The Hope Prose Podcast

This week on Hope Prose, Tara returns from her own hiatus from reading, literary events, and writing to speak with one of her new favorite authors from the 2026 Eden Mills Writers’ Festival.  Michelle Porter is the incredibly talented author of The Glacier’s Guide to Dying. She is a descendant of a long line of Métis storytellers, a member of the Manitoba Metis Federation, and a resident of St. Jo...

This week on Hope Prose, Tara has the joy of speaking with an author she recently discovered who resonates deeply with her own reading and writing passions. Originally from  Tasmania, Australia, Mikki Brammer now calls New York City Home. Her debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, was a USA Today bestseller and has been published in over 27 languages. Her second novel, released this past Ma...

This week on Hope Prose, Tara goes back to the beginning of her own writing journey by speaking with the person who helped ignite her first spark in writing, back when she was a young mother who struggled with post-partum anxiety and an all-encompassing amount of imposter syndrome. Back when she dreamed up picture books at three in the morning with a baby asleep on her chest, and decided to write...

This week on Hope Prose, Tara has the joy of speaking with Bruce Holsinger, an Oprah Book Club pick author who is not afraid to confront some of our most challenging societal debates, from environmental catastrophe and class expectations and aspirations to, more recently, the artificial elephant in every computer: AI. Bruce Holsinger is the author of titles such as The Displacements, The Gifted Sc...

This week on Hope Prose, we continue on our journey around the "why" of writing in conversation with US Today best-selling author Emma Grey, author of The Last Love Note, Pictures of You, and Start at the End.  Listen in as Tara discusses with her the power of story to connect us, not only across time and relationships but also across spaces, including a literary pilgrimage that brought...

In this episode of Hope Prose , Tara continues her personal journey on why she started writing in a conversation with an author who has greatly inspired her own writing journey in recent years through his gentle stories and guidance as an author and teacher.  Ethan Joella teaches English and psychology at the University of Delaware, but also shares his time and expertise with nighttime novelists....

In this episode of Hope Prose, Tara has the joy of speaking with one of her favourite literary citizens: not a writer, but a voracious reader, friend, husband to Ruth, father, and her beloved agent, Don Pape.   Don is the founder of Pape Commons, a collaborative and creative community that leans into each other and embraces one another’s gifts. Bringing over thirty years of experience from publish...

Today on Hope Prose, Bret Lott sits down with Tara to discuss his passion for the written word.  Bret Lott is the New York Times author and professor of English at the College of Charleston. He is Crazyhorse magazine's nonfiction editor and leads a study abroad program to Spoleto, Italy, every summer. Lott was appointed to the National Council of the Arts by President George W. Bush and serve...

We're stepping into a new season, version, and vision of Hope Prose. We're returning to our roots, and we're so excited you're here.  New full-length episode dropping Monday morning. <3  The Hope Prose Podcast's Instagram Alex's Instagram Tara's Instagram

In today’s episode, Alex and Tara sit down with powerhouse author and podcaster, Bianca Marais.  A newly minted USA TODAY bestselling author who is also co-host of the popular writing podcasts, The Shit No One Tells You About Writing , aimed at helping emerging writers get published, Bianca has penned several extremely successful books, such as The Witches of Moonshyne Manor, Hum If You Don't...

In today’s episode, Alex sits down with husband-wife powerhouse Dalton and Emily Bequette. With a meet-cute as beta readers, it is no wonder they went on to take their love beyond the page with their upcoming YA fantasy novel (out July 29th), FLAMEHEART. Emily is a high school English teacher, where she works to instill an appreciation for reading and writing in her students. A blue-collar man, Da...

In today’s episode, Alex and Tara have a thought-provoking and wisdom-filled discussion with John Kenney, author of three novels and four books of poetry, including LOVE POEMS FOR MARRIED PEOPLE. His first novel, TRUTH IN ADVERTISING, won the Thurber Prize for American humor. He is a long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine’s Shouts & Murmurs column and currently lives in Larchmont, NY...

