Podcasts about ellen oh

Robin's website Far from the Tree Our Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottNo Going Back by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comContact us: hello@booksmitten.usX/Twitter: @booksmittenpod Produced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Linda Sue Park's WebsiteGracie Under the WavesA Long Walk to WaterWe Need Diverse Books Our Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottNo Going Back by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comContact us: hello@booksmitten.usX/Twitter: @booksmittenpod Produced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

The Door Is Open edited by Hena Khan Read alikes: Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance edited by Bethany C. Morrow Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories For Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith Flying Lessons & Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh

We're back with another of our Summer Breaks. In this episode our co-host Patrick gets the spotlight this time, as we talk about his new YA novel, No Going Back.Our Books for Children and Young Adults: - Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.” - Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist - Isaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. Baptist - The Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell Johnson - The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist - Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist - Ready, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. Baptist - See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng - The Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack Cheng - Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott - American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott - No Going Back by Patrick Flores-Scott - The Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather Shumaker Find us online: - Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.com - Jack Cheng: jackcheng.com - Patrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.com - Heather Shumaker: heathershumaker.com Contact us: hello@booksmitten.us X/Twitter: @booksmittenpod   Produced by Jack Cheng Music by Duck Duck Chicken

Introducing: Summer Breaks! We'll be airing a couple of episodes this summer to tide you over as we regroup and plot out the next season. Here is our conversation with our very own Kelly J. Baptist about her new middle grade novel, Ready, Set, Dough!Our Books for Children and Young Adults: - Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.” - Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist - Isaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. Baptist - The Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell Johnson - The Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist - Eb & Flow by Kelly J. Baptist - Ready, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. Baptist - See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng - The Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack Cheng - Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott - American Road Trip by Patrick Flores-Scott - No Going Back by Patrick Flores-Scott - The Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather Shumaker Find us online: - Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.com - Jack Cheng: jackcheng.com - Patrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.com - Heather Shumaker: heathershumaker.com Contact us: hello@booksmitten.us X/Twitter: @booksmittenpod   Produced by Jack Cheng Music by Duck Duck Chicken

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. You can find Mai Corland on IG @maicorland as well as at her website at https://meredithireland.wordpress.com This episode begins Season 11 for us–we've got over 200 episodes under our belts and are back to bring you more. Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that fantasy is big right now, and we discovered a fun fantasy that feels like an Ocean's 11 type romp with multiple characters trying to take down a king. The book is titled Five Broken Blades and it is written by Mai Corland. We were delighted to speak with her a couple weeks back, especially since she is now an international bestselling author. And in fact, while recording this episode you will hear Mai receiving some good news. While some people might let this success go to their heads, Mai is down-to-earth and gets entirely too much pleasure poking fun at her new status. We chat about the fantasy series she can't stop recommending, why writing middle grade and YA novels was such good prep for pacing in her new romantic fantasy, and how riding the subway opened up her world as a teen. Books Discussed In This Episode: 1- Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland 2- Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland 3- You Are Here: Connected Flights edited by Ellen Oh 4- Emma and the Love Spell by Meredith Ireland 5- The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland 6- Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse 7- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse 8- The Jane City trilogy by Fonda Lee 9- The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent 10- 5 Star Read Recommended by a Fellow Book Lover Marné Deranger @readerbythewater - Sandwich by Catherine Newman 11- Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives by Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett 12- Such Charming Liars by Karen McManus 13- One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus 14- The Cousins by Karen McManus 15- Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson

Youth Services Librarian Meagan joins us once again to promote the 'Adventure Begins at Your Library' Summer Reading Challenge. This Challenge opened on June 8th and goes through August 10th! Learn more and register by visiting oakcreeklibrary.org/src. Or, visit our events calendar to stay up to date on all of the fun activities that will keep you and your family busy this summer: oakcreeklibrary.org/events. Check out what we talked about: Books mentioned: "Around the World in Eighty Days" by Jules Verne with readalike "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells. The "Throne of Glass" series by Sarah J. Maas with readalike series "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir. "Grandad's Camper" by Harry Woodgate with readalike "On the Trapline" by David Robertson. "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac with readalike "Off the Road: My Years with Cassady, Kerouac, and Ginsberg" by Carolyn Cassady. The "Dragon Rider" series by Cornelia Funke with readalike series "The Inheritance Cycle" by Christopher Paolini. "You Are Here: Connecting Flights" edited by Ellen Oh with readalike "Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks" by Jason Reynolds. The "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfeld with spinoff series "Imposters" by the same author. "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau with readalike "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. "Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds" by Samira Ahmed with readalike "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi. To access complete transcripts for all episodes of Not Your Mother's Library, please visit: oakcreeklibrary.org/podcast Check out books, movies, and other materials through the Milwaukee County Federated Library System: countycat.mcfls.org hoopladigital.com wplc.overdrive.com oakcreeklibrary.org

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulLouder than Hunger by John SchuThe List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca SteadWriting with Pictures by Uri ShulevitzHow to Write Picture Books by Linda AshmanOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottNo Going Back by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comContact us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:SCBWI Marvelous Midwest 2024Gary D. SchmidtSherri L. SmithJames Solheim Interviewees:Aaron Fox (MO)Debbie Gonzales (MI)Kat Higgs-Coulthard (MI)Leslie Helakowski  (MI)Danielle Defoe (MI)Kathy Halsey (OH)Amy Flynn (OH)Sheila Willobee (MI)Kathy Groth (WI) -  Sunken Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan, Ocean Party (Illustrated by Becca Hart)Joyce Uglow (WI) - Stuck: The Story of the La Brea Tar Pits (Illustrated by Valerya Milovanova )Our Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

May 13, 2024 - To save her sister, a teen girl becomes entangled in a political conspiracy with an enigmatic prince in this fiery new YA novel. June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, returns with a devastating and pulse-pounding tale based on a true story from Korean history. A Crane Among Wolves is set in 1506 Joseon, where people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings. Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom's turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king's latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king's power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul's family connections and Daehyun's royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen. In her conversation with Ellen Oh, June Hur discusses her new novel and writing YA novels based on lives and stories from Korean history. For more information, please visit the link below: https://koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1824-june-hur-a-crane-among-wolves-with-ellen-oh

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulCreepy Crayon by Aaron Reynolds; Illustrated by Peter BrownOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Dr. Ellen Csepe // #TechniqueThursday // www.ptonice.com  In today's episode of the PT on ICE Daily Show, ICE Older Adult Division faculty member Ellen Csepe demonstrates an example of using motivational interviewing techniques when discussing weight loss with a patient. Take a listen to the podcast episode or check out the full show notes on our blog at www.ptonice.com/blog. If you're looking to learn more about courses designed to start your own practice, check out our Brick by Brick practice management course or our online physical therapy courses, check out our entire list of continuing education courses for physical therapy including our physical therapy certifications by checking out our website. Don't forget about all of our FREE eBooks, prebuilt workshops, free CEUs, and other physical therapy continuing education on our Resources tab. EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION ELLEN CSEPE Welcome to the PT on Ice daily show brought to you by the Institute of Clinical Excellence. My name is Ellen Csepe. I'm a physical therapist. I'm bringing to you live the Technique Thursday and we're going to talk about motivational interviewing today. I'm joined by my co-worker Rachel Jordan. She and I are both physical therapists in Littleton, Colorado. And today what you can expect out of our episode is we're going to talk about what motivational interviewing is, what to look for in our kind of, um, reenacted interview between a patient and a provider and then we're going to kind of sum it up and bring it back home talking about how this case went at the end of the day. So we had an awesome discussion about weight management with one of our patients in the clinic within the last few weeks and I really wanted to share that with you guys. We used motivational interviewing strategies to talk about weight management and truly it was a slam dunk. So today we'll kind of start talking about what motivational interviewing is. So motivational interviewing is basically a counseling technique where we talk about where we invoke out of a patient their own wisdom and their own ideas on how to solve their problems rather than barking at them and telling them what to do. Motivational interviewing is a really powerful technique for providers to really treat patients first like people, then like patients, all while showing them that you genuinely care. This is an excellent strategy to talk about weight, which can be a hugely uncomfortable topic for some providers and patients. So this discussion that we had went super well. Rachel's going to be the patient. I'll be the provider. And what I'd like you to look for in our discussion are four key topics that kind of illustrate the spirit of motivational interviewing. And so those four key topics that really kind of reflect the spirit of motivational interviewing are partnership, acceptance, compassion, and empowerment. So think of it this way, partnership. I want Rachel to leave our session knowing that she has somebody who really, really cares in her corner. Partnership. Acceptance. I'm not gonna look down the end of my nose at Rachel while she's struggling. I'm in her corner and I'm cheering for her. Acceptance. Compassion. I recognize that weight management is really, really hard. From a biomechanical level, from a neuroendocrine level, Weight management is super difficult. So compassion. I see her struggle and I care. And then empowerment. I want Rachel leaving our session like she just won a game of elementary school dodgeball. I want her leaving this session feeling like she has got it made. I want her to leave here feeling like she has a plan, like she's on top. So again, partnership, acceptance, compassion, and empowerment. So we'll go ahead and get into character. So Rachel, I understand that your doctor sent you over to us to kind of check out your ankle. It looks like you had an ankle surgery, but it looks like it's going pretty well. Tell me a little bit more. RACHEL Yeah, I had the ankle surgery not too long ago. I repaired my deltoid ligament. Overall, the ankle's doing pretty well, but ever since, I've had a lot of falls and I'm having a lot of pain and weakness because I keep falling. And, you know, I really think it's a lot to do with my weight, that's why I keep falling. ELLEN It sounds like you're thinking that your weight has been an issue for you in the past. Is this the first time that you've kind of talked about this with a health care provider? RACHEL I've talked a little bit about it with my primary care doctor, but she doesn't really seem to take interest in having a conversation about it. I've asked her about the GLP medications that just came out, because they also have diabetes. She doesn't really seem interested in prescribing them and I just don't feel like I'm really feeling hurt when I go into the doctor. ELLEN That is really frustrating and it sounds to me like you're ready to make some changes. Like you're really eager to change your weight because you know that that's going to be a real stepping stone for you to be healthier in the future. Well, we can definitely talk more about that. So tell me a little bit more about what your history of managing your weight has looked like in the past. How can I help you? RACHEL Yeah, about 17 years ago I had gastric bypass surgery. But ever since, I've pretty much gained all the weight back. And so I'm just really frustrated because nothing has really worked. I've tried all the diets and that's been pretty unsuccessful in losing weight. I'm just feeling really hopeless about how to even go about that or what to do. ELLEN I am so sorry, and I just want you to know you're not the only person. Weight is really hard to manage long-term, and obesity is a chronic disease. Did you know that everything in your biology, after you lose weight, fights to get it back? Your body doesn't know the difference between intentional weight loss and starvation. So I hope you know that you're not the only one. And it can be really hard, but those new medications could be really helpful. It sounds like that's a goal for you, and that's something you've been interested in trying. RACHEL Yeah, I'm definitely interested. I just feel at this point I just need to do something because I'm unable to play with my grandchildren right now because I'm scared of falling and I can't get off the floor because I feel like I'm just really heavy and things. So I'm kind of feeling down about that. ELLEN So it sounds like you're feeling down about that and you're feeling kind of hopeless. Tell me a little bit more about what steps you're taking to manage your mobility. It sounds like It's the weight, but it's also your ability to balance, your strength. All of those things have kind of been keeping you back for the past few years. Tell me more. Are you doing any exercise participation right now? RACHEL No, I don't really like to exercise. I've tried some stuff in the past, but I just don't enjoy it and I feel kind of uncomfortable because I don't know what to do. And I think I just might hurt myself if I try to go. ELLEN That is totally understandable. And I'm sure every exercise attempt that you've had in the past has been to lose weight. Am I right about that? Yeah. And I mean, if you've been unsuccessful in losing weight, I bet exercise could be, feel really like a wasted cause and a lost cause. Yeah. So let's, um, I'd love to challenge how you see exercise because really exercise shouldn't be about punishing your body for what it isn't. It should be helping empower you to do what you want to do. For example, I know that you love playing with your grandkids. Lunges are a really great way to get up and down from the ground. So if you think about it that way, I'm not exercising just arbitrarily to lose weight, but I'm training for grandma duty. RACHEL That's what I really want to look for. ELLEN That's a really great point. It sounds to me like you're ready to make some changes. I have a few ideas that I can offer to you and I want you to tell me what you think. I have a few primary care doctors that I know are really on board with prescribing GLP-1 medications when it's appropriate. If you'd like, I'm happy to send you their names and you can check them out and tell me what you think. Yeah, I think that'd be great. It sounds like your foot is doing great. That's kind of on the back burner of what's important to us. Why don't you and I look at kind of creating an exercise program. to see if we can match what you care about to functional things that you can do in the gym. And if you don't like going to the gym, I can give you a lot of other options, too, to do these exercises at home and still feel like you're really getting a great workout. OK. RACHEL Yeah, I don't say I don't really like going to the gym, but I used to do a swim class, like swim aerobics, and I loved that. That's great. I felt comfortable and, you know, I didn't feel the weight on me. ELLEN Yeah, feeling weightless in the pool, there's nothing like it. And I know, I saw in your intake that you're a scuba diver. I am, I love to scuba dive. That is so cool. I definitely want to get you back into the open water. I bet you love scuba diving for that same reason, just feeling weightless and like you're floating. We've got to get you back into the water. And I know if you felt better about your balance and your mobility, those things would be way more confident. You'd be way more confident in those things. Am I right about that? RACHEL Yeah. Last time I tried to go scuba diving, I actually took a fall before and wasn't able to go because I hit my head. Oh man. And I just ever since haven't really tried again because I've just been a little discouraged about it. ELLEN Oh, I totally get that. That would discourage me too. And it sounds like if you and I have a plan to not just go to the gym mindlessly, but to really say, I'm working for a pragmatic goal to be able to get up and down from the ground, to be able to lift all my equipment, to be able to play with my grandkids. That's far more meaningful than going to the gym to bust out cardio. RACHEL i really feel good about this. I agree. I've never really thought of exercise that way. ELLEN Oh, well I'm so glad that we can kind of reframe how you see exercise because truly exercise isn't punishing you, it's enabling your body to do all the wonderful things that it can do. RACHEL This is awesome. I'm really excited about this. I feel like I have a little bit of hope now that I might be able to play with my grandchildren. ELLEN Well, I hope you know I'm on your team and weight loss and weight management are really tough. And I hope you know that I'm in your corner and I'm here to help you figure this out. RACHEL I really appreciate that. I feel like I finally felt heard today. ELLEN Oh good. So that was almost exactly the conversation that we had in the clinic within the past week. It was a slam dunk. And if I can kind of illustrate how this went further, She came in for an ankle surgery, a deltoid ligament repair, but by the end of the session she left here feeling super positive about the strategies that we discussed. to help manage her weight. And kind of the happy ending to this story is that the patient did get on those medications with her doctor after switching doctors. Her doctor was super old school. She started working with a new doctor and it went super well. It was the perfect medication for her to use. She started exercising regularly at home and she was able to get up and down off of the ground with some skilled training. from our team within a few weeks of this surgery. So I kind of just want to illustrate that this motivational interviewing can be hugely impactful for your patients and in your practice to talk about uncomfortable subjects like weight. The things that we really wanted to look for in our discussion were partnership. Rachel knew that after our session, she and I were on the same team. I was here to help her. Acceptance. I didn't look down the end of my nose and say, well, eat too much and that's why you have obesity or you don't exercise and that's why you're struggling with your weight. She knew that I accepted her for who she is and I saw her journey. So compassion. She knew that I had compassion for this struggle. She knew that I wasn't judging her. I genuinely cared because I genuinely do. empowerment. She left our session having a plan, having a goal, knowing exactly what she was going to do to manage her weight in the future. So thank you guys for joining us on today's Technique Thursday. I'm so glad that you could be here with us and I hope that these motivational interviewing strategies were helpful for you in the clinic. Have a great morning. OUTRO Hey, thanks for tuning in to the PT on Ice daily show. If you enjoyed this content, head on over to iTunes and leave us a review, and be sure to check us out on Facebook and Instagram at the Institute of Clinical Excellence. If you're interested in getting plugged into more ice content on a weekly basis while earning CEUs from home, check out our virtual ice online mentorship program at ptonice.com. While you're there, sign up for our Hump Day Hustling newsletter for a free email every Wednesday morning with our top five research articles and social media posts that we think are worth reading. Head over to ptonice.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.  

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulSheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw; Illustrated by Margot AppleOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulThe Mousery by Charlotte Pomerantz; Illustrated by Kurt CyrusOn Writing by Stephen KingOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulRaymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamilloOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulThe Scene Book by Sandra ScofieldOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Our Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistReady, Set, Dough! by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Jon Agee's WebsiteMy Dad is a TreeMilo's Hat TrickMy RhinocerosThe Wall in the Middle of the BookThis Book Just Ate My Dog by Richard ByrneThe Incredible Painting of Felix ClousseauOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on X/Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jack ChengMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jean Luc IshimweMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jean Luc IshimweMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:The Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengThe Art of Yuta OnodaOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jean Luc IshimweMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:nErD Camp PAIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff; Illustrated by Felicia BondFamily Style by Thien PhamOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jean Luc IshimweMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulSave the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica BrodyOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Jean Luc IshimweMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Grandma Heaven and Grandpa Heaven by Shutta Crum; Illustrated by Ruth McNally BarshawShutta's WebsiteOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengThe Many Masks of Andy Zhou by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford PaulSome Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa SweetOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Mentioned in this episode:Barb RosenstockThe Mystery of the Monarchs by Barb Rosenstock; Illustrated by Erika MezaMornings with Monet by Barb Rosenstock; Illustrated by Mary GrandPréOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Our guest host Jordan Sahley welcomes Ellen Oh and Linda Sue Park to the #ReadingWithYourKids #Podcast to celebrate You Are Here, Connecting Flights. Ellen and Linda Sue are two of twelve Asian American authors who collaborating on creating this powerful and engaging exploration of contemporary Asian American identity through interwoven stories set in a teeming Chicago airport, An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers—some helpful, some hostile—as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar. Click here to visit Ellen's website - https://www.ellenoh.com/  Click here to visit Linda Sue's website - https://lindasuepark.com/  Click here to visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com 

Our Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistEb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Twelve award-winning and bestselling East and Southeast Asian American authors explore themes of identity and belonging in You Are Here: Connecting Flights, edited by Ellen Oh. With interwoven stories all taking place in a teeming Chicago airport, the book details the entwined experiences of young people whose family roots may extend to East and Southeast Asia, but who are themselves distinctly American. An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers—some helpful, some hostile—as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar. With stories from Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Randy Ribay, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Le, Ellen Oh, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan, YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS is the premier release from HarperCollins Children's Books' new imprint, Allida. Created to publish books for children and teens, the imprint's mission is to encourage marginalized writers and artists to explore the stories they are most passionate about and to craft narratives that defy expectations.

EPISODE NOTESMentioned in this episode:Eb & Flow by Kelly J. BaptistOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

Twelve award-winning and bestselling East and Southeast Asian American authors explore themes of identity and belonging in You Are Here: Connecting Flights, edited by Ellen Oh. With interwoven stories all taking place in a teeming Chicago airport, the book details the entwined experiences of young people whose family roots may extend to East and Southeast Asia, but who are themselves distinctly American. An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers—some helpful, some hostile—as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar. With stories from Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Randy Ribay, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Le, Ellen Oh, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan, YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS is the premier release from HarperCollins Children's Books' new imprint, Allida. Created to publish books for children and teens, the imprint's mission is to encourage marginalized writers and artists to explore the stories they are most passionate about and to craft narratives that defy expectations.

EPISODE NOTESMentioned in this episode:SCBWI Michigan Spring ConferenceOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

If you're looking for a great read to share with your middle-grade grandchildren look no further! Our guest,Ellen Oh, is the author/editor of multiple books for middle graders and young adults and was named winner of the Asia/Pacific American Award for Literature for her book, Finding Junie Kim.  She has also been honored with the ALAN Award, which is presented to those authors who've made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature.  And, in addition to writing these and editing other award-winning novels, Ellen is the president and founder of “We Need Diverse Books.” Ellen joins us to share all about a unique and fascinating new book entitled, You Are Here: Connecting Flights. This engaging read provides an especially rich look at the Asian American experience because eleven other highly regarded authors of Asian descent have joined Ellen to contribute to the book. The combination of experiences make for an eye-opening look at how twelve young Asian Americans encounter and deal with various challenges in a crowded Chicago airport on a single summer's day. So, if you want to share a book with plenty of twists and turns that will give you and your grandchildren food for thought and lots of points for discussion, be sure to tune in!

