the importance of stories. He also asked about the history of oral storytelling, as well as the resurgence it has enjoyed since the 1970s. * Kate explained the difference between telling a story orally and writing it down, highlighting the role that a live audience has as cocreator in the experience. She also discussed how storytelling foments change, both for the audience and the storyteller themselves. * Storytelling is not just for the stage, but also has practical, day-to-day applications, as illustrated by three types of stories: defining, signature, and personal branding, which Matthew and Kate discussed. * Kate explained the benefits of having a repertoire of stories at the ready for different circumstances. * Kate shared ways of gathering stories, as well as how to choose which ones might best be suited to storytelling. * Matthew asked Kate about the features essential to every story, and they reviewed the seven steps to preparing a story to be told—Kate emphasizing that stories should not be memorized. * Kate shared key things to keep in mind while performing, including important aspects of vocalization and the importance of making eye contact with the audience. * Matthew asked Kate about what she referred to as the cutting edge of storytelling: weaving or braiding archetypes with personal narratives. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://katefarrell.net/

* Jeff Greenwald is a photojournalist, author, and stage performer whose experiences in Asia have framed his style of travel writing. His six books include the best-selling Shopping for Buddhas (recently republished in a 25th anniversary edition), The Size of the World (for which he created the first international travel blog), and Snake Lake, a travel memoir set in Kathmandu, Nepal during the 1990 democracy revolution. Jeff’s stories and essays have appeared in print and online publications worldwide, including Smithsonian, Afar, Outside, The New York Times, National Geographic-Adventure and Wired. His critically acclaimed solo stage show, Strange Travel Suggestions, has played to sold-out houses since 2003. * Podcast host Matthew Felix and Jeff talked about travel, including why we do it, how it has changed, and how it might be impacted long-term by the pandemic. * Jeff is co-founder of Ethical Traveler, an international community dedicated to defending human rights and protecting the environment. He talked about the organization, the difference between travel and tourism, and the ethics of getting on a plane today, given the environmental implications. He also shared why he is hopeful about post-pandemic travel. * Matthew asked Jeff about his start in travel writing, as well as the place of the travel writer today, given the preponderance of travel blogs and Instagram. Jeff also shared his thoughts on the challenges of making money as a travel writer. * Jeff recently published "108 Beloved Objects," a book and visual art project centered around the theme of "Letting Go of Stuff, Keeping Our Stories." Jeff explained the project's concept, including the challenges of and what is to be learned from giving up objects that are dear to us. * Readers of the book can write Jeff to request one of the 108 objects. Jeff shared his thoughts on some of the requests he has received to date. * Jeff shared why he published "108 Beloved Objects" independently, and what he learned from the process. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links www.108objects.com www.facebook.com/jeffji

* Elisabeth Kauffman is the Marketing Director for the San Francisco Writers Conference, as well as an independent editor, an author, and an artist. She edits fiction and memoir for independent clients as well as for publishing companies, and she coaches writers on finding their voices and connecting to the magic in their creative lives. Elisabeth offers workshops for local writing groups on topics such as using tarot in the drafting and revising process and tapping your creative potential through visual arts. * Podcast host Matthew Felix and Elisabeth discussed creativity, including how and why Elisabeth believes it is an act of self-love, tips for getting unstuck creatively, dealing with impostor syndrome, and more. * Elisabeth recently published a tarot deck and book, Lunaria , to help authors and other creatives connect with their creativity. * Elisabeth shared some of the history of the tarot, how she got interested, and why she decided to develop her own deck, in collaboration with visual artist Jennifer Gerhart. * Elisabeth described how she adapted the traditional tarot deck to one tailored to the needs of writers, including replacing the traditional arcana (e.g., Cups became Inkwells), making the deck gender neutral (e.g., Knights became Apprentices), and associating each major arcana card with a famous writer. * Elisabeth explained specific ways in which writers can use the cards for insight and inspiration. * Lunaria was funded by a Kickstarter project. Elisabeth described her experience with Kickstarter, including lessons learned from not funding the first time around and recommendations for other creatives considering using Kickstarter to fund their own initiatives. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links www.writingrefinery.com www.facebook.com/elisabeth.kauffman.731 www.instagram.com/fairbetty/ Title The Tarot, Creativity, & Kickstarter with Elisabeth Kauffman Keywords tarot, creativity, kickstarter, funding, writing process

