Today I’m excited to share my first interview for the podcast! I had a lovely conversation a few weeks ago with Liisa Kovala, a Finnish-Canadian writer and book coach. We found each other on Substack when we both shared posts about sisu around the same time. What is sisu? Well, listen up and you’ll hear all about it!

GUEST BIO

Liisa Kovala is a Finnish-Canadian writer and book coach. Her debut novel, Sisu’s Winter War, was released by Latitude 46 Publishing in 2022. Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017) was translated and published by Docendo in Finland, and short-listed for a Northern Lit award. Liisa’s short stories and creative non-fiction have been published in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines, and she received first prize in Geist’s 18th Annual Literal Literary Postcard Short Story Contest. As a certified Author Accelerator fiction and memoir book coach, Liisa works with writers both in small group settings and individually. Liisa features fellow writers in her Women Writing newsletter, hosts the Women Writing Podcast and co-hosts Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreats with Dinah Laprairie. Learn more about Liisa at liisakovalabookcoach.com and visit liisakovalawomenwriting.substack.com.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro

00:39 First Interview: Liisa Kovala on Sisu

00:56 Exploring the Concept of Sisu

03:15 Liisa's Journey and Work

06:06 Sisu in Historical Context

20:52 Practicing Sisu in Daily Life

31:26 The Importance of Community

35:35 Closing Remarks and Outro

LINKS

Maggie’s Substack

Maggie’s website

Liisa’s Substack

Liisa’s website

The book that started me on my sisu journey! (Note: this is an affiliate link and I think I get three tenths of a penny if you buy the book here.)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maggiehollinbeck.substack.com