On Today's ShowThe author of the “Prophecy” trilogy and “Spirit Hunters” series and the founder of We Need Diverse Books, Ellen Oh is equal parts no-nonsense and hilarious truth-teller. "We all know the importance of representation in books and how life-affirming it can be for those who are historically underrepresented. Books are powerful. There's a reason for all this book banning. Books are more important than ever.” - Ellen Oh Ellen Oh learned early on that she would have to fight against the bullies at her school. Growing up as a Korean-American in New York City, she experienced discrimination often. Public libraries became her safe haven, a place to escape and let her imagination wander. Even as an adult, Ellen finds solace in them and wrote her first novel at the library.  On this episode, Ellen joins us for a live conversation at the 2023 American Libraries Association LibLearnX conference in New Orleans to share more about how racism and social injustice inspired her writing and her activism. In this wide-ranging conversation, Ellen shares very personal stories, her work as founder of We Need Diverse Books, as well as her sentiments on, ‘soft censorship' and the recent spate of book bans disproportionately impacting the diverse books she has fought so hard to cultivate. Ellen is truly a one-of-a-kind author, mom, and activist. ContentsChapter 1 - The library a.k.a the babysitter (2:52)Chapter 2 - Spreading the horror (4:04)Chapter 3 - Don't Feed the Tiger (7:11)Chapter 4 - The Joy Luck Club (10:01)Chapter 5 - We Needed “We Need Diverse Books" (14:42)Chapter 6 - Soft censorship (24:36)Chapter 7 - What can you do? (25:55)Chapter 8 - The power of a librarian (28:49)Chapter 9 - You Are Here: Connecting Flights (31:38)Chapter 10 - Books Save Lives (33:26)Chapter 11 - Listener Questions (37:26)Links beanstack.com ellenoh.com thereadingculturepod.com/ellen_oh diversebooks.org

EPISODE NOTESMentioned in this episode:On Writing by Stephen KingOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

EPISODE NOTESVisit Bookbug in person and online:Bookbug & this is a bookstoreTwitterFacebookInstagramMentioned in this episode:The Kalamazoo PromiseJacqueline WoodsonOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

EPISODE NOTESMentioned in this episode:The Real Dada Mother Goose by Jon Scieszka; Illustrated by Julia RothmanBetween the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi CoatesOur Books for Children and Young Adults:Flying Lessons & Other Stories Edited by Ellen Oh; Kelly's short story in this middle grade anthology is “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn.”Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero by Kelly J. BaptistIsaiah Dunn Saves the Day by Kelly J. BaptistThe Electric Slide and Kai by Kelly J. Baptist; Illustrated by Darnell JohnsonThe Swag is in the Socks by Kelly J. BaptistSee You in the Cosmos by Jack ChengJumped In by Patrick Flores-ScottAmerican Road Trip by Patrick Flores-ScottThe Griffins of Castle Cary by Heather ShumakerFind us online:Kelly J. Baptist: kellyiswrite.comJack Cheng: jackcheng.comPatrick Flores-Scott: patrickfloresscott.comHeather Shumaker: heathershumaker.comEmail us: hello@booksmitten.us@booksmittenpodFollow our progress on Twitter this season with #booksmittenchallengeProduced by Josie Schneider and Corey SchneiderMusic by Duck Duck Chicken

12-year-old Harper Raine and her family have moved from New York City to a suburb of Washington, D.C., for a new start. Harper is trying to work through wounds left by a traumatic series of events in her past that harmed her physically, mentally, and emotionally and left her with gaps in her memory. Her parents, however, have unknowingly picked the worst new home for Harper to live in: the Grady House. Harper quickly learns from her new friend Dayo that the house has a bad reputation and a creepy history. When Harper starts experiencing cold spots, hearing strange noises, and having dreams and visions, she wonders if something evil from the house's past is lingering in her family's present. And then there's her little brother's new imaginary friend, who is definitely not imaginary and far from friendly.         Recommended in this episode: Toil and Trouble--Preorder now! UP NEXT: An interview with Rachel Harrison about her newest book Such Sharp Teeth For those interested in the women from Monster, She Wrote, you can read Francis Stevens's The Citadel of Fear, out now!

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: a new reading habit and protecting a reading life Current Reads: books that are joyful (one of us really needed it) and a strange twin theme! Deep Dive: seasoned protagonists, who are they are which are our favorites The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down!  We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!*   . . . . 1:46 - Currently Reading Patreon 4:37 - Bookish Moment of the Week 5:54 - Pangobooks 13:28 - Current Reads 13:50 - The Twin Paradox by Charles Wachter (Meredith) 18:13 - Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi  18:15 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton 19:11 - Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola (Kaytee) 19:21 - Love in Color by Bolu Babalola 10:36 - The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon 21:35 - Libro.fm 22:34 - Little Darlings by Melanie Golding (Meredith) 22:40 - The Hidden by Melanie Golding 28:57 - Hoopla 29:28 - In Her Boots by KJ Dell'antoia (Kaytee) 32:48 - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Meredith) 33:27 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke 36:59 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 41:04 - The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain (Kaytee) 42:19 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 42:21 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle 42:23 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley  42:43 - One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston 43:58 - Deep Dive: Seasoned Protagonists in our Reading 48:27 - The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo 49:10 - Cafe Con Libros 49:28 - An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten 50:18 - Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn 50:39 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 50:49 - The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman 53:39 - Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (#1 in the series) by M.C. Beaton 54:00 - The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax (#1 in the series) by Dorothy Gilman 54:48 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 54:49 - All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle 54:50 - The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain 55:08 - The Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory 55:21 - The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg 55:26 - Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson 55:43 - The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg 56:42 - Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf 57:35 - The Son by Philipp Meyer 57:51 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher 58:53 - Meet Us At The Fountain I wish that everyone would read Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard. (Meredith) 59:23 - Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard 59:33 - The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard 59:42 - Fabled Bookshop 1:00:54 - Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard I wish that if a book is part of a series, the number is always on the spine or cover. (Kaytee) 1:01:29 - Spirit Hunters: The Island of Monsters by Ellen Oh 1:02:04 - Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading

Well, it was bound to happen sometime, we're postponing our monthly Asian American entertainment news roundup to next week due to some scheduling conflicts, but in it's place, we're dropping in an episode from Marvin's other podcast on the Potluck Podcast Collective, Books & Boba. This episode from a few weeks ago is also a news episode where Marvin and his co-host Reera go over the latest Asian American publishing and book new. We hope you enjoy and come back next week where the full Good Pop crew will be back together again for the July 2022 edition of  "Do We Want This?"---On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our July 2022 mid-month check-in, and Marvin learns a little about Book-tok.New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news:You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Grace Lin, Ellen Oh, Linda Sue Park, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan TanI Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann LiangDown, Through, Up by Shirley Ng-BenitezSecrets by Cindy ChangHow This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu GreaniasTiger Daughter by Rebecca LimFrizzy-Haired Zuzu by Medeia SharifHedgehog and the Log by Pam FongThe Sound of Magic by Rajani LaRoccaNothing but the Truth by Rajani LaRoccaMystery Party by Rajani LaRoccaChemistry Lessons by Rajani LaRocca*Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop *Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads Group

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our July 2022 mid-month check-in, and Marvin learns a little about Book-tok.New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news:You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Grace Lin, Ellen Oh, Linda Sue Park, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan TanI Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann LiangDown, Through, Up by Shirley Ng-BenitezSecrets by Cindy ChangHow This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu GreaniasTiger Daughter by Rebecca LimFrizzy-Haired Zuzu by Medeia SharifHedgehog and the Log by Pam FongThe Sound of Magic by Rajani LaRoccaNothing but the Truth by Rajani LaRoccaMystery Party by Rajani LaRoccaChemistry Lessons by Rajani LaRocca*Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop *Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba July 2022 pick is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu KawaguchiThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

A tale based on true events follows the coming-of-age of a girl who is motivated by an act of racism at school to learn about her ancestral heritage and her grandparents' experiences as lost children during the Korean War. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

Inspired by a couple of passages in Ellen Oh's Finding Junie Kim which reminded me of Susan Cain's TED Talk called "The Power of Introverts", as well as her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Cain also wrote a book for children and teens called Quiet Power: the Secret Strengths of Introverted Kids --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/valerie-dilorenzo/message

If you wish, kindly listen to this other podcast of Shabana Basij-Rasikh "The Dream of Educating Afghan Girls Lives On," a TED Talk; books mentioned in my podcast this week: Ellen Oh's Finding Junie Kim, Jasmine Warga's Other Words for Home, and Ibtihaj Muhammad's The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family with S.K. Ali and art by Hatem Aly --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/valerie-dilorenzo/message

Inspired by Free Guy directed by Shawn Levy; Hour of Code, Wild Me, and Second Life mentioned in this podcast. A few passages from Ellen Oh's Finding Junie Kim included, too. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/valerie-dilorenzo/message

Welcome to a new episode of The Couch. Today I'm here with my friend and friend of the show, Michelle Reyes! Michelle is a second-generation Indian American author, speaker, and activist. She's the vice president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative and the co-executive director at Pax. She's also co-planted Hope Community Church in Austin with her husband, and as you'll figure out quickly, she's a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Once again, Michelle and I had a blast talking some of our favorite movies and shows, and once again, I learned so much from a short conversation. I just know you're going to learn something and have fun, too. In this episode, we're talking about the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We are talking about the recent additions to the MCU, both movies and series; and we're talking about what's coming in the next several months. We also look at representation in Marvel movies and series—what we've observed and what we're hoping for in future stories. And of course, because this is The Couch, where rabbit trails and side notes are always welcome, we also get into novels perfect for vacation reading and library fines. I'm glad you're here, friends. Let's get started! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Upcoming Marvel series and movies The Bechdel test The Duvernay test Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (trailer) We Are Lady Parts Crazy Rich Asians The Eternals (trailer) NOT-SO-GUILTY PLEASURES: Library fines Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur, The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, and A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh   DON'T FORGET: Join The Couch on Facebook! It's so much fun! Find Michelle on Instagram at @michelleamireyes, on Twitter at @drmichellereyes, or on her website. and sign up for her weekly book-ish newsletter too. You can find me on Instagram at @marycarver or at marycarver.com. Welcome to The Couch! This post includes affiliate links. This means that if you click and purchase, I might receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Representation matters, especially in children’s literature and stories that represent Native American people. In this episode, we focus on Heartdrum, an imprint about stories by Native American creators who publish stories with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country, and on the strength of young Native American heroes. Author-curator Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek), author and co-founder of We Need Diverse Books, Ellen Oh, and HarperCollins editor Rosemary Brosnan discuss how the Heartdrum project came to fruition and a sample of the beautifully diverse stories now available to young readers. To learn more about Heartdrum, visit Diversebooks.org/programs/heartdrum Do you have a story about how a classic book changed your life? Tweet @readingpod or email us at readingpod@harpercollins.com. Learn more at rememberreading.com. Until next time! [:01] In her book, Jingle Dancer, Cynthia Leitich Smith depicted Native American girls and women, who are underrepresented in children’s literature. [5:01]The books by authors of color that impacted Cynthia and Ellen as children. [7:40] In her series, Indian Shoes, it was important to Cynthia the characters be in contemporary, urban settings. [10:57] When publishers shifted away from multiculturalism and inclusion, Cynthia successfully pivoted and created paranormal stories including the Feral series. [13:23] The progressive ideas that fuel We Need Diverse Books make the organization much more than a hashtag. [15:42] Ellen, Cynthia, and Rosemary Brosnan instigated the creation of Heartdrum, the first native imprint at a major publisher. [21:36] The Sea in Winter by Christine Day is one of the first books published by Heartdrum. [26:14] Current trends in contemporary children’s literature and future opportunities for Heartdrum. [29:44] Ellen describes her motivation for writing her very personal latest book, Finding Junie Kim. [32:02] Ancestor Approved is a collection of stories and poetry that showcases the diversity within Indian Country and pairs new and established authors. Continue Your Journey: Cynthia Leitich Smith Ellen Oh Books We Need Diverse Books HarperCollins Remember Reading Podcast @ReadingPod on Twitter

Kelly departs for maternity leave a few days early, so Hey YA gives an early welcome to its new interim co-host, Book Riot’s own Tirzah Price! Tirzah and Hannah already co-host the Read Harder podcast, part of Book Riot’s InsidEars perks, so they recommend a number of YA books that hit many of the Read Harder challenge tasks. This post contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Book Riot may earn a commission. Show Notes Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore Miss Meteorby Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejía The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph Fighter in Velvet Gloves by Annie Boochever and Roy A. Peratrovich, Jr. Blessing’s Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan Colorful by Eto Mori Hey YA episode on books in translation Queer, There, and Everywhere by Sarah Prager The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle Pittman The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado Hey YA: Extra Credit with Crystal Maldonado I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee May the Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton 1000 Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman Make It Messy by Marcus Samuelsson with Veronica Chambers Notes from a Young Black Chef: YA Edition by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier XOXO by Axie Oh Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle Soaring Earth by Margarita Engle Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw Strangers Assume My Girlfriend is My Nurse by Shane Burcaw Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest Hey YA: Extra Credit episode with Kristina Forest Charming As a Verb by Ben Philippe Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork The Babysitters’ Coven by Kate Williams Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger and Rovina Cai Sign up for Book Riot Insiders for even more Read Harder content. Find Tirzah on Twitter and Instagram. Find Hannah on Twitter and Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If a fantasy or scifi universe has wizards, aliens, fairies, spaceships, or whatever fictional element in it, can't it also have dark skinned or nonbinary or queer characters in it? Niba guides us through arguments for and against inclusivity in fiction, as well as how writers can incorporate diversity if they themselves have not lived that experience. How can a fictional world be real-world inclusive?    Then Mariquita shares a stunning, evocative review of My Soul Looks Back by Jessica B. Harris.   Follow and support today's hosts: Niba Instagram // YouTube // Twitter // website Mariquita Instagram     Books Mentioned:  The Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag Lumberjanes: The Moon Is Up by Mariko Tamaki (also featured on our blog!) The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill Pet by Akwaeke Emezi Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (listen to our interview with Rebecca here!) Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan Elemental Trilogy by Sherry Thomas Binti by Nnedi Okorafor A Thousand Begins and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman    My Soul Looks Back: A Memoir by Jessica B. Harris   This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the native land of the Dakota people. Original music by @iam.onyxrose Learn more about Feminist Book Club on our website, sign up for our emails, shop our Bookshop.org recommendations, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest.  

Kelly and Hannah answer listener requests for book recommendations. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! SHOW NOTES Short story collection. Preferably fiction and/or fun/uplifting Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet; Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan; Take the Mic edited by Bethany C. Morrow; Snow in Love; Hope Nation edited by Rose Brock; The Radical Element edited by Jessica Spotswood. A gift for my brother who isn’t a big reader. He’s in college, loves soccer and video games, and hasn’t enjoyed a book since reading Holes in middle school. Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith; Slay by Brittany Morris; The Pros of Cons by Alison Cherry; Booked by Kwame Alexander; Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez; Warcross by Marie Lu; Feed by MT Anderson. New, contemporary, socially conscious, diverse. Yes No Maybe So by Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertalli; The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert; Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusuf Salaam; Running by Natalia Sylvester; We Didn’t Ask For This by Adi Alsaid; Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. Diverse body positive books. What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume; Melt My Heart by Bethany Rutter; My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmermann; Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero; If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann; Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy edited by Kelly Jensen. YA dealing with survivors of sexual abuse/pedophilia/other childhood trauma: some of my favorites that I’ve read are Sadie, Girl in Pieces, Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls, Perks of Being a Wallflower and Speak. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson; Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough; The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith; Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn; How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringyimana; Wrecked by Maria Padian; Infandous by Elana K. Arnold; In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. A YA book to get my friend who doesn’t really read….p.s. she really likes Disney. Disney’s Twisted Tales; Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige; Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo; Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee. One of my high school students likes mysteries and fantasy novels, but doesn’t like any “kissing” (i.e. lots of romance or a focus on a relationship). What suggestions could I give her? Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit by Lilliam Rivera; Endangered by Lamar Giles; Jennifer Lynn Barnes; Karen M. McManus; Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn. A book for my 16 year old nephew who is a very particular reader. Used to love Rick Riordan but has moved on. Beyond Riordan, the only books I’ve sent him that he has actually called begging for the sequels is Scythe. He likes Agatha Christie “because it makes him think” (to figure out what is going on). I’ve tried AS King and Going Bovine, but have not gotten a reaction and all the fantasy tried and trues. Would love an idea from you! Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore; The Future will be BS-free by Will McIntosh; The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah; Warcross and Legend by Marie Lu. A contemporary with some magic and some romance, but the story does not center grief. Now and When by Sara Bennett Wealer; Displacement by Kiku Hughes; Lobizona by Romina Garber. I am looking for a fantasy novel with romance that ideally is part of an almost finished or finished series. I have already read many of the popular ones, so I guess I am looking for those that were a bit more under the radar. I have read/started the Folk of the Air Series, A Court of Thorns and Roses Series, Red Queen Series, all of Cassandra Clare, etc. and loved them all! Looking for something in that realm. Blythewood by Carol Goodman; Lost Voices by Sarah Porter; The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd; Brooklyn Brujas by Zoraida Cordova. Warm fuzzy story about family (chosen, biological, adopted, whatever) with winter holiday(s) (not necessarily Christmas, but Christmas ok) as a backdrop and a happy ending. Something wintery and hopeful. (At least something that leaves the reader with some hope.) I like a variety of things. Some writers whose work I’ve enjoyed: Katie Henry, Karen McManus, Tomi Adeyemi, Jenny Han, Nina LaCour, and too many names to list. A few books I’ve read and enjoyed because of this podcast: Agnes at the End of the World, We Are the Perfect Girl, and Orpheus Girl. 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston; The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel; The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody. A feminist book like Rules for Being a Girl. Girls Like Us by Randi Pink; The Degenerates by J. Albert Mann; Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina; Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan. Books for a 13 year-old. She loves the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare and anything written by Rick Riordan. Recently, I loaned her my copy of With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (one of my favorite YA authors ever) and she loved it. I’d really like to give her books in a genre she loves and one that will expand her reading material. Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert; New Kid/Class Act by Jerry Craft; Inventing Victoria by Tonya Bolden; Akata Witch/Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor. Something that will make me laugh, but also teach me something. The Go-Between by Veronica Chambers; Cherry by Lindsey Rosin; Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan; We Are The Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan. I’m looking for at book for my niece (18 years old). She is not an avid reader out side required reading in school. She’s not that into fantasy and Sci fi, she likes contemporary fiction better. She might like a short story collection because 40 pages is not as daunting as 350 pages (or more if it’s a series) for a story. Books she had liked recently: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera and Broken Things by Lauren Oliver. Try Margarita Engle, Nikki Grimes, Stephanie Hemphill, Kwame Alexander as an alternative to short stories but still with a lot of white space, as it may be less intimidating; Toil and Trouble edited by Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe; Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. I’m interested in spooky tales, thrillers, science fiction, and non-WWII fiction. No dystopias or urban fantasy, please! The most important thing to me as an aromantic asexual person is that’s there’s no significant romantic element. I don’t want the main character to have any romantic partners or to spend several pages daydreaming about their crush(es). Thanks! Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke; Dread Nation by Justina Ireland; Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham; The Blood Confession by Alisa M. Libby; The Girl From The Well by Rin Chupecho; Jackaby by William Ritter; Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour. A book for my 19 year old sister who loves Wilder Girls and The Poet X. She is a fan of feminism, horror, and queerness in books. The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters; Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge; The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis; Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez; We Are The Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian; The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus. A book for my daughter. She recently told me that she is gay. I want to show her how much I love her and accept her. She loves graphic novels and has read many of the most popular ones featuring same sex relationships. Everything Noelle Stevenson! Lumberjanes, Nimona, The Fire Never Goes Out; Queer: A Graphic History by Meg John Barker and Julia Scheele; Skim by Mariko Tamaki; Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu; Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw; Moonstruck by Grace Ellis and Shae Bragl. Something heavily folklore-based (Maggie Stiefvater or higher level of “heavily”) and LGBTQ+ please? European and Asian folklore are my favorite but I’ll be happy to dive into any other as well. Anna-Marie McLemore; A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Elsie Chapman and Ellen Oh; Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco; A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha; Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao; Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardost. A fantasy or science fiction novel, preferably action-packed. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger; The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline; Cut Off by Adrianne Finley; Orleans by Sherri L. Smith. An awesome ghost story. The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco; Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn; Horrid by Katrina Leno; The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring; Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour; Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby; Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. School for Good & Evil read-alikes for 14-year-old reluctant reader. Thanks! Carry On by Rainbow Rowell; The Irregular at Magic High School manga series by Tsutomu Sato; The Black Mage by Daniel Howard Barnes; Supermutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki; A Blade so Black by LL McKinney; Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim; Liz Braswell’s Twisted Fairy Tales series; Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enjoy our presentation of Spirit Hunters written by Ellen Oh and published by Harper Collins. Harper doesn't trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family's new house is haunted. Harper isn't sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely. The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can't remember why. She knows that the memories she's blocking will help make sense of her brother's behavior and the strange and threatening sensations she feels in this house, but will she be able to put the pieces together in time?Spirit Hunters is recommended for readers 8 and up. Please see GoodReads for more information and reviews. https://bit.ly/SpiritHunters_ReviewsThis title is available on Hoopla as an eBook and Audiobook. Hoopla eBook -  https://bit.ly/SpiritHunters_HooplaEbookHoopla Audiobook - https://bit.ly/SpiritHunters_HooplaAudioPlease visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.Music: Dub the Uke (excerpt) by Kara Square (c) copyright 2016. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/53340

Sharifah and Jenn discuss TIME’s 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time, adaptation news, the Star Wars LEGO Special, and some favorite sf/f featuring mythology. This episode is sponsored by TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service offering reading recommendations personalized to your reading life, Skyhunter by Marie Lu, with Fierce Reads, and Kingdom of Sea and Stone by Mara Rutherford, published by Inkyard Press. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS here, Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here. The show can also be found on Stitcher here. To get even more SF/F news and recs, sign up for our Swords and Spaceships newsletter! News TIME chooses 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time [TIME] Star Wars LEGO Holiday Special [io9] Marsai Martin to adapt Savvy by Ingrid Law [Deadline] Emma Roberts is producing author V.E. Schwab’s teen vampire series [EW] Books Discussed The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams  A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman Half-God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams (tw: rape on the page) The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark Serpentine by Cindy Pon See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As if moving to a ramshackle "fixer upper" just before seventh grade wasn't bad enough, Harper gets a bad feeling about the home the moment she steps over the threshold. When her younger brother begins acting strangely and talking about friends that only he can see, Harper becomes convinced that the house is haunted by a ghost with malevolent intent. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of HarperCollins. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.

