Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Kicking Off National Poetry Month with Adhya Kona

It’s National Poetry Month! Get your creativity flowing with Niba and Adhya Kona, 18-year-old poetic genius. Adhya shares her verses and explores the fascinating intersection of art and science.  And as if that’s not enough, Adhya even spills the tea on some pro-tips for tapping into your own creative potential. Don’t miss out on this […]

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the cover of The Nursery by Szilvia Molnar displayed on a yellow background
Blog, Bookish Life, Podcast Shownotes

The Nursery and Postpartum Mental Health as Horror

Mariquita and Steph sit down to discuss Szilvia Molnar’s debut novel, The Nursery, which examines one woman’s struggles with overwhelming postpartum fear and disconnection. They reflect on how the book mirrored their own experiences and the disservice we do by not discussing the daunting reality of new parenthood. Books mentioned: The Nursery by Szilvia Molnar

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A woman on her computer drinking coffee
Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Thrillers & Copaganda + Multigenerations, Music, & Mystery with Diane Marie Brown

What is copaganda? And why do so many thrillers feel like copaganda? Mariquita and Renee discuss these questions plus how to spot copaganda in our literature. They also share some books that they loved that don’t pass the test and some great books that do. In the second segment, Ashley interviews Diane Marie Brown, author

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The Cover of Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin on a colorful flat background
Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Food, Home, and Grief with Cecile Pin

Ashley interviews Cecile Pin about her debut novel, Wandering Souls. Wandering Souls follows siblings Anh, Minh, and Thanh as they journey to Hong Kong after the last American troops leave Vietnam.  The conversation includes making a girl the oldest child, creating community through food, making a home amidst assimilation, and recalling memories.  Book content warning:

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The cover of the light pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton sits on a yellow background.
Author Interview, Podcast Shownotes

Resilience, Climate, and Lineman: An interview with Lily Brooks-Dalton

In this episode Natalia interviews Lily Brooks-Dalton, author of The Light Pirate. They talk about what it means to be resilient, what even *is* good infrastructure, hope, ecology, that dream we have of sawing Florida off the nation as a whole, and so much more.  We hope after listening to the conversation you love this

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A parent and child set fresh cookies from the oven onto the counter top. This image is just decorative to show that we're discussing our favorite cookbooks!
Blog, Bookish Life, Podcast Shownotes

The Joy of Cookbooks

One thing you may not know is that Natalia and Renee regularly text each other about food–what they’re eating, what they’re cooking, what they’re craving, what they discovered at Costco–you name it, they’ve chatted about it. So they’re rechanneling that hungry energy into a conversation about their favorite cookbooks, cookbook cultures, and cultural cookbooks. Renee

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A Black woman sits in a chair reading
Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

5 Star Reads of 2023 (so far) + The Wild Wild Alaskan Front with Iris Yamashita

It’s been a very good year of reading for Renee so far. Even though we’ve barely scratched the surface of the year (and we’re still covered in snow), Renee shares seven books that she’s rated five stars already. Then, Jordy sits down with Academy-Award nominated screenwriter, Iris Yamashita, to discuss her debut novel, City Under

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Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Multitudes of “Viral Justice” with Ruha Benjamin

Ashley speaks with Ruha Benjamin about her book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want.  This book has been described as, “Part memoir, part manifesto, Viral Justice is a sweeping and deeply personal exploration of how we can transform society through the choices we make every day.” They talk about privilege being used

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Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Double Date with America’s Founders + Dr. Poetry on Spoken Word

In our new series, Sally proposes a bookish Double Date by sharing two of her favorite books on a particular topic, starting with America’s founders. Taking a deep dive into the early years of U.S. history may not seem super sexy, but these books are engaging and offer insights your teachers might have missed in

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Author Interview, Blog, Podcast Shownotes

Four Books with an Older Main Character + The World As It Can Be with Nic Stone

As Renee enters her late 30s, she craves books with older main characters. In this short segment, she shares four books that center the lives and stories of older women.  After a short message from our sponsor, Ashley speaks with Nic Stone about her novel, Chaos Theory. The conversation includes how class and power play

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