Nana Nkweti is the author of Walking on Cowrie Shells, a book that spans genres – literary realism, horror, mystery, YA, science fiction – and features complex, fully-embodied characters. The stories aim to entertain readers while also offering a counterpoint to prevalent “heart of darkness” writing that too often depicts a singular “African” experience plagued by locusts, hunger, and tribal in-fighting.

“Boisterous and high-spirited debut stories by a talented new writer.” - Kirkus Reviews

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• Keeping runnings lists on your phone
• Staying engaged with the world as a writer
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

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• Follow her Website
• Buy her book, Walking on Cowrie Shells

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• Visit the podcast’s Website

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• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

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• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

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This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Close your eyes. Imagine your body. Do a complete and full inventory and think of all the things that make you you. Hone in on scars, physical and emotional. Write from the perspective from that scar, or about how you received that scar. Let that scar tell you about yourself and your life.

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Yaa Gyasi - Author of Transcendent Kingdom
• Kwoya Fagin Maples - Author of Mend

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 78: Jennifer Craven - Author of All That Shines and Whispers
• Episode 77: Marina Carreira - Author of Save the Bathwater 
• Episode 76: Kathleen Basi - Author of A Song for the Road
• Episode 75: Tashie Bhuiyan - Author of Counting Down With You

Jennifer Craven is the author of All That Shines and Whispers, a re-imagining of what happens after the credits roll on The Sound of Music. The book explores themes of betrayal, sacrifice, consequences, and redemption, set against the backdrop of Nazi-era Europe.

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• That words have power and that we can use them for positive or negative purposes
• How her book was inspired by The Sound of Music
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and Website
• Buy her latest book, All That Shines and Whispers

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Write a story in which you are disconnected from someone society tells you you should inherently be close to. Write how you navigate the distance, remain true to yourself, and explain your choice to those who just don’t understand.

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Kiersten Modglin - Author of My Husband’s Secret
• Ashleigh Renard - Author of Swing

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 77: Marina Carreira - Author of Save the Bathwater 
• Episode 76: Kathleen Basi - Author of A Song for the Road
• Episode 75: Tashie Bhuiyan - Author of Counting Down With You
• Episode 74: Cassandra Lane - Author of We Are Bridges

Marina Carreira is a queer, Luso-American poet artist and the author of Save the Bathwater, a poetry collection, and the curator of Divine Feminist: An Anthology of Poetry and Art by Womxn and Non-binary Folx, both published by Get Fresh Books.

“Her poet soul sings—like a Portuguese saudade—in service to safeguarding what has been lost and what should never be forgotten, “to remember it all—sweat and tears, / Luso ancestry, to run roots through/ my future great-granddaughter’s bones.” — Rigoberto González

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• The stories that you are too afraid to tell
• Being part of a local writing community
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her Website
• Buy her book, Save the Bathwater, and the book she recently curated, Divine Feminist: An Anthology of Poetry & Art by Womxn & Non-Binary Folx

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Where or how do you locate the divine in your own life?

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• The WriteOnPoetryBabes

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 76: Kathleen Basi - Author of A Song for the Road
• Episode 75: Tashie Bhuiyan - Author of Counting Down With You
• Episode 74: Cassandra Lane - Author of We Are Bridges
• Episode 73: Ellen Hagan - Author of Reckless, Glorious, Girl and Blooming Fiascoes

Kathleen Basi is the author of the new novel, A Song for the Road, a story of a womxn’s healing road trip after profound loss. 

"Basi's exquisite, gut-wrenching debut is filled with loss, hope, and secrets.” - Booklist 

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• The brick wall that is an invitation
• Feeding your creativity when supporting your family
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her Website, Facebook, and Instagram
• Buy her book, A Song for the Road

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Think of a scene from your WIP. Think about the place where it is set: the smell, the sound, the way it feels on the skin and in your body. Freewrite 3-4 details you can weave into the dialogue that can be evoked in a sentence or two, so that you can weave them into your action.

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Sonya Yoerg, Author of True Places
• Louise Miller, Author of The Late Bloomers’ Club

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 74: Tashie Bhuiyan - Author of Counting Down With You
• Episode 73: Ellen Hagan - Author of Reckless, Glorious, Girl and Blooming Fiascoes
• Episode 72: Heather Ostman - Author of The Second Chance Home for Girls
• Episode 71: Elle Marr - Author of Lies We Bury

Tashie Bhuiyan is the 22-year-old author of Counting Down With You, a YA “own stories” novel about a Bangladeshi teenager who agrees to a fake relationship with her school’s resident bad boy when her parents are out of the country. 