PubTalk Live is a publishing talk show, broadcasting live to YouTube every 2nd and 4th Saturday at 9pm Eastern. Host Sarah Nicolas is joined in each episode by a Guest Co-Host and at least one Special Guest. They talk about all aspects of the book publishing industry, including its intersections with other media and libraries. This episode of PubTalk Live features Guest Co-Host I. W. Gregorio and Special Guest Ellen Oh. I.W. Gregorio http://www.iwgregorio.com/ https://twitter.com/iwgregorio https://www.instagram.com/iwgregorio/ Ellen Oh https://www.ellenoh.com/ https://twitter.com/elloellenoh http://instagram.com/elloecho Your Host, Sarah Nicolas: www.sarahnicolas.com @sarah_nicolas on Twitter @presidentSarah on Instagram Become a PubTalk Live patron: https://www.patreon.com/pubtalklive Subscribe via email: http://eepurl.com/gE3ahb Originally Broadcast at: https://youtu.be/gEVTE5IuftA Thank you to my Patreon podcast sponsors Brenda Drake, Jae Lynn, and reframecons.wordpress.com PubTalk Live Logo adapted from art from freepik.com. --News-- Percy Jackson on Disney+: https://twitter.com/rickriordan/status/1261008593077374977?s=20 Rakuten sees surge in demand: https://global.rakuten.com/corp/investors/documents/results/ Apple Books for Authors: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=2712 Thomas Low has passed away https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/?detailStory=publishing-world-celebrates-lee-low-cofounder-thomas-low-and-his-legacy-diversity-multicultural RWA announces The Vivian Awards https://www.rwa.org/Online/News/2020/RWA_Announces_a_New_Award_for_a_New_Era.aspx Macmillan and Hachette - indie bookstore terms https://shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3743#m48576 Illustrators support indie bookstores with free art: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/83373-in-support-of-indie-bookstores-dozens-of-illustrators-send-art.html

Welcome to The Reading Squad, a monthly podcast where Rashmila and Rachel discuss books on the monthly theme, what they are reading, and other tidbits on book culture. We celebrated May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It honors the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. We mentioned/discussed the following books in the podcast. Montress by Lysley Tenorio A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See Little Fireflies Everywhere By Celeste Ng Ladies’ Coupe by Anita Nair The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor The Short Stories of Willa Cather by Willa Cather The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness 1984 by George Orwell Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Big Little Man by Alex Tizon The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami Garnethill by Denise Mina Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

