Minorities in Publishing

[This interview was conducted via Skype so there will be some audio variation.]

In the latest episode Jenn speaks with Nic Stone (Dear Martin) about how she came to write her debut, her experiences writing other marginalized identities, the fundamental necessity of critical thought in seeing progress, and her personal aesthetic when it comes to cosmetics and other creative outlets.

Transcript of this episode can be found on the 'Episodes' page of the Podcast Tumblr site.

[This interview was conducted via Skype.]

Jenn speaks with this year's National Book Award YPL longlist nominee Samantha Mabry (All the Wind in the World and A Fierce and Subtle Poison) about her new book with Algonquin Young Readers and being recognized for the #NBAwards, learning from students as a college instructor, and the Dallas literary scene.

The transcript of this episode can be found on the Tumblr episode page.

[This interview was conducted via phone and edited/amplified, so there may be some audio variation.]

Jenn speaks with National Book Award winner, and recent longlist nominee, Jesmyn Ward about her new novel Sing, Unburied Sing; the work that went into her NYT bestselling anthology The Fire This Time, and societal influence on the aging and demonization of Black children.

Jenn speaks with author David Barclay Moore (The Stars Beneath Our Feet) about his trajectory from the Missouri to New York City, the healing capacity of the arts, his new middle grade book, and what he found to be the differences--from a craft perspective--between middle grade, young adult, and adult literature as a cross genre artist.

[This interview was conducted via phone, post-editing may retain some audio variation.]

In the 3-year anniversary episode of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, Jenn interviews author Jenny Zhang (Sour Heart; Dear Jenny, We Are All Find; The Selected) about her road to publication post-MFA program for her debut story collection, entering the poetry scene to gain community, and also taking stock of what a writer should look for when it comes to representation and publication.

In the latest episode, Jenn speaks with author and diversity advocate Madhuri Pavamani (The Sanctum Trilogy) about her newly published books in The Keeper Series with St. Martin's Press, being a woman of color writing about people of color in genres (fantasy & romance) that have a dearth of those reputations, as well as how she divides her time between writing and being a practicing lawyer.

On the latest episode Jenn speaks with literary agent Saba Sulaiman about how she got into agenting and who may be a fit for this role in the industry, being a parent of a young child while navigating your career, and being an advocate at this time in the industry.

[This interview was conducted via Skype which may contribute to fluctuations in audio quality.]

Marcus Kwame Anderson (illustrator for the comic Snow Daze and creator of the webcomic EastRaven) speaks to Jenn about the correlation of categories in the field of visual arts as compared to the written genre, how collaboration works from the illustrators perspective, and about his own projects and aims to create stories his own children can read and see themselves in.

Transcription of this episode can be found on the Episodes page of the podcast Tumbler next to the episode link.

[This interview was conducted via Skype, so there may be some audio variation.]

Jenn spoke with founder and publisher of Koyama Press (which is celebrating their 10-year anniversary), Annie Koyama on how she got into publishing, the pursuit of doing what you love, the Con circuit, and the work involved behind small presses focusing on art books and visual stories.

[Sound for this episode was edited by MR Daniel. Thanks MR!]

On March 29th, the nonprofit I, Too, Arts Collective held a celebratory NYC book launch for Renée Watson's new young adult novel Piecing Me Together with Renée in conversation with National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds at Langston Hughes' brownstone in East Harlem. The two read portions of their latest work; discuss creativity, legacy, and Black girlhood; and go on to answer questions from the audience.