Emerging Writers Community Podcast

Where’s The Lie? Or How to Be True to Yourself in Memoir Writing

In a true roundtable discussion, Joy and episode co-hosts, Amah Edoh, Sonia Alejandra Rodriquez, and Hadassah K. Williams speak with the writer, Dr. Camille U. Adams, about her emotionally resonant work that is largely set in her home country, Trinidad and Tobago. 
 
This episode explores discovery in the process of memoir writing, what it’s like to write about a toxic mother, the issue of representation when writing about your country for non-natives, and a favorite podcast topic: how to care for oneself through the writing process. 
 
We discuss:
 
Integrity i.e. “being real with yourself” during the writing process
Distance and perspective in memoir writing
Making sure that participation in literary communities isn’t exploitative
What does it mean to make discovery a part of your writing practice 
So many things that don’t fit easily into a list!
 
How to Be Unmothered (Pre-Order!) 
 
How to Be Unmothered (excerpt)
 
In The Belly Of The Earth: Poems, Short Stories & Memoir by Camille U. Adams 
 
Designated Rememberer by Camille U. Adams
 
Special thanks to all who attended: Amah Edoh, Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, Hadassah K. Williams, DeeDee Mitchell, Virginia Piegnot, Exetta Harris, and Rekia. And thank you to the one and only Mat "Mat Mat" Poirot for editing and production help and our lovely logo design.  
 

Begin With Place. Your Memory of a Place.

After a break, Joy Notoma is back with more insightful talks with early career BIPOC creative writers. In this episode Joy talks with Tolu Daniel about PLACE as a vehicle to create stories that transport readers. In a wide-spanning conversation rich with ideas about how one's personal relationship to place shows up in writing, Tolu eloquently discusses leaving his home country, Nigeria, how he views racism as a Nigerian in America, and what it means to create a platform for other writers whose work converses with his own. If you have ever written a piece that is very invested in character, plot, dialogue, etc...only to find that your setting is only vaguely fleshed out, this is for you!
We explore:
1. How being specific about place adds breadth and depth to writing2. Place as a site of memory versus imagining a future or unknown place3. Giving yourself permission to write, sometimes even after other people already identify you as a writer4. The value of creating a platform for the work of other writers Further Reading:Ellipses Newsletter on Substack 
In Defense of Silence: A Portable Paradise by ADEOLA OPEYEMI Tremor by Teju ColeA Souvenir of Me by Kemi Falodun 
Thank you to participants Ucheoma Onwutuebe and Kwaku Kyereh. Special thanks to the one and only Mat "Mat Mat" Poirot for editing and production help and our lovely logo design.

Writing From The Wound With Care

In this season finale episode, host Joy Notoma speaks with fiction writer, poet, and essayist, Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez, about the ins and outs of writing about traumatic life experiences.
Have you ever heard phrases like "Start where it hurts" or "Go where the wound is" or any other sentiment that implies that pain is valuable to the making of art? This discussion takes the idea behind those statements a step further. Once we've started writing from the wound, how do we care for ourselves to make sure that we're not just bleeding on the page?
We explore:
How the revision process can ensure that you’re writing with care and not “re-traumazing” yourself. 
How historical fiction can help you reimagine the future
What young adult literature can teach us about voice, character, and plot
How to incorporate moments of joy even if the story is rooted in trauma 
How to show empathy for loved ones whose personal lives may be a part of the story you’re telling
Querida by Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez
Roxane Gay addresses difficulty of writing about trauma 
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Heavy:  An American Memoir  by Kiese Laymon
Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos 
Roots.Wounds.Words.   
Follow Sonia on social media at @RodriguezSoniaA.
 
Thank you to participants Monika Gupta, Hazel Pritchard, and Kat. Special thanks to the one and only Mat "Mat Mat" Poirot for editing and production help and our lovely logo design.

Sacrifices, Alignment, and Character Autonomy

Host Joy Notoma speaks to novelist and short story writer, NK Iguh, on the way multiple creative projects sustain each other and more. 
 
