Your BIPOC Writing Coach

On episode 45 of the podcast, I’m giving you a pep talk about writing as resistance. About how you can push back against oppressive systems, defy stereotypes and limitations, and leave a lasting legacy, all with the power of the written word.  And I will be using the life and work of literary ancestor, Arturo Schomburg as my source material. Arturo Schomburg is most known as the founder of the Sch...

As much as it pains me to write this, I decided now is the right time to revisit this episode of the podcast featuring two dynamic journalists, Akiba Solomon and Kenyra Rankin. Akiba and Kenrya are the co-authors of the book, How We Fight White Supremacy .  How We Fight White Supremacy was published in 2019, at the tail end of the first Orange Dust presidency and it was a balm for the soul. The bo...

On episode 43 of the podcast, I’m going to be giving you a pep talk about how BIPOC writers  can use Oral Storytelling traditions to up-level their writing practice. And I’m going to use the life and work of award-winning poet and author, N. Scott Momaday as my source material. N. Scott Momaday was the first Native American to ever win a Pulitzer Prize when he won the award for his 1968 novel, Hou...

On episode 42 of the podcast, we have award-winning author Laila Lalami on the show, discussing her powerful novel, The Other Americans. The Other Americans was a finalist for the National Book Awards.  Laila is the author of several award-winning novels including, The Moor's Account and Secret Son. A native of Morocco, Laila is a professor of creative writing at the University of California River...

On episode 41 of the podcast, I’m going to be giving you a quick but important pep talk about reading, because you may be doing it all wrong.  You see, writers, need an intentional reading habit, not just a reading hobby. I’m going to break down the important difference between the two, and then share five easy steps, and a message from James Baldwin, to help you cultivate a sustainable reading ha...

Press play on this fan-favorite, rewind episode with award-winning author, Tracey Lewis-Giggetts.    Tracey Lewis-Giggetts has written over 30 books in multiple genres. She writes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenplays.  She is the author of the award-winning, Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration and Then They Came For Mine: Healing from the Trauma of Racial Violence....

On episode 39 of the podcast, I am so excited to share my conversation with memoirist, journalist, editor, celebrity collaborator, novelist and all around literary icon, Veronica Chambers.  Based in London, Veronica Chambers is a New York Times best selling author of over 25 books, and is currently the editor of narrative projects at  The New York Times. Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, her...

Are you trying to write a memoir and don’t know where to start? Are you worried about oversharing, or writing about people you know and love getting mad at you for spilling their secrets? Is the idea of getting the essence of your own life down on paper overwhelming? Then stick around for this inspiring and informative rewind episode with actress-turned-author, Tembi Locke. Tembi wrote the best-se...

On episode 37 of the 'Reed, Write & Create' podcast, you’re getting a pep talk about what can happen when we truly commit ourselves to our writing life.  And I am using the life and work of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a renowned 17th-century Mexican nun, as my source material. Be clear, Sor Juana was no ordinary nun. She was a renegade and a revolutionary who used #NunLife to create the literar...

On episode 36 of the podcast, get the actual blueprint for a happy, healthy, productive literary life. Enjoy this episode from our archives with Marita Golden, award-winning author, journalist, writing coach, and living, literary legend.   Marita Golden is  an award-winning author of over twenty works of  fiction and nonfiction. Her books include the novels The Wide Circumference of Love, and Afte...

Get ready for a pep talk that explains how perseverance, persistence and pain can lead to productivity, fame and fortune in a writer's life.  When you hear about the life and work of African-American crime writer, Chester B. Himes, you will overstand what’s possible for a writer, even when confronting the worst things life can throw at you. Racism, violence, prison, poverty, chronic pain. Chester...

We’re back for the fourth season of the Reed, Write and Create podcast!   On this short episode, find out what you can expect on this season of the podcast, and some exciting personal and professional updates about the literary life of your host, Lori L. Tharps.    ********************************   If you want more information, inspiration and resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Wri...