In this episode, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife PhD answers questions from our Improving Intimacy community. Here are the podcast episodes: Ask A Mormon Sex Therapist, Part 16 - THE oft-cited Episode 16 that has positively impacted so many marriages!http://www.finlayson-fife.com/podcast-archive/2019/10/11/ask-a-mormon-sex-therapist-part-16 Partner Desirability and High/Low Desire Dynamics:http://www.finlayson-fife.com/drjenniferfife/virtualcouch2 Virtue, Passion, and Owning Your Desire:http://www.finlayson-fife.com/podcast-archive/2019/11/25/virtue-passion-and-owning-your-desireBook Club Video Interview----more----Bookclub Video Transcript:00:00 Ray: So carry on.00:03 Jennifer: Okay, so should I just jump in with the...00:06 Ray: Yeah, please.00:07 Jennifer: Yeah, sure. The only event, I think, that isn't currently full is just one that we kinda last minute decided to do because we had an opportunity, a venue, which is doing The Art of Desire workshop in Alpine, Utah next week, a week from Thursday and Friday. So it's a two-day women's workshop. It's like my most popular course and workshop because it's a course focused on women's self and sexual development, and kind of rethinking the whole paradigm in which we've been inculturated, and how it really interferes with desire and development.00:48 Jennifer: And so, it's a good one, it's, you know, it's taking my dissertation research into everything I've kinda learned since then. So that's in Alpine and we just posted the tickets for sale like three or four days ago, and we still have maybe 20 spots left, so if anybody is interested in it, you can get a ticket. On my website actually, on my homepage.01:15 Ray: Wonderful. At this point, I have to admit that I did exactly what Ellen and I talked about that I wouldn't do, which is forget to mention that our other host tonight is Ellen Hersam, and... [chuckle]01:32 Ray: So we've been accepting questions for the last 24 hours, and we had several that came in and we have picked three or four that we might get to, I don't know, however many we're able to get to tonight.01:44 Jennifer: Sure.01:44 Daniel: And Ellen, why don't you pick up and can you give us a question?01:48 Ellen: Sure. Happy to jump right in. Yeah, so we've got a few questions tonight. We thought we'd start off with this one. It's, "There's often debate around sex being a need or not, and how neediness isn't sexy, and how sex being a need kills desire. Yet many view sex as a need, not in life-or-death sense, but because they need that healthy sex life, helps them be happier both individually and as a couple. If sex isn't a need," so there's two parts here, "if sex isn't a need, what does this say about David Schnarch's Sexual Crucible?"02:24 Ellen: "If any marriage would be improved by a healthy, intimate sexual relationship, how can it be said that sex isn't a need? If sex is a need, is... In this sense of being able to achieve personal growth, if I understand how Schnarch views marriage or the corresponding increase in marital satisfaction or individual happiness, how can we talk about its importance without killing desire? Or making one partner feel like it's their duty, instead of something they're doing for themselves, to increase their own happiness? I feel like if the couple isn't working toward a healthy sexual relationship, they're leaving something good and positive on the table, and missing a wonderful opportunity."03:07 Jennifer: Okay, it's a good question, although I think the questioner is conflating the issue of... Well, I mean they're using the word "Need" in a way that kind of complicates it. I think when I say sex isn't a need, what I... If I have said that, what I mean is it's not a drive, it's not required for survival. Right? So a lot of times, people try to pressure their partner to have sex with them by putting it in the frame that they need it, meaning...03:38 Jennifer: And my issue with that is if you're gonna talk about need, need is a way of trying to pressure their partner to manage and accommodate you without sort of taking responsibility for what you want. That's why I don't like it. So if you're gonna talk about need, then I'm thinking more about the issue of survival, and nobody needs sex to survive, 'cause as I've said, if that were true, there'd be a lot of dead people in our wards. And...04:03 Ray: Oh my goodness.04:04 Daniel: Maybe that's a good thing. [laughter] [overlapping conversation]04:10 Daniel: And so Jennifer, is what I'm hearing you say is, is more of a manipulative tone...04:16 Jennifer: Yes.04:17 Daniel: Tone? Okay.04:18 Jennifer: Yeah, exactly. And as soon as you start trying to manipulate, which many people do this, the higher-desire person tends to do this... And men are given that script a lot, that they need sex and so on. But as Mormons, we should be the least prone to that idea because we are fine, from a theological perspective, with people going without sex for their whole lives. Okay? So, now that said, I think sex is a part of thriving. Intimate sex is a part of thriving. It's part of a marriage thriving, and I wouldn't so much say that you must have sex in order for a marriage to be good. I wouldn't... Also, I wouldn't say you need for a marriage to be good in order to have sex.05:04 Jennifer: I'm just saying that marriage... Meaning good sex is a part of thriving, but good sex is not something you manipulate or pressure into place. And lots of people try and don't believe me when I say that. [chuckle] So we all want to be desired, but the hard thing about being desired is you can't make somebody desire you.05:28 Jennifer: Desire is a grace. And the more we try to control it and get somebody to give it to us, the less desirable we are. And the more that it feels like an obligation, or you're having sex with your partner just to get them off your back, or to get them to stop bugging you, or moping, or you know, whatever, and even if you get the sex you still don't feel desired. And so it's tough, it's a tough business, because the very thing we want, we don't have control over getting, we only have control over how desirable we are. 06:04 Ellen: So part of their question that I think I wanna highlight a little bit, is they say, "How can we talk about its importance without killing desire?" So without...06:13 Jennifer: Yeah, yeah, because people are talking about its importance as a way to manipulate often. Right?06:18 Ellen: Mm-hmm.06:20 Jennifer: Like they're just saying it like... I was working with a couple of recently, and it was sort of, you know, "I'm focused on this marriage growing, that's why I wanna try all these new things with you." And so, they are using the idea of their standing up for a good marriage as a way to pressure the other person.06:37 Ellen: Yes, so not making it manipulative?06:40 Jennifer: Yeah. And I think you can be standing up for a good marriage and a good partnership by dealing with yourself. Dealing with the issue of your desirability. That doesn't preclude you from talking about the sexual relationship, but a lot of us are, because it's so easy to do it as human beings, we're much more focused on what we think we need our spouse to do, either stop pressuring us so much, or get their act together and go to Jennifer's The Art of Desire course, or something. [chuckle]07:12 Jennifer: I have sometimes the men go and buy the course and then, a day later they ask for a refund, 'cause their wife doesn't wanna go, but... [chuckle]07:18 Ellen: Yes, that makes sense. [chuckle]07:22 Jennifer: So they're pressuring more on what the other person needs to do, as opposed to, "What is my role in an unsatisfying sexual relationship?" And I don't mean to say you can't talk about it and address what your spouse isn't doing, but oftentimes, we're so much more drawn to what our spouse is doing wrong, than how we're participating in the problem, and it keeps people stuck.07:52 Ellen: Yeah, and they mentioned right at the beginning, this neediness isn't sexy.07:56 Jennifer: Exactly.07:56 Ellen: So if somebody is approaching this conversation in a relationship about their desire to have sex, and being in a relationship, a sexual relationship, they could essentially be approaching it in this neediness. And I think it sounds like their question is, "How can I approach it and not be killing desire by this neediness, but also be addressing the importance of intimacy and sexual relationship in the marriage?"08:23 Jennifer: It sounds maybe like I'm not answering the question, but you have to confront... 08:25 Ellen: Maybe I'm not. [chuckle]08:26 Jennifer: Oh no, no, not you. I'm saying me 'cause I'm gonna say something that maybe sounds like I'm not answering it, but...08:32 Ellen: Okay.08:32 Jennifer: I think you have to kinda confront that you are using the frame of neediness to get the other person to take care of you. Right? So, "I feel so bad about myself, I feel so undesirable, I feel so depressed when we're not having sex, and so for the love, give it to me." Okay? So you can do that, you might even get some sex, but you're not gonna get a passionate marriage. You're not gonna get the experience of being on an adventure together where you try new things.09:05 Jennifer: So you have to deal with the fact that marriage is not designed, in my opinion, and I see this, we kind of learn the idea that marriage is mutual need fulfillment, and that's the wrong model in my opinion. That it's not about, "You prop up my sense of self, and I'll prop up yours." Because that just doesn't work, it breaks down very quickly.09:31 Ellen: Absolutely... [overlapping conversation]09:33 Jennifer: Yeah, that's what's happening when you date, but it only lasts for those few months. Okay? [chuckle]09:38 Ellen: Yeah. [chuckle]09:38 Jennifer: Because it's a short timespan. In marriage, you really have to handle your sense of self. You have to sustain your sense of self. If you're approaching your spouse, if you can sustain your sense of self, you're approaching your spouse from the position of, "I desire you. I love you, I like you, I like being with you." And it's real. Not, "Do You Love Me? Do you desire me? Am I enough?" Because that's not... A lot of people when they say, "How was it?" They mean "How was I?" Right?10:11 Ellen: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.10:12 Jennifer: And people know that... They instinctively know what's actually happening. Are you touching your spouse 'cause you want them to validate you sexually? Are you touching them because you really do desire them, and find them attractive, and you can stand on your own, and sustain your sense of self? And a lot of us don't even track that's what we're doing.10:35 Ellen: I think that goes to say a lot to what you had spoken about in your first podcast that we had linked to this book club, where you had done the role play, where you stood in for the husband and spoke what he would say to his spouse in that sexless marriage, but it was what you're saying here. He came across as, "This is what I need. This is where I stand."10:57 Jennifer: Yes.10:58 Ellen: And, "This is what I'm looking for. I love you. And this is where I'm at." It was less of, "This is what I... I'm in need."11:05 Jennifer: Exactly.11:05 Ellen: It was more important for our marriage.11:07 Jennifer: That's right. He's talking about what he wants from a marriage, what he really is standing up for, but he doesn't sound needy.11:16 Ellen: Yes. Yeah.11:17 Jennifer: It's not about, "Hey, you have to give it to me. Please, oh please, oh please." It's like he's sustaining his own sense of self in that conversation.11:26 Ellen: Yeah, yeah. I'd wanted to dig into this question. I'm not the one who wrote it, but I wanted to give this person the opportunity to kind of hear out the full... I'm feeling satisfied with it. I don't know who wrote it, but if they have any additional questions, they're welcome to jump in. Otherwise, I wanna give time to more questions. I know, Ray, we were gonna tag team it. Do you have a second question to go? 11:55 Ray: I do. [chuckle]12:00 Ray: So this is a honeymoon question. So, "As I've recently heard you and other LDS podcasters talk about how newlyweds can have a better honeymoon. Thank you, this conversation is sorely needed. However, I'm disappointed that it so often addresses only the new husband's likely transgressions, while ignoring the new wife's. This makes the conversation feel very one-sided and blaming. I would love to hear you tackle the other half of the problem with equal energy, to round out the conversation by talking just as bluntly to future wives about what they need to know and do, to make their first sexual experience a good one, both for themselves and for their husbands. [noise] Cinderella will wreck a honeymoon just as completely as the inattentive two-minute groom we talked about so often."12:49 Jennifer: Sorry, you just kind of... I just missed that last sentence. You said, "Cinderella can wreck a honeymoon as quickly as" and then I... I think that's what you said.12:57 Ray: Yeah, as completely as the inattentive two-minute groom we talk about so often.13:03 Jennifer: Oh, two-minute groom, got it. Yeah, I mean, probably the reason why I focus on the men is in part because we are so male-focused in our notions of sexuality, and so lots of men come into marriage, and LDS men specifically, in a kind of unacknowledged entitled position. Right?13:29 Jennifer: So it's kind of like, "I've... This is my prize for having remained virginal all this time, and this is... " And they have learned about sexuality in the frame of, "Women exist to gratify this urge within men." So very often, the couple is complicit in that framing, meaning they come by it honestly, but that's their understanding. And so, it often goes that the woman has a very unsatisfying experience, and they both are kind of participating in this idea that the sexuality is primarily about the man.14:13 Jennifer: Okay so, "This person wants me to have equal energy." [chuckle] "It's challenging, I don't know if I can generate it or not." [chuckle] But I guess what I would say to a future woman is just everything I say in The Art of Desire course. Right? Which is that your sexuality is as important as the man's sexuality, and this is a partnership. Right? And that if you frame it in this idea that this is a gift you're giving to your future husband, you can say goodbye to positive sexual experiences, because that frame will kill it. 14:54 Jennifer: And so, even though it's the frame you've been taught, and you've also probably been taught the idea that... I'm assuming you all... Yeah, okay, good. I thought I'd lost you, Ray. The idea that your selflessness and your sacrifice is gonna be fundamental to the marriage being happy, and that you are partly responsible for your husband's happiness sexually and in the marriage... That sounds a little bit wrong for me to say it like that, but basically you kind of shoulder this responsibility of him being happy, especially sexually, that that framing is going to make you unhappy in the marriage, it will kill intimacy, and will be a part of you disliking sex soon enough.15:39 Jennifer: So you must think of it as a shared experience. And I would probably be talking to women about how important it is for them to... If they are relatively naive coming into marriage, how important it is for them to take the time to understand their own capacity for arousal and orgasm, and to not make the focus be intercourse, but mutual arousal, mutual pleasure, and that this is a team sport, and that taking the time to be together in this process, which is... Intercourse and orgasm are not as important as being together in this process of creating something mutual, shared, and desirable by both of you, is extremely important and you ought not move into a passive position, even though you maybe have learned that's the proper way for a woman to be sexually.16:38 Jennifer: That you are a co-constructor of this relationship, and if you take that position, it's a devaluation of yourself and will interfere with the marriage developing as a partnership. So yeah, I have way more to say on it than that, because I've just... That's kind of like my main passion. But yeah, but that's what I would say is right.17:08 Ellen: Jennifer, I'd even jump in to say, on your third podcast that we posted, The Virtue, Passion, and Owning your Desire, you spoke a lot to that point of, "Are you ready as a woman to take on being part of the relationship equally?"17:24 Jennifer: Yeah. Right.17:25 Ellen: And step into that role. And I thought that was really important to pull out.17:31 Jennifer: Yeah. Because a lot of people are... [noise]17:36 Jennifer: Can you hear me alright? Suddenly, it sounded kinda glitchy.17:37 Ellen: Yeah, I can. Could we make sure everybody's on mute?17:41 Jennifer: Just got glitchy for a second there.17:42 Ellen: Yeah, I think... Yeah.17:44 Jennifer: Yeah, I think so. I think one of the things that we just posted today, a quote from one of the podcasts I did recently, was just that a lot of us are tempted to hide behind a partner. You know? To not really step up and be in an equal position, and a lot of times we talk about that, as the male oppresses the female, but I think what feminism hasn't articulated as clearly as it's talked about that dynamic of oppression is how... Like the upside of being Cinderella in a sense. Do you know that fantasy that someone's gonna caretake you, and protect you from the big bad world, and sort of you can just sort of hide in their shadow.18:26 Ellen: There's comfort in that.18:28 Jennifer: Yeah, there's comfort in it for many of us. And we're... So that's why we're complicit in creating an unequal marriage, is we want a caretaker more than we want a partner.18:36 Ellen: Yeah, so I'd even go to say that there's familiarity in that.18:40 Jennifer: Oh absolutely. It's... Right, you know? We grew up watching Cinderella.18:43 Ellen: Exactly.18:44 Jennifer: You know? [chuckle]18:46 Jennifer: I mean, I was looking for somebody to ride in on a horse, for sure. You know? [chuckle]18:50 Ellen: Literally a horse, a white horse.18:52 Jennifer: Exactly. Exactly. And I remember my first year of marriage and I was actually in a PhD program, I was 29 years old. And my, just my IQ dropped in the first year. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I just started... I had earned all my own money for my mission, for college, I had lived independently for years. Okay? I get married and I start like, I don't know, just doing dumb things, like parking in a tow zone because I thought John had told me it was okay to park there.19:22 Jennifer: It sounds stupid. I would never have done this in a million years if I had... I was just sort of moving into the frame that I knew, and even my husband was like, "What's going on? Why did you do that?" I'm like, "I don't know, I don't know." [laughter]19:38 Ellen: I got married. Why is my head so... "19:42 Jennifer: Exactly. And almost it's like... It's almost in your DNA or something. Like you're just moving into what you've known. And so you have to catch yourself, that you sometimes are dumbing yourself down 'cause you think that's the way you'll keep yourself desirable.19:56 Ellen: Yeah, I think that's a very good point. It's this idea that that keeps you desirable, but in fact, what keeps you desirable is that ability to make choices and be. And your...20:07 Jennifer: Yeah. To have an... To have a self in the marriage.20:10 Ellen: An identity. Yes.20:11 Jennifer: Absolutely. And any... Any man or woman for that matter, who needs a partner to be under them, for them to feel strong, is a weak person. Right?20:22 Ellen: Yeah. And you made that point actually in another one of your podcasts recently.20:25 Jennifer: Yeah and I... I honestly was married to somebody who was like, "Wait, what are you doing? Don't do... " In that meaning he needed me not to do that, he had no need for me to do that. And so it was helping me stay awake to my own kind of blind movement in that direction.20:43 Ellen: Yeah, and sometimes it just happens, you do it. It's almost this innate... Yes, like you said...20:50 Jennifer: A hundred percent.20:50 Ellen: It's an innate reaction and then, someone else finds that, "Oh, okay, we'll do [noise]" It becomes a pattern.20:57 Jennifer: Absolutely.20:58 Ellen: But you gotta get yourself out of that pattern.21:00 Jennifer: Absolutely, and... Yeah, I... I still can do things like that, where if I'm with an intimidating male, I'll go into "Nice girl" instinctively, and just all of a sudden realize I'm throwing all my strength away like an idiot, and so it's just what is easy to do.21:17 Ellen: Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.21:19 Ray: And perhaps that's actually another thing we don't do very well in preparing people to be married, is you've lived your whole life as an individual, and now you've gotta learn how to be in a relationship all the time with somebody. And if you've been on your own a long time, you're probably actually looking forward to being able to lean on a partner to help with... You know.21:40 Jennifer: Yeah. Yeah. But "Lean on" might be a little different than the experience of partnering and sharing the burden, where "Lean on" is a little more of a dependency model, but the collaboration model is really where you have intimate partnerships. That, "How can I bring my strengths, and you bring your strengths to bear, and we can create something stronger and better together." But it's not dependency, in the kind of up-down way. Mm-hmm.22:08 Ray: Yeah. And that was... That was not what I was implying, by the way, but yeah...22:11 Jennifer: Yeah. Sure, sure. Yeah. I'm just a word Nazi, I have to say... [laughter] Because... Because words communicate meaning, so I'm like, "No, wrong meaning." But anyway. [chuckle]22:20 Daniel: So maybe a slightly different perspective, I've worked with a lot of men who've been very patient, they've stopped the pursuing of sex, or taking that dominant role, and have allowed themselves, from maybe your podcasts or things that they've just learned naturally, to kinda back off and allow that space to be there. But then, something else that's happened is kind of what we're talking about, is [cough] Excuse me. I just choked.22:51 Daniel: Is, the female has no desire to pursue desire. So months go by, six months will go by. In some cases, even years will go by23:02 Ray: Or decades.23:03 Daniel: where the husband is not bringing it up in a... Maybe occasionally, "Is it a good time tonight?" But then, the partner's just like, "No, I'm fine." Right? How... I realize that's a huge topic but, how would you go about addressing that? And what's the role... What does... Does the man just not pursue it anymore or what?23:24 Jennifer: No, no. Definitely not. And I hope I can address this well 'cause I'm... I am, 100% I promise going to do a class on men's sexuality this year. [chuckle]23:37 Daniel: Great.23:37 Jennifer: Yeah, I keep promising this, but I actually am gonna do it so... [chuckle] Anyway. But I do hope I can talk quite a bit about this, because I think we've sort of socialized men either into the entitled position, or they... If they don't wanna be that, then they almost can't own desire at all. They see it as, "It's offensive that I want it." And, "This is just this hedonistic, bad part of me." And they can sometimes be partnered with a wife who kinda takes the moral high ground of not wanting sex, or whatever. And this, of course, gets very punctuated by... If porn has been in the picture at all, because you know, now you can kinda claim that you're the bad one because you want sex, and it can make it really hard to deal with the sexless-ness of the marriage.24:22 Jennifer: So what I would be thinking about is, if you're the higher-desire person, whether male or female, and your spouse does not desire you, I think the first question I would want to deal with is, "Why?" Okay? Why don't they desire me? Is it about me? Or is it about them? Or both? Is it that I'm not desirable? And that I'm functioning in a way in my life, or in the marriage, or in the sexual relationship, that it is actually good judgment that they don't desire me?24:53 Jennifer: And/or is there something going on in them that they don't want to deal with, or grow up, or handle around sexuality? And that's obviously it seems like a basic question, but it's one that people surprisingly don't ask themselves very much. Because as I was talking to somebody a couple of nights ago, I was saying, "Why not go ahead and just ask your wife why she doesn't desire you?" And the reason for him is he doesn't want to hear the answer.25:23 Ellen: I was gonna say, that's a very scary question to ask.25:26 Jennifer: Yes, exactly. And in part because he already knows the answer, and he doesn't wanna deal with his own neediness, and the ways that he takes advantage in the marriage, and the things that are actually there that he would need to deal with to be freely desired. I mean, that's the bummer about marriage and intimacy, is that your partner gets to know you. And so, the things that... Your limitations become anti-aphrodisiacs often.26:02 Jennifer: And so if you're gonna really grow in a marriage and a partnership, you have to really look at, "How do I engage or deal in a way that makes me undesirable?" Sometimes people are undesirable, and I'll just speak in the stereotypical way for a moment about, you know, some men are undesirable because they're too apologetic about their sexuality.26:20 Jennifer: Because they sort of devalue it also. And they want their wife to manage the question of their desirability. Or manage the question of the legitimacy of their sexuality. And so, when they are too anxious, or apologetic, or looking for reinforcement around their sexuality, it feels more like mothering or caretaking on the part of their spouse, and that's very undesirable. And so, it's a hard question for men, and for all of us, I think in some ways, of, "How do I stand up for something I want, without being a bully?" Right? "And be contained enough without being wimpy and apologetic for my sexuality?"27:10 Jennifer: "And how do I find that middle ground of kind of owning that my sexuality is legitimate and being clear about my desirability?" Without somehow taking advantage or being too reticent around it. And I think the answer, it's not an easy one to give in just a podcast really, because you kind of have to work with people around what's actually going on. But I think you have to really look honestly and with a clear eye towards the issue of your desirability.27:47 Jennifer: And your own comfort with your sexuality and your sexual desires. Because if you can be clear that you are choosable, and clear that what you want is a good thing, and doesn't harm your spouse or you, then you can stand up for it and deal with... Because it could be that your spouse doesn't want sex because she or he just doesn't wanna deal with their anxieties about sex. And maybe you've been pressured in the marriage to coddle those anxieties too much and too long. And it's creating resentment and low growth. Well then it would actually be a desirable position, even though a challenging one, to stand up more for the sexual relationship moving forward, like in that one podcast I did. 28:36 Ray: Okay. Alright.28:36 Jennifer: So are there other follow-up questions about that, or thoughts? If anybody has them, I'm happy to...28:44 Ray: I'm guessing here, but the person who asked the question, 'cause I've heard you talk about it, I've heard, I think, Natasha Helfer-Parker talk about it, Nate Bagley talk about it. And it does kinda sound pretty one-sided, it's, "Husband, you gotta set your agenda aside, you have to make it all about her. Don't be a jerk."29:12 Jennifer: Yeah.29:13 Ray: My experience was... And I know a lot of other men have, we've had a similar experience, is it's not that we wanted, it was, we weren't gonna just run over our wife and get what we wanted. 