88 Cups of Tea

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover! 

---------------------------------------

Kelly’s episode is edited from a livestream we recorded back in March. Please note that the audio quality isn’t as clear as it’s pulled from our livestream, and you’ll hear some popping sounds in the background which were notifications from the live commenting during the livestream, but the content is so important especially during these times so don’t let the audio quality get in the way!  If you’d like to watch our full 2-hour live streamed conversation, head on over to Kelly’s shownotes page at 88cupsoftea.com/kelly-yang!

---------------------------------------

How do we move through these arduous times? How are writers sustaining creativity? How does one determine when there’s enough research to begin drafting? We discuss these topics and more with Kelly Yang.

Kelly is the award-wining author of Front Desk, the winner of the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature, her newly released YA novel Parachutes, and her upcoming book and sequel of Front Desk - Three Keys. 

Kelly and I kick off our conversation diving into Kelly’s experience during Covid-19 as an Asian-American, how she is feeding her creativity during this challenging time, ways she is trying to keep herself and her family emotionally healthy, and how she has redefined her self-care. She also shares ways in which we all can help combat the horrible racism and discrimination in our communities brought about from Covid-19.

Further in, she shares her writing journey and her experience so far publishing Asian-American stories. She gives us a snapshot of her newly released novel Parachutes and a glimpse into her research process drawing from personal experiences and gathering stories from other parachute children. We discuss how to determine when you have compiled enough research to jump into your story, and how drafting the first few chapters of a story idea before committing to writing the whole book can help you figure out if it’s the perfect story for you. And later, Kelly drops some real-talk about making an income as a creative, shares her golden rule in life that’ll inspire you to not give up on your projects, and steps you can take to reach your writing goals, especially during this challenging time.

Please say 'Hi' to Kelly on Twitter! https://twitter.com/kellyyanghk

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/kelly-yang to download Kelly's writing prompt and find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover! 

---------------------------------------

Have you been researching different ways to strengthen your craft? Or how to build tension in stories? How about strategies for finding time to finish your manuscript? We talk about it all and more with Marie Rutkoski.

Marie Rutkoski is the author of The Shadow Society, the Kronos Chronicles, and the New York Times-bestselling Winner’s Trilogy.

We begin our conversation by discussing her love for storytelling and the role her family played in inspiring her to craft stories. We'll learn how writing her dissertation in college taught her how to structure a novel and inspire the idea behind her first novel. We then move on to discuss her newly published novel The Midnight Lie, her experience crafting a queer romance, and her heartwarming coming out story. She shares how hiring a freelance editor can help strengthen your novel before entering the querying process, how to craft persistent tension in your story, and how to avoid cultural appropriation and underrepresentation when writing about a culture separate from your own. And later, we discuss a writing strategy that can help you craft your novel while working full time and unique ways you can practice the art of storytelling away from the page.

Please say 'Hi' to Marie on Twitter! https://twitter.com/marierutkoski

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/marie-rutkoski to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover! 

---------------------------------------

We Love Our 88 Cups of Tea Sponsors

Did you know we collaborated with VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults to curate a thoughtful series of intimate essays and podcast episodes so you can feel empowered throughout your writing journey? Click here to explore the published pieces.

Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. They’re accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education and offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in a variety of fields, including Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, and Writing & Publishing, along with an International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation. With low-residency and fully residential options, VCFA has the graduate program to fit your needs. Be sure to learn more about VCFA by clicking here!

---------------------------------------

Curious about breaking into the publishing industry and becoming a literary agent? Or how to craft the best query letter for your story? How about the common mistakes to avoid as a new author navigating the publishing world? We talk about it all and more with Linda Camacho.

Linda is a literary agent with a B.S. in Communication from Cornell University and an MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She’s held various positions at Penguin Random House, Dorchester, Simon and Schuster, Writers House, and Prospect Agency. Now at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, Linda is looking for MG, YA, and adult fiction across all genres (especially upmarket, women’s fiction/romance, and literary horror); she’s also seeking select graphic novel writer-illustrators.

We kick off the conversation talking about horror movies and how they sparked her love for storytelling inspiring her publishing career. We discuss the publishing world and the different roles she had that lead her to become a literary agent. From this conversation, she shares how crucial it is to uplift your community, not take any opportunities for granted, be relentlessly persistent in your creative pursuits, and to know your worth. Further in, we talk about how to create lasting diversity in publishing.

And later, Linda chats about her experience getting her MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and how her degree helped strengthen her skills as a literary agent and communicate better editorially with her clients. We dive into how to improve your query letter, the common mistakes new authors make navigating the publishing industry, and how to avoid them.

