In Episode 39, I’m chatting with Whitney French about her novel in verse, Syncopation, a science fiction novel about two women searching for meaning and purpose in a catastrophic world where memory is currency. 

We talk about the musicality of Syncopation, how a random Tumblr post birthed the idea of the book, and what characters can teach us about ourselves. I ask Whitney to don her writing coach cap to share some strategies for achieving writing goals and overcoming popular writing challenges, and we go back in time to find out about Whitney’s Tree Sessions, a writing program she held under trees for writers who wanted to embrace nature while creating art.

This was such a fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction

1:54 – Tree sessions

6:22 – Describing her year in one word

7:42– How to structure a novel in verse

10:58– Nature eliminating itself in Syncopation 

12:58 – How a Tumblr post became a novel

16:42 – What characters teach us about ourselves

19:57 – Musicality in Syncopation

22:28 – Intersections of migration

25:05– Common challenges among writers

29:58– Strategies to help writers

38:39 – About Hush Harbour Press

43:19 – Secret to staying on the journey of her art

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Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LW5iwa9qvSw

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Guest’s links

Buy Syncopation: https://bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/products/syncopation

Visit the Hush Harbour website: https://www.hushharbour.com/ 

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/  

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In this episode, I’m joined by Nadia Ragbar to discuss her latest work, The Pugilist and the Sailor. 

The book follows the lives of conjoined twins, Bruce and Dougie. One an ambitious boxer and the other a bookkeeper. As the brothers pursue their individual desires, a love interest and a boxing championship, they are compelled to consider the true meaning of belonging, independence, and their own place in the world. 

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Show highlights

00:00 - Introduction

1:48 - What’s been making Nadia happy lately 

2:49 - Summarizing The Pugilist and the Sailor

5:13 - Starting the book from the last line

8:07 - Boxing as a tool to ground the body and differentiate

10:39 - List making as a way to foster inspiration 

16:22 - Connecting to the humanity of characters 

18:37 - The road to publication

20:34 - When plotting doesn’t work

22:47 - Navigating the editing process and choosing feedback

24:42 - Lessons from waiting for publication

27:36 - What Nadia needs to write

29:43 - Her writing superpower

31:12 - The secret to staying on the journey of her art

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Guest’s links

Buy The Pugilist and the Sailor: https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/pugilist-and-the-sailor/?srsltid=AfmBOooW_oY4TQOoIlGrAnTIwM_WtHSUl5r5-mUzKItlhgZcnbY3Rfgm

Follow Nadia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadiaragbar/

Find out more about Nadia: nadiaragbar.com

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/  

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In Episode 37, I have the privilege of speaking with three-time Pushcart nominee Bill Gaythwaite about his short story collection, A Place In The World, winner of the 2025 Drue Heinz Literature Prize. 

This stunning collection of compelling short stories features regular people battling betrayal, displacement, and loss and will leave you feeling a deep sense of connection with the characters. In A Place In The World, a teenage boy and his family grapple with the harsh realities of his father’s abandonment, a young lady yearns for belonging in the face of dispassionate affection, and a gay hustler’s secret is exposed.

Beyond the collection, we discuss Bill’s staying power and his response to strings of rejections. This episode holds a powerful truth about the journey of artistry and is a much-needed reminder that consistency always rewards.

Show highlights

00:00 - Introduction

1:22 – Resilience, the secret sauce

1:51 - Being a Pushcart nominee

3:37 - How to weave humour into painful stories

6:38 - Using the element of surprise 

10:11 - How not to give up on a story

11:45 - How to know when a story is not working

12:45 - Building cohesiveness in a short story collection

14:16 - The theme of belonging vs. mystery 

16:25 - Using the story within the story device 

18:17 - How to build a short story collection 

20:17 - The stories that didn’t make the collection

22:39 - The sacrifice of publication 

24:16 - How to stay on the Journey of the Art 

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Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NfrDy4OwIa8

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Guest’s links

Buy A Place In The World: https://upittpress.org/books/9780822948766/

Connect with Bill on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billgaythwaite/

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In this episode, I have the honour of chatting with Minelle Mahtani to discuss her memoir, May It Have A Happy Ending.

