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If you are a Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, or any other Writer of Color, and you're looking for your own personal writing coach - to help you stay motivated to write that book, get it published and promoted - then this is the podcast for you.
Award-winning author, educator, and creative writing coach, Lori L. Tharps ( ”Hair Story,” ”Kinky Gazpacho,” and ”Substitute Me”) knows how hard it is to stay committed to your writing projects - whether you’re working on that debut novel, a gut-wrenching memoir, or an essay about your trip around the world. Writing can be your passion, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. And let's not forget about the path to getting published and the non-stop journey of promotion. It's a lot! Especially for BIPoC writers in a publishing industry that is still overwhelmingly centered on whiteness.
On the podcast, Lori is here to serve as your creative-writing coach, and her goal is to help you love your literary life by giving you the tools and motivation to write, publish, and promote your work with purpose and joy. You’ll get inspiring pep talks and literary life lessons based on the lives of our BIPoC literary ancestors. Think Toni Morrison, Sor Juana de la Cruz, Phillis Wheatley e.t.c.
AND ...You’ll hear inspiring interviews with best-selling, BIPoC authors and publishing professionals who share actionable writing tips and advice to help improve your craft, and better understand the business of writing and the publishing industry.
New episodes of Your BIPoC Writing Coach are released on Mondays.
Subscribe to the show and find more writing resources for BIPOC writers and the readers who love them at ReedWriteandCreate.com.
Episodes
Monday Jun 09, 2025
Monday Jun 09, 2025
On episode 54 we’re going Behind the Book with bookseller Jeannine A. Cook, founder of Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jeannine A. Cook is a self-described word worker. In 2020, she opened Harriett’s Bookshop in the Fishtown section of North Philadelphia with the mission to celebrate women authors, women artists, and women activists. In 2021, she opened Ida’s Bookshop in Collingswood, NJ, and Josephine’s Bookshop (a bookshop installation in Paris).
Jeannine’s work as a literary activist has been recognized by several national and international news outlets including The New York Times, Vogue Magazine, Google, and Forbes, Inc.
Jeannine is also a writer and author who writes about the complex intersections of motherhood, globalism, activism, and the arts. Her delicious debut novel, It’s Me They Follow will be released in September, 2025.
During our conversation, Jeannine shares:
- How magic, synchronicity, and obedience to spirit play a part in her success as a bookseller.
- The history of word working and miracles in her own family that inspire her own literary work.
- Why she doesn’t worship money.
- The challenges she faces as a bookseller who is also a writer.
- What she’s working on next in honor of the late Kenyan environmental activist and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathii.
This is a magical and motivating episode.
To learn more about the amazing Jeannine A. Cook and what she’s up to, visit her website.
To Follow all the fun at Harriett’s Bookstore and her sister shop, Ida’s Bookstore, visit their website and/or Follow on Instagram.
You can pre-order Jeanine’s debut novel, It’s Me The Follow at the Reed, Write & Create bookstore.
Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.
If you're looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, check out the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandCreate.com.
Follow Reed, Write, & Create on Instagram at ReedWriteandCre8
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Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori
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