We explore the following questions:  
How do you manage working on multiple book length projects at once? 
How do you make sure that the way you spend your time is aligned with your purpose? 
What is character autonomy and what does it have to do with alignment? 
 
This episode demonstrates the power of communal wisdom, a core value of the podcast. 
 
NK introduced Joy to the concept of character autonomy and participants helped to explain why it’s important. 
 
To connect with NK Iguh, visit their website and follow them on social media on Instagram @kayigloo.
 
Show Notes
 
On character autonomy: 
Do Your Characters Take On a Mind of Their Own?
How Do Some Authors “Lose Control” of Their Characters?
How Autonomous Are Your Fictional Characters?
— 
Monique Truong, official website of author who N.K. calls their literary foremother.
Thank you to participants Darlene Eliot, Shinelle Espaillat, and Eva Sherman. Special thanks to the one and only Mat “Mat Mat” Poirot for editing and production help and for our lovely logo design. 
 

Writing in Your Own Voice and the Gift of Flash

Host Joy Notoma speaks with flash fiction writer, Brianna Johnson, about writing in one’s own voice and how flash fiction can be useful to writers of all genres. We also talk about editing while you generate versus the messy first draft and it’s not what you think!  
 
Participants noted techniques they use to discover voice and how they’re finding the courage to write authentically. We also noted that flash is a poetic genre that uses language in a way that rivals story and character. We were joined by memoirists, poets, and fiction writers (flash, short, and novel).  
 
To connect with our guest, Brianna Johnson, follow her on social media on Twitter @Yellohcard and Instagram @briyelloh.
 
The following are links to resources that came up in our conversation plus a few more that didn’t.
 
“What Writers Really Do When They Write” article by George Saunders
Craft in the Real World book by Matthew Salesses 
Setting the Tone, How to Handle Voice in Your Fiction article in Writers Mag
Flash fiction to read
Passengers Journal
 
Thank you to participants Barbara Diggs, Darlene Eliot, Exetta Harris, Hazel Pritchard, Omi Taylor, Dilys Wyndham Thomas, Luz Whitty, and Hadassah Williams. Special thanks to the one and only Mat “Mat Mat” Poirot for editing and production help. 
 

Spirituality and Marketing Yourself as an Emerging Writer

Joy Notoma speaks with guest Cecilia Caballero, PhD on the importance of marketing yourself and not relying on the publishing industry for your success. Cecilia offers a helpful tip to regulate the nervous system when talking about your writing on social media feels scary. 
 
 
SHOW NOTES 
Thank you for listening to Ep. 2: Spirituality and Marketing Yourself as an Emerging Writer.
 
I spoke with guest Cecilia Caballero, PhD on the importance of marketing yourself and not relying on the publishing industry for your success. Cecilia offered a helpful tip to regulate the nervous system when talking about your writing on social media feels scary. Participants noted how it's often more scary to talk about your writing with family and friends than with strangers. We also discussed how spiritual practice aids the writing process and why it's essential to how we care for ourselves as artists. 
 
To connect with our guest, Cecilia Caballero, PhD subscribe to her newsletter here and follow her on social media on Twitter: @la_sangre_llama and Instagram: @bookworm_por_vida.
 
The following are links to resources, people, and readings that came up in our conversation. They are listed in the order in which they were mentioned. 
 
Women Who Submit
Octavia Butler Legacy Network
Gloria Anzaldua
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Toni Morrison “The Site of Memory” PDF
Saidiya Hartman Critical Fabulation/ Venus in Two Acts PDF
Saidiya Hartman Lose Your Mother
Barbara A. Holmes
June Jordan “Calling on all Silent Minorities”
 
Thank you to participants Alison Leigh Jones, Hazel Pritchard, Brittany Felder, and Alice Steinke. Special thanks to the one and only Mat “Mat Mat” Poirot for help with editing and production.

Faith, Doubt, and Artist Statements

In this debut episode host Joy Notoma speaks with guest Michaeljulius Idani and participants about finding the balance between writing community life and actual writing, and the value of artist statements.