 In May It Have A Happy Ending, Minelle travels back and forth in time to investigate the parallels between finding her voice in broadcasting and watching her mother lose hers to tongue cancer. 

The book is an exploration of voice, with people, animals, nature, and things speaking vividly about identity, belonging, and the importance of making our own place in the world. It challenges us to examine the impact of our voice, the manner of our questions and the weight of the answers we give others.

It’s also an exploration of love. Of love that’s too much, too little, and love that’s just right.

May It Have A Happy Ending is out now from Penguin Random House Canada.

Show highlights

00:00 - Introduction

2:09 - Talking about how the book makes me feel

5:57 - Laughing after death happens

10:45 - Keeping the voicemails of loved ones

15:31 - Holding love and the bad memories of the departed simultaneously 

17:58 - The scam of false hope and the vulnerability of caregivers

20:51 - Finding home and idea

22:59 - Passing down traditions and sharing the role of matriarch

29:05 - Asking anti-colonial questions on the path to writing the book

34:49 - Knowing the worth of her sound

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0EbmSKFEpm8

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Guest’s links

Buy May It Have A Happy Ending: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/704247/may-it-have-a-happy-ending-by-minelle-mahtani/9780385675208

Follow Minelle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minellemahtani/

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In this episode, I’m joined by award-winning Cree Métis storyteller and multidisciplinary artist Arnolda Dufour-Bowes to discuss her latest children's book, "Maggie Lou Meets Her Match." Arnolda shares her creative strategies, the importance of family and cultural storytelling, and her approach to balancing humor and serious themes in her work.

You’ll find the initial part of our conversation deeply motivating as Arnolda talks about plunging headfirst into creative endeavours. 

 Maggie Lou Meets Her Match is a story about girlhood, creativity, and Indigenous family traditions. But mostly, it’s about joy, healthy competition, and the audacity to discover the world through the balance of joy and pain. 

 It’s out now from Groundwood Books.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction 

01:22 - Creative strategies and fearlessness 

07:31 - The Maggie Lou series

09:01 - Family dynamics and Indigenous storytelling traditions

11:51 - The balance of family love and discipline in Indigenous culture

19:37 - Bringing back stories of joy

21:51 - Celebrating playfulness and audacity in girls

29:05 - Authenticity in writing about non-Western cultures

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Vmfsd1tJAAQ

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Guest’s links

Visit Arnolda’s website: www.arnoldadufourbowes.com

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Lola on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

This moving episode with Halina St James is a conversation about intergenerational trauma, an exploration of a mother-daughter relationship, the Second World War, family secrets, love and forgiveness. Our conversation is centred around Halina’s memoir, The Golden Daughter. 

After discovering her mother’s secret stash of letters upon her passing, Halina translated them and then embarked on a journey that took her back to Germany, where it all began, to understand who her mother truly was. This journey also led her to her biological father’s grave and into the embrace of long-lost family. 

There are several painful moments in this book, but I think what you will find most compelling about it is the sincerity with which Halina wrote it and the reality of family love when trauma impacts it.

The Golden Daughter is out now from House of Anansi Press.

Show highlights

0:00 - Introduction 

2:44 - The beginning of the past: how the book began

7:32 - Managing the emotional toll of writing a painful memoir

12:04- The structure of truth 

14:37 - Stark abandonment: Finding family and belonging

19:00 - The irony of secret keepers and the truth teller

26:32-  A journalist’s perspective on visions 

30:25 - Finding closure

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3slKw8v3_7o

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Guest’s links

Buy The Golden Daughter: https://houseofanansi.com/products/the-golden-daughter?srsltid=AfmBOoqwfY-cF78zLf3R0rJ84FfYkPp0JHAVwpJ3BAknPoCPQY2no-03

Find out more about Halina: www.halinastjames.com

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Eddie Kawooya, author of the Ace and the Misfits series. We talk about how immigrant kids can foster friendships and a sense of purpose through sports.

Inspired by his own immigrant experiences, Eddie brings to life a community of young boys who thrive through sports and a joint sense of purpose. Upheld by the storytelling traditions of his Ugandan heritage, and specifically, his grandmother’s stories, Eddie’s Ace and the Misfits series is nostalgic and provides crucial insights into the lives of young, immigrant boys. 