29:24 Jennifer: Yeah, yeah, yeah.29:25 Ray: You know? And we wanted to know we...29:26 Jennifer: You maybe didn't have... You didn't have a participant maybe from the get-go, some people. Yes, definitely.29:32 Ray: And so, if your partner shows up without any clue at all about what they want or what they need...29:40 Jennifer: Sure. Oh, yeah.29:41 Ray: How do you navigate that?29:42 Jennifer: That's... Absolutely, that's... Right, it can't be collaborative if one person isn't... Not showing up, if they're pulling for a passive position. And many people are and you know, women have been taught not to kinda claim their sexuality because it's anti-feminine. You know? And so a lot of people believe they're gonna show up and the man is gonna teach them about their sexuality, and really, How does he know? [chuckle] I mean, right? For the very people.30:13 Ray: Exactly.30:14 Jennifer: And also, how do you co-create something, unless you're both participants in this process? So yeah, it's true. Yeah.30:23 Leann: I think the frustrating thing is that, and I was one of them, oftentimes women don't, they don't realize they have desire, and they don't even feel like there's anything for... They're not the one with the problem, it's the husband wanting it and I guess pressuring. But when I'm in this intimacy group and it breaks my heart to hear from the husbands, 'cause the wives aren't in the group, they have no desire to want to get better, as far as the sexual relationship.30:56 Leann: So that's what breaks my heart, is these husbands want to, but the wives just shut it down. They don't wanna have anything to do with helping themselves, or how... You know? And that's what I get frustrated in, is how do you help these husbands stand up for what... It would be beautiful, and right, and good in this relationship, but the wives just want nothing to do with it.31:21 Jennifer: Yeah, yeah, and I mean, there's... Well, there's the part of me that's compassionate towards the wives, and then the part that would challenge the wives. Okay? So the compassionate part is, "This is how it's all set up." Okay? So desire is bad, sexual desire, any kind of desire. I grew up, the whole Young Women's Manual is about your selflessness, and how that makes you desirable, and that's the frame. Right? So it is a passive frame.31:50 Jennifer: And that sexuality is a challenge to your desirability. So you wanna shut it down. I have lots of clients who had sexual feelings and thoughts, they'd watch Love Boat and masturbate, and [chuckle] so on and on. And then, they'd feel so guilty and bad, that they'd repent and shut it down and shut it down. You know?32:10 Leann: Yes.32:11 Jennifer: And like, as an act of righteousness and sacrifice would basically shut this whole thing down. Then they show up on their wedding night, and they're supposed to be a participant? I mean, based on what? So, meaning we culturally create this. Now, that said, because I have compassion for that, both... And men too, because for the men that maybe are too eager or whatever, they've also... They come by it honestly, they've been sort of taught this idea that women's sexuality exists for their benefit, and for their delight, and so on. So people come by it honestly.32:45 Jennifer: I think, where I would be challenging of women is when they just don't want... You know, I talk about hiding in the shadow. A lot of us don't wanna own what our desires are, or cultivate them, or figure them out. Because we don't want the exposure of it. We want the safety of having somebody else caretake us. We want the belief, or the fantasy that this makes us more righteous, or more noble, or whatever. And we wanna sell that idea, because what we really know is, we don't wanna sort of grow up and take an adult position sexually.33:16 Jennifer: And so, I think, the challenge is once you start... I had a lot of women whose husbands signed them up for the workshop or something, and they are mad, because... And legitimately so, because they feel like, "Look, you just want me to go get fixed, so that you will get everything that you want." Well then, sometimes they show up there, and then they realize, "No, that's not the approach she's taking. And I have this whole aspect of myself, that I have shut down, that it's felt so self-betraying."33:47 Jennifer: And then, they suddenly realize, "Wait, I want to develop this part of me, I want to be whole again, I don't want to always be living in reference to my husband's sexuality." So they really just start to grow into it, and they start to figure out, and sort of deprogram these parts of themselves. There was other people that don't want to develop this part of themselves, because they are afraid... They're in a marriage where they're afraid, if they start to develop any of it, it will just get hijacked and used for the benefit of the husband, because the dynamic of the marriage has to be addressed, still.34:19 Jennifer: But then, there's other people who just, like I said, don't really wanna grow up and develop. And they can hold the other... Their spouse hostage. And they can get the moral high ground, because he's looked at porn, or whatever it is. And it's cruel. You know? [chuckle] It is absolutely cruel. And people can definitely do that, because they just don't want to grow up, don't want to be fair, don't want to take on the full responsibility of sharing a life with somebody. A lot of us get married with the idea that, "You're gonna manage my sense of self and make me happy."34:54 Jennifer: Men and women do this. Very few of us, if we really thought about what we are committing to, would even get married. Because what we're really committing to is, "I'm willing to basically deal with my limitations, and grow myself up for your benefit, given that you're willing to actually hook yourself to me. And I'm willing to really be a good friend to you, and do all the growth that that's gonna require of me." I mean, that's what you ultimately agree to, if you're gonna be happily married.35:22 Ellen: So you're speaking a lot of collaboration. A collaboration alliance.35:25 Jennifer: Yeah. Mm-hmm.35:28 Ellen: Now, I understand you've spoken in the past of collaboration alliance versus collusive alliance?35:33 Jennifer: Yeah, a collaborative alliance versus a collusive one, yes.35:36 Ellen: What's your difference in that? It being a unilateral? Can you speak a little bit more of that?35:41 Jennifer: Well, a collaborative alliance is, I think, the easiest way to say it. And I'm sure if David Schnarch were here, he would say it much more thoroughly. But basically, the idea that David Schnarch is talking about, is that a collaborative alliance is you are willing to do your part in a partnership towards a shared aim. Being good parents, be creating a good marriage in which two people thrive, creating a good sexual relationship in which two people thrive, that would be collaborative. And you do your part, whether or not your spouse is doing their part. You don't use the fact that your spouse may be having a bad day, and not doing their part, to get yourself off the hook around your part.36:18 Ellen: Definitely.36:19 Jennifer: That you're willing to stand up, and be a grown-up, and deal with things, even if your spouse is having a bad day. A collusive alliance is basically, where the worst in your spouse, and your worst in you... And everybody's in some version of a collusive alliance with their spouse. The happier people have less of one. Okay? [chuckle]36:37 Jennifer: But a collusive alliance is the worst in you, hooks into the worst in me, and it justifies the worst in each of us. We use the worst in each other to justify the worst in ourselves. So it's like, you know people say to me all the time in therapy, "I wouldn't be such a jerk if he weren't such a... What a... " You know, like meaning... This is collusive alliance, that I don't have to deal with my sexuality because you're a jerk.37:03 Jennifer: And so I use the fact that you're a jerk to keep justifying that I don't deal with my sexuality. But you can get really mean, and hostile, and nasty, 'cause you know I won't develop this part of myself. Right? So that's the way it dips... Reinforces. And I'm constantly in therapy being like, "Stop dealing with your spouse, deal with yourself. It's the only way this will move forward." I'm always saying that. 37:23 Ellen: Look in the mirror. [chuckle]37:25 Jennifer: Exactly, get the beam out of your own eye. [laughter]37:28 Daniel: Ellen or Ray, there is, I think, a few questions or comments in the comments section. So you don't have to do it at this moment, but when you have a second, follow up with that. 37:36 Ray: We'll have a look at that, thanks.37:38 Ellen: Yeah.37:40 Ray: When you've got a script for how to have that conversation with your kids…[noise] 37:48 Ellen: Ray, I think you're cutting out.37:49 Jennifer: Yeah. Yeah, you just cut out there Ray. Can you say it again? How to get your kids to do that?37:54 Ray: Yeah, I wanna know, if you ever have a script for how to address that with your kids. 'Cause that's the, kind of the bell. Right?37:58 Jennifer: Well, when there are kids who are younger, what... 38:00 Ray: "'Cause you started it." "Well, you started it."38:01 Jennifer: Well yeah, yeah, when my kids were younger, and this was a borrow, I think, from the IRIS book. But basically, they would have to sit on the couch, and they couldn't get off until they each owned what their role was in the problem. So...38:12 Ray: Yes.38:13 Jennifer: Yeah, that's one version of it, yeah. Another version is, like, put you both in the same boat, and until you can come up with the solution, neither one gets the positive thing. So you have to collaborate to get the positive thing. Right.38:28 Ray: Right. Okay.38:30 Ellen: So kind of back to a topic that we had been discussing about the woman really stepping into the role of being collaborative, and in equal partnership in the relationship. We have a comment in the chat box saying, "How do we change the church culture problems of the unclear functioning of women?" I've... So Nicole feel free... Oh.38:54 Jennifer: Can you say that again? Say that to me...38:55 Ellen: Nicole, feel free to jump in and clarify that. I don't know if I read it... "So how do we change that church culture problem of the unclear functioning women? Woman."39:05 Nicole: Under-functioning.39:05 Jennifer: Meaning that... Oh, under-functioning.39:06 Ray: Under-functioning.39:06 Jennifer: There, under-functioning.39:07 Ellen: Oh, under-functioning...39:07 Jennifer: Yeah, there we go.39:08 Ellen: That is why. [chuckle]39:09 Jennifer: Yeah, good.39:10 Jennifer: So how do we change that culture? I mean, it's the women themselves often that are doing the teaching. To basically teach better and teach differently. I mean that like, you know, we can't necessarily go in and change or control what is in the curriculum, but we can change how we each talk to women and we can change what we share in Relief Society and so on, what we... So that's about the best we have. You can do podcasts. [chuckle]39:41 Ellen: You can say really, it's really us, we can...39:44 Jennifer: It's us.39:45 Ellen: Change us, and us will change our relationships with others, and our others or relationships with others will change the others we interact with, and it will expand.39:54 Jennifer: Yeah, absolutely, and I just tend... A lot of times we think the church is the leadership, and then...40:00 Ellen: It comes down to that too, yeah.40:00 Jennifer: We are the church. You have to think of it that way, in my opinion, and you just roll up your sleeves and have as much impact as you can, because I think the more you role model strength like that, the more you give people permission to relate to themselves, or to women in general, differently.40:26 Ellen: So I'm ready to move on to another question that was posed. Ray, do you have any follow-up to the question that you had?40:34 Ray: Nope.40:34 Ellen: No? Alright. So the next one is a really interesting one, it says, "How is it best to navigate having sex during marriage struggles?" They go on to say, "When she's rude, or attacks the kids, or criticizes, or makes fun of me in front of the kids, I'm so repulsed, I don't feel like being around her at all. But then, eventually, within a few days or less, we both get the biological urge and want to enjoy each other, so we do."41:01 Ellen: "And it's great, and we feel closer and better afterwards, but I worry she thinks everything is okay or resolved because we're having sex. When it's not. Perhaps that's how she feels as well. We are starting therapy... " Or, "We started therapy a few months ago, and that's helpful, though expensive. A chance to talk through things. However, in general, when we get a rare chance to be alone and talk away from the kids, we'd mostly rather have sex than talk about our problems."41:26 Jennifer: Okay, well, that's the problem.41:27 Ellen: "Is that a good approach?" [chuckle]41:27 Jennifer: Wrong, no.41:29 Ellen: "Give me advice in that respect, what we do when our problems are all so present?"41:34 Jennifer: Well, it doesn't have to be one or the other, because you could say, "I really wanna have sex with you, but I think the way you talked to the kids today was horrible." Okay? And you don't have to necessarily put them right next to each other. But I wouldn't say one precludes the other necessarily. You can say, "I like you, you matter to me. I like having sex with you and I'm really concerned about how we're parenting the kids, and specifically how you are harsh with them, and then I come in and I coddle them." Or whatever it is. I don't think it has to... I think what maybe the person's asking is, "If I address this, it may very well kill... "42:10 Ellen: I would say, absolutely yes.42:11 Jennifer: "Our ability to have sex." Right? But then, I would say, if that's really true, if you can't deal with your problems and have sex at the same time, then you probably shouldn't be having sex. Because if dealing honestly with what's going on in the marriage means that you're gonna go through a period of time in which desire gets challenged, well I personally think you have a deeper responsibility to the well-being of the marriage, and your role as parents, than to whether or not you have the... How to say it? The placating experience of having sex. So I'm not here to say that necessarily you'll get one or the other, but if you know that you get one or the other, then I think you have to be really careful about how you're relating to sex, 'cause it has its costs.43:05 Ellen: So if we go back to the original... Oh, go ahead.43:06 Jennifer: Okay. No, I was just saying it has its cost if you keep kicking... You know, I talk in my marriage course about over-reactors, people that are freaking out all the time. But then there's also people that are under-reactors or they don't deal with problems as they arise. That's as toxic to a marriage. You then have people that look like they're doing great, because they have sex or they are low-conflict, but a huge storm is brewing, and oftentimes when those marriages rupture, they rupture permanently. Because they have no ability to... They have no ability to kinda handle the problems, because they have no practice in it. And so, under-reacting to your troubles, is really setting yourself up.43:51 Ellen: Yeah, it's an avoidance technique.43:53 Jennifer: Yeah.43:54 Ellen: That's basically what they're doing.43:55 Jennifer: And you know, of course the problems grow. They don't go away, they grow, they start getting out of your control when you don't deal with them.44:03 Ellen: And they're certainly recognizing that, like they've said that they don't like that they're doing this, that they're concerned about this, they've started going to therapy, they recognize that's a very expensive way [chuckle] to talk. And... But they are...44:21 Jennifer: Good luck if you're gonna go into... [chuckle]44:23 Ellen: But they also recognize that they're physically attracted, and they have, as they say, the biological urge, and they want to pursue that as well. And so I see that as a good thing, as well, that they still have that, despite this... [overlapping conversation]44:38 Jennifer: Yeah, well, and it doesn't mean that you can't have sex for sure, 'cause there's lots of couples that are dealing with their troubles, and they're still having sex.44:45 Ellen: Yeah.44:46 Jennifer: It's just another way of being together and sort of, you know, I think sometimes we have the idea that everything must be good in the relationship, and then sex is legitimized. It's just kind of a Mormon cultural idea we have. I don't see it that way, because I think a good sexual relationship can give you some of the sustenance to kinda keep dealing with the challenges. Part of why I've worked out things with my husband is 'cause I'm attracted to him. [chuckle] Okay?45:12 Jennifer: And I want a good sexual relationship, but I want, you know... And so, that desire pushes you through the troubles. It gives you the energy to deal with the hard things. So I wouldn't necessarily say it should... You shouldn't be having sex, I would say if you're using it to get away from your troubles, then it's a problem.45:32 Ellen: But using it for motivation to work through this?45:35 Jennifer: Sure, absolutely. Now, I think what some people are afraid of is if they talk about hard things, then their spouse won't wanna have sex with them. So it's a kind of a kind of... People can be complicit in not dealing with things, the sad issue. But you certainly can use it as a resource, 100%.45:54 Ellen: So their general question is, "How best to navigate having sex during marriage struggles?" It sounds like you're saying, of course don't cut it out, [chuckle] altogether.46:04 Jennifer: Yeah.46:05 Ellen: So... But don't use it as a way to avoid having those conversations.46:09 Jennifer: Exactly. Exactly.46:10 Ellen: Because there may be some fear around having those conversations, that it will reduce the amount of sex that you're having, but using the desire for each other as a motivation to work through those troubles, because you wanna get close together. Is that right?46:26 Jennifer: Yes. Yeah, and I would say what often happens for couples is when they're right in the heat of the struggle, sometimes their desire goes down, but as they start to work things out, the sex gets way better. You know? It's like that, you feel gratitude, you see your partner as somebody who's willing to deal with things, you feel more aware of your separateness as a couple and through some of the struggle, and so the sex is more positive. So I wouldn't see it as one or the other, but I think if you want good sex, you want your relationship to keep growing and thriving, and that means dealing with hard things.47:01 Ellen: Yeah, I can imagine that coming through difficulties and then coming to this place of convergence, where you're just together on something and you've almost... You've repaired something together.47:15 Jennifer: Absolutely.47:15 Ellen: It would make it even more powerful and even more meaningful.47:19 Jennifer: Absolutely. Absolutely. So yeah, I think that's how couples continue to create novelty. In a long-term partnership there's only so much novelty you can generate. And I'm all for novelty, but it's still the same person, it's [chuckle] the same room, or whatever. 47:38 Ellen: That's so true. [laughter]47:41 Jennifer: So you know, but I mean...47:42 Ellen: I worry about that.47:44 Jennifer: Yeah, sure. And I'm all for novelty. There's a lot of fun things you can do to create novelty, but I think what's at the core of a good intimate marriage is a growing marriage. It's a marriage that's growing, and you don't take the other person for granted. You recognize that they will challenge things in themselves, they'll deal with things honestly, you keep sort of becoming aware over and over again, that this is a separate person from you, who owes you nothing, but that will continue to grow and do better for your benefit and their own benefit, and that drives respect and desire. And so...48:17 Ellen: I think that is a really key point, that I'll personally draw out, is they owe you nothing.48:25 Jennifer: That's right.48:25 Ellen: That's hard to swallow.48:26 Jennifer: Yeah, I know.48:27 Ellen: Because there's this sense of, "I've done this for you, you do this for me." Give-take. "You owe me" kind of idea...48:36 Jennifer: Exactly.48:36 Ellen: But to get away from that...48:37 Jennifer: Yes.48:38 Ellen: Feeling. That's hard. [laughter]48:41 Jennifer: It's hard and it's the only way to do marriage, in my opinion.48:44 Ellen: That's novel. [chuckle]48:45 Jennifer: To do it from a passionate position, because as soon as you get it into, "I need this, you're obligated, you owe me." Right?48:52 Ellen: Or even just the marriage contract idea of, "We... You married me, for good and for bad. This is bad, you are in it with me." This idea of, "You owe this for me, we're working on this." Making sure that you're not using that as a form of manipulation.49:08 Jennifer: Yes.49:09 Ellen: But a motivation to work together.49:12 Jennifer: Yeah, which is not about precluding you from running your life, because you can say, "Look, here are the terms of my participation in this marriage, and if you don't wanna live by those terms, I can choose to exit." Okay? I know that's hard when you have a mortgage and kids, and all that, but you can define the terms of your participation, you can control your own choices. But I think as soon as we are in the idea that, "You owe me."49:39 Jennifer: As a way to pressure and to... As a way to be in a marriage, you will kill desire. When it's more like, "Wow, this person chooses me day, after day, after day. That's amazing. This person has offered goodness to my life, and they don't have to. And they do. And that they do, it's a miracle actually." When you live in that frame, which is the only honest way to live in the world, to be honest. Who's owed anything? There's children starving in Africa, do you think that's what... They're getting what they deserve? You know what I mean?50:13 Jennifer: No, but when you get good things it's good fortune. It's by grace, it's by... And so if you don't live in a gratitude-based frame, you're gonna have a hard time living with joy. And you have to live it, I think you have to live in that frame in marriage. Now again, I know people get like, "Wait a minute. Well, do you just mean you have to take whatever you get? The person's having affairs, you can't... "50:34 Jennifer: No, I'm not saying you can't decide if somebody is bringing too little good, if somebody is trying to take advantage of that commitment you've made. That you may then have to make other choices, because living with them is not good for you. Right? Continuing to struggle with them is not good for you. But the idea that... But that's different than living in marriage from a frame of demand. And a lot of people want the safety of doing that.51:04 Ellen: And I think there's this importance of, again as you've mentioned, this independence of self. You've mentioned in your other podcasts sometimes you do have to bring the conversation to the point of, "I'm willing to step away from this marriage."51:19 Jennifer: Absolutely.51:19 Ellen: If that's the case, "Because this is not good for either of us." And that's a very scary place to come to.51:25 Jennifer: Oh yeah. But it's usually where people grow the most. It's when they realize, "I can't make this marriage happen." That for me is when people often make their biggest strides in their development, is when they stop trying to control whether or not their proud spouse chooses them, whether or not the marriage stays together. They're no longer controlling that, they're only controlling who they are, in the marriage.51:48 Jennifer: When people really take that developmental step, that's when marriages really... Well, sometimes they fall apart at that point, because the other person won't step up. Or they really, really take a massive step forward. Because people are really operating, not from trying to obligate and control, but really a framing of choosing, and controlling themselves, and who they are in the marriage.52:09 Ellen: Maybe I'm making a leap here but, Would you say that that's more a high-desire partner position to be in than a low-desire? To kind of...52:19 Jennifer: To put the question of the marriage on the line, you're saying?52:22 Ellen: Yeah, yeah.52:25 Jennifer: Well, it depends on, "Why?"52:25 Ellen: I don't know...52:25 Jennifer: It would depend on "Why?" If somebody is in a marriage where their spouse just won't develop or deal with their sexuality, yes.52:32 Ellen: That's where I'm... Yeah, that's where I'm looking. Right.52:34 Jennifer: If somebody is in a low-desire position because their spouse is narcissistic, for example, or won't deal with the ways that they take too much in the marriage, and they keep trying to stand up to get that person to deal with who they are, because they do want a good sexual relationship, they just don't want sex in the current form. Okay? They're low-desire because of good judgment. Well, then they may be the one who's saying, "Look, I want good sex too, I just don't want what you're offering. It's all about you." And so, they may be the ones putting on... You know, calling it quits.53:08 Ellen: Interesting.53:10 Ray: I think, whenever the notion of, "Is sex a good enough reason to leave the marriage" comes up, there are a lot of people who are really quick to jump on that because they're afraid that if we normalize that, that's gonna be everybody's first choice. "I don't get what I want, I'm out."53:29 Jennifer: Yeah, yeah.53:30 Ray: And in my experience, it's really the opposite. It's when you're willing to actually walk away from... It takes a lot to be willing to walk away from what you have.53:40 Jennifer: Absolutely.53:40 Ray: I don't know that it's... That's anybody's first choice.53:44 Jennifer: Well, and I think a lot of the time when people are saying, "Is sex enough reason?" We have it in the hedonistic frame, rather than if sex really isn't happening in a marriage, there's something bad going on. [chuckle] Okay? You know what I mean? Like, I mean...53:58 Daniel: Yeah, it's not the sex. [chuckle]54:00 Jennifer: Yeah, it's not the sex. Exactly, it's not the sex.54:02 Daniel: Sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but...54:04 Jennifer: No, but then you're right. The sex is an indicator of something much more profoundly important going on. And so, the sex is the canary in the coal mine.54:14 Ellen: And I think that actually hits the point of the original question, the debate around sex not being neediness, or isn't sexy, but also wanting to talk about the importance of it.54:25 Jennifer: Yeah.54:27 Ellen: I think it goes back to that. I know that you've said it's not necessarily about the sex, but... It's the canary but, What killed the canary? [chuckle]54:35 Jennifer: You know, exactly. It's exactly right. Why is the canary dead? Okay? Can we look at that? [laughter]54:44 Jennifer: Exactly. Is there just too much noxious gas that the canary can't breathe? Or is the canary faking dead so that it doesn't have to, you know... [overlapping conversation]54:54 Ellen: It's looking away. [laughter]54:58 Jennifer: Yeah.54:58 Ellen: Well, it is about three minutes to the hour, so I wanna respect your time. It has been a pleasure chatting with you, and being able to listen more. Our focus to three podcasts and collect people's questions and really just discuss with you. So I wanted to give you a couple minutes to close up, any closing thoughts you had as far as the discussions that we've had today. If there's any kind of ending thoughts you'd like to share, and then give you that au revoir and [chuckle] the opportunity to sign off, and...55:38 Jennifer: Sure.55:38 Ellen: Really one day invite you to come back, we'd love to have a follow-up at some point, and do this again.55:45 Jennifer: Sure.55:46 Ellen: But the time is yours.55:48 Jennifer: I'm trying to think if I have any profound final thoughts. [laughter]55:53 Ellen: You're probably thinking a lot actually. [chuckle]55:57 Jennifer: Well, I guess maybe I would just say I respect in everybody that's here, the pursuit of sorting through these hard things, like marriage and intimate relationships are not easy. To achieve the beauty that relationships are capable of, takes a lot of courage. Courage to deal honestly with ourselves, to deal honestly with our spouse, to face hard things. Happy marriages are not for sissies. Okay?56:30 Ray: Soundbite. [laughter]56:39 Jennifer: So I really do...56:41 Daniel: Jennifer?56:41 Jennifer: Yeah, go ahead.56:42 Daniel: My wife just wanted... Heard what you said and wants to put it on a t-shirt. Do we need to get a waiver or something? "Happy marriages aren't for sissies." [chuckle]56:50 Jennifer: Aren't for sissies. Yeah, you could do that, just stick my name on it and my website... [laughter]56:55 Daniel: You got it.57:00 Jennifer: So yeah. So I respect it, I always respect it because I think it's the best in humans when people are willing to kind of face those hard things. And when I watch people go through it, it's hard. But it's really where all the beauty lies. So, there's divinity in all that process, even though it can feel like you're in hell sometimes.57:25 Ellen: Well said.57:25 Jennifer: Okay.57:28 Ellen: Well, Jennifer thank you so much for your time.57:31 Jennifer: You're welcome.57:32 Ellen: Have a wonderful evening, and keep warm out there. [chuckle]57:36 Jennifer: Thank you, I'll try.57:37 Ellen: Please try to stay warm.57:39 Jennifer: Okay, thanks everybody. Bye.57:40 Ray: Thank you.57:41 Ellen: Bye-bye. So, we're on. Yeah, go ahead Ray. You got it.57:46 Ray: No.57:46 Ellen: Well you got the book. [chuckle]57:49 Ray: Okay. Let's go ahead and stop the recording at that point.