* Charlie Jane Anders is the author of The City in the Middle of the Night and All the Birds in the Sky. Her fiction and journalism have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, McSweeney's, Mother Jones, Tor.com, Wired, and elsewhere. Her TED Talk, "Go Ahead, Dream About the Future" got 700,000 views in its first week. Along with Annalee Newitz, she co-hosts the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct. Charlie Jane will be a keynote speaker at the 2022 San Francisco Writers Conference. * Charlie Jane talked about two books that she has published recently: the nonfiction "Never Say You Can’t Survive" and the young adult fiction, "Victories Greater than Death." * "Never Say You Can’t Survive" is "a mixture of encouragement, ideas for how to use writing to feel OK in a world that’s not OK, and actual technical advice on stuff like characts, plot, and worldbuilding." * Podcast host Matthew Felix and Charlie Jane discussed many of the topics in the book, including how to strike the right balance between outlining and allowing for spontaneous creativity; the challenge writers sometimes have in giving themselves permission to write; imagination as a form of resistance; and navigating the challenge of representing without appropriating. * Matthew and Charlie Jane talked about impostor syndrome and how to get beyond it. * Charlie Jane talked about the art of worldbuilding (i.e., creating fictional worlds), and how daydreaming, researching the past, and more can help with the process. * She also elaborated on an observation she made in her Tedx talk that “the world ends all the time, and we keep going.” * "Victories Greater than Death" is about a young woman - a clone - who is the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon that is about to activate, making her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars possible. * Charlie Jane explained the challenges of writing a young adult novel, including finding the right pace and voice. She also discussed how she knew this book was just the first in a trilogy, as well as the book's exploration of gender identity. * Charlie Jane talked about the worldbuilding that went into "Victories Greater than Death," the challenges of writing the forthcoming second book in the series, and the possibility of returning to this world for other books. * Charlie Jane shared the future of her popular San Francisco reading series, Writers with Drinks. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links www.charliejaneanders.com www.facebook.com/charliejane www.instagram.com/charliejaneanders/

* Litquake is an annual literary festival started in 1999 in San Francisco that has since spread to cities throughout the country and abroad. The festival consists of readings, discussions, and themed events. Since its inception more than 10,000 authors and 250,000 attendees have participated in the festival. * Event co-founder Jack Boulware shared the origins of the festival and how it has grown over time. * Jack was joined by Home Baked author Alia Volz. Podcast host Matthew Felix, Jack, and Alia talked about the challenges for writers and other creatives, as well as literary organizations in an ever-changing San Francisco. * Jack explained how Litquake had pivoted in light of the pandemic, including going all online last year, and holding both virtual and in-person events for this year's festival. * Jack shared some of the authors participating in the festival, whether virtually or in-person, including Dave Eggers, Isabel Allende, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Tommy Orange, Danny Trejo, and many others. * Alia talked about the two days of panels that she has organized, one day focused on craft, one on business. * Matthew asked Jack about some of Litquake's programs, including Kidquake, their Elder Project, and their most recent addition, Litquake Out Loud, which is focused on amplifying underrepresented voices. * Alia explained Litquake's closing night event, LitCrawl, akin to a "literary pub crawl" around San Francisco's Mission District, and Matthew shared a few of the events that caught his attention. * Litquake takes place October 7 - 23. * More info at litquake.org. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://litquake.org/

* Margaret Rosenberg has journeyed more than 30,000 miles to conduct Napoleonic research, including to St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic. She is director of the Napoleonic Historical Society, a non-profit that promotes knowledge of the Napoleonic era, and on her website, margaretrodenberg.com, she reports on Napoleon’s ongoing presence in world culture. * Margaret's new novel, Finding Napoleon, was inspired by Napoleon's real-life unfinished novel, which Margaret first learned about twenty years ago. * Margaret shared the origins of her interest in Napoleon, and she explained to podcast host Matthew Félix why Napoleon continues to be revered by some, reviled by others. * Margaret explained that rather than in the soldier and politician, she was more interested in Napoleon the man, and what sort of research she did to find out who he was. * Matthew and Margaret discussed key themes in the book, including Napoleon's relationship with slavery, his love of children, and his ability to forgive those who betrayed him. * Asked about craft, Margaret explained her choice to write part of the book from the first-person perspective of one of the characters and the other part—Napoleon's story—in the third person. She also discussed the challenges of writing a novel within a novel. * Margaret shared how travel revealed to her the driving force for the novel. * Matthew asked Margaret about a well-known myth about Napoleon, which she debunks in the book—and the dubious origins of that myth. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube

