My guest this week is Dolan Perkins-Valdez, the New York Times bestselling author of the novels “Wench,” “Balm,” “Take My Hand,” and most recently, “Happy Land.” Her books are all inspired by fascinating facets of American history that are in danger of being forgotten. They have earned awards from the NAACP, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the American Bar Association. And they've been named best books of the year by Goodreads users and Amazon editors. Dolan is a three-time nominee for a United States Artists Fellowship and an associate professor in the literature department at American University.

We covered:
- Why she goes to the special archives in the library in any town she visits
- Why emails from readers are the best gift
- How she recovers from book tour
- What teaching offers her (beyond benefits and a 401K)
- Her specific writing process
- The handicraft that makes her “most at peace”
- Her pre-writing morning routine
- How she measures her writing process (hint: it’s not word count)

Connect with Dolen on Instagram @dolenperkinsvaldez

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

Thank you for listening!

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