This week, Claribel and Kat talk about Frankfurt and what goes on at one of the most important events in the book world plus an interview with the legendary Ellen Oh where she dishes about writing creepy middle grade, social media, and her new book The Dragon Egg Princess. About Ellen: Ellen Oh is a […]

Welcome to Conversation #19 of Book Chat at North Shore Library! Fall is here and librarians Alyssa and Lizzy, along with special guests Melody, Rachel, and Sam, talk about their favorite books to read during the spine-chilling season. Whether you love the horror genre, are a suspense-thriller enthusiast, or are a reluctant scary story reader we discuss something for everyone! In this episode we discuss: "In the Woods” by Tana French with readalikes "Dark Places” by Gillilan Flynn, “Big Sky” by Kate Atkinson, and “The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle” by Janet Fox. "Spirit Hunters" by Ellen Oh with readalike “Small Spaces” by Katherine Arden. "The Winter People” by Jennifer McMahon. “Penpal” by Dathan Auerbach with readalikes “Bad Man” by the same author as well as "The NoSleep Podcast." “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” retold by Alvin Schwartz with drawings by Stephen Gammell. Doctor Who Access these books: 1) countycat.mcfls.org/ 2)meet.libbyapp.com/ 3)www.hoopladigital.com/ What do you want us to review? Share your ideas with us! #northshorebookchat Website: www.mcfls.org/northshorelibrary/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/northshorelibrary/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/northshorelibrary/ E-newsletter: eepurl.com/c_TXMD

Content: In this episode, we offer our summer reading picks and discuss some disturbing library news. You can links to the books we discussed in the content notes below. Cast Hosted by Dean Karpowicz with Alley Ryan and Molly Krasel. Content Discussed Alley's Picks Doing Oral History by Donald A. Ritchie & Managing Archives: Foundations, Principles and Practice by Caroline Williams Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya Lord of the Silent by Elizabeth Peters The Coming-Down Time by Joan Oppenheimer Zero Tolerance by Alexander Slavros (This one is something else. AltRight and neo nazis warning) Alley's Picks A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (for our interview!) Chasing Danger by Richard C White A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer Dean's Picks The Poppy War by RF Kuang Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (actually 4 novellas, not a trilogy!) Fall; or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Augmented Human byHelen Papagiannis To listen to the episode, click below, and if you want to listen on your phone, we're available on Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Maggie Guggenheimer is Director of External Relations for Virginia Humanities (University of Virginia). Ellen Oh is Director of Programs in the Office of the Vice President for the Arts at Stanford University.

In this episode, Ellen Oh recommends The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and Cat Sebastian recommends Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho. This episode of Recommended is sponsored by Frolic Media and Annotated.

Adam and Jill are back with their monthly list of books they can't wait to read in June!  Books mentioned in this episode:  The Mermaid by Christina Henry There There by Tommy Orange The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay Florida by Lauren Groff My Plain Jain by Cynthia Hand Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza Sex and the City and Us by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong The Book of M by Peng Shepherd Sick by Prochista Khakpour A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, ed. by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates Court of Shadows by Madeleine Roux   Say Hello! Find us on Instagram and Twitter at @ProBookNerds. Email us directly at professionalbooknerds@overdrive.com Music "Buddy" provided royalty free from www.bensound.com Podcast Overview We're not just book nerds: we're professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we've read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into. For more great reads, find OverDrive on Facebook and Twitter.

Kelly and Eric talk about a great article about the development of YA literature following the history of the teen culture, highlight awesome YA books set in the outdoors, and offer up even more great YA by and about Asian Americans. Sponsored by Furyborn by Claire LeGrand and Chemistry Lessons by Meredith Goldstein. Hey YA is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, and right here on Book Riot.   Shownotes: The Disturbed Girl's Dictionaryby NoNieqa Ramos Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough The Girl In The Grove by Eric Smith Contagion by Erin Bowman Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert "How Young Adult Literature Blossomed With Teen Culture" article Wildlife The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn The Island I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall Lumberjanes A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandya Menon Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary by  Keshni Kashyap and illustrated by Mari Araki Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang  

Amanda and Jenn discuss independent ladies, fantasy short stories, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reading comps, and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. This episode is sponsored by The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton and The Birthday Girl by Sue Fortin.   Questions 1. Hi ladies! I recently finished reading Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, and I really, really loved and related to Ro (the biographer) and Gin's (the mender) independence. They didn't have current romantic/life partners, and they weren't agonizing over being alone or over trying to find someone. I am getting sick of novels where women spend a lot of time worrying about being "on the shelf." I would like to read more books with women who are single and proud, and romance isn't anywhere near the top of their priority list. I am willing to read any genre, length, or format. Can't wait to hear what you have to recommend! Thanks so much! Best, --Mary Beth   2. Hi! My friend and coworker is transferring to a new position within our company to Phoenix, Arizona. She will be driving from Ohio to Phoenix with whatever she can fit into her car. While working together I introduced her to audiobooks, and I thought a list of great audiobook recommendations would be the perfect parting gift. She loves steamy romance novels, and a great male narrator's voice. I know that she has listened to all of Meghan March's books, Anna Todd, and has just recently discovered the Fifty Shades of Grey series. Hoping to make her long drive enjoyable. Thanks so much! I greatly enjoy your show! --Kristin   3. Hello! I'm a first year 7th grade English at a school in Massachusetts, and we are about to start a unit of fantasy short stories. I'm very excited about this unit, but after looking through the anthology that we'll be using, I've noticed something that I want to change - the anthology only contains one story by an author of color ("Caleb's Colors" by Neal Shusterman). I'd love to teach a more diverse set of stories, so I'm looking for suggestions of fantasy short stories that would be appropriate for a middle school reading level. Do you know of any anthologies that exist? I would also be happy to read them a picture book or two. Please let me know if you can help me diversify my reading list! --Jessi   4. I'm about six weeks away from giving birth to my first child, and I'm looking for something to read that will be a real page-turner but light enough that I can read it during my leave regardless of how much (or little) sleep I'm getting. I read pretty widely in terms of genre, but I do prefer fiction to non-fiction and I don't really do suspense or thrillers. Thanks! --Aaryn   5. Love love love your show. I’ve just moved from a very queer loving and welcoming college campus to a not so much welcoming and loving work environment :(. I’m on a desperate search for stories with badass lesbian and queer women protagonists to dive into to remind myself my gay poc identity is valid and wonderful and loved on those tough work days. I just finished Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Riviera and absolutely loved and dying for another woke read with a confident lesbian/gay/queer woman in her 20s being a total badass and rocking who they are through whatever life throws at them. Here’s my search criteria: - coming out not being a major plot point. - Not YA. Characters in their 20s like me or 30s would be preferable. - Light, fun & empowering with some humor thrown in - contemporary - not a mystery, thriller, or including issues of domestic violence, or sexual assault. - a person of color protagonist would be awesome but I understand this list might be a tall order so am lenient in this category I’m new to romance but very much open to it and am not shy about sex scenes. Open to non-fiction of all kinds, and some light fantasy and sci-fi. Books I’ve loved the feel of Sourdough by Robin Sloan’s themes of figuring out adulthood, and what one wants to do with their life. River of Teeth and Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey. I Hear She’s a Real Bitch by Jen Agg Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit made my cry - not in a good way with the having to go back into the closet kind of thing so I’d love to stay way clear of anything like that. Thanks! I hope you can help! Sincerely, --Courtney   6. Hi ladies! I just blew through the charming new Amazon Prime original TV series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and am really thirsting for more content like it. If you haven't had the pleasure, it's about a well-to-do house wife in the late 1950s in Manhattan who discovers her incredible talent for raunchy standup comedy as her life is falling apart around her. It's sharp, witty, smart, and has a good dose of drama. It's by the same folks as Gilmore Girls and is tonally very similar. The main character also reminds me of Joan Rivers a lot. I'd love to read some books that put me in the same mind-space while I wait (a year) for season two, but I'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Best, --Jocelyn   7. Don't judge but one of my favorite movies is The Mummy (the one with Brendan Fraser) and years ago I was swept away by the Anton Rider series by Bartle Bull which is similar in tone to The Mummy. I've been having a hard time finding other books that give me a similar feeling. Any recommendations for books that have adventure, maybe a monster, a rogueish hero and some romance? --Emily   Books Discussed Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper Make Trouble by Cecile Richards 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins (rec'd by Jess Pryde) Unnatural Creatures edited by Neil Gaiman and Maria Dahvana Headley A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman (out June 26 2018) Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum The Paper Menagerie: Stories by Ken Liu Nevada by Imogen Binnie Holding Still for As Long As Possible by Zoe Whitall Lady Killer by Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich, Chelsea Cain An American Housewife by Helen Ellis The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

Intro   Hello and welcome to Books Between - a podcast all about celebrating children’s literature! If you are a teacher, parent, or librarian who wants to help connect kids between 8-12 to books they will love - then you are in the right spot!  I am your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mum of an 8 and 10 year old, and baking brownies and bundt cakes and obviously binge-watching a little bit too much of the Great British Baking Show lately. And I will apologise to my British listeners for this atrocious accent. On the other hand, I do rather blame your show for my potentially not fitting into any of my school clothes since I have been craving nothing but carbs… So, if you hear me slip into a weird Britishesque accent today - I’m sorry. Too much Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry in my head!   This is Episode #31 and Today is all about exceptional anthologies and collections that your middle grade readers are going to love.   Main Topic - Exceptional Anthologies and Short Story Collections Today we are talking all about anthologies and short story collections. First off, we’ll begin with definitions. I used to think those were interchangeable terms but I have come to realize they are not. Then, I’ll share with you some fabulous titles you might want to check out, including some really, really exceptional new releases. Then we’ll chat about some reasons why you should consider including more anthologies and short story collections in your school or classroom library. Definitions   According to my favorite dictionary (Merriam-Webster - mainly because they have a hilarious Twitter account!) an anthology is “a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music” and then it goes on to say “a published collection of writings (such as poems or short stories) by different authors”   And that’s the key - anthologies include stories by different authors! The Guys Read Series is a good example of this.   On the other hand, a collection is a book of selected writings (maybe poems, maybe short stories, maybe essays…) all by the same author. Cynthia Rylant’s Every Living Thing is an example you might know.   But….I will say, I see those terms used as synonyms A LOT.   Fantastic Anthologies and Collections To Add to Your Library   And now - a selection - a sampling - a smorgasbord of anthologies and collections to add to your library or introduce to your children. And before we begin, I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who offered ideas for this list when I put out a call on Twitter and Facebook for suggestions. In particular, you will not be surprised to know that Donalyn Miller was on it with a fabulous list of suggestions.   Let’s start with some classics and older releases.   Best Shorts: Favorite Short Stories to Share This anthology was but together by Avi and includes stories by Natalie Babbitt, Rafe Martin, Lloyd Alexander, and lots more.  And it includes a great mix of time travel, and animal stories, and legends and a touch of the supernatural. In particular, “The Woman in White” by Patricia McKissack is one to check out.   Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant This is a collection of 12 stories - each one about how people’s lives are changed by an animal. This is a classic collection - and if you have kids who are animal lovers, this is definitely one they might enjoy.   Gary Soto has a number of incredible collections - Baseball in April and Local News are among the ones that would be good for middle grade readers.   My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen Up until last year, Hatchet was on our 5th grade required reading list and for those kids that really connected with that book, this collection was a great next book for them. Each story centers around Paulsen’s relationship with a special dog in his life. So this are also great examples of smaller memoirs.   Another great dog anthology is Because of Shoe edited by Ann M. Martin who also contributes a piece. This one features nine fictional stories that appeal to a variety of age ranges.   The People Could Fly  by Virginia Hamilton Oh how I loved this book when it first came out! This is a collection of 24 retellings of black American folk tales - everything from animal stories to supernatural tales to stories of enslaved men and women seeking freedom.   In a similar vein, Patricia McKissack has two collections worth checking out -  Dark Thirty and it’s companion, which she wrote later, Porch Lies. Dark Thirty includes ten horror-themed stories with a Southern Historical flavor. And Porch Lies still has that eerie quality but also more humor.  If you have a child that likes the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series, these would be a couple books to put in their hands next.   Then there is Red Ridin’ in the Hood by Patricia Santos Marcantonio. This one was strongly recommend by Matthew Winner and with one quick glance at the description online, I can see why. This is a collection of eleven classic fairy tales retold with a twist of Latino culture. Let me read you the description of the title story: "Red Ridin' in the Hood," moves the setting to the barrio, where Red decides to brave dangerous Forest Street in order to reach her abuelita and encounters the menacing wolf in a thumping Chevy lowrider.” I have GOT to get my hands on that!   If your students or children are into graphic novels, there are several really great collections.   The Comic Squad Series have been favorites with my 5th graders. Right now there are three of them - Recess, Lunch, and Detention which just came out last month so I need to pick that one up before heading back to school.   Also - definitely check out Fairy Tale Comics! This is a very cool collection with some awesomely weird stories in it. If your kids like that one, there is also Fable Comics and Nursery Rhyme Comics.   So - if your students and children are like mine, they LOVE the Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi. And I recently discovered - again thanks to Matthew Winner - that he has edited a series of graphic novel anthologies called the Explorer Series. (Why have I not heard of these before? They look incredible!) Each of the three books has a different theme. So the first is “Mystery Boxes”, the second is “Lost Islands” and the third one is “Hidden Doors”. The list of comic contributors is outstanding -  like Raina Telgemeier, Faith Erin Hicks, Dave Roman, Jen Wang…. I gotta go get these! Been There, Done That - is a really special anthology which has fictional stories by award-winning and best-selling authors and also includes the real-life story that inspired those narratives.  I LOVE how this could show kids how you can mine your own life for stories. This is one of those books that I’m like - how did this get by me? This is GREAT!   The Guys Read Series - This group of seven anthologies is edited by Jon Scieszka and each one has a different theme like Terrifying Tales, The Sports Pages, Other Worlds, Funny Business, and the most recent one Heroes & Villains. And, despite their name, they include stories by both men and women. For example, Dan Gutman, Kelly Barnhill, Matt de la Peña, Neal Shusterman, Shannon Hale, and so so many more!   And now onto some really fabulous new collections and anthologies that your kids are going to love.   The Time We Ran Away  - This anthology is put out by Scholastic and I think is offered as the free book for Book Club orders over $50 this September.  It includes eleven short stories by best-selling authors like Angela Cervantes, Sarah Weeks, and Dan Gemeinhart.  I can’t seem to find it anywhere else (yet) so I think you’re going to have to get this one through Scholastic for now. https://clubs.scholastic.com/the-time-we-ran-away-10-book-pack/9781338253467-rco-us.html   Flying Lessons   This anthology edited by Ellen Oh includes new stories by Kwame Alexander, Kelly Baptist, Tim Tingle, Grace Lin among so many others. It was released last January.  And I got it the day it came out and had wonderful intentions of reading it right away. And then - how can you say no to a line of kids reading over your shoulder and wanting to borrow it? So - all I can say is that what I read was good and it was passed from kid to kid to kid until school let out. Clearly - it’s a winner.   Another new anthology that I LOVED this summer was Our Story Begins: Your Favorite Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew As Kids . Well - that pretty much says it all! This book is edited by Elissa Brent Weissman and I especially loved the images of the author’s hand written stories and diary entries and sketches from when they were young. And also hearing about the inspiration of a new typewriter or a teacher’s supportive comment on a report card or the chance to enter a writing contest. It’s fascinating to see the beginnings of these 25 writers’ journeys.     If you have students who like something a little dark, a little twisted - then Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods by Hal Johnson is one they are going to love being scared by. This collection is “20 Chilling Tales from the Wilderness”  told from the perspective of a cryptozoologist - a person who studies legendary beasts like Big Foot or the chupacabras. One reviewer called these “faux-lore” which is perfect.  My ten-year old and I really love listening to the podcast Lore together and I think this will really be up her alley. It comes out August 22nd so be on the lookout for that next week.   And finally - Funny Girl - edited by Betsy Bird. In fact, in our very next episode, I have the great pleasure of sharing with you a conversation with Betsy Bird about this book and LOTS of other things.  We talk a fair amount about it  in our interview so I think I’ll just say here that you should definitely go get it. It is truly laugh out loud funny. And oh do we need some humor in our lives. So definitely get this one and I’m...I’m hoping for a Volume 2! 7 Reasons Why You Should Include More Anthologies and Collections   I am going to say up front that I don’t have a ton of these in my classroom. But - I loved them as a child and I’ve noticed lately that my own daughters have been picking more and more of them up. I thought - I need to really expand that part of our library. So here are 7 reasons why you might want to consider including more anthologies and collections.   Anthologies are gateways to discovering other amazing authors. So a child might pick up Guys Read: Funny Business and be drawn to the Jeff Kinney story,  “Unaccompanied Minors” but then get introduced to the amazing Christopher Paul Curtis or David Lubar and suddenly discover their new favorite author. On the other hand, a collection of writing pieces all by one author is great when you want to go more in depth and dig into everything they have to offer. Often authors who are known for, say, novels or a certain genre - will play around in short pieces and try something new. Like poetry or a personal essay. I feel like a collection gives you a good sense of who an author is and more of a window into their life. Anyone who loves Gary Paulsen should read My Life in Dog Years. Anthologies and collections can help kids gain some reading traction if their stamina hasn’t been so great. They can get that satisfaction of finishing a story or an essay in a short amount of time and start to build up to longer texts. Especially at the beginning of the year or after a break, starting with something shorter can be a great idea. When I’ve had reading lulls in my ownlife, short stories can really kick-start me again. They are great for trying out new genres and new formats without the investment in a longer novel. My youngest daughter wouldn’t necessarily pick up a biography but she LOVED Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls. And although most of my students really love graphic novels, I’ve had more than few turn up their noses at that format. So I’ve handed them books like Comic Squad or Fairy Tale Comics and ask them to just try one story. Anthologies and collections introduce a greater variety of stories and perspectives into your life. On the last episode when I was chatting with Jillian Heise about #ClassroomBookADay, I was thinking about how reading a picture book each day can bring more so much more diversity into a classroom. And collections can do the same thing. In fact I was talking with my husband about this last night and he said it perfectly, “Would you rather get a box of all the same chocolates or would you rather get sampler with a dozen different flavors?” Yeah - I’m going for the flavors! And I might leave the cashew cluster for someone else, but that’s okay. Coming at this from a teacher’s point of view, reading the short stories and essays found in anthologies and collections are wonderful to offer as models for students’ own writing. With my 5th graders, we use the TCWRP Units of Study and our first writing unit is Narratives. And of course, I want to give them lots of examples and mentor texts. So I’ll take the first couple of weeks to read to them lots and lots of short narratives to really imprint in their mind what a good narrative sounds like and feels like. What the pacing and plotting is like in all kinds of narratives - from funny to serious. And finally - anthologies and collections are perfect for when you don’t want to jump into a long book yet or you only have little snippets of time to read.  I think they are great for traveling. If you’re on the bus or a plane, you can finish a full a story and don’t have to worry about rereading to pick back up the threads of a plot. In a classroom, if students are in book clubs and a couple members of the group have fallen behind in their reading and need to catch up, you don’t want the other students to start a new novel. So offering them a book like Flying Solo or Funny Girl is a great option. Closing   Okay - that wraps up our show this week. We have some great interviews and book talks coming up. Next week is the amazing Betsy Bird. And after that you can look forward to a conversations with Celia Perez about The First Rule of Punk and Danielle Davis - author of Zinnia and the Bees. I’ll also be chatting about Jason Reynold’s Patina and some really great new graphic novels. So be on the lookout for those.   And, if you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.   Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com.     And, if you like what you hear and value the podcast, please leave a quick review or rating on iTunes or Stitcher.   Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!