"This 'love letter to young brown girls; explores a topic that can be taboo in desi culture: anxiety. Bhuiyan guides Karina through it with care … Hand to fans of Netflix hit Never Have I Ever."  - Booklist 

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• How consuming lots of media helps her through a block
• Having a playlist for the book you’re writing
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
• Buy her book, Counting Down With You

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Look back on one of your childhood medias and think about what you loved so much about it, whether it was a character, a trope, the setting. Then, write your own version of it.

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Chloe Gong, Author of These Violent Delights
• Madeline Miller, Author of Circe

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 73: Ellen Hagan - Author of Reckless, Glorious, Girl and Blooming Fiascoes
• Episode 72: Heather Ostman - Author of The Second Chance Home for Girls
• Episode 71: Elle Marr - Author of Lies We Bury

Cassandra Lane is the author of We Are Bridges, a memoir that explores reclaiming violent family history in order to create a more free future for one’s children. 

“In this narrative, Lane seeks an origin story, searching for what facts are available and wondering about the legacy she is passing on. . . . A multiangled exploration of family trauma and the forging of an identity.” — Kirkus Reviews

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• Exploring your city to explore your creativity
• Writing in the early morning hours with candles and incense
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her Instagram and Website
• Buy her book, We Are Bridges

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Write about a food you loved as a child. Describe its taste, texture, smell, color, and how it felt in your mouth. Push deeper to unravel what it symbolized for you. What deep cravings does it dredge up even now?

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Reema Zaman, Author of I Am Yours: A Shared Memoir
• Lynell George, Author of A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 73: Ellen Hagan - Author of Reckless, Glorious, Girl and Blooming Fiascoes
• Episode 70: Meg Medina - Author of Merci Suárez Can’t Dance
• Episode 69: adrienne maree brown - Author of We Will Not Cancel Us
• Episode 63: Sonya Renee Taylor - Author of The Body is Not An Apology

Ellen Hagan is the author of two new releases: a YA novel in verse called Reckless, Glorious, Girl, and a poetry collection called Blooming Fiascoes. Hagan is also the co-author of Watch Us Rise with Renée Watson.

A gorgeous, inter-generational story of Southern women and a girl's path blossoming into her sense of self, Reckless, Glorious, Girl explores the important questions we all ask as we race toward growing up. 

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• Being in community and dialoguing with other artists
• Getting others to use writing to tell their stories
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
• Buy her books, Reckless, Glorious, Girl and Blooming Fiascoes
• Check out her work at DreamYard Project

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: Write an Ode poem. Make a list of all the things you really love. Circle one or two that really stand out to you. Write details that help the reader see what you’re writing about, and write what you want to say to that which you love.

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Renée Watson, Author of Love is a Revolution
• Aracelis Girmay, Author of The Black Maria

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 72: Heather Ostman - Author of The Second Chance Home for Girls
• Episode 70: Meg Medina - Author of Merci Suárez Can’t Dance
• Episode 69: adrienne maree brown - Author of We Will Not Cancel Us

Heather Ostman is the author of the new novel, The Second Chance Home for Girls. Told through three interwoven narrative voices, it’s a story of friendship and freedom, loss and grief, set in a halfway house for troubled teenage girls. She is also the author of the forthcoming Rhetorical Lives, a history of women activists of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

“An atmospheric yet entertaining read with an enigmatic, charismatic hero that will keep readers riveted. This beguiling, slyly subversive tale puts a spiritual mystery at the heart of gritty truths.” - Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2020

In this episode, we discuss her writing process, and:

• Breathing through the fear of a writing block
• Using Aristotle’s eight point arc to structure your novel
• And more

I would love to hear from you. Please visit my Contact Page and tell me about your writing challenges.

Follow this Writer

• Follow her on Instagram, and Facebook
• Buy her book, The Second Chance Home for Girls

Follow the Podcast

• Visit the podcast’s Website

Follow the Host

• Slide into Sara Gallagher’s DM’s on Instagram

Follow our Partners

• Learn more about our partner, We Need Diverse Books, whose mission is to put more diverse books into the hands of all children

Become an Advertiser

• Use my Contact Page or hit me up on Insta

This Week’s Writing Prompt

This week’s writing prompt: How can I tell you all that cannot be said?

Explore Womxn Authors

In this episode, they recommended these womxn writers:

• Kate Chopin, Author of The Awakening

Ensure the Podcast Continues

Love what you’re hearing? Show your appreciation and become a Supporter with a monthly contribution.

Check Out More Womxn Authors

• Episode 71: Elle Marr - Author of Lies We Bury
• Episode 69: adrienne maree brown - Author of We Will Not Cancel Us
• Epiosde 64: Fan Favorites - Featuring Kim Krans, Brittney Morris, Aja Black, Melissa Valentine, and Rebekah Taussig
• Episode 63: Sonya Renee Taylor - Author of The Body is Not An Apology