Ace and the Misfits vs the Soccer Knights is forthcoming in Spring 2026.

Show Highlights

00:00 – Introduction

2:31 – Eddie’s journey as an artist

11:29 – Discussing Ace and the Misfits vs The Soccer Knights

14:04 – Drawing from his immigrant experience to write the book

17:09 – Unpacking the challenges of immigration in children

23:04 – Learning from his grandmother and drawing from Ugandan storytelling traditions 

28:40 – The hardest part of the book to write 

31:27 – Addressing the challenges of young, immigrant boys 

32:37 – Writing in the language of Gen Alphas

35:12 – Tips for writing for African children in the diaspora

37:55 – Full circle: Describing how he feels about his writing now

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Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fmydDmFEuPY

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Guest’s links

Pre-order Ace and Misfits vs The Soccer Knights: https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/26221  

Follow Eddie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boundless_kawooya/

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

I’m truly honored to share this episode with Summer Brenner, fiction writer, poet, and the oldest guest on the show (Summer turned 80 this year)!

In this episode, we step back in time to the 1950s through her memoir, DUST. We discuss her encounters with racism and being Jewish in the South, caring for her brother who suffered from schizophrenia, dealing with her father’s suicide, other complexities with her family, and her thoughts on writing for over fifty years.

As I said on the show, this episode was as meaningful as I hoped it would be, and I hope you find it as meaningful too.

Show highlights

00:00 – Introduction

02:08 – Summer on turning 80

03:33 – On discovering writing and poetry

7:15 – On freedom and happiness

09:25 – Looking back after fifty years of writing 

11:47 – The impact of encountering racism on her life and her writing 

17:05 – On her father and his influence on her writing 

21:28 – On leaving to live and caring for her brother later in life 

30:36 – The hardest part of the book to write  

34:33 – Writing about family complexities and the family’s response 

42:08 – On being a multidisciplinary artist and finding fulfillment 

46:17 – Her secret to staying on the journey of the art

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Listen on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/journey-of-the-art

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Guest’s links

Buy DUST: https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Summer-Brenner/dp/1959556460/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=uPJ8A&content-id=amzn1.sym.a7785aa2-ac28-4769-b3eb-cff7b9738627&pf_rd_p=a7785aa2-ac28-4769-b3eb-cff7b9738627&pf_rd_r=140-8988532-3141708&pd_rd_wg=OtiJq&pd_rd_r=29f6d760-a810-4611-8e6f-4baae3cfc550&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

Visit Summer’s website: http://summerbrenner.com

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/   

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In this episode, my guest is Adedayo Agarau, author of The Years of Blood, a poetry collection that explores trauma, memory, anxiety, and immigration. 

Listen as we discuss the lack of emergency on ritual killings and abductions that inspired him to take on this subject, his struggles with mental health, and the ways community and religion impacted his ability to deal with his struggles. 

Show highlights

00:00 – introduction

03:10 – Adedayo Agarau’s journey as a writer

14:39 – Taking on the subject of trauma

28:30 - The challenge of explaining anxiety and depression in the diaspora

37:04 - the questioning of God (the story of Taofiq) and predestination

45:25 - The beauty of language in the collection 

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Guest's links

• Buy The Years of Blood: https://fordhampress.com/the-years-of-blood-pb-9781531511616.html
• Follow Adedayo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adedayoagarau

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Host's links

• Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram
• Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/

In this episode with Saad Omar Khan, we discuss depression, faith, unrequited love, and the connections between these. We explore these in Khan’s latest work, Drinking the Ocean, which tells the story of Murad, whose carefully constructed reality is upset by a chance encounter with a long lost love. Set in England, Canada, and Pakistan, Drinking the Ocean forces us to contemplate deep questions on faith and family responsibility.

 Drinking the Ocean is out now from Buckrider Books.

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Guest’s links

Buy Drinking the Ocean: https://www.saadomarkhan.com/drinkingtheocean/

Follow Omar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.omar.khan/

Contact Omar: https://www.saadomarkhan.com/contact/ 

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Host’s links

Find out more about the show: https://www.journeyoftheart.com/

Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/

Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/