* Linda Joy Myers is president and founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers. Her memoir Don’t Call Me Mother—A Daughter’s Journey from Abandonment to Forgiveness was a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award finalist and winner of the BAIPA Gold Medal award. She’s also the author of five books about memoir writing, including two she co-authored with Brooke Warner. * Linda Joy shared how an early interest in memory and her family history eventually led to her interest in memoir. * Linda discussed the history of memoir as a genre and talked about current trends. * Linda Joy talked about the healing that can come from writing memoir, as well as how to ensure that a memoir also resonates with the reader. * Linda Joy offered specific advice for authors undertaking their own memoirs, including how to get started; she also touched on pitfalls to avoid. * In their teaching and writing, Linda Joy and Brooke don't focus only a memoir but, more specifically, memoir for women. Host Matthew Félix asked Linda Joy how writing memoir differed for women versus men. * In response to a recent "kerfuffle" in the New York Times, Linda Joy discussed the conference she and Brooke have organized, designed to address some of the key issues facing women memoirists, including what topics women can write about and expressing anger. * The Women Writing Memoir conference begins 10/4 and takes place weekly for six weeks. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://lindajoymyersauthor.com/ https://www.namw.org/ https://magicofmemoir.com/

* Tongo Eisen-Martin is San Francisco’s eighth poet laureate. * His curriculum on extrajudicial killing of Black people, We Charge Genocide Again, has been used as an educational and organizing tool throughout the country. His book "Someone's Dead Already" was nominated for a California Book Award. His "Heaven Is All Goodbyes" was published by the City Lights Pocket Poets series, shortlisted for the Griffins Poetry Prize, and won a California Book Award and an American Book Award. * Matthew and Tongo revisited his inauguration as poet laureate - a powerful, inspiring event that has been viewed on YouTube 1500 times - and discussed how Tongo intends to use his new platform. * Tongo discussed his relationship with San Francisco, as well as his upbringing in an environment where he was instilled with a duty to help raise consciousness. * Tongo shared how and why he began writing poetry, what about poetry called to him, and how he gradually embraced his identity as a poet. * Tongo's new poetry collection, Blood on the Fog, is published by City Lights. Tongo shared how this latest book is different from his previous ones, how meditation has affected his process, and what it is like to collaborate with such an esteemed institution as City Lights. * Tongo explained why fixing the system won't work to create lasting social change; instead, he asserts that revolution is essential for humanity to survive. He also underscored the need for prioritizing the collective over the individual as essential to that. * Tongo shared his thoughts on the relationship between the written word and the spoken one, as it applies to poetry. * With Alie Jones, Tongo recently launched Black Frieghter Press. He shared their mission, as well as their recent publications and projects. * Blood on the Fog is out September 21 . Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://www.blackfreighterpress.com/ https://www.instagram.com/_tongogara_/ https://www.facebook.com/tongo.eisenmartin

Subjects covered Before becoming a writer, Elizabeth Gonzalez James was a waitress, a pollster, an Avon lady, and an opera singer. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, The Rumpus, StorySouth, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. Currently she is a regular contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Podcast host Matthew Felix and Elizabeth discussed her new book, Mona at Sea, about an overachieving millennial who, despite her potential, finds herself unemployed, living with her parents, and adrift in life and love. Given that the protagonist is a millennial whose prospects are upended by the Great Recession, Elizabeth discussed how and why millennials have gotten a bad rap. Since both Mona, the protagonist, and Elizabeth are half Mexican American and half white, Elizabeth talked about the importance of race, both in the story and as someone who typically passes for white—and whether having only one Mexican American parent gives an author the right to write Mexican characters. Mona's primary coping mechanism is cutting, a form of self-mutilation. Elizabeth shared why she was interested in cutters and what learned about them while researching the novel. Despite Mona’s cynicism and the darkness in the book, it is also very funny. Elizabeth discussed incorporating humor into an otherwise serious book, including how doing so served the story and how she struck the right balance. Elizabeth, who didn't study writing in college, shared how and when she decided to become a writer. She also shared how she made her mark in the literary world without having an MFA and the connections that come with one. Elizabeth shared her journey to publication, which took ten years and included 40 rejections. Elizabeth explained the advantages of working with smaller presses, including the Santa Fe Writers Project, where Mona at Sea eventually found its home. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://www.elizabethgonzalezjames.com/ https://twitter.com/unefemmejames https://www.instagram.com/unefemmejames/