SURPRISE! It’s a Bonus Episode.   Yes, I am officially on summer vacation, working on my novel, and the podcast is on a summer hiatus. So, why am I back in your podcast feed? Because I have a special bonus episode for you!    I want to introduce you to a literary podcast I love to listen to called Black & Published. Hosted by author Nikesha Elise Williams, Black & Published features interv...

On episode 32 of the podcast, our final episode of Season 3, I’m going to share a final pep talk meant to get you to stop thinking that you have to do this writing thing all alone. On today's show, I’m going to dispel the myth of the solitary writer, sharing why it’s a myth, how it got started, why it’s a dangerous myth, who the myth actually benefits, and how we should be handling our writing liv...

On episode 31 of the podcast, I have saved the best for last. Our final author interview this season is with the incomparable, American-Book-Award-winning author, Bernice L. McFadden. Bernice L. McFadden is the author of over a dozen books, including Sugar and Glorious.  Her latest novel, Praise Song for the Butterflies, was long listed for the 2019 Women's Prize in Fiction. McFadden’s novel, The...

On episode #30 of the Reed, Write, & Create podcast, we’re doing two things; we’re honoring the late, great James Baldwin, who would be turning 100 years old in 2024, and I'm giving you a pep talk about being an American writer abroad. Yes, I’m sharing the life and times of Mr. James Baldwin to offer you the opportunity to consider what travel can mean for your writing life. And by the way, if...

On episode #29, New York Times bestselling author Sadeaqa Johnson is on the show sharing her inspiring author journey and her practical strategies to living a successful literary life.   Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including Yellow Wife and her latest, The House of Eve, which was the February 2023 Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Sadeqa’s  accolades inc...

Episode #28 of the podcast is dedicated to the literary life and legacy of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the most prolific novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, and also, sadly,  the most overlooked and under-appreciated. On this episode of the Reed, Write, & Create podcast, I will be sharing Fauset’s fascinating life story, as well as four reasons why she is often sidelined and left in the shadows when...

On episode 27 of the podcast, award-winning poet and debut novelist, Phillip B. Williams, is on the show. You might have heard about Williams because his brand new novel, Ours, was one of Oprah’s most anticipated books for 2024. Ours is an epic story about a conjure woman named Saint, who goes around destroying plantations in the south, and then freeing the enslaved workers. She then creates a mag...

On episode #26  of the podcast, I’m using the life of the illustrious Langston Hughes, to give you a pep talk on how to make a living with your writing. Even in hard times.   Did you know that Langston Hughes is recognized as the first African-American writer to make a living solely from his writing? Yes, Langston Hughes was definitely the hardest working writer in Harlem, and throughout his life...

On episode 25 of the podcast, my guest is New York Times Bestselling author, Ilyon Woo. Ilyon is the author of the new book, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom and The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times. Her writing has also appeared in The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal,Time, and T...

On episode 24 of the podcast, you’re getting a pep talk about art and activism, using the life and times of the incredible Audre Lorde as our role model. We’re talking about the intersection of identity, writing, and making the world a better place.    Audre Lorde was a Black feminist writer and activist who authored several books of poetry, essays, and memoir. Some of her most popular titles incl...

  We’re back with season 3 of the Reed, Write, and Create Podcast!   On episode 23 of the podcast, my guest is  New York Times best-selling author, Tia Williams.    Tia is an author of both YA titles and adult fiction. She wrote the bestselling debut novel The Accidental Diva and then penned two young adult novels, It Chicks and Sixteen Candles. Her award-winning novel, The Perfect Find is current...

Lori is taking a break from her winter break to share an update about the future of the podcast.  The podcast is getting a new name! Find out what it is and what caused the change on this short but important episode.    New Links for all things Reed, Write, & Create. The Reed, Write, & Create website . Reed, Write, & Create on Facebook . Reed, Write, & Create on Twitter @ReedWriteC...

On episode 22 of the podcast, award-winning author, Ibi Zoboi is my guest. Ibi is the New York Times Bestselling author of the YA novel, American Street, which among other distinctions, was a National Book Award finalist. Ibi is the editor of the anthology Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America. She co-authored the Walter Award and L.A. Times Book Prize-winning novel-in-verse, P...