Episode 134: Interview with Debut Rom-Com Author Danica Nava
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online and there may be some audio variation.] As the 10th-anniversary year continues, Jenn welcomes debut author Danica Nava (The Truth According to Ember) for some laughs around romance shenanigans! Danica breaks down what often makes a rom-com while increasing the stakes for characters, she discusses the necessity of representing the reality of Indigenous characters within all genres through hardships and highlights, and what it's like being one of the first Indigenous writers of a romantic comedy to be traditionally published. [You can sign up for the...
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Episode 133: Interview with horror writer Nick Medina
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] For the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn welcomes to the podcast! Nick Medina is the author of the novels Indian Burial Ground and Sisters of the Lost Nation. In this episode, Nick discusses the many drafts that lead to his first book deal, how horror can represent some of the truest and most potent emotions as a genre, and how he wove cultural and fantastical elements into his latest novel. [You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with job listings, guest news, and new...
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Episode 132: Interview with Newbery-honor author Veera Hiranandani
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation. Intro/Outro music is by Moutaineer and licensed through Continuing the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn welcomes another Newbery honoree in ! Veera her new middle-grade novel, a follow-up to the award-winning The Night Diary, Amil and the After. Veera also discusses how writing a book about a massive historical event like The Partition of India reflects the ongoing effects/repercussions for the communities (and world) involved, the ways in which we can parse out our own questions through...
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Episode 131: Interview with Newbery-honor author Alicia D. Williams
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation. Intro/Outro music is by Moutaineer and licensed through (Content Warning: At around the 20-minute mark there is mention of the video of Ahmaud Arbery's death and the last words of Elijah McClain when Alicia mentions participating in NaNoWriMo. If this may be triggering, please skip forward by 2 minutes and 30 seconds.) Continuing the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn welcomes Newbery honoree and Coretta Scott King awardee Alicia D. Williams! Alicia discusses her new middle-grade novel in verse...
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Episode 130: Interview with Newbery honored author/illustrator Pedro Martín
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] For the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn welcomes recent Newbery honoree and Pura Belpré winning author/illustrator Pedro Martín! Pedro talks about his entry into books from creating greeting cards, how the Mexikid online comic expanded even more with his award-winning book, learning lots about publishing his debut and how to consider young readers in storytelling, aplus how he approaches humor in his illustrations, especially when touching on aspects of his childhood/family. ...
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Episode 129: Interview with bestselling author Renée Watson
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] For the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn welcomes back best-selling & award-winning author Renée Watson for her fourth episode (in a year she has 4 books publishing)! We discussed Renée origins in storytelling as a poet and playwright when she started a performing arts company in high school, her new book of poetry BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS (illustrated by Ekua Holmes), the benefits & necessity of poetry--and poetry for young people--in her work as a teaching-artist, and how early rejections...
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Episode 128: Interview with young adult author Matt Mendez
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] For the 10th anniversary year of Minorities in Pub, Jenn speaks with author about his new young adult novel, The Broke Hearts, a companion to his debut YA Barely Missing Everything. Jenn and Matt discuss the unrealistic expectations of knowing your path at a young age, male representation for young readers, and parental influence on young people not only in life but in writing for younger readers. [Transcript of episodes can be found on . You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with...
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Episode 127: Interview with graphic novelist Elizabeth Agyemang
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] Jenn speaks with editor and graphic novelist/author Elizabeth Agyemang (Fibbed) about her debut middle grade, finding space for her professional and creative life, how she's learned that incremental progress is still progress in all aspects of our work, and the inherent struggles creators of color face when the expectations are not balanced (or unbiased). [Transcript of this episode can be found on . You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with job listings, guest news, and new eps .]
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Episode 126: Interview with Publicity & Outreach at Candlewick Books!
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] Jenn speaks with Candlewick publicity manager Jamie Tan (a 2020 PW StarWatch honoree and ) and former Candlewick outreach manager Ally Russell (whose debut middle grade pubs in 2024). They discuss working outside of NYC in the publishing industry and the reality of what hybrid work has looked like for their positions, what drew them to the industry and keeps them in publishing, in addition to the added emotional labor BIPOC take on in speaking up about issues in the workplace. [Transcript of this episode can be...
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Episode 125: Interview with debut novelist Namrata Poddar
Minorities in Publishing
[This interview was conducted online so there may be some audio variation.] Jenn speaks with debut novelist Namrata Poddar about her book (longlisted for the 2022 Center of Fiction First Novel Prize), pursuing publication with an small press versus a Big 5 publisher, the "classic" question of marketability versus craft that BIPOC writers especially face when publishing their work, and one's intentionality in not only their writing but what their expectations are when it comes to publication. (We also mention Book Coaching and the Unicorn Authors Club that you can learn...
info_outlineIn the last episode for 2020, Jenn speaks with podcaster and photographer Mike Sakasegawa about producing not one but two literary podcasts--LikeWise Fiction and Keep the Channel Open--the work this entails and forging one's own definition of success.
[Transcript of this episode will be available on the Episodes tab of the podcast Tumblr.]