Minorities In Publishing

Jenn talks with author and mental health advocate Bassey Ikpi (I'm Telling the Truth But I'm Lying) about her new book and the depictions within it along with the ways she pursued writing & utilizing memory in personal essays on mental illness and diagnosis. 

This interview was conducted over Skype so there may be some audio variation. Author and disability activist Keah Brown (The Pretty One) openly discusses the discomfort she felt in a lack of reflections of disabled POCs in media, her thoughts on breaking in to publishing with no to low-pay opportunities, and how her book reflects more of the evolution of self and a push against ableism in existing and experiencing inherent joy. [Transcription of this episode will be available in the Episodes tab on the MiP tumblr.]

Jenn spoke with author and professor Tanisha C. Ford about her new memoir Dressed in Dreams, which ties in personal history with cultural representation and fashion. This discussion ran the gamut from Black hair care, to nostalgia for FUBU and Karl Kani, to the importance of fashion within Black culture and what it set the stage for in terms of individual expression. [Transcription of this episode can be found on the Episodes tab on Tumblr.]

Author Sonya Chung (The Loved Ones, Long for This World) discusses her essay dissecting the issues of gaze and focus in Green Book and the documentary Period: End of Sentence, how she formulated success as a published author, and her experiences publishing with a Big 5 imprint and an indie press. Transcript of this episode can be found on the Episodes tab on the MiP Tumblr. 

The latest episode is the live recording of the March 27, 2018 Creative Conversation with Meg Medina and Elizabeth Acevedo at I, Too Arts Collective in East Harlem. This event was in celebration of the publication of The Poet X. Meg and Elizabeth read from their latest, at the time, books and discuss Latinx representation, their approach to writing fully fleshed characters, and struggles with imposter syndrome.  [Transcript will be available on the Episodes tab.]

Jenn speaks with co-owners of Brooklyn based Radix Media, Lantz Arroyo and Sarah Lopez, about the work of printers, being a new independent publisher, and the case for worker cooperatives to provide equity in the workplace.  [Transcription will be available on the Episodes tab of the Tumblr.]

[Audio and Transcription of this episode was provided by BookNet Canada] Road Trip to Toronto for the latest episode! At this year's Tech Forum conference Jenn spoke with author and founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), Jael Richardson, about the creation of an inclusive literary festival, the work to maintain representation, and also the benefits and concerns about tagging/separating books by marginalized authors when it comes to consumers finding these works. Transcription of this episode can be found on the Episodes page of the podcast Tumblr site. 

On January 10th, the nonprofit I, Too, Arts Collective held a celebratory NYC book launch for the picture book The Roots of Rap, a collaboration between award-winning & acclaimed artists  Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison at Langston Hughes’ brownstone in East Harlem. The two discussed their origins as writer and visual artist respectively, the history of hip-hop/rap music, and their thoughts on some of the greatest artists of our time.

Jenn speaks with artist/illustrator Jerry Craft about his trajectory as a cartoonist from regular strips to self-publishing to his latest graphic novel (New Kid) pubbing with a Big 5 publisher. Jerry shares his aesthetic which is bringing humor and heart to stories prioritizing Black families. 

[This episode was heavily edited and conducted over Skype, so please not audio variation.] Jenn speaks with Imani Josey (The Blazing Star) about creating a realistic and mindful historical YA novel with Black protagonists, the inspiration from her pageant background for her short story "Crown," and her trajectory as a self-published and traditional published author with a mind for business.  Transcription of this episode can be found on the Episodes tab on the MiP Tumblr. 

[This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts, some audio variation may be heard.] Jenn speaks with the creator of the new literary journal Day Dreamers, Bria Kiara about her inspiration and the nitty gritty details of starting your own print journal and the balance to maintain it as a unique vision for those included and who it represents. [Transcription of this episode will be available on the podcast Tumblr 'Episodes' tab.]

[This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts, some audio variation may be present.] Jenn spoke with debut author and professor Dawn Quigley (Apple in the Middle) about writing for trade vs. academia, presenting Native American identities in fiction, and what it was like her debut year. 

[Please note that audio variation occurs in this episode, which was conducted via phone.] On the latest episode Jenn speaks with author SJ Sindu about her novel Marriage of A Thousand Lies, her path to publishing her first novel after leaving tech and moving towards creative writing, the perspectives of LGBTQ+ narratives and importance of intersectional stories (and reviewers) in the industry.

Jenn spoke with scholarly publishing employees Celine and T (in marketing and sales, respectively) about their personal experiences as people of color within their work place, the necessity and also the push back of creating a diversity committee, and how microaggressions on the job have made it hard to retain marginalized employees. [Transcription of this episode will be available on the podcast Tumblr 'Episodes' tab.]

Jenn speaks with author Lilliam Rivera (The Education of Margot Sanchez, Dealing in Dreams) about the hardships of writing short fiction, how she wrote her debut YA novel, incorporating social justice elements in her work, and character development, along with being a born & raised New Yorker. [Transcription of this episode can be found on the Episodes tab on the podcast Tumblr.]

[This interview was conducted via Skype so there may be some audio variation.] Content Warning: This episode contains discussion on sexual and emotional assault. Jenn speaks with Peter Gajdics (Inheritance of Shame) about the struggles to write his memoir on conversion therapy, the experience and outcomes of writing a trauma narrative, and the exploration of shame as well as reconciling with being able to heal after experiencing and writing about one's own and others' experiences.  

In the latest episode Jenn speaks with James Han Mattson (The Lost Prayers of Ricky Graves) about his time in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the pathway to publication, how the It Gets Better campaign inspired his current book, and the reality of what publishing (and life) is like for People of Color.

On September 27, 2017, YPL National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi and author of The Jumbies Tracey Baptiste celebrated the launch of the follow-up to Tracey's critically acclaimed book with Rise of the Jumbies. They spoke of Black female representation, particularly in mythology versus folklore and the importance of telling these stories to children via oral traditions as well as the roles relegated to women in these stories in the manifestations of "good" and "evil."

Jenn speaks with marketing associates Jalissa Corrie (Lee & Low Books) and Bianca Salvant (Atria Books/37 Ink) about their respective roles in book marketing. They shed light on the differences between marketing and publicity, the importance of rounding out representative teams in their departments and in sales, and the difference in pursuits when it comes to indie publishers and Big 5 imprints. Transcription of this episode is available on the Episodes tab on the podcast Tumblr.

The latest episode welcomes editor at Macmillan's Imprint and author Rhoda Belleza (Empress of a Thousand Skies and Blood of a Thousand Stars). She and Jenn spoke about her entry into publishing via working for a book packager, how she draws a line between her editorial life and writing life, and breaking into the science fiction genre as an author of YA and a women of color. Transcription of this episode can be found on the Episodes page of the podcast's Tumblr, available later this week.