Recorded on 5/31/17 News Preferred parking at Disney Springs New Wolfgang Puck restaurant and Jaleo will take the current Wolfgang Puck space Disney Movie Magic debuts at Disney Hollywood Studios Chris’ visit to Epcot Racing on Memorial Day weekend Chris was at a tech conference last week that was at the Swan Flower and Garden Festival was still going on FastPass+ selection is never great for short notice visits Epcot has tiers Don’t really need FP for the tier 2 attractions Got Frozen Ever After FP for 8 p.m. Friday Universe of Energy - it was empty Mousegear The Land and dinner options Frozen Ever After Illuminations “The BEST night ever!” Opening of Pandora in Animal Kingdom Saturday: Flight of Passage had a 250 minute wait, 195 minute wait for Na’vi River Journey Two camps: People either love or hate the idea of Pandora at AK Glenn made the FP+ reservations for his family’s July trip Glenn’s frustrations about the My Disney Experience website Discussion about FP limits People doing good things Nothing specific. Just don’t be a jerk. Let’s be civil to everyone, OK? Picks of the week: Chris: Table Top Racing on the [Xbox One](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/table-top-racing-world-tour/bwmb1bf5d69n) Glenn: [Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Deluxe Edition)](http://amzn.to/2su2GZe)

Flying Lessons and Other Stories by Ellen Oh

Get ready to laugh! We've got another Brilliant Business Moms team podcast! We’ve got Carlee, Ellen, and Victoria here, sharing how they’ve found work as Virtual Assistants and their thoughts on using VAs in your business. I know they get questions all the time about how they came to work on the Brilliant Business Moms team, and these ladies have a wealth of knowledge to share. Listen to the Podcast   On the Podcast 1:20 - How Our Team Came To Be 14:02 - What About Competition? 17:07 - Meeting Your Online Team In Person 20:50 - Working Well With Clients 26:18 - The Question Beth Anne Has Been DYING To Ask 36:31 - Riding Big Learning Curves 41:18 - Standards in Service-Based Business 44:06 - Setting Limits in Service-Based Business 50:10 - When VA Relationships Don’t Work Out 1:01:45 - Boss Perks Beth Anne: Ladies, I’d love for you to start by sharing how you got into work as a Virtual Assistant. 1:20 - How Our Team Came To Be Victoria: Sure, I can start! I got started a couple of years ago, and really out of necessity. I wanted to spend more time with my baby but I still needed to bring in an income. So I put together the work I had been doing professionally prior to having a baby, and thought maybe I could do that same type of work as a freelance contractor. We laugh about how easy this is, but I literally sent emails to a bunch of people! I sent about 25 emails in a week to different individuals that I followed online. (I do have a small blog, it’s not monetized, just a place on the Internet. And because of that I had knowledge and awareness of different mom bloggers out there.) So I sent these emails along the lines of, “Hey is there anything I can do to help you? Let me know.” The very first VA job I did was make a media kit for someone. I didn’t know anything about media kits or graphic design, but I figured it out and did the job. As far as my connection to Brilliant Business Moms (BBM), I was a long time fan girl of the podcast and the brand. I reached out to you, and Sarah at the time, and asked if I could be helpful, and eventually that translated into the working relationship we have now. Ellen, you started similarly, right? Ellen: Yes! I had a blog, but was really enjoying the behind the scenes stuff way more than blogging or creating things. Through blogging I knew a few others bloggers that I liked and got along well with. At first I offered free (or super cheap) work, because I really wanted to get experience. Most of that was raising my confidence, helping me know if I could actually do the more technical work and get paid for it. Working with those first few ladies that I really knew helped me realize I CAN do this, and I can keep going. I think I mentioned in the BBM group that I was looking for work, and either Beth Anne or Sarah reached out to me about doing a simple job. That’s how my work with Beth Anne started. I was copying and pasting names from a spreadsheet, and they were really happy with how fast I was! A tip for when you get started: If you are doing free or cheap work, make a boundary for that, maybe 10 free hours or 2 weeks, so you’re both clear on expectations--but it’s a great way to get started! Beth Anne: I think that’s a great way to get started, you two. When you reached out to us, Victoria, I remember reading your email and wondering if you were really offering to do things for free! We asked, “Is she crazy!? How is she this nice?!” At that time we didn’t take you up on the offer to do things for free, but we knew because we had that relationship you were in the back of our minds for as soon as we could afford a VA in our budget. One of your first tasks, Victoria, was helping format our ebook Time Management Mama. And then in the meantime your clientele built up a lot and I remember thinking, “Oh no! I think Victoria’s too busy for us now!” And Ellen, I remember Sarah finding your post in our Facebook group and reaching out. (And we still encourage moms to do that! Post in private Facebook groups. Share who you are and what you can offer. It’s a great place to get started.) And Ellen did work so well and so fast Sarah and I quickly started to freak out that we weren’t paying you enough! What you were charging at that time was such a small rate, but it’s good that over time you’ve built confidence and increased your rate. It’s really important as a VA to value yourself. Victoria: Beth Anne, this is so funny to hear from your side! I do want to add that, in that time of waiting for a job, or if you have someone you know you want to work for someday, in the meantime as much as you can be helpful, do it. Support the people and the brands you care about. The group was still close enough that Sarah and Beth Anne often asked for input on projects. It’s a good practice to give before you expect to get back. In life, that makes you a nice, moral person. But in business, it sets up the organic working relationship. Beth Anne: And Carlee! You’ve been so quiet, but I’d love to hear how you started! Carlee: I feel like the newbie and almost the imposter in this conversation! It’s really funny how I started. I’ve always worked from home, but with jobs like grading papers and tutoring: on my time frame and pretty minimal because I homeschool my kids. But my youngest turned 10 last year, and has been doing well and getting more independent in school, my husband and I realized that I could take on more hours. I even actually applied to some jobs outside the home, and had no peace about it. I didn’t want the jobs and I didn’t want to be out there, and we were still homeschooling. For those of you who don’t know, Ellen is my (little!) sister-in-law. She was hesitant to tell me about VA work because a lot of people don’t really understand it or get what it means. (And now I face that too!) But when she finally explained what she had been doing, she told me she thought I would really enjoy the work and would be a really good fit for VA work. So I gave it a try! I did the same thing, I posted in our Facebook group and fell in love with BBM from the moment I started. I got a client right away who was excellent and paid me in courses. She knew what she wanted me to do and what classes would be helpful for that work. So I was able to work and learn all at once. Rather than paying me in money the first month, she paid me in classes. When Ellen’s husband was heading back to work for the school year and Ellen needed to drop her hours, there was a scramble to pick up the work that Ellen couldn’t do any more. There was the problem of the inbox and a few other issues! And if i remember the story correctly, she asked Ellen what Ellen thought of me coming on. Beth Anne: Yes! I think that’s right. Because Ellen, I don’t think you would have suggested it to me first. For reference everyone, and I have to tell this story because it’s so funny, Ellen literally had Be Brilliant mugs in her house for an entire year and was shipping them for me - and it took an entire year for her to ask me if she could have a mug and could I take it off her paycheck!!! It’s like, “Ellen! You can have as many mugs as you want!” So that’s very much Ellen’s personality. She wouldn’t have come to me to say I have this sister-in-law looking for VA work and she’s awesome. But the connection did happen organically. Carlee’s daughter, Mckenna, actually attended one of our Pinterest webinars. And once I found that out I gave Mckenna the course to help with her Etsy shop. And then one day the lightbulb went off. I knew we needed to add another member, and I knew the team member would be primarily offloading tasks from Ellen’s plate. But I didn’t want to have to jump back in and be that person to explain to a new person how Ellen was doing everything! And I also knew Ellen, and that she would absolutely need to feel comfortable telling the new person exactly what needed to be done. So I thought, “What about Carlee?” Carlee: It came out of those relationships. And to fast forward, Ellen does not have a problem bossing me around. I’ve known Ellen since elementary school, and I have been the boss forever. So Ellen has SUPER enjoyed getting the chance to tell me what to do. Ellen: Oh, I do. I do. :) Carlee: I love it. And Ellen’s personality is so sweet and genuine. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. If someone told her no or had been incompetent, she would have just fixed it for them and not said anything. So it works well that she can tell me point blank, that’s not right - do it again. 14:02 - What About Competition? Victoria: I feel like this is fun to get Brilliant Business Moms history. And I think this is a good place to point out one thing Beth Anne has done really well in terms of building our team. It’s stereotypical to assume that anytime you get a bunch of ladies together there’s going to be a bit of cattiness and jealousy. This is such a good spot to say we have 0, no we have negative 50 million of that, on our team. I would just imagine in other settings, maybe you bring a new team member and - wait, what!? she’s related!? How did she get in here? I’ve worked in places before where people had that negative outlook on life. What I love about our team is there is none of that. We were very much, “Yay! Carlee’s here!! We can get even stronger!” And Beth Anne, I think that was good insight and foresight on your part knowing your team well, and knowing how we needed to operate together to be successful. We all play to our strengths. And we said in a recent episode, this past year was our most successful ever. And I think it’s due in large part by putting the exact right people together. For the business owner out there looking to put a team together, if you even see a hint of any negativity - stop it, cut it out. You want people who work so well together. Carlee, I think you said that a win for one of us is a win for all of us. Carlee: From the business owner end, I totally agree. As the team leader you have to be aware of your team and foster good relationships. You have to pick the right team and shut down negativity. From the VA end, and this is something Beth Anne shows in all her business practices, it is not about competition. Victoria and I are not in competition, and our jobs overlap all the time. There are times she does my job for me and I do her job for her. It’s not about if I do it better or she does it better, or who does more. We are a team. A win for one is a win for, and a loss for one is a loss for all. So when a babysitter can’t make it and you lose work time, we all chip in. Or, in my case I had a chicken emergency this morning (#WyomingLife), when those things happen we gladly jump in and fill in for each other. There’s only collaboration and not competition among a team. 17:07 - Meeting Your Online Team In Person Beth Anne: I have to say I don’t know if I’ve done a great job of fostering this, but I think you all are awesome and do a great job working with one another! You two, Carlee and Victoria, especially have jobs that overlap all the time and you manage it and figure it out and work together so, so well. One thing that definitely helped is when we were all able to get together in person at the Business Boutique in Nashville. That was the first time I got to meet Carlee and Victoria in person! All of us getting to be together really solidified the team. We are all coworkers, but we’re all friends as well. We care about each other as people and that’s really important. Carlee: I think it helped because we all have slightly different personalities in person than online than everyone expected. Obviously, I’ve known Ellen forever...so that doesn’t count. Beth Anne was a little different than I thought, and Victoria was too. But that was so good! We’ve talked since then about personality and communication styles and strengths and differences. Choosing to be friends and enjoy, and help each other has helped us communicate better according to each other’s styles. Victoria: Choose conferences wisely: whether you’re building a team, working on a team, or working as a VA. I would even say look at the calendar of where you want to go, and check-in with your groups to see who will be there, and choose which events to attend that way. It can be hard in the online world to know how to connect. Even if you’re simply trying to meet people to put on your team, conferences can be a great way to meet a bunch of people in one location. Our team was able to meet in person for a longer work session in San Diego, and I know not everyone in business is in that spot. Conferences are more accessible, and while you’re there do as many auxiliary events as you can to meet people and network. Beth Anne: I totally agree. I had only talked on the phone to all of you before working with you. For someone looking for VA work, if you can meet up at a conference and interact in person how great would that be!? It gives them a better sense of who you are and what you do. I think I can know how a person communicates pretty quickly when I meet them in person. And doing online work you have to be a good communicator. 20:50 - Working Well With Clients Beth Anne: So obviously, you all are rockstars and I love that you all work so well together. I would love it to share with everyone what are your tips. How do you work well with clients? What do those relationships look like? Ellen: It may be cliche, but communication is so big. Being able to communicate over email is essential. Don’t be afraid to clarify, or ask dumb questions. It’s better to clarify up front when you’re working with someone on a project, rather than move forward unsure and frustrating your client. Communication really is just such a key part; especially with online work, when you can’t just go down the hall and have a conversation. Up front, you want your expectations to be clear, and know it’ll evolve over time of your working relationship. And even something as simple as responding to emails with new tasks, “That looks great, I’ll take care of it.” and offer a time frame of completion can be helpful. Beth Anne: As a team leader, whenever you ask for clarification, I love it. It shows that you care about doing the job well and about my vision for things. There is no dumb question! I want you to ask as many clarifying questions as you need. Carlee: And sometimes we’ll do a project knowing it’s not totally perfect or exactly right and submit the draft to you for feedback and tweaking or vision and direction. Sometimes it helps for us to take what Beth Anne has said, put it on paper, and see what we’ve missed. Victoria: I second the practice of sending drafts and getting concrete feedback. Something I’m consciously working on (not perfect at it!) is to take detailed notes as I work, especially when working with several different clients. It’s important to mark differences in the styles you need to keep track of between your clients. Or you need to write notes about how a particular client handles a certain situation. Especially if you’re working with a bunch of different people, those details can get lost or muddled. I can be a very creative, free thinker and sometimes I’m tempted to make up the answer to a problem for myself, which works in my life but not when I’m working for other people! Maybe this habit of keeping notes comes naturally to you, but for me it for sure does not. But I’m making myself do it! In the same breath as talking about communication, I think transparency is really important. Maybe you need to send a note to say, “Hey, I’m really struggling to understand how your sales funnel is working, but I’m taking notes and will ask you again if I have questions.” I also try to be really detailed with my time records so people know how long a project took me. I think having strong communication and being transparent builds trust. Ellen: Early on in my VA work I had to face the fact that I am very much a people-pleaser. Before I got started I read the Bootstrap VA -- and it’s an awesome book. It helped me learn to be okay with criticism. I knew going in that would be my big struggle, so I made a very conscious effort to prepare myself. Getting feedback isn’t bad, and you can’t take it personally. You have to be able to take critiques, learn from it, and work with it. But this tendency is probably something a lot of people struggle with; I knew for me it would be a particular weakness and I wanted to be prepared to work on distancing myself from my work so I could take feedback well. Beth Anne: That is true - and I give all of you all tons of feedback! Which brings me to my next question that I’ve been dying to ask you all! 26:18 - The Question Beth Anne Has Been DYING To Ask About 6 months ago or so, you all confessed to me that when you first started working for me, the first couple of months, you thought I hated you. But when you guys made this confession to me, we were obviously past that point, and I thought you liked working for me at that point, but I still wanted to know: Why did everyone think I hated them!? What made you feel that way? And why in the world did you keep working for me!? Victoria and Ellen: *Not it* Carlee: Okay, Okay. I’ll start. When I came on the team, we pretty much jumped right into a Kickstarter campaign - and then straight into our gigantic FB Brilliance course launch. Side note: If you’re going to do VA work, don't think you’re going to do only do one thing. That doesn’t actually happen. I was hired to handle our inbox. I had been around about two weeks, and suddenly I was writing a refund policy. I think the policy was for our planner. In my draft of the document I used lots of formal wording, which defaulted to my love of English grammar. Then I got an email from Beth Anne that said, “Never use the word ‘therefore’, ever again!” I was like, “Okay then. Sure.” Needless to say, we didn’t end up using what I had written! It was comical Early on I did lots of screenshare hangouts with Ellen as she was handing off tasks to me and teaching me how to do certain things. During one of our conversations I said, “Ellen, I don’t think Beth Anne likes me! I don’t think she’s happy with me.” And I kid you not, Ellen’s exact words back to me were, “Oh I’m so glad you think that because you’re one of the most confident people I know, and I feel that way half the time too, so if you’re feeling that way then I feel better about myself.” It was great for me. Because I knew Beth Anne loves Ellen! Beth Anne thinks Ellen is the best thing ever. So if Ellen is thinking that about Beth Anne, but Beth Anne totally likes her, maybe she totally likes me! So we just worked through it. Ellen and I helped each other through it. And when Victoria hit that same spot, Beth Anne told her, “Go talk to Carlee.” And so she did. (And Victoria made sure I knew Beth Anne told me to talk to her. It was not gossip!) We talked it through, and I was able to help Victoria see that’s Why did we stick around? Because we’d all rather have the person who says, “Never, ever use the word therefore!” than someone who will dance around and not give a direct answer. I don’t want to deal with the game and fluff; I want to be told what’s great and what’s not, and be done. It’s a waste of time to do it any other way. It’s a respect level. Because even when I questioned whether or not Beth Anne liked me, I knew I liked Beth Anne and I liked Brilliant Business Moms, and I wanted to stick around and get better. Beth Anne: I feel like the mean head cheerleader or something! And my team is all, “We like Beth Anne but she doesn’t like me!” Ellen: For me, because my feelings happened very early on, I knew I was learning how to handle criticism. I learned that I do like the direct feedback. I’d rather know exactly what you want, and move on with that. That’s just part of the working relationship--we have to learn to deal with criticism! Victoria: Okay, guys. I would not hate it if you threw a fluffy pillow to me and then gave me criticism. Just saying. But yes, at the end of the day, we all pursue excellence in our personal and professional lives. And it’s good to get it straight, and know how to move on. I also feel I need to be the voice of practical necessity here. In addition to what you guys just mentioned, part of me is like, “Well, I still need a paycheck, so this is going to be worth it.” On a very real level, there’s a sense of knowing that it may be hard, but it’s going to be worth it. Man, this is getting very deep quickly. I’ll just say that I’m painfully extroverted. I’ve been noticing in my life that I like to work really hard, but as soon as the work gets challenging, I want to sprint on to the next thing. The best things come from more of the marathons and not the sprints. I also realized in myself that it’s a sign of maturity to believe it’s worth sticking through the hard things, and having an uncomfortable conversation or two to get through the tough spot - and, in our case, preserve the team and progress we’re making. I don’t know if that’s a VA thing or a work thing. Carlee: It’s a work thing. I’ve worked a lot of jobs and they all come with great parts and hard parts. I can honestly say at this point, even if I couldn’t have those first few weeks, I’m living my dream. This is my dream job. I’m so happy to be here, but it doesn’t mean it’s always easy. The other day Ellen and I had to redo a project we spent a lot of time on, but that’s the nature of the job! It’s the nature of the fact that we’re all moms, working in the margins, doing our best. It can’t be personal. And it can’t be all fun and sunshine and rainbows and then when it’s not I’m out of here. That’s not any part of life--not marriage, or parenting. And that’s the best part about our team! On the hard days (and hard because they’re busy, not because they’re bad, they are hard because our to-do list is longer than the number of hours we have) we talk to each other and pick each other up. What’s great is the other day I was having a very hectic day and Victoria reached out to me and said, “What can I do for you?” Victoria: See? Here’s a fluffy pillow! The fluffy pillow is valuable sometimes! Beth Anne: Victoria you’re such a nurturer and I love that about you. You pick up the slack for others. Victoria: And vice versa! It happens to me as well. Beth Anne: I am learning more and more as a team leader to get better about knowing how my team likes to be led. So, Victoria, I know in some cases it would be better to pick up the phone and have a conversation with you, than just send an email - which is my default. That’s part of my responsibility as a team leader. When it comes to all that hard stuff, it’s the same for me too! There are days that I don’t want to get up and do the work I need to do that day, even though I run the show. Assembling a team that cares about the mission makes a big difference. 36:31 - Riding Big Learning Curves Beth Anne: And Victoria, I know that the podcast has been one example of how you pushed through something that was harder was working on the podcast. I’m sure there were times you were tempted to say it’s not worth it! But everyone is so excited to have it back and you’ve created a great system for us. Victoria: Yes! I can talk about that. But first I do want to say, we all do care about the higher mission. We have all bought into Brilliant Business Moms. And if someone is having a bad day, the other has good day. If you run a business or work in a business, you make a commitment. That basic level commitment is, “This work has to be done because it’s what I agreed to do,” and sometimes once you work through that basic level, then the higher level love feelings come back about why you’re doing it. I hope it didn’t come out crass to say working for a paycheck is sometimes what keeps you going, I didn’t mean it to! Beth Anne: No, it didn’t! Victoria: Right, it’s just that sometimes you have still put one foot in front of the other. Speaking of that, the podcast is a good example of what we’re talking about. Around the time of our San Diego trip we had a team growing experience. We had a show due on Monday, and in my mind I had it basically complete and ready to go, but it was not that way. Carlee and I proof for each other, and I sent the transcript to her for proofing. Since we were in person, Carlee looked over at me and said, “Victoria, these shownotes are awful. They’re not done at all. You need to go back and fix it.” At first, I was mortified. Then I went through the stages of grief, getting angry then accepting what I had to do. This all occurred later at night, pressing up against the deadline. We worked through it and we hurried to get the show finished on time, and I swore I’d never work that late again! And you guys still heard a great episode that day, having no idea what happened behind the scenes! It was good for me to see that Carlee didn’t hate me, she just made a judgement call on the work. Carlee: And that’s it! My thought process was, “You usually do this fabulous job, and this is not up to your own standards.” I wasn’t mad, it wasn’t personal, they were just bad notes. There’s no hidden meaning with us, and that’s how Beth Anne is, too. Beth Anne and I are similar in that, we really shoot straight but there’s no deeper, read between the lines insult. Victoria: We really learned as a team, that we’re all here for the listener. We’re here for the community, to put out good content. It’s time like that the bigger mission does help. 41:18 - Standards in Service-Based Business Victoria: I think anytime you’re in a service-based business, it’s so hard to not directly tie yourself to your service. I feel like with product-business ladies, it’s kinda nice to be able to hide behind the product. With a service-based business, it’s just you. You’re providing the service. And you have to work extra hard to separate the value of the service from the value of you as a person. As a BBM team, we will always fall short in some way,  but we have a lot of grace for each other. Carlee: And you’re making such a good point for anyone looking to be a VA or be on a team. If you’re not working in person, you have to over communicate. Honestly, in this moment I should have explained what I was actually thinking, “These are not up to your own standards, did I miss something?” And really I was wondering, “Are you okay? Is there anything going on? Victoria: And on my end I was thinking, “Nope, I just didn’t get them done as well for whatever reason this week.” Carlee: You’re so honest, Victoria. I love it. This is the real deal, guys. Victoria: Aren’t we calling these BBM Confessions!? It fits! I think you have to be honest, and call each other out, but also give grace and be willing to move forward together. That’s why we’re all here, Beth Anne. Beth Anne: As a team leader one of the things I can improve on is communicating when I need to give feedback or ask for something to be done to another standard. I always feel really, really bad when I want you guys to change something last minute. I don’t want to be that boss who controls every hour of your day. But because I’m such a work under pressure and last minute person, and I know I drag you into that. 44:06 - Setting Limits in Service-Based Business Beth Anne: So I want to ask: how do you set boundaries on your time? For example, I know that Victoria has set work times with childcare. Ellen and Carlee’s worktime feels more fluid. How do you make sure I don’t take over your life!? Sometimes I know I do! That really concerns me. Carlee: But you..so...okay *laughs* You do and you don’t. Especially for Ellen and I, you do take over our lives sometimes - but we know that in advance. It’s not a daily thing. But we are aware of an upcoming big launch or big webinar, and during those times Ellen and I structure our time around work. On the days when we have a work event at 6pm at night, my crew knows we’re going to eat at 4:30 and then Mom is going to lock herself away. That’s a choice we’ve made and we don’t have to make it. Ellen: And it’s not every day. It’s rare. Carlee: Yes. But what people should know too is we can literally say, “Hey, I’m leaving town for 3 days.” And while our tendency is to follow up with, “But I can still work!” Beth Anne says, “No! Take time off!” We have crunch time, go time, all hands on deck -- but we also get the rest time. It wouldn’t be possible without the rest time. Ellen: But there are times Beth Anne sends me a task on Friday night but she says it can wait til Monday. And often I will do the task that weekend, only because I usually work Saturdays, but there’s no pressure. Victoria: Communication is good. My tendency is to do everything, but because my kids are little younger and I have very structured work days, I’ve tried to get better about projecting when a task can realistically be done instead of saying, “Sure I’ll get that done tonight!” Early on as a VA I tried to do it all right away, and it wasn’t healthy! When given a job I would say, “Sure sure! I can do it” but I really couldn’t, and it was resulting in stressful moments for our family. But now, we have clear times - ‘This is when I work, and this is when I don’t work’ - and planning in advance has been helpful. We haven’t talked about working with a bad client yet, but in my bad client experience it was expected that I could drop and do whatever this person needed right away. But setting realistic boundaries and communicating them clearly is good. Now I try to answer, “I’m done with work for today, but I can do it first thing tomorrow.” Beth Anne: Carlee and Ellen, I would totally understand and appreciate if you want to be more structured! I want you to be happy with your work and stick around for a long time and I would have no problem with you telling me what works for you with your life. Carlee: We are happy! And we promise it’s working. We as a team assign tasks according to those schedules, too. For example, I homeschool from 8 to 11 am, so I don’t have tasks that have to be done at 9 am. Victoria’s jobs are things she can do ahead of time, for example. Ellen: For me, the late-at-night stuff isn’t good, but early morning is my time. Beth Anne: And let me say what I love about Ellen’s early morning time is that I can go off to bed with a wishlist of items I’d like done, and by the time I wake up and have actually logged into my email Ellen has them done! Carlee: Me too! I’m a late night person and just recently I sent Ellen a few corrections to landing page at like midnight or 1 am. I was worried I had woken her up with all these crazy messages! She wrote back first thing in the morning and said, “Hey thanks! Those were great. Changes made.” It had only been 5 hours since I sent the corrections and they’re done! 50:10 - When VA Relationships Don’t Work Out Beth Anne: So let’s start talking about when the relationship is not working out. And this still cracks me up, because I’m still confused about the warning signs! You all thought I hated you, but kept working anyway! Victoria: Honestly, what we just described is more a of a challenge of working online. Working in-person you can joke around at the beginning of the day, have a conflict in the middle, but end with a joke. I think the barrier of the screen means you have to overcompensate. It’s just hard! I still contend that online is what makes it weird. And on a blog or business, you can always put the best version of yourself out there. But when you’re working with someone online you don’t always get the time to polish in between. Beth Anne: Okay, that makes me feel a little better. Victoria: And you’ve done well at helping us compensate! Getting us together at the conference and again in San Diego, that was huge. Carlee: Oh Victoria! You are such an extrovert. This won’t be true for everybody. Victoria: That’s true. Carlee: For me, I haven’t worked for a bad client. But for me, the product is my big determiner. I have to believe in something. I have to look at the product and believe there is great value going out into the universe. I have to get behind something, so I guess I work at a philosophical level that way. I’ve said no to, and had a hard time working with a product that I just wasn’t able to personally endorse. Whereas, Brilliant Business Moms is totally a brand and business and community I can get behind. Ellen: If you feel uneasy at all about something..and uneasy is different than having hard times. There’s going to be hard times...but if you feel uneasy about the client or the work they’re doing, it’s better to say no and back out than put yourself in that situation. It’s better to be 100% confident about the people you say yes to. Carlee: So true. And sometimes the uneasiness might come later. We talked about boundaries previously, and if someone doesn’t understand or respect your boundaries it won’t work. And maybe it’s as simple as time zone problem, where the times they want you to work you’re putting dinner on the table. But everyone has to be on the same page. For me right now, I just don’t have the hours to work with additional clients. I’ve had to drop clients because I simply don’t have time to give them what they need. Ellen: That’s usually the issue for me, too. It’s not a matter of not wanting to work with them, I just don’t have time. In fact, I’ve had to fire a few clients because my plate has gotten full and I literally didn’t have the time to do the work. Victoria: Being realistic with what you’re able to provide is key. And be okay that you’re not the right VA for everyone. The case when I had to end a working relationship. The client wasn’t a bad person or anything. It was just that the things I needed to do I wasn’t able to do. There was a big task that had to happen every morning, very early. I tried so hard to make it work for a long time, but with two little kids it wasn’t possible. As we were talking I just pulled up my breakup email with this client. I wrote, “I don’t think I’m the right VA for you. I’m not able to give you the support and assistance you need on a daily basis. I’d love to keep working until you find a replacement.”   Peace out. (Just Kidding!) I do worry if I say no to a job, I’ll never get another client, or that they’ll think badly of me. I often worry about my name or reputation, and that if I end a relationship will I ever work again? But truthfully, the sooner you realize it’s not working out the sooner you can prevent those unrealisitic fears. I think as women we want to do everything and be good at everything, and that person doesn’t exist. Beth Anne: Right. No one is good at everything all the time! So much of what we’re talking about comes back to honesty. I give you honest feedback about the work, and you give me honesty back with your schedule or a job you can’t do. Carlee: And we’re getting so much better at saying No right away! Ellen: I love Beth Anne’s video feedback. I get giddy and tell my husband, “Hey Tim, Beth Anne sent me a video!” It’s so great to be able to watch one of her videos and know exactly what she’s thinking. Carlee: Ellen I don’t know if Beth Anne realizes that our entire families watch her feedback videos with us! If you haven’t had the privilege of meeting Beth Anne in person, she is exactly who she seems to be: strong, a spitfire, kind, genuine. So her videos are seriously so funny. She tells us everything good about what we’ve done, and everything really really not good. Ellen: Tim will ask why I’m laughing, and it’s because Beth Anne sent a video. Carlee: Ellen and I will watch your videos at the same time and just message back and forth and we laugh so hard. Ellen: It’s my favorite thing. Iit’s great to see the video, because I can go fix exactly what needs fixing. Beth Anne: It really is the next best thing since we don’t have an office. And working in different time zones is a struggle, so it’s much easier to give feedback via video. We can’t constantly schedule a Google Hangout to go over things! I try in my screencast videos to pretend you’re right there. Carlee: And usually in these videos she tells us stories or something that’s going on, which are always hilarious. Victoria: And my favorite is when you comment on your environment, like a car driving by, and it tickles me. Carlee: You know, I hadn’t put it together with that whole “walking down the hall...” but you really can’t email us to say, “There’s a line with the wrong shade of pink here.” It just wouldn’t make sense in email. The videos are great, and they do reveal your personality. Beth Anne: Ellen sees the most of my videos because she also sees my raw course videos - and there are some where I go off on a rant where something isn’t working and I am so frustrated. Ellen: My favorite is when I talk back to you and say, “Oh gosh! You just have to click the button, Beth Anne! CLICK THE BUTTON!” My husband will ask what I’m doing and I’ll just respond, “Talking to Beth Anne.” Carlee: In one of your recent videos Beth Anne was concerned that we hadn’t published a pretty important page. We actually did have the page published, she was just looking on the wrong screen. Beth Anne was saying, “We’re at crunch time, guys! This needs to be done!” Ellen: “Just click the button, Beth Anne!” Carlee: And that just reminds us that there are things we do more naturally than you, and vice versa. Beth Anne: It’s an ego boost for you guys! You get to see me at my best and worst. You know I’m a flawed human, and that’s good. 1:01:45 - Boss Perks Beth Anne: One benefit of being the “boss” is that I get to collect a team who all have strengths different from me. We show this face to the world, and it all looks pretty and fabulous and polished. And I feel like I get credit for all of that! And, not only that, but I don’t have to do the things that aren’t my strengths, hardly ever, because I’m the boss and I just get to tell someone else to do it. And sometimes it does feel unfair! I do acknowledge that. There are lots of things I totally stink at. Carlee: There has been a shift in the last couple of months. You’ve said more often “you and the team” are doing a project. And you’re asking us to put our name on the work. There’s more of a shift to ‘us’ rather than ‘you’. None of us want to be the face of Brilliant Business Moms or to be Beth Anne. It’s not a competition. But it is fun that you’ve started putting, “Beth Anne and the Brilliant Business Moms Team” because we are a team and it takes all of us to get all of these crazy things done! Victoria: And it’s nice of you to admit. I imagine it would be tempting to and easier to just speak in the first person always. It’s nice to share the credit. It’s tricky to walk the line and preserve the brand that you’ve built up and who you are and how you help people, and acknowledge the team. Beth Anne: You don’t want to work for someone who takes all the credit all the time. Victoria: But I’m saying you could, though, if you wanted! It’s your brand. But it’s so nice of you to include “and the Team’. Carlee: And it’s practical. Because we get emails, addressed to us, in the inbox that you’d just pass along to me anyway. It’s more efficient. And it’s good that people know who to talk to. It doesn’t all have to come from Beth Anne all the time, because you can’t be everything to everyone. Beth Anne: It does set expectations up in a better way. This is a total team effort. I like that we get emails addressed to the team, like, “Hey, Carlee!” or “Hey, Ellen!” or “Hi Beth Anne and Team!” because it means they don’t expect email answers only from me. And I’m not setting people up for disappointment. Ellen: And it fits really well with the BBM brand. How it started was a podcast that is all about the community and these women who are building businesses, it’s always been about that. And it’s neat to see the community come about as a team, too. Our team is a small part of the community, and we are also part of the bigger community, and we’re all working together. Beth Anne: Yeah, I have no intention of being a weird internet celebrity where people care about what I eat for breakfast. That’s totally differently than saying, “We are Brilliant Business Moms.” I would never want to be BethAnneSchwamberger dot com. That would be stupid long, for one. But it goes back to the brand always being about a community of moms, not one person. Carlee: And there are plenty of questions we get that both Beth Anne and I know Ellen needs to answer. It’s not even just the four of us, it’s the four of us and these incredible women in our community. We learn from them every day too, and they know things we don’t know. Brilliant Business Moms as a whole is not about celebrity. We’re about community. Beth Anne: Well thank you ladies for hanging out with me today. I feel like you each have a lot more to share because you’re all fabulous employees and I love having you on my team. And just an aside, this is seriously how much fun we all have together. We literally just got off topic for 30 mins talking about childbirth and labor because these ladies are awesome. Thanks for listening. Now it’s your turn to head out there and Be Brilliant!

