In the 6th episode of Truer Words, we focus on the challenges of writing historical biographical fiction.

Then we talk to author J. Albert Mann! Jen is the author of the new YA biographical historical fiction WHAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD KNOW, about the early life of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. She is also the author of the Sunny Sweet middle grade series and another historical novel, Scar.

Find Jen on Twitter: @jenannmann and Instagram: @jenniferannmann. Her website is JAlbertMann.com.  

Subscribe to Truer Words on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Books, movies, TV, specials, and other media or institutions mentioned include:

Scar by J. Albert Mann

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell

The Autobiography of Margaret Sanger

My Fight for Birth Control by Margaret Sanger

Woman of Valor by Ellen Chesler

Other books by Margaret Sanger

Planned Parenthood

Racism, Birth Control, and Reproductive Rights by Angela Davis

Surprise! The ERA is back!

Jennifer K. Mann

People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann

Highlights Magazine

Kerry Sparks, literary agent

Kirby Larson

Unpresidented by Martha Brockenbrough

Eugene V. Debs

Heartland by Sarah Smarsh

Just As I Thought by Grace Paley

Monica Hesse

Ruta Sepetys

Amanda West Lewis

Rachel Syme on Twitter

Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly

Eloquent Rage by Dr. Brittney Cooper

Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister

My Life As a Goddess by Guy Branum

We Need Diverse Books

Ellen Oh

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

In this Very Special Episode, Melissa and Kathryn chat about their creative, career, and personal goals for 2019.

Subscribe to Truer Words on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Better Than Before, by Gretchen Rubin

David Rakoff on Rent / transcript

More David Rakoff

Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff

“No More Little White Gloves”: Sarah Kernochan’s ‘All I Wanna Do’ by Melissa

You Have to Fail A Little by Melissa

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse

Apocalypse Now

Goodreads

Book Riot Read Harder challenge

Dear Heartbreak, edited by Heather Demetrios

ALA Awards

The Season of Styx Malone, by Kekla Magoon

Coretta Scott King awards

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

In the fourth episode of Truer Words, we focus on balancing writing with other jobs that pay the bills.

Then we talk to one of our personal mentors, Nova Ren Suma! Nova is the New York Times best-selling author of multiple YA novels, including her latest, A ROOM AWAY FROM THE WOLVES, THE WALLS AROUND US, and IMAGINARY GIRLS. She is on the faculty at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program.

Find Nova on Twitter: @novaren and Instagram: @novaren. Her website is novaren.com. She is also the co-founder of the Foreshadow YA anthology, which is on Twitter @foreshadowYA and online at ForeshadowYA.

Subscribe to Truer Words on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Books, movies, TV, specials, and other media or institutions mentioned include:

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work edited by Mason Currey

Distraction 99 - Nova’s blog

Vermont College of Fine Arts

A Room Away from the Wolves - Nova’s latest book

The Walls Around Us - Nova’s previous book

The Writers Room

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke

Winter Institute

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

The Husband Stitch by Carmen Maria Machado

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

In the 3rd episode of Truer Words, we discuss getting started, giving yourself permission to just make mistakes, how where you live can affect your productivity, and the importance of being part of an artistic community.

Then Kathryn speaks to visual artist May Yang about how she balances her art and her screenprinting business.

Find May online at MayYang.net or Flashfloodprint.com and Instagram: @electrofervor and @flashfloodprints.

Subscribe to Truer Words on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Books, movies, comedy specials, and other media or institutions mentioned include:

Danielle Steel’s desk (believe us, you want to see it)

Nora Roberts

Amy Tan, misandrist hero

Small Business Development Center of Tulsa

MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art)

Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque

Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition

Time Blocking

Jessica Hische

Podcast: Song Exploder

The Gathering Place Tulsa

Philbrook Museum of Art

And here’s the mural May painted!

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

In the 2nd episode of Truer Words, we discuss some of the mental roadblocks to committing to writing as a goal.

Then Melissa speaks to comedy writer Erin Foley Chan about how she applies her social work and TV network experience to her writing projects!

Find Erin on Twitter @erinrosechan and Instagram: Erinrosechan. And find Erin’s dog, Thor, on Instagram: @Thebiteythor. She’s also on the How to Watch Movies the Right Way podcast.

Subscribe to Truer Words on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes:

Books, movies, comedy specials, and other media mentioned include:

Nanette by Hannah Gadsby

My Life as a Goddess by Guy Branum

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

Cash Cab

Samantha Bee’s This Is Not A Game The Game

Jantsen’s Gift by Pamela Cope / The COPE Foundation

Bubble Guppies

Brooklyn 99

Get Out

Inside You by Heather Fink

Game Night

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

In the 1st episode of Truer Words, we introduce ourselves! Then we speak to debut YA novelist and stone cold genius Adrienne Kisner about her path to publication and her creative process/life philosophy (i.e. Beast Mode).

Find Adrienne on Twitter @adriennekisner and visit her website, adriennekisner.com. Her debut novel is Dear Rachel Maddow, and her upcoming June 2019 release is The Confusion of Laurel Graham.

Subscribe to Truer Words on Apple Podcasts.

Show Notes:

We reference our MFA program, Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award.

Books and other media mentioned include:

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sawkill Girls and Furyborn by Claire Legrand

Murphy Brown

The Good Place

Veronica Mars

About Us:

Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.

You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.