Your BIPOC Writing Coach

Behind the Book with Bibliotherapist Emely Rumble

For Season Five of the podcast, we’re going behind the book to talk to people whose livelihood and careers depend on the free flowing circulation of books in society.

On episode 50, our guest is Emely Rumble, LCSW. Emely is a distinguished licensed clinical social worker, school social worker, and a bibliotherapist. Committed to making mental health services more accessible, Emely specializes in the transformative practice of bibliotherapy. Emely is also the author of the exciting new book, Bibliotherapy in the Bronx.

During our conversation, Emely explains: 

• What is bibliotherapy?
• Why bibliotherapy works for people struggling with mental health issues.
• Who is the African-American ‘Hidden Figure’ of bibliotherapy.
• Why she wants more BIPOC authors to be aware of this powerful modality. 
• How her experience as an Afro-Puerto Rican child who spent time in the foster care system influenced her decision to become a bibliotherapist. 

I hope listening to Emely’s story and her fascinating explanations about the intersections of racial identity, literature, and mental health, leave you lit.

 

Buy a copy of Emely’s book, Bibliotherapy in the Bronx at the Reed, Write, & Create Online bookstore. Support Emily and the Podcast at the same time!

Follow Emely on Instagram at Literapy_NYC

If you’re interested in getting credentialed as a bibliotherapist, visit the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy.

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. 

Sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter.

Join the Tell Me More email list to get your invite to join the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary at the end of May, 2025.

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

Get Ready for Something New! On Season 5 We're Going Behind the Book

Welcome to Season 5 of the Podcast! On this brief episode, Loril will provide  a quick recap about her time living in a library in Ghana, followed by a sneak peek into what we have planned for this special season of the podcast. 

For Season 5, we’re going Behind the Book, bringing you interviews and stories about people who depend on the free circulation of books in the world. From librarians, to agents, to activists and entrepreneurs, this season we're pulling back the curtain on the people who keep the book business flowing and growing.

 

To learn more about the Library of African and the African Diaspora, visit their website. 

 

If you want to read more about Lori’s experience in Ghana, read this blog post about her experience.

 

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. 

 

Sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter.

 

Join the Tell Me More email list to find out when we start taking new applicants to the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary. 

 

Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

 

Please feel free to show your love and support for this podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

What's Happening with the Reed, Write, & Create Podcast in 2025?

Tune in to this brief episode for updates about the Reed, Write, and Create podcast, and some exciting news from host, Lori L. Tharps.

 

Links for more resources and information.

The Reed, Write, and Create Website

Find Out More about The Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary for BIPOC women writers. 

Apply to The Sanctuary HERE

The Blog Post About Lori's Upcoming Trip to Ghana

The Literary Lori YouTube Channel. Don't forget to subscribe by February 13.

 

Ignore the Experts: You Can Write All the Things with Jabari Asim

On episode 46 of the podcast, I’m replaying my inspiring,  2023 conversation with award-winning author, journalist, professor, and poet, Jabari Asim.

Jabari Asim is the Distinguished Professor of Multi-Disciplinary Letters at Emerson College. He is the author of 23 books, including Yonder, the essay collection We Can’t Breathe, and Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis. His awards include a Guggenheim fellowship and a Pushcart Prize.

His work has been included in Best American Essays and Best American Poetry. The former editor-in-chief of the NAACP’s Crisis magazine, he has published journalism in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Republic, American Prospect, Essence, and elsewhere. Forthcoming books include Wall of Respect, a picture book, and American Struggle: Essays on Race, Culture, and Imagination. Jabari lives in the Boston area and has 5 adult children.

On the show Jabari shares: 

• How an encounter with the poet Gwendolyn Brooks inspired him to be a writer.
• The practical reasons why he is so prolific.
• Why it’s important for writers to write in multiple genres.
• The best education for aspiring and working writers. (Hint: It’s not an MFA)
• How to stay motivated in the face of rejection.
• The  advice he has for BIPOC writers who want to be published by one of the big five publishers. 

It’s an inspiring interview full of actionable advice, writing tips and a little-known fact about Langston Hughes! You don’t want to miss it. So press play.

 

To learn more about Jabari Asim, visit his website.

If you want more information, inspiration and resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, and Create website.