Lilly Dancyger is the author of Negative Space, a reported and illustrated memoir selected by Carmen Maria Machado as a winner of the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards. Lilly is also the editor of Burn It Down, a critically acclaimed anthology of essays on women's anger. Her writing has been published by Guernica, Lit Hub, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and more. Podcast host Matthew Felix invited Lilly to be on the show as soon as he finished reading her Electric Literature essay called, “Canceling My Book Deal Was the Best Career Move I’ve Ever Made: A contract that doesn't suit your needs or expectations could be worse than no book deal at all." Lilly shared with Matthew her journey from getting her first book deal, to realizing it wasn't the right one, to the agonizing decision to get out of it. She then shared what she did after canceling her deal, including how she applied the lessons learned, eventually resulting in her getting a deal that was right for her and her book. Red flags with Lilly's first book deal included: no distribution, no help with marketing and publicity, and no round of edits with the publisher. Lilly discussed criteria she used to find a small press that would work for her, including ones with national distribution, a robust social media presence, and ones that had published books she was familiar with. Matthew and Lilly discussed her memoir, NEGATIVE SPACE, which explores her grief, anger, and artistic inheritance as she sets out to illuminate the darkness her father—an artist and heroin addict—hid from her, as well as her own. Lilly talked about what she initially thought the book was about, and how her conception of it quickly evolved into something more personal as the project progressed. Matthew and Lilly discussed addiction, a central theme throughout the book, including some common misconceptions. Lilly explained how she did (or did not) reconcile the father she idolized with the man she learned more about—including some things she might have preferred not to discover—while researching the book. Negative Space is out now. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://www.lillydancyger.com/ https://twitter.com/lillydancyger

K-Ming Chang is a Kundiman fellow, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree. She is the author of the New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice novel Bestiary, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Told from the point of view of Daughter, a Taiwanese American early-adolescence girl, Bestiary threads together three generations of women with each other, land, water, trauma, violence, and love. Podcast host Matthew Felix asked K-Ming about her interest in inter-generational bonds, including the trauma that can sometimes come with them. K-Ming shared the unique way in which Bestiary—the writing process for which was initially very fragmented—came together as a cohesive whole. Matthew and K-Ming discussed language, from the influences of knowing other languages when writing in English to not shying away from possibly unpleasant physiological terms to how writing poetry can influence prose. Matthew asked K-Ming about how she accesses her imagination and her apparent ability to surrender to it. K-Ming discussed some of the key themes in Bestiary, including the cost of having a body and the tiger tail that the protagonist grows. K-Ming explained her inclusion of multiple queer love stories in Bestiary, and she shared some of the queer writers that have influenced her and her writing. Bestiary is now out in paperback. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://www.kmingchang.com/ https://twitter.com/k_mingchang

Podcast host Matthew Félix talks with authors Laurie Ann Doyle and Ryan Sloan about community: What is it, really? Why is it so important to us as writers? How do we find it? Sharing their own personal stories, as well as their respective experiences in academia, participating in writers groups and organizations, and organizing literary events, Matthew, Laurie, and Ryan engage in a comprehensive discussion about the notion of community, its importance to writers, and the many ways we can find it. LAURIE ANN DOYLE is the author of World Gone Missing, winner of the Nautilus Award in Fiction. Recipient of the Alligator Juniper National Fiction Award and a Pushcart Prize nomination, Laurie’s stories and essays have appeared in McSweeny’s, Alta Journal, The Los Angeles Review, and many others. Laurie teaches writing at UC Berkeley Extension and The Writers Grotto in San Francisco. RYAN SLOAN is a novelist and essayist who teaches writing at the University of California, Berkeley. Ryan has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and his work has been published or is forthcoming in LA Weekly, Joyland Magazine, Opium Magazine and many other publications. Ryan has done multiple residencies, including the 2019 Lit Camp Writers’ Conference and the 2019 Arctic Circle Residency on the Summer Solstice Expedition. Special shout-outs went out to The Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference, Left Coast Writers, The San Francisco Writers Grotto, Babylon Salon, NaNoWriMo, LitCamp, and LitWings, as well as other organizations, events, and sites that foster community among writers. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links http://laurieanndoyle.com https://rrsloan.com https://www.babylonsalon.com