Please say 'Hi' to Linda on Twitter! https://twitter.com/lindarandom

Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/linda-camacho to download one of her favorite query letters and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

I have this hope of documenting what we're collectively going through in our daily lives and how we're coping during this time as Storytellers at a global-scale. I record my conversation with each storyteller for 15 minutes every single day for 30 days.

Each Sunday evening over the course of these 30 days, I'm releasing a bonus weekend podcast episode that features a raw, uncut compilation of all conversations from that full week in hopes these diary-like audio entries bring you a sense of belonging. I imagine this to be a time capsule of our experiences, our stories, our hopes, fears, dreams, wishes, yearnings, real-time perspectives during a truly unparalleled time-- our concerted voices woven together into a digital tapestry. 

We've been receiving an overwhelming amount of submissions to be a part of this and if you'd love your chance, head over here to submit your info: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV

Xo,

Yin

Warm welcome to our new listeners, and welcome back long-time listeners. 

Here's the link to join our free self-guided accountability group for the month of April: https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsofteaselfguidedaccountabilityapril2020/

If you'd love a chance to be one of the voices in the 30-consecutive days of recording for our collective stories throughout this time, head over here to submit: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV 

Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Samira Ahmed's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life!

---------------------------------------

Curious to discover creative ways to fit in time for your writing even with a busy schedule? How to be more kind to yourself during your writing journey? Or how to craft dual POVs in your novel? We talk about it all and more with Samira Ahmed.

Samira is the author of Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, and her newest novel that just released in early April – Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know. Her poetry, essays, and short stories have appeared in anthologies including: Take the Mic, Color Outside the Lines, Ink Knows No Borders, Who Will Speak for America, This is What a Librarian Looks Like, and the forthcoming Vampires Never Get Old and A Universe of Stories.

In Samira’s episode, we discuss her childhood experience growing up in small-town America, how different groups of people are targeted throughout history, and how to safely confront racism by using our power and privilege for a purpose. We then unpack Samira’s career path from working in education to becoming a full-time writer, how she learned to construct a novel, how she discovered the inner workings of the publishing world, and what the process of finding a literary agent was like for her. 

We talk about creative ways to fit in time for your writing even with a busy schedule, the importance of saying “yes” to yourself and your dreams, and why it’s crucial to be gentle with the language you use towards your writing, especially with your first draft. Further in, we chat about her newly released novel Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know, the inspiration behind the story, and her writing process for crafting dual POVs. And Samira wraps up our conversation with a creative assignment for our listeners that will help you make progress towards your writing goals!

Please say 'Hi' to Samira on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/sam_aye_ahm/

Head over to Samira's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/samira-ahmed/‎ to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners, and welcome back long-time listeners. 

Here's the link to join our free self-guided accountability group for the month of April: https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsofteaselfguidedaccountabilityapril2020/

If you'd love a chance to be one of the voices in the 30-consecutive days of recording for our collective stories throughout this time, head over here to submit: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV 

Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Samira Ahmed's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life!

---------------------------------------

Curious to discover creative ways to fit in time for your writing even with a busy schedule? How to be more kind to yourself during your writing journey? Or how to craft dual POVs in your novel? We talk about it all and more with Samira Ahmed.

Samira is the author of Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, and her newest novel that just released in early April – Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know. Her poetry, essays, and short stories have appeared in anthologies including: Take the Mic, Color Outside the Lines, Ink Knows No Borders, Who Will Speak for America, This is What a Librarian Looks Like, and the forthcoming Vampires Never Get Old and A Universe of Stories.

In Samira’s episode, we discuss her childhood experience growing up in small-town America, how different groups of people are targeted throughout history, and how to safely confront racism by using our power and privilege for a purpose. We then unpack Samira’s career path from working in education to becoming a full-time writer, how she learned to construct a novel, how she discovered the inner workings of the publishing world, and what the process of finding a literary agent was like for her. 

We talk about creative ways to fit in time for your writing even with a busy schedule, the importance of saying “yes” to yourself and your dreams, and why it’s crucial to be gentle with the language you use towards your writing, especially with your first draft. Further in, we chat about her newly released novel Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know, the inspiration behind the story, and her writing process for crafting dual POVs. And Samira wraps up our conversation with a creative assignment for our listeners that will help you make progress towards your writing goals!

Please say 'Hi' to Samira on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/sam_aye_ahm/

Head over to Samira's shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/samira-ahmed/‎ to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

I have this hope of documenting what we're collectively going through in our daily lives and how we're coping during this time as Storytellers at a global-scale. I record my conversation with each storyteller for 15 minutes every single day for 30 days.