If you would like a literary pep talk + resources carefully curated for BIPOC authors delivered to your inbox,  sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create newsletter. No spam, just inspiration and resources to uplevel your literary life.

Subscribe to  @LiteraryLori on YouTube and help Lori launch her new channel.

Support this independent, award-winning podcast by making an easy one-time donation via Buy Me a Coffee, or in Lori’s case Buy Me a Book.

Telling Black Women's Stories across Platforms with Rebecca Carroll

This is our last episode of Season 4!

On episode 46 of the podcast, I am so excited to share my conversation with Rebecca Carroll, whose new book, I Know What the Red Clay Looks Like: The Voice & Vision of Black Women Writers (Haymarket)  was  re-released on December 3, 2024.

Rebecca is a writer, cultural critic, and host of the podcasts Come Through with Rebecca Carroll and the award-winning Billie Was a Black Woman . Her 2021 memoir, Surviving the White Gaze, where she shares her experiences about growing up in New Hampshire as  a Black adoptee with white parents, was called “gorgeous and powerful” by the New York Times Book Review.  

During our conversation, Rebecca shares why she calls herself a storyteller rather than a writer; she offers advice on writing difficult memoirs with compassion;  and then we dig into the incredible work that is, I Know What the Red Clay Looks Like, a collection of interviews with famous Black women writers including June Jordan, Pearl Cleage, Rita Dove, and Lorene Cary, among others. 

First we talk about how Rebecca wrote the book as a young twenty-something just out of college, and then we discuss  how she got the book reissued 30 years later, with up-and-coming authors like Safiya Sinclair adding their voices to the collection.

 

Stick around until the end of the episode to hear how you can win a free copy of Red Clay. 

 

To keep in touch with Rebecca Carroll, follow her on Instagram @rebeljunemarie

 

To purchase a copy of I Know What the Red Clay Looks Like, please consider supporting the Reed, Write, & Create bookshop and independent bookstores everywhere.

If you want more information, inspiration and resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, and Create website.

If you would like a literary pep talk + resources carefully curated for BIPOC authors delivered to your inbox,  sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create newsletter. No spam, just inspiration and resources to uplevel your literary life.

 

The doors are now closed to the Reed, Write and Create Sanctuary, our private community for BIPOC women writers who take their writing seriously. But you can still add your name to the waiting list so you’ll be the first to know when we’re taking new applications in 2025.

If you’re feeling generous and would like to support this award-winning, Black-woman created podcast, please consider a small, one-time donation via our new Buy Me a Coffee/Book link. 

 

Thank you & Happy Holidays!

Write Yourself Into History with Arturo Schomburg

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 Schomburg Center for Research in Black  Culture in New York City, but he was also a writer, a revolutionary thinker, and activist, who used books and the written word to defy white supremacy and glorify Black excellence and achievement. 

During the show you’ll learn:

• How one racist teacher in Puerto Rico gave Schomburg his life purpose.
• How Schomburg used other people’s racism to help amass his incredible collection of Black memorabilia.
• Why Schomburg became a writer and a collector of the written word.
• Why sometimes it’s necessary to tear down other people’s heroes to make a point.

If you’d like to read more about the fascinating life and work of Arturo Schomburg, get your hands on a copy of Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg by Vanessa K. Valdés

 

If you want more information, inspiration and resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, and Create website.

If you would like a literary pep talk + resources carefully curated for BIPOC authors delivered to your inbox,  sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create newsletter. No spam, just inspiration and resources to uplevel your literary life.

Subscribe to  @LiteraryLori on YouTube and help Lori launch her new channel.

Support this independent, award-winning podcast by making an easy one-time donation via Buy Me a Coffee, or in Lori’s case Buy Me a Book.

How We Fight White Supremacy with Journalists Akiba Solomon & Kenrya Rankin

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 book is an anthology of essays, illustrations, comics and stories about how to fight white supremacy without losing your life or your sanity. I’m so sad that I have to pull this episode out of the archives for round two, but I am also relieved to have it as a valuable resource for my audience of BIPOC scribes.

During the episode, not only do we have an excellent conversation where Kenrya and Akiba break down the different ways writers and regular folks can fight white supremacy, but they also share very candidly how they got a book deal from a major publisher for a book that unapologetically centers Black resistance and revolution. 

If you’re a nonfiction writer, who writes about social justice issues, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. 