Intro   Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mom of two daughters, and happy to be DONE with 2016 and onward to 2017! Typically we have a New Year’s Eve party at our house - last year was a disco theme - but this time my kids were not feeling so great and instead we had a quiet night. I set up my new bullet journal with my reading goals, played canasta with my kids, crocheted, and just cuddling on the couch under the heating blanket. I know - NOT a very cool New Year’s Eve celebration. But - it was wonderful and I hope yours was as well. So - hello to 2017!   This is Episode #14 and today we are discussing some fun reading challenge ideas to kick off your new year, the most anticipated middle grade books coming out in 2017, and I’ll answer a question about what books to recommend for a 5th grader who has a high school reading level.   Main Topic - Reading Challenges for the New Year   One of the best things about the New Year is the reset that happens when December flips over into January and you have a full twelve months laid out in front of you with all the possibilities in the world! You’re past the indulgences of the holidays and ready to refocus, make some resolutions, build better habits, and set some goals.  So today I’m going to talk about a few fun ideas for reading challenges this year that can help you connect with your community, keep you motivated, and maybe spur you to stretch yourself as a reader in 2017.   Now our conversation today is geared toward personal reading goals for you, but these same ideas can be shared with the students and the children in your life. And as the lead reader in your library or classroom or home, sharing your own reading goals shows that you take your reading life seriously and that we’re all in this reading community together. I know that my first day back with my class, I’ll be sharing my Reading Challenge list with my students and helping them set up their own. So - if you are thinking about doing a reading challenge this year, here are a few ideas for you:   Challenge Idea #1 - Set a number goal.  Maybe that’s forty books or sixty books or a hundred books! Something that’s a bit of a stretch but still doable for you.  Last year, I participated in the #SixtyBooks Challenge  - I happened to see the hashtag last January and I thought, “I can do that!” And it’s been fantastic. One thing that kept me motivated was connecting to others doing the same challenge on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. So - if you decide to do any kind of challenge, connecting with other readers through social media helps keep you stay excited about it through the year. And if you want to join me this year, just check out #SixtyBooks and we can support each other!   Challenge Idea #2 - Set a goal based on type of book.  These can be found all over the internet this time of year. They are usually focused on adult books but you can easily read middle grade books within those categories and maybe make just a couple adjustments.  A really great one is Book Riot’s yearly Read Harder Challenge which this year features tasks like read a debut novel, read a travel memoir, read a superhero comic with a female lead, or  read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative.  Those last two are definitely going on my list.  I’ll leave a link to that in the show notes and what’s nice about the Book Riot challenge is that they have suggestions for each category, a Goodreads group, and in-person meetups throughout the year.     Another Reading Challenge that my friend Emily told me about is the one from PopSugar. They feature 40 book categories with this year’s theme of diversifying and expanding your reading - love it! Some of their reading prompts are a book involving a mythical creature, a book recommended by a librarian (I love that one), a book by or about a person who has a disability, a book with a main character who is a different ethnicity than you, and some fun ones like a book with a red spine or a book set in a hotel. PopSugar also has an extra twenty prompts for those hardcore readers who finish early. They also have a Goodreads group and printable lists, and I’ll link to their site too so you can check that out.   Another 2017 Reading Challenge that I discovered last week is one hosted by a site called Modern Mrs. Darcy. (Now - already with that name - I’m in!) What I really like about this challenge is that there are two paths you can follow: Reading for Fun or Reading for Growth.  Each have just 12 tasks so they are doable and you might even have time to do both! On the Reading for Fun list are topics like a juicy memoir, a book you chose for the cover, and a book by a new favorite author. Those all sound comfy and great. On the other hand, if you want to stretch yourself and go for the Reading for Growth path there are options like a book that addresses current events, a book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author, or a Newbery Award winner or Honor book.  That all sounds exactly what I need this year.   Challenge Idea #3 - Create a Reading Time Capsule for the year.  I wish I could remember where I saw this so I could give them proper credit, but this idea is similar to the practice of families jotting down happy memories throughout the year and tucking them into a jar to read on New Year’s Eve. This idea is to jot down favorite quotes and inspiring ideas from the books you’ve read throughout the year. I’m thinking that a nice adaptation would be instead of putting it in a jar, write it down in a journal or if you want to go more 21st century - challenge yourself to post on social media one inspiring quote or idea about every book you’ve read this year.  And that could also make a very cool classroom project.   Challenge Idea #4 - Do a Library Crawl!  Unlike a pub crawl, which is typically done in one night and you can’t bring your kids. Or well, you really shouldn’t bring your kids. A Library Crawl can span the whole year, the summer, or maybe just Spring Break. And it’s way better when you bring your kids!  Basically you challenge yourself to visit a set number of libraries in a set amount of time. Last summer, I was looking for some inexpensive things to do with my girls that would be fun, educational, and get us all out of the house and away from the electronics. So we challenged ourselves to visit 16 libraries during the summer of 2016. And we almost made it! I have a lot more to share with you about Library Crawls, how to do them, some fun ideas, and the unexpected benefits that I think I need to do a whole episode on it.     Challenge Idea #5 - Little Free Library Challenge.  Oh how I love Little Free Libraries!  They are popping up all over my community, my friends are all getting them, my school is putting one up this spring, and that is our family summer project. There are a couple ways you could go about doing a Little Free Library Challenge. One idea is to simply visit as many as you can this year and maybe document your travels on social media. If you go to the Little Free Library website, you can find listings of all your local registered libraries shown right on a map.  If you wanted to extend that into a Pay it Forward challenge, you could donate one book to each Little Free Library you visit.   Challenge Idea #6 - Design Your Own Reading Challenge!  Think of it as a 2017 Choose-Your-Own-Reading-Adventure.  Take the best ideas of the options out there and create something for yourself. And these ideas are easy to layer.  So you can set a number goal, participate in say, the Book Riot challenge or pick your own categories to read from the options you like, and maybe pick up those books while you do your library crawl.     Whatever you decide, get your kids and students involved, too and I’d love to see what you’ve got planned for the year!  You can send me an email at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect on Twitter or Instagram with the handle @Books_Between.   Book Talk - Most Anticipated Middle Grade Books of 2017   In this segment, I share with you a few books centered around a theme. This week I’m highlighting some of the most anticipated books of the upcoming year.  Some are new books in favorites series. Some are by favorite authors. Some are by debut authors. And some just sound fantastic! So, get ready to add to your wish list. And just a reminder - that you can find every book mentioned here AND a picture of the covers AND a link to pre-order them right through the Books Between Podcast link at AlltheWonders.com.  So, no need to scurry and write things down. I’ve got your back, I know you’re busy, so it’s all right there for you.   One quick note before I start - publication dates do change, so while I’ve mentioned the month each book is expected to release - things sometimes change.   All right - let’s get to it!   http://www.readbrightly.com/middle-grade-books-2017/ https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/74235.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2017   Coming in January…   Scar Island - a new action adventure by Dan Gemeinhart. So if you liked his other novels The Honest Truth or Some Kind of Courage (which I know you did!) , definitely get this one. A new Jerry Spinelli novel - The Warden’s Daughter. It’s set in 1959 Pennsylvania and oh it looks fantastic! Also in January, we’ll get the third Terrible Twos book - The Terrible Two Go Wild by Mac Barnett & Jory John. And the second Audacity Jones Book - Audacity Jones Steals the Show.  AND another Victoria Coe Fenway & Hattie book - the Evil Bunny Gang! If you were a fan of Counting by 7s, like I am - then look for Holly Sloan’s new novel called Short - it’s about a small-for-her-age girl who gets cast as a Munchkin in a production of The Wizard of Oz. So fans of Oz will have something to love in this book, too! One book I’ve been really looking forward to this year is the short story collection put together in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. It’s called Flying Lessons & Other Stories and features authors like Grace Lin, Matt de la Pena, Jacqueline Woodson and so many others. If you’re like me, and part of your Reading Challenge this year is to read more nonfiction and to read more diversely, then there’s two books to look for this January Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls by Tonya Bolden Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Powell.  It’s the story of the civil rights case set up as a novel in verse. That should be amazing. Coming in February …   This time I’ll start with nonfiction: We have Bats: Learning to Fly - the newest volume in the nonfiction graphic novel series called Science Comics. Then we have Kwame Alexander’s latest called The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life. A great nonfiction pairing for fans of Booked and The Crossover. Also in February, the highly anticipated Judd Winnick graphic novel Hilo 3 - huzzah!   And the debut middle grade novel by picture book author and All the Wonders friend Carter Higgins. It’s called A Rambler Steals Home and it’s about baseball, and family, and friendship, and sweet potato fries - it’s incredible - you absolutely need to get this one!  In fact, if you preorder A Rambler Steals Home from the Once Upon a Time Bookstore, Carter has offered to sign it for you before they ship it out to you. It’s a win-win-win! You get a signed copy of an awesome book, you support an independent bookstore, and you support an author you know and love. So, I’ll include that link in the show notes for you. In March, there are four books I am really looking forward to: Gone Camping: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Wissinger, which is the companion book to the 2015 book Gone Fishing. Forget Me Not by debut middle grade author  Ellie Terry featuring a science-loving main character, Calliope, who has Tourette syndrome. A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold This one is about a kid who ends up caring for a baby skunk and tried to convince his mom to let him keep it.  What could go wrong? And - we get a new Nathan Hale book this year!  It’s not a Hazardous Tale’s book. In fact, it’s almost the opposite of that. It’s set in the future and Earth is being attacked by aliens who suck up the energy from electrical devices leaving our civilization under threat. And there’s a robot pony. It’s so different from Hale’s work that I’m familiar with, but it looks original and fresh and amazing and I can’t wait to read it.   In April we have: The first book in a new mystery series by Adrienne Kress called The Explorers: The Door in the Alley. My students are really loving mysteries this year so this will make a great addition to my classroom library. Tito the Bonecrusher by Melissa Thomson. This is the story of a boy who seeks out the help of his favorite lucha-libre wrestler / action star to save his father from being deported to Mexico. That sounds fantastic and funny and... timely!   May is going to be a stellar month for reading: Georgia Rules by Swing Sideways author Nanci Steveson And a new Lisa Graff novel called The Great Treehouse War.  So if you liked Absolutely Almost or Lost in the Sun, look for this one this spring. A new Gordon Korman stand-alone novel called Restart about boy who was a bully who loses his memory and gets a fresh start. What an interesting premise! Another May release that I am so so excited about is Posted by Ms. Bixby’s Last Day author, John David Anderson. I loved Ms. Bixby so much - I can’t wait to see what Anderson has in store for us next! Then there’s a nonfiction book about Hamilton! It’s called Alexander Hamilton: How the Vision of One Man Shaped Modern America by Teri Kanefield And finally - mark your calendars and pre-order Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder because this book has been getting all the buzz. This novel keeps popping up everywhere I look!   In June we have: A 6th Ranger in Time book called Escape from the Great Earthquake   The third book in Phil Bildner’s Rip & Red series!  This one is called Tournament of Champions. My students are going to psyched about this one!   And a second book from A Distance to Home author Jenn Bishop called 14 Hollow Road. It’s about a 6th grade girl whose town is torn apart by a tornado and her family ends up living with the family of her crush, Avery, after both their houses are destroyed.   A fun book in a new non-fiction series called Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive! So, basically the reader is presented with three stories about the natural world and you have to guess which one is the lie. Sounds fun - and good practice for life.     It’s a good thing I have July off from school, because there are some seriously awesome books being released that month: Including a new Comics Squad!  Comics Squad #3: Detention I love these! They’re fun, they’re quick, and they introduce kids to new writers. Another book to look forward to in July is Our Story Begins : Children’s Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew as Kids Oh - now that should be good! And also in July, we’ll get Spirit Hunters - the first middle grade novel by Ellen Oh - this one is the first of a new ghost story series. Can’t wait for that! And - I am also excited for July because that’s when Abby Cooper’s second novel, Bubbles, comes out!   In this one, the main character can see other people’s thoughts. Oh god - can you imagine?   August August is going to be fabulous because we get a new Cassie Beasley book. If you liked Circus Mirandus, her new novel is called Tumble & Blue and it’s about a curse, a swamp, and a golden alligator.   So after August, publication dates get a little hazy. BUT - I hear there’s a new Katherine Applegate book coming called Wishtree.  Also - there’s a fourth Al Capone at Alcatraz book coming out in the fall called Al Capone Does My Dishes.   And the Rick Riordon’s third Magnus Chase book: The Ship of the Dead . And the third Mr. Lemoncello's Library - the Great Library Race   And of course - I’ll keep you posted about all the amazing books headed our way so we can stay up to date. Those were some upcoming titles to look forward to in 2017. But. If I had to guess - the one book that you fall in love with this year, that one new book that your kids can’t put down. Is one that isn’t on this list and isn’t even on your radar right now. Most of my favorites of last year, I wasn’t even aware of them this early. And that’s exciting! There is so much to look forward to!   Q & A Our final segment this week is Question & Answer time.   Question: After sharing our Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2016 list last week, I got this question from Jane: “Do you have an idea what book to get a 10-yr-old boy who reads on a 12th grade level?” And she added, “He is currently into the Warriors series.”   Answer: That can be a tough situation. He CAN read Young Adult or Adult books, but you’ve got to be careful of the content, which might not be okay for a 5th grader.     A quick example / horror story about that: when I used to teach 6th grade in a middle school, one of the reading assessments we gave was a computer program that would determine a reading level and would then print out a recommended list of titles for each kid. Sounds great, right? Well. I noticed that the kids who scored the highest were being recommended A CLOCKWORK ORANGE! I never ripped a piece of paper out of kid’s hand so fast! (Can you imagine if that went home?)   So - anyway - just because the reading level is a good match, does not mean the book is a good fit.   But - there are lots of middle grade books that have a higher reading level. And if he likes Fantasy, then there are some great books that I think he’ll like.  I might try the Wings of Fire series. It has some similarities to Warriors - there are clans and battles and shifting alliances - but it’s dragons instead of cats.  He might really like The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz or maybe The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin or even The Lord of The Rings which is more “high” fantasy.  Another option that a friend recommended is The Riverman Trilogy by Aaron Starmer.   So, Jane - let us know how things go and if you’ve found something that hits the mark.   Closing   Alright, that’s it for the Q&A section this week. If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And when you are there, check out Matthew’s interview with Cozy Classics creators Jack and Holman Wang. I cannot stop reading and rereading these adorable little board books. And, if you are liking our show, I’d love it if you took a second to leave a rating or review on iTunes or Stitcher.   Thanks, Happy New Year, and see you in two weeks!  Bye!

A mashup of lightning-round interviews conducted at the YALLWEST festival with Susane Colasanti, Kody Keplinger, Alexandra Bracken, Kiersten White, Gwenda Bond, Adi Alsaid, Margot Wood, Stephanie Kuehn, Jessica Spotswood, Brendan Reichs, Robin Benway, Ellen Oh, Amy Tintera, Maurene Goo, Marie Lu, Victoria Aveyard, Erin Bowman and Seth Fishman. YALLWEST 2016 episode show notes The LATFoB First Draft show Alexandra Bracken, THE DARKEST MINDS, PASSENGER, A NEW HOPE: THE PRINCESS, THE SCOUNDREL, AND THE FARMBOY Kiersten White, PARANORMALCY, AND I DARKEN (listen to her full First Draft interview here) The BOXCAR CHILDREN series  Adi Alsaid NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES, NORTH OF HAPPY  (listen to his full First Draft interview here) Amy Tintera, RUINED (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Ellen Oh, the PROPHECY series, THE SPIRIT HUNTERS (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Erin Bowman, TAKEN, VENGEANCE ROAD, RETRIBUTION RAILS (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Gwenda Bond, the LOIS LANE series, GIRL ON A WIRE Brendan Reichs, VIRALS and NEMESIS J. R. R. Tolkien THE HOBBIT Jessica Spotswood the CAHILL WITCH CHRONICLES and WILD SWANS, and A TYRANNY OF PETTICOATS LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott RAYMIE NIGHTENGALE by Kate DiCamillo Margot Wood EPIC READS The Addams Family (TV show) Hannibal (TV show) SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris TIGER LILY by Jodi Lynn Anderson Maurene Goo SINCE YOU ASKED and I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE (listen to her full First Draft interview here) THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot Zadie Smith Kody Keplinger, THE DUFF, RUN Rainbow Rowell ELEANOR & PARK Marie Lu, LEGEND and THE YOUNG ELITES (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Leigh Bardugo, SIX OF CROWS (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Brian Jacques MATTIMEO Robin Benway, EMMY & OLIVER (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Seth Fishman THE WELL’S END and DARK WATER LORD OF THE RINGS by J. R. R. Tolkien Liz Moore THE UNSEEN WORLD Stephanie Kuehn THE SMALLER EVIL and CHARM AND STRANGE (listen to her full First Draft interview here) Susane Colasanti LOST IN LOVE Victoria Aveyard RED QUEEN series (listen to her full First Draft interview here)

April 30, 2015. In conjunction with the American Library Association's national DIA celebration, the Young Readers Center and the Center for the Book convened a symposium to explore how to use culturally diverse literature to support families and teen literacy. Deborah Taylor, coordinator for school and student services of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, moderated a distinguished panel of authors including Kwame Alexander (2015 Newbery Award winner), Meg Medina, Ellen Oh, Gigi Amateau and Tim Tingle. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7116

Sep. 5, 2015. Ellen Oh discusses "King" at the 2015 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Speaker Biography: A former lawyer who taught academic research and writing, Ellen Oh has a curiosity for ancient Asian history which has inspired her work on the young adult Prophecy series. When she found a lack of material on Korean history in local bookstores, her father assisted her research by translating many Korean history books. Her main method for writing the novel “Prophecy” involved scribbling on scrap paper and post-it notes during rush hour traffic. The third and final volume of the Prophecy series is “King.” Despite growing up in New York City, she has yet to find a perfect bagel. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6946

Boisterous, eloquent, and just the tiniest bit zany, Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times best-selling author of TANTALIZE and RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME, took me out for tacos and taught me a thing or twelve. I loved hearing her wise words on diversity in YA, paying it forward with newer writers, and writing 200 drafts of a single picture book.   Cynthia Leitich Smith Show Notes Dear Sugar Kathi Appelt  and Austin SCBWI Greg Leitich Smith Varian Johnson, Don Tate Brett Hartman JINGLE DANCER Ming Doyle, illustrator for Cynthia’s graphic novels Deborah Noyse at Candlewick press (editor) SANTA KNOWS illustrated by Steve Bjorkman (edited by Mark McVeigh at Dutton) HOLLER LOUDLY TWILIGHT Joss Whedon FERAL PRIDE Sara Zarr  Ellen Oh’s post on Cynsations FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg Judy Blume  

  Ellen Oh has been called a force of nature, and it’s true - the woman can get things done. But she’s also a fierce friend and loving mom, whose nearly decade-long quest to publication with debut novel PROPHECY was started because she couldn’t find books that reflected her story, or the Korean history she found so fascinating. Ellen can be series, sure (I mean, she _was_ a lawyer), but her laugh is infectious and she’s a laser-focused ball of energy when it comes to talking about history, how her kids are her toughest critique partners, and of course, spearheading the We Need Diverse Books campaign.

Art Is My Occupation was presented by Institute for Diversity in the Arts, Art & History Department, Career Development Center and Stanford Arts Institute. Thank you to coordinating committee members, Ellen Oh, Zoe Luhtala, Margot Buck Gilliland and Stav Ziv. 1/22/2013: Anthem Salgado of Art of Hustle appeared onsite at Stanford University to talk about life as a professional artist and/or arts administrator, followed by tips and tactics for putting together your resume, bio, statement, portfolio. Thank you for subscribing! Please rate the podcast and leave comments. I look forward to building with you. More information and tons of free tips on marketing and management at: ArtOfHustle.com.

Please show your support for Asian American content on the airwaves. Call in tonight  between 7 and 8 p.m. (during Apex Express) to 1-800-439-5732  or 510-848-5732 or visit online to make a donation; no donation is too small. Let KPFA and Pacifica know that you want Asian American programming to continue. We are offering a CD of the multicultural jazz group, Kotolán for a donation of $45. But every little helps. And our line-up for tonight includes a looksie at love and weddings through the lens of wedding photographers including photographers from Orange Photography and Chaz Cruz. We also check in with Ellen Oh with Kearny Street Workshop about their A Sensory Feast exhibition at SOMArts, which includes an installation with the National Bitter Melon Council. Co-Founder Hiroko Kikuchi explains her appreciation for this vegetable and how she thinks it can build community. With Hosts RJ and Robynn. The post APEX Express – February 17, 2011 appeared first on KPFA.

Audio File:  Download MP3Transcript: An Interview with Ellen Siminoff President and CEO, Shmoop University Date: June 1, 2009 Ellen Siminoff: Shmoop University Lucy Sanders: Hi, this is Lucy Sanders. I'm the CEO of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, or NCWIT, and this is one of a continuing series of interviews that we're doing with really just outstanding women who have started IT companies. With me is Larry Nelson from W3W3.com. Hi, Larry and welcome. Larry Nelson: I am so happy to be here. This is going to be a very interesting interview. As we get into it Ellen is going to see that there's some similarities between us. Lucy: Well, that's a pretty scary thought. Larry: Yeah, it is; isn't it? Lucy: Ellen, run. Today we are interviewing Ellen Siminoff, and she is the President and CEO of Shmoop University. Now, this site is something that our listeners really must go and see. They have a great mission. Shmoop is an education Website, and their goal is to make everyone lovers of literature, history and poetry. I went there last night and started looking around, and I really like the idea of their Book Club where they review books and even have questions for teachers to use with books, and I thought it was really fascinating that people creating their content, master's degree students and Ph.D. students, really looking for great original and creative content to help students and teachers. I found a little humor on the site as well, so it really cracked me up. Shmoop guarantees better grades. There was an asterisk next to it, and it said: "not an actual guarantee." Anyway, welcome, Ellen, we're really happy to have you for this interview. Ellen Siminoff: Thanks for the great review of this site. That was great. Lucy: Well, we're really happy to have you and before we get into the entrepreneur questions, I really wanted to know how you came up with the name, "Shmoop," and what's going on with the company. Ellen: Well, I started the company with my husband. Shmoop is a Yiddish term for trying to move something forward a little bit. So, my husband's grandmother always used to say to him, "Shmoop this, shmoop that" so we're trying to move education and learning forward a little bit. Larry: Shmoop, I love it. Lucy: I love it. Down in Louisiana we used to say we were carrying somebody from here to there, even though you're actually driving them. Now, we can say we shmoop around. Larry: I'm for shmooping. Lucy: I'm for shmooping. Well so, Ellen, how did you first get into technology? You are using technology in the delivery of your company, obviously, and so our listeners would really like to know what you're looking at as particularly interesting technologies today. Ellen: I got into technology because I was really interested in media, and media became very important to technology. I started a different company with my husband many, many years ago. It was about 18 years ago, and we were distributing television programming in eastern Europe and that made me love the media industry. Then I went to the Los Angeles Times, and I started running their online Classifieds. This was really early. It was like 1994 when the Internet, and if you remember Prodigy and CompuServe and AOL were all fighting it out. I started realizing that technology could be used to deliver media in a really interesting way. Larry: Wow, that's terrific. Remember, I warned you up front that there's something that we have in common. First of all, on your Website there's so many things I like about your Website, but I am also, like you, a lover of chocolate. Ellen: All right. Larry: I'm a cheese head. I used to live in Wisconsin. Ellen: All right. Larry: And I still struggle with golf, so I think that's enough similarities, right? Ellen: Those are great similarities, but have you been shot? Larry: No, but I almost shot my dad when we were hunting once. Lucy: Have you been shot? I'm sure there's more to that story. Larry: It's on the Website. Lucy: Oh, I better go look at that part of it. Well so, Ellen, I was sitting here thinking about technology today. Do you see any particular technologies on the horizon that you think are pretty interesting? Ellen: I'm a big lover of the Kindle. I think the approach Amazon and, obviously, some others in that space have taken about taking a text book and providing a much easier way for students to get their information. I think it's fabulous. I think, first of all, we don't need to have orthopedic problems from carrying around back packs loaded with books, and second, text books are really expensive. They has to be a less expensive way to deliver the same amount of material, so I'm really excited about that one. Larry: Yeah, I am, too. Now that they've got the new, big one, I like that even more. Ellen: As I get older, the bigger print would be fine. Lucy: I see them on planes more and more now. Ellen: Yes, I actually always bring mine every time I travel because, why lug a book around? Larry: Right, you bet. Well, I get the part about technology and all, but why are you an entrepreneur, and what is it about you that makes the entrepreneur part of you tick? Ellen: Well, I think entrepreneurs are people who would be just dreadful employees... because it's chosen for us. For me, I have always sort of gone with smaller companies that I like the people and the idea. When I started Yahoo, we were just a handful of folks, and we thought we were changing the world. Hopefully, we did to some extent. I started up Fischer Frontier which subsequently became the largest search engine marketing firm when it was just a couple of guys with a really neat math algorithm. Shmoop, my husband and I came up with in our back yard. So, for me it's about the idea and the people and the excitement of creating it. The other benefit of being an entrepreneur is you have very little bureaucracy. When a decision needs to be made, you sort of look around at your four or five key people and you resolve it quickly, and that's exciting for me. Lucy: So, along your path you're a serial entrepreneur and you've had a lot of success along your path, who has influenced or supported you? Who are your role models? Ellen: Well, if it hasn't become clear, my husband has been really supportive which I think is great. We've worked together a number of times, and he's pushed me more than I probably would have pushed myself. I have phenomenal parents who basically told me dream big and we're your number one fans, whatever you want to do. So, they've been great, and I've had some terrific teachers along the way. Back to the Wisconsin thing, I had a great eighth grade teacher at Mapledale Elementary School who told me, "You might be pretty smart. Think about what you might want to do in life". I was in eighth grade, and I still remember that conversation. Lucy: Isn't it amazing that you do? That kind of influence on young people by teachers, it really sticks. Ellen: It's amazing. We actually have a page on Shmoop, a teachers' page, that we literally went to the Ph.D.s and Masters I alluded to before and all of us here at the office have said, "So which teacher influenced you the most?" We wound up with this great list of our favorite teachers and how they impacted our lives. And I think that every person who's reasonably successful can identify one of the teachers who made a big difference to them. Larry: Oh, that's fantastic. You know, you mentioned you and your husband. My wife and I, we've started 12 different companies over the years, and it's an extra little plus that as an entrepreneur you can do that. Ellen: That's great. That's inspirational. We have a few more to go. Larry: Well, OK. I'm just a kid, but... Ellen, what is the toughest thing that you have ever had to do in your career? Ellen: Oh, I think the toughest thing anyone has to do is ask someone to leave a company when that person is doing a good job, but they're somehow... morals or conduct or behavior goes against what you want your company to do. I think any CEO or hiring person will tell you, that's the hardest call you ever have to make. Lucy: And, in fact, I think we've done about 50 of these interviews, and that comes up over and over and over again, I think, along with having to leave a company you don't want to leave. Ellen: Yeah, transitions are very hard. I think transitions in life are very hard, and transitions in companies are very hard. The reality is, there's a certain number of years when you're productive to a company, and even if you're doing a good job, you reach a certain comfort level, and sometimes it makes sense to bring in some fresh blood. Lucy: I think that's right, