Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

In part three of my interview with Deesha Philyaw–author of the brand-new novel “Confessions of First Lady Freeman,” and the National Book Award-finally story collection “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies”--we talk about what’s getting her creative juices flowing, the shifts she’s making as she starts writing her most ambitious work yet, and the shows, writers, and songs that are keeping her inspired.
We covered:
- The upcoming debut novels by other authors that are blowing her mind and inspiring her to take more risks in her writing
- The Black women directors and show runners she admires
- Why the novel she’s currently writing is “the most ambitious book I’ve ever written”
- The changes she’s making in order to be able to keep writing her next novel while she’s out on tour for her “First Lady Freeman”
- Why she’s looking to move abroad in the next few years
- The series she just finished watching that she calls “22 episodes of WTF??”
- Her love-hate relationship with matcha
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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In the second part of our conversation, Deesha Philyaw, whose hot off-the-presses novel “The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman” is a funny, juicy, sexy, and delicious peak behind the pulpit of a black megachurch, shares her insights on the beliefs, fears, and concerns she’s had to re-write, including:
- Why she stopped focusing on getting published
- The editing trick she swears by–although she absolutely hates doing it
- How she reminds herself that not everybody needs to like what she writes
- What she learned from seeing her stories about Southern, Black church ladies be warmly received by people outside that demographic
- Getting past the evangelical teaching that says everything you write has to be for the glory of God
- Caring less and less about other people’s reactions to her writing
- Getting bolder with age
- The self-help book she calls “so healing and so freeing” and the spiritual readings that have helped her feel more supported
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss visit katehanley.substack.com.
Thank you for listening!

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This week my guest is Deesha Philyaw, who has been called “a bonafide literary treasure” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Deesha's short story collection, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” was a 2020 National Book Award finalist, a Penn Faulkner Award for Fiction winner, and an LA Times Book Prize winner.
Now, her highly anticipated novel, “The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman,” has just come out. It follows Sharice Freeman, wife of the pastor of one of the largest black megachurches in America, as her hopes of winning the First Lady USA pageant are threatened when secrets from her previous life are revealed.
In this lively conversation where we dug into her creative path and process, we covered:
- Growing up in the evangelical church
- Doing all the “right” things and still being unhappy
- Starting writing as a hobby, then getting serious about making money as a writer post-divorce
- How she first started writing her brand-new novel over twenty years ago
- Her forthright–and funny–motivation for continuing to write
- Meeting her agent via a neighborhood potluck
- Why writers need to leave the house
- The $200 she and her writer friends kept loaning to each other when they were all trying to make ends meet
- How she went from a $5000 advance for her first book to a seven-figure two-book deal
- The financial realities of a seven-figure deal
- Her hard-won time-management strategies
- The gadget that prevents her from losing precious hours to social media
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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Welcome to our third and final compilation episode where I share answers from six different writers to just one of my questions from the Finding the Throughline questionnaire. This week that question is: How do you get your writing done?
Let's find out how the sausage gets made!
Allegra Goodman, Octavia Randolph, Eric J. Dolan, Sheree L. Greer, Susan Scarf Merrell, and Daisy Florin give us a peel at both the practical side of whether they write every day, what tools they use, where they are, what time it is, as well as the mindset side of how they think about themselves and their work that helps them be both creative and productive.
I hope hearing these answers will make you want to crack open that notebook or create a brand new document and get going. Or that they help you appreciate a little more the labor that goes into the books, articles, and essays you love to read.
The writers you’ll hear from today are a mix of novelists, essayists, historians, and writing mentors. One thing that jumped out at me listening to what they had to say is that everyone’s approach is so individual… which says to me that there’s no one way to get your writing done, and if you have the desire to write, there’s a way for you to be able to do it, no matter your working style, preferences, or tendencies.

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This week I've got another compilation episode for you to enjoy while I take the rest of the summer off from producing new episodes.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing answers from six different writers to the question: What is your favorite part of the writing process? What really lights you up and keeps you going?
The writers you’ll hear from today are a mix of journalists, novelists, essayists, memoirists, and historians–and sometimes they tick multiple of these boxes. They include Christine Chitnis, Christopher Castellani, Elizabeth Gonzalez-James, Minda Honey, Kenneth C. Davis, and Lisa See, and I selected this group not just because I loved our conversations and know you will too, and not only because they’re a diverse mix of genres, ages, genders, and races, but also because they were really eloquent about the parts of being a writer that really light them up.
As important as I believe it is to talk about the hard things–like dealing with doubt, and finding a way to make money–it’s equally important to focus on the parts you love so much it makes the hard parts easier to handle.
Hope you're enjoying the last bits of summer--it lasts until September 21st, despite what the school calendar may say!

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I’m taking a little hiatus during the month of August, but I didn’t want to leave you with nothing new to listen to. So my editor and I have pulled some highlights from some our most-loved conversations that we know you'll enjoy.
Something I ask everyone is: How do you make money??
Not because I'm a tacky person (although maybe I am, a little) but because one of the biggest things that stops people from pursuing writing more seriously is the fear that they'll never make money.
This week, we’re revisiting interviews with writers who also have day jobs. Their insights on how they make their finances work and how they balance their jobs and their writing are equal parts practical and inspiring. Like they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
In this compilation episode, you'll hear about the realities of holding down a day job while also building a career as a writer from Amy Shearn, Nancy Johnson, John Glynn, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Beth Macy, and Jenna Blum.

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In this final installment of my talk with Allegra Goodman, author of "This Is Not About Us," "Isola," and "Katterskill Falls", among many other books, she shares how she's aiming to use her work to get people to engage their brains a little more--in a most delightful way. And she also dishes on the books she's been loving and the food that's been fueling her.
We talked about:
- The nonfiction book she currently stayed up too late reading
- An amazing story about how her mother stood up for herself in the 1970s–and how that example inspires Allegra to this day
- A sneak peek at her next book, which is currently in the copy editing phase
- Her dreams for her work in the next ten years (super inspiring!)
- The historical novel she carried around with her so she could read whenever she had a few quiet minutes
- The very specific snack that keeps her going
- The Maggie Rogers song that she feels captures the essence of her novel "Isola"
Connect with Allegra on Instagram @allegragoodmanwriter.
For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit ⁠katehanley.substack.com⁠.

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Welcome to part two of my interview with Allegra Goodman, author of the brand new "This Is Not About Us" (which the NY Times called "deliciously readable"), “Isola” (a Reese's Book Club pick), and “Katterskill Falls” (nominated for the National Book Award).
We covered:
- Why starting a new project is the hardest part–and how she gets herself through it
- How she trusts her inner critic to offer constructive criticism
- How she got past being pigeon-holed as a writer of a certain genre and built a career on writing many different types of stories
- Making the shift from being intimidated by studying the great works of literature to being inspired by them
- Why now is the best time of her career
- How living to be older than her mother was when she died influences Allegra’s work and her life
Connect with Allegra on Instagram @allegragoodmanwriter.
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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This week I’m replaying my interview with Allegra Goodman in honor of the release of her newest book, "This Is Not About Us," which the New York Times called "deliciously readable." She's also the author of "Isola,” which was a Reese's book club selection, and her first, “Katterskill Falls,” which was a National Book Award finalist, as well as multiple other books.
We covered:
- Getting "discovered" as a freshman in college by an encouraging editor
- How it’s a love of writing, and not a drive to be published, that will sustain you over the long-term
- Learning to build patience and endurance by writing novels
- Her case for setting very low daily writing goals
- Why she doesn’t ascribe to the “shitty first draft” school of thought
- Her daily and weekly writing routines
- How having grown children makes those routines possible
- The specific times when she’ll listen to a podcast—and when she’ll choose to keep her ears podcast-free
- The nightly ritual that helps her get started on work the next day
- How non-digital activities feed her creative process
- The benefits and mechanics of writing two books at the same time
Connect with Allegra on Instagram @allegragoodmanwriter.
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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Welcome to the final installment of my interview with Steve Ahlquist, an independent journalist who covers social justice, economic justice, and environmental justice in the state of Rhode Island. Steve is the founder of the independent news site Uprise RI, and currently is sharing his reporting at his Substack, Steve Ahlquist News.
In today’s episode we’re talking about where Steve’s throughline may be leading him next and we’ll also talk about some lighter, yet still vitally important topics, like what he’s been watching, reading, listening to, and fantasizing about eating lately.
We talked about:
- Why it’s a no brainer for him to support people whose rights are being threatened
- The earlier journalists who inspire his work
- How his business changes according to who is president
- The challenge of eating healthy when you’re out reporting all day
- His “Superhero” playlist
Reach out to Steve at [email protected], and check out Steve Ahlquist News at https://steveahlquist.substack.com/.
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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