Author Pep Talks

Author Pep Talks

By Laekan Zea KempArtsBooks
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Author Pep Talks episodes

  • Episode 20: Natalia Sylvester
    Today I’m interviewing Natalia Sylvester, author of Breathe and Count Back from Ten.
    Natalia Sylvester is the award-winning author of several novels for adults and young adults. CHASING THE SUN was named the Best Debut Book of 2014 by Latinidad and EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME won an International Latino Book Award and the 2018 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters.
    Natalia's debut YA novel, RUNNING, was a 2020 Junior Library Guild Selection, and her next novel for young adults, BREATHE AND COUNT BACK FROM TEN, is out now from Clarion Books/HarperCollins. A MALETA FULL OF TREASURES, Natalia's first picture book (illustrated by Juana Medina), will be published by Dial Books in 2024.
    Natalia's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Electric Literature, Latina magazine, and McSweeney's Publishing. Her essays have been anthologized in collections such as A MAP IS ONLY ONE STORY and A MEASURE OF BELONGING: WRITERS OF COLOR ON THE NEW AMERICAN SOUTH.
    Born in Lima, Peru, Natalia came to the US at age four and grew up in Florida and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. She received a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami, was a 2021 Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and was formerly a faculty member at the Mile-High MFA program at Regis University.
    Today we’re talking about the importance of consent when excavating our own trauma on the page, how the right readers can make authors feel just as seen and heard and held as our stories make them feel, the heavy burden of self-advocacy, and the impossibility of self-caring our way out of systemic oppression. If you’re looking to be more gentle with yourself and your work, this is the conversation for you. So without further ado, give yourself permission to hit pause on your day and then enjoy my conversation with Natalia Sylvester.
    Connect with Natalia online:
    Natalia's Website
    Twitter
    Instagram
    Buy her book!
    39 min
  • Episode 19: Jen St. Jude

    Today I’m interviewing Jen St. Jude, author of If Tomorrow Doesn't Come.

    Jen is a Lambda Literary Fellow who writes queer speculative fiction. They have served as an editor at Chicago Review of Books, Arcturus Magazine, Burning Worlds – Climate Change in Art & Literature, and Just Femme & Dandy Magazine.

    Today we’re talking about the joy of our animal companions and how they keep us grounded, making peace with the possibility of not quite reaching your dreams, as well as embracing the possibility of creating new ones, and the power of writing your own emotional discoveries that can be just as transformative as the arcs our characters go through. This conversation is perfect for writers tackling sensitive and personal issues, as well as writers in need of a reminder that you and no one else decide the value of your story. So relax and settle in, and enjoy my conversation with Jen St. Jude.

    Connect with Jen online:

    Jen's Website

    Twitter

    Buy their book!

    28 min
  • Episode 18: Stephanie Feldman

    Today I’m interviewing Stephanie Feldman, author of The Angel of Losses and Saturnalia. She is also co-editor of the multi-genre anthology Who Will Speak for America? and her stories and essays have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Electric Literature, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Maine Review, The Rumpus, and Vol. 1 Brooklyn. She lives outside Philadelphia with her family

    Today we’re talking about how she managed to persevere through the eight years between her debut novel and her second book, the complex process of rebuilding, and why it’s important to love the act of writing more than the idea of being a writer. If you’re stuck in the query trenches or trunking novels you were sure would sell, this episode is a treasure trove of advice when it comes to keeping your eyes on your own paper and working at a pace that honors the writers you actually are, rather than the writer you wish you were. So slow down, let it all go quiet, and enjoy my conversation with Stephanie Feldman.

    Connect with Stephanie online:

    Stephanie's Website

    Twitter

    Instagram

    Buy her books!

    24 min
  • Episode 17: Alechia Dow

    Today I’m interviewing Alechia Dow, author of The Sound of Stars and The Kindred. Alechia Dow is a former pastry chef and librarian. When not writing, you can find her having epic dance parties with her daughter, baking, reading, or traveling.

    Today we’re talking about the journey of self-discovery that coincides with becoming a published author, learning to adjust your expectations in a way that prioritizes your own physical and mental health, and the importance of safeguarding the things that made you fall in love with writing in the first place. If you struggle with comparison, self-doubt, and just feeling like your dreams aren’t coming true fast enough, I know you’ll be encouraged by Alechia’s reminders to slow down, take stock, and redefine success for yourself.

    So settle in wherever’s comfortable and enjoy my conversation with Alechia Dow.

    Connect with Alechia online:

    Alechia's Website

    Twitter

    Instagram

    Buy her books!

    30 min

About Author Pep Talks

From the publisher's feed

A podcast on writing through grief, trauma, and heartbreak.