Each Sunday evening over the course of these 30 days, I'm releasing a bonus weekend podcast episode that features a raw, uncut compilation of all conversations from that full week in hopes these diary-like audio entries bring you a sense of belonging. I imagine this to be a time capsule of our experiences, our stories, our hopes, fears, dreams, wishes, yearnings, real-time perspectives during a truly unparalleled time-- our concerted voices woven together into a digital tapestry. 

We've been receiving an overwhelming amount of submissions to be a part of this and if you'd love your chance, head over here to submit your info: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV

Xo,

Yin

Hey, we received an overwhelming amount of submissions to be a part of this. If you'd also love a chance to be a voice, head over here to submit your info: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV

Warm welcome to our new listeners, and welcome back long-time listeners. 

Here's the link to join our free self-guided accountability group for the month of April: https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsofteaselfguidedaccountabilityapril2020/

If you'd love a chance to be one of the voices in the 30-consecutive days of recording for our collective stories throughout this time, head over here to submit: https://88cupsoftea.typeform.com/to/DB2voV 

Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Sara Zarr's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life!

---------------------------------------

Are you curious about how to lean into the slower periods and making the most out of that time? How about learning more about publishing deadlines and how to best ask for an extension? Or strategies to help you move closer to your writing goals? We talk about it all and more with Sara Zarr.

Sarah is the acclaimed young adult author of Gem & Dixie, The Lucy Variations, Story of a Girl, and her upcoming novel Goodbye from Nowhere. She’s a National Book Award finalist and two-time Utah Book Award winner. Her novels have been variously named to annual best books lists of the American Library Association, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, the Guardian, the New York Public Library, and the Los Angeles Public Library and have been translated into many languages. She is a MacDowell Colony Fellow and has served as a judge for the National Book Awards.

Sara and I kick off our conversation discussing her emotional and courageous journey to becoming a full-time author and the importance of creating a life that supports your writing. She drops some real-talk on how to financially support yourself and your writing career and how to sustain it long-term. We then dive into the importance of community and a support system to lean on as your career evolves.

Further in, we chat about publishing deadlines and how to best make use of the low times during the publishing process to grow other projects or work other jobs to bring in more income. She shares her experience shifting publishers and editors for her book Gem & Dixie and how she stopped herself from going down the bitterness and resentfulness path and chose a gratitude mindset instead. We talk about how important it is to not compare yourself to others on social media and ration your social media use.

And later, we chat about her upcoming YA novel Goodbye from Nowhere and her first nonfiction novel Courageous Creativity. She shares the invaluable tip of removing expiration dates you’ve put on your writing goals. And we wrap up our conversation discussing her writing process and the steps that help get her writing flowing. 

Please say 'Hi' to Sara on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/sarazarrbooks/

Head over to Sara's shownotes page at  https://88cupsoftea.com/sara-zarr to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Warm welcome to our new listeners!

Head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to watch Libba Bray's Instagram takeover filled with exciting behind-the-scenes footage of her writing life! 

---------------------------------------

Curious to discover how leaning into your emotions can strengthen your writing? How about the actionable steps to reach your writing goals? Or tips for creating a financially viable marketing plan for your novel? We talk about it all and much more with Akemi Dawn Bowman.

Akemi is the award-winning author of "Starfish", "Summer Bird Blue", and her newly released novel "Harley in the Sky" which just released on March 10th. It’s been particularly hard on our writing and book community, so please show support however you can, and if you are able, order a copy! 

She is also a Ravenclaw and Star Wars enthusiast, who served in the US Navy for five years and has a BA in social sciences from UNLV.

We kick off our conversation discussing her career path from joining the navy to falling back in love with writing, and ultimately pursuing storytelling full-time as a published author. We discuss how she developed the perseverance to grapple with all the rejections that come along with the querying process and continue on to have a very honest conversation about her mental health, finding the right support system, and how to be a great ally for others. We then dive into how she juggles being the best mom she can to her children, showing up as a partner to her significant other, and a writer while maintaining a healthy mental state by prioritizing what’s most important to her, giving herself permission to slow down and take breaks, and cutting out toxic relationships both in-person and online. She shares how leaning into her emotions helps her craft such beautiful and immersive stories, how her writing voice and character development has changed throughout her career, and her experience being an author with multiple published novels. And later, we get into some real-talk about book sales, contracts, and self-marketing. We wrap up the conversation with a small but powerful step you can take to reach your writing goals. 

Please say 'Hi' to Akemi on Instagram! instagram.com/akemidawnbowman/

Head over to Akemi's shownotes page at  https://88cupsoftea.com/akemi-dawn-bowman/ to download her writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.