David Downie is a native San Franciscan who moved to Paris in the mid-1980s and now divides his time between France and Italy. His travel, food, and arts features have appeared in more than 50 print magazines and newspapers worldwide and on dozens of websites. David is the author of more than a dozen nonfiction books, one literary novel, and two thrillers, as well as a contributor to dozens of anthologies. David’s new book is Red Riviera, a murder mystery thriller. Commissioner Daria Vinci's first investigation, Red Riviera is a wild ride from the tangled trails of the Cinque Terre to glamorous Portofino to roistering Genoa. David explained why for this latest project he chose to return to the mystery genre. Podcast host Matthew Felix and David discussed the importance of place in a novel, as well as David's fascination with history and his incorporation of Italian history into Red Riviera. Matthew asked David to share his thoughts on our obsession with murder. David shared why he likes to write in so many genres—and his belief that, in actuality, there aren't different genres. Matthew asked David about how he is able to be so prolific and advice for writers struggling to finish their books. David addressed the current debate about whether or not writers should only write from the perspective of their of own experiences, and he explained his belief that writing cannot be taught. David advised writers to write was is urgent for them, to follow their guts and go with their hearts. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links www.davidddownie.com/ https://www.facebook.com/david.downie.7773 https://twitter.com/DavidDDownie https://www.instagram.com/redrivieradariavinci/

Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author under the pseudonym J.F. Penn. She has written more than 30 books and sold over 600,000 of them in 149 countries and 6 languages. Joanna is also a podcaster whose The Creative Penn Podcast has been downloaded over 4 million times in 220 countries. Joanna’s website, TheCreativePenn.com, offers information and inspiration on writing, self-publishing, book marketing and how to make a living from your writing. TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest. Podcast host Matthew Felix and Joanna began with an in-depth discussion of the pros and cons of traditional versus indie publishing, including some common misconceptions. Matthew and Joanna talked in detail about making money as a writer, as described in her book, How to Make a Living with Your Writing. Joanna talked about the importance of writers being clear on their own definitions of success and emphasized the need to develop multiple streams of income. She also shared ways to go about that and examples of potential streams. Joanna noted the importance for writers to be aware of and possibly change their attitudes toward money. Joanna discussed common obstacles that can get in the way of an "author mindset" and ways to address them, including self doubt, writers block, fear of judgement, and fear of failure. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://www.thecreativepenn.com/ https://jfpenn.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheCreativePenn https://twitter.com/thecreativepenn

Kirstin Valdez Quade is the author of The Five Wounds. Her previous book, Night at the Fiestas, won the John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics Circle and was also named a New York Times Notable Book. Kirstin talked about the rural New Mexico setting in which the book takes place, including its Latinx population, the drug epidemic plaguing it, and an enduring and unique religious tradition. Host Matthew Felix and Kirstin discussed the theme of redemption, which is central to the story, including the different ways it is pursued by the characters and the relationship between suffering and redemption. Speaking about craft, Kirstin elaborated on what it means for her to "write into uncertainty," the challenges of turning what was originally a short story into a novel, and how gradually she was able to get the reader to empathize was a character would initially is not very relatable. Matthew also asked Kirstin her thoughts on the current state of Latinx representation in publishing. Available now, The Five Wounds is the July pick for Roxanne Gay's Audacious Book Club. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube https://kirstinvaldezquade.com/