If you’re looking for more inspiration and information to optimize your writing life, visit the Reed, Write, & Create website. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get writing inspiration and resources right in your inbox.  

One more thing, the doors are now closed to the Reed, Write and Create, Sanctuary, our private community for BIPOC women writers who take their writing seriously. But you can still add your name to the waiting list so you’ll be the first to know when we’re taking new applications in early 2025. 

Subscribe to  @LiteraryLori on YouTube and help Lori launch her new channel.

If you’re feeling generous and would like to support this award-winning, Black-woman created podcast, please consider a small, one-time donation via our new Buy Me a Coffee/Book link. Thank you!

 

How Oral Storytelling Can Make You a Better Writer with N. Scott Momaday

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, House Made of Dawn.

During this episode you’ll learn:

• Why N. Scott Momaday is considered the founder of the Native American Writers Renaissance.
• Why Native Americans are the true founders of American literature.
• How Oral Storytelling can be a useful tool for your written work.
• Why BIPOC storytellers have an advantage and an obligation when it comes to Oral Storytelling.
• How telling the stories of your people can lead to mainstream publishing success.

If you’d like to learn more about N. Scott Momaday, check out the PBS Documentary, “Words from a Bear.”

If you’d like to learn more about oral storytelling, check out these resources:

The Moth

StoryCorps & Brightness in Black

Learn Oral Storytelling from LeVar Burton

 

If you’re looking for more inspiration and information to optimize your writing life, visit the Reed, Write, & Create website. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get writing inspiration and resources right in your inbox.  

 

One more thing, the doors are now closed to the Reed, Write and Create, Sanctuary, our private community for BIPOC women writers who take their writing seriously. But you can still add your name to the waiting list so you’ll be the first to know when we’re taking new applications in early 2025. 

Subscribe to  @LiteraryLori on YouTube and help Lori launch her new channel.

If you’re feeling generous and would like to support this award-winning, Black-woman created podcast, please consider a small, one-time donation via our new Buy Me a Coffee/Book link. Thank you!

 

Laila Lalami Had to Decolonize Her Language In Order to Write Her Stories

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 Riverside.  

On the show Laila talks about her rigorous research and writing process for her novels, why she had to decolonize her writing voice, immigration, and who belongs in America. 

This episode was originally recorded when The Other Americans first debuted in 2019, but since the book is about an unsolved murder of an immigrant man in America, and the story delves into the dynamics of small town-America in flux, we decided this was the perfect time to rerun this riveting episode. It's the perfect book for the moment we're in now.

 

Lit Links for More

 

To learn more about Laila Lalami, visit her website at LailaLalami.com. Her new novel, due out in March 2025 is called The Dream Hotel. 

 

If you’re interested in buying a copy of The Other Americans, consider purchasing at the Reed, Write, & Create online bookshop to support our show and your favorite independent booksellers.

 

If you’re looking for more inspiration and information to optimize your writing life, visit the Reed, Write, & Create website. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get writing inspiration and resources right in your inbox.  

 

One more thing, the doors are now closed to the Reed, Write and Create, Sanctuary, our private community for BIPOC women writers who take their writing seriously. But you can still add your name to the waiting list so you’ll be the first to know when we’re taking new applications. 

If you’re feeling generous and would like to support this award-winning, Black-woman created podcast, please consider a small, one-time donation via our new Buy Me a Coffee/Book link. Thank you!

Writers: You Need a Reading Habit, Not Just a Reading Hobby

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 habit that I promise will make you a better writer. 

RESOURCES FOR YOU:

If you're looking for a inexpensive notebook/journal to use to track your reading habit, I like this one, available on amazon. 

 

If you want more information, inspiration and resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, and Create website.

If you would like a literary pep talk + resources carefully curated for BIPOC authors delivered to your inbox,  sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create newsletter. No spam, just inspiration and resources to uplevel your literary life.

The doors are now closed to the Reed, Write and Create Sanctuary, our private community for BIPOC women writers who take their writing seriously. But you can still add your name to the waiting list so you’ll be the first to know when we’re taking new applications in 2025.

Subscribe to  @LiteraryLori on YouTube and help Lori launch her new channel.

If you’re feeling generous and would like to support this award-winning, Black-woman created podcast, please consider a small, one-time donation via our new Buy Me a Coffee/Book link. Thank you!