In today’s episode, Alex talks with Ai Jiang, the author of multiple award-winning short fiction and the highly anticipated A PALACE NEAR THE WIND (releasing April 15th). Ai is a Chinese-Canadian writer, Ignyte, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Award winner, and Hugo, Astounding, Locus, Aurora, and BFSA Award finalist from Changle, Fujian, currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. She is the recipient of Ody...

In today’s episode, Tara and Alex chat with Megan Tady, author of award-winning SUPER BLOOM, published May 2023 via Zibby Books, and her most recent, BLUEBIRD DAY. She runs the freelance writing and editing company Word-Lift. Her writing has appeared in Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, The Huffington Post, and Ms. Magazine, among others.    Listen as they discuss where the idea for Bluebird...

In today’s episode, Tara chats with author David A. Robertson, a two-time Governor General’s Literary Award winner, the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award recipient, and received the Writer’s Union of Canada Freedom to Read award. He is a podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate alongside many other accolades. He was honored with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba in 2023...

In today’s episode, Alex and Tara chat with prolific writer, Kasie West, author of YA books such as The Fill-In Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Listen to Your Heart, and her newest: Better Than Revenge. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, Junior Library Guild selections, and ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults books. When not writing, Kasie loves binge-watching television shows, readi...

In today’s episode, Alex sits down with Jennifer De Leon, award-winning author of the YA novels Borderless, featured on the TODAY show, and Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From. She is also the author of White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing. She is an active speaker, presenter, and educator who loves to connect with readers of all ages. Jenn lives outside the Boston area with her husband and...

In today’s episode, Alex and Tara sit down with Sarina Louise, an up-and-coming author from The Author Conservatory Program. As a teen, Sarina was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease, an illness that made her give up on her dream of being an author. Now, after walking a miraculous healing journey, she writes young adult stories that don’t shy away from brokenness, but always promise that healing i...

In today’s episode, Alex and Tara sit down with the wisdom-filled talent Gayle Forman.  An award-winning author and journalist, Gayle has written several bestselling novels, including those in the Just One Day series, Where She Went, and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and was adapted into a major motion picture. Her first middle...

In today’s episode, Tara talks with Mansi Shah about her novel A GOOD INDIAN GIRL. Born in Toronto to Indian immigrants, Mansi is also the author of The Direction of The Wind and The Taste of Ginger. Now based in Los Angeles, Mansi left her long-time career as an entertainment attorney in Hollywood to travel the world and write full-time. She loves to cook, and food often plays a prominent role in...

In today’s episode, Alex and Tara sit down with the icon herself, Ann Liang. Ann is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in...

In the first episode of season 5, Tara sits down with Kerryn Mayne. Kerryn is an author, former wedding photographer, and current police officer. When not at work attempting to solve crime, she writes about it or prepares an endless stream of snacks for her kids. Kerryn lives in the Melbourne suburbs with her husband, four children, and a highly suspect lovebird. Listen as they discuss her debut n...

In this episode of Hope Prose, Alex and Tara sit down for their end-of-season wrap-up and chat about their hopes for the future and beyond.  →  Connect with Alex on her Instagram or visit her TikTok to find out more about what she’s working on and upcoming projects!  → Connect with Tara on her Instagram , or website to find about more about her publications, interviews, and more!  The Hope Prose P...

In this episode of Hope Prose, Alex and Tara are throwing it way back in time and chatting with debut historical romance author Hannah Honegger Hannah is an author, screenwriter, and actress who was destined to write a series about the American Revolutionary War when she was born on July 4th. Finding obscure stories in history is one of her passions and she never seems to be without a new book ide...

In this episode of Hope Prose, Alex sits down with literary agent extraordinaire Bethany Jett.  Bethany is an associate literary agent with the C.Y.L.E. agency, as well as a multi-award-winning author, and a marketing strategist who earned top honors in her master’s program, where she earned her MFA in Communications focusing on Marketing and PR. Her motto is “Teach as you go,” which she lives out...