Natalie Baszile is the author of the novel, Queen Sugar, which was not only nominated for an NAACP Image Award but also made into a television series produced and directed by Ava DuVernay for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Natalie’s new book is We Are Each Other’s Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy. The book brings together essays, poems, photographs, quotes, conversations, and first-person stories to examine Black people’s connection to the American land from Emancipation to today. Black farms had declined by as much as 98 percent by the end of the twentieth century, and it is estimated that Black farmers cultivate less than half of one percent of the country’s farmland today. Black families have lost over 1.5 million acres of land because of racism in America, and it was recently calculated that since 1910 Black families have been stripped of hundreds of billions of dollars because of lost land. Podcast host Matthew Felix and Natalie discussed in detail some of the major themes of the book, including the importance of remembering to Black farmers, the importance of the land itself, some of the primary obstacles that have been put between Blacks and land ownership, and the importance of legacy. Natalie shared about what was involved, from a craft perspective, in putting the anthology together. Matthew asked Natalie about her writing journey, including how and when she made the jump, her creative process—including the role faith plays in it—and what it was like to see her own work, Queen Sugar, transformed by someone else when it was turned into a television series. Natalie presented her Black Harvest Fund initiative, which distributes grants to certified non-profits that advance the work of Black farmers and farmers of color. We Are Each Other's Harvest is out now. Listen here or on: iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | TuneIn | Amazon | Player FM | Deezer Watch on YouTube Links https://nataliebaszile.com/ https://www.facebook.com/natalie.baszile https://twitter.com/NatalieBaszile https://www.instagram.com/nataliebaszile/

Jasmin Darznik is the New York Times bestselling author of Song of a Captive Bird. She is also the author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life and the forthcoming, The Bohemians. The Bohemians is a novel that imagines the friendship between photographer Dorothea Lange and her Chinese American assistant in 1920s San Francisco. Podcast host Matthew Felix and Jasmin discussed some of the main themes of the novel, including our desire to be seen and the many ways in which history repeats itself. Many of the issues facing society in the 1920s were in striking parallel to ones with which contemporary society grapples, including racism, xenophobia, a pandemic, and much more. Jasmin explained why 1920s San Francisco was a surprisingly good time and place to be a woman photographer. Jasmin discussed the creative process, both as reflected in Dorothea's story and her evolution as an artist and personally, including the importance of an artist giving their all to their work and why she finds it essential to go with her gut when writing. Jasmin shared her insights into writing historical fiction, including advice for writers just getting started in the genre. The Bohemians is out April 6.

Chris Colin and Rinee Shah are author and illustrator, respectively, of the new book Off: The Day the Internet Died, A Bedtime Fantasy. Off is a humorous, illustrated imagining of what might happen to the world if the Internet were to die from one day to the next. Host Matthew Felix discussed with Chris and Rinee some of the concerns about our relationship with the Internet that led them to write the book. They also talked about how this past year—dealing with the pandemic—has impacted our relationship with the Internet. Chris and Rinee explained how they collaborated as writer and illustrator. Rinee shared additional insights into her process as an illustrator, both as it pertained to Off and in general. Chris shared why he decided to make the book a humorous one, as well as his thoughts on writing humor. Rinee explained how she used her illustrations to complement the humor in the story. Off: The Day the Internet Died, A Bedtime Fantasy is out March 4 in the UK and March 23 in the United States.

Home Baked author Alia Volz talked about her book—a finalist for the 2021 National Book Critics Circle award for best autobiography—and offered advice about and lessons learned from launching during the pandemic. During the ’70s in San Francisco, Alia Volz’s mother ran the underground Sticky Fingers Brownies, delivering upwards of ten thousand illegal marijuana edibles per month throughout the circus-like atmosphere of a city in the throes of major change. Host Matthew Felix and Alia discussed what it was like for Alia to grow up with her parents running an illegal cannabis business. She also discussed telling her parents' stories and what she learned in the process. Alia talked about many of the socio-economic themes addressed in the book, including the HIV/AIDS crisis and its central role in fostering acceptance of medical marijuana; LGBTQ+ history; San Francisco then and now; marijuana criminalization and legalization; and much more. Alia discussed her journey getting the book published, including the importance of timing. She also shared the challenges of cohesively weaving together her personal story and the socio-economic events and themes of the time. Home Baked's launch was derailed by the pandemic. Alia shared how she pivoted and made the most of unexpected circumstances, ultimately having a successful launch. She offered advice to other writers for successful launches not only during but post-pandemic as well.