Better Words

We apologise for the audio quality of some parts of this episode. It was originally published in December 2018. 

When we spoke to Zoya we discussed her memoir No Country Woman and the experience of writing the memoir. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Zoya’s family responded to her writing a memoir about her cultural and religious experiences growing up in Australia (and why this has helped them connect as a family)
• The power of memoir as a genre to explore cultural issues
• The deeply individual experience of race and identity, even within a family and the multiplicity of representations in the media
• Finding clarity about growing up in Australia while living and writing overseas
• Economic inequality and how it works within structural racism
• Intersectionality of inequality and understanding why people make the choices they do
• The stories we tell ourselves about individual success
• The power of language and communicating confidently in English

Books & other things mentioned

• Yassmin Abdel-Magied
• The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke

Find out more about Zoya here. 

Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod.

This interview with Michael Earp was originally broadcast in May 2019.

When we spoke to Michael, he was getting ready to launch Kindred: a Queer #LoveOzYA short story collection. He was also one of the talented writers included in the Underdog short story collection (published in 2019). 

Sign up to Michael's email and you'll get a short story from him in your inbox!

In this chat, we discuss:

• Writing a queer meet-cute short story for the Underdog Short Story Anthology (listen to our episode with Tobias Madden here) and the real-life bookish experience that inspired it
• Online friendships (aka millennial pen pals)
• Editing a short story anthology
• Diversifying and queering our reading experiences
• Specialising in selling children’s and young adult literature
• The judgement of adults reading young adult or children’s literature

Books & other things mentioned:

• Kindred: A Queer #LoveOzYA Collection
• Underdog Short Stories

Follow Michael: @littleelfman

Follow us: @betterwordspod

This interview with Jenna Guillaume was originally broadcast in March 2019.

When we spoke to Jenna, she was celebrating the release of her debut novel. We want to re-visit this chat because her second standalone YA novel You Were Made For Me is on shelves now.

In this chat, we discuss:

• Writing about body image, body positivity, and plus-sized romance
• Jenna's journey with body image
• Netflix series Insatiable *insert eye-roll here*
• Writing an Aussie Christmas take on the classic 'summer transformation' trope
• Dirty Dancing and why 10 Things I Hate About You is the BEST teen movie of all time
• Why entertainment/pop culture journalism is looked down upon or dismissed as frivolous
• Why we need to get rid of the term 'guilty pleasure' 

Books & other things mentioned

• Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
• Insatiable
• Dirty Dancing
• 10 Things I Hate About You
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Follow Jenna: @jennaguillaume

Follow us: @betterwordspod

This interview with Renée Watson was originally broadcast in June 2019

It seems fitting to re-release this chat with author, activist, and teacher Renée Watson in the wake of George Floyd's murder and Black Lives Matter protests across the world. We spoke to Renée while she was touring Australia  for the release of Watch Us Rise (which she co-wrote with Ellen Hagan). 

In this chat, we discuss:

• How young people engage with politics and art
• The experience of co-writing a novel with a friend (and getting immediate feedback on writing)
• Poetry and getting young people invested in it as an art form
• Cancel culture: when to give people grace and when to cut them out
• The experience of representing diverse characters on book covers
• Making art as resistance to oppression

Books mentioned:

• Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
• What Momma Left Me by Renée Watson
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• One Last Word by Nikki Grimes
• Hold Your Own by Kate Tempest

Follow Renée: http://www.reneewatson.net/

Chat to us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Phil Stamper is currently celebrating the publication of his debut novel The Gravity of Us! He grew up playing piano, writing and looking up at the stars in rural Ohio and now lives in New York City. We talked to him about the space program, reality tv and of course his new book. The Gravity of Us is a queer love story set against the backdrop of a modern space program. Before the interview, Caitlin and Michelle share a few uplifting and joyful recommendations. Interview starts at 14:30.

Check out the shownotes here.

Join our Facebook group to continue the conversation. Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod and please subscribe and leave a rating or review.

This wonderful episode is our season finale. We're taking a little break and we'll be back soon!

Anna Whateley has a PhD in young adult fiction, first class honours in English Literature and Post-Grad Certificate in Education. We're delighted to talk to her today about her debut YA novel, Peta Lyre's Rating Normal. We chat about her journey to publication and how she's spent years trying to understand her own neurodiversity and exploring that through the novel. Ahead of that wonderful chat, Caitlin and Michelle talk about their recent reads (superheros and outer space are mentioned) and TV favourites. Interview starts at 13:38.

Check out the shownotes here.

Join our Facebook group to continue the conversation. Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod and please subscribe and leave a rating or review.

Emery Lord is the amazing young adult author of Open Road Summer, The Start of Me & You, The Names They Gave Us and When We Collided. She is currently celebrating the publication of her fifth novel, The Map From Here To There. We talked to Emery about her writing process, how she started writing, how her first novel was published and The Great British Bake Off! Before the interview, Michelle and Caitlin talk about snow, rainy weekends and our latest TV binges. Interview starts at 21:30.

Check out the shownotes here.

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In this episode we chat about writing, friendship, people watching, outdoor swimming and breakfast foods with Libby Page. Her debut novel The Lido has been sold into 20 territories and is one of Michelle's favourites. Her second novel, The 24 Hour Cafe was just released in Australia and the UK. Before the chat, Caitlin talks about both movies she saw on the weekend, Michelle's latest reality tv obsession and our current reads. Interview starts at 19:05.

Check out the shownotes here.

Join our Facebook group to continue the conversation. Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod and please subscribe and leave a rating or review.

Welcome to 2020! Vanessa McCausland has worked as a journalist for 17 years, is currently the weekend editor at kidspot.com.au and her novel The Lost Summers of Driftwood was just released! We talked to Vanessa about how she separates creative writing from work plus the themes and inspirations for her novel. To start, Michelle and Caitlin chat about what they were reading, watching and listening to over Christmas break. Interview starts at 12:10.

Check out the shownotes here.

Join our Facebook group to continue the conversation. Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod and please subscribe and leave a rating or review.

Please note that Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers did not affect our decision to invite Vanessa to be a guest, we're delighted to have her and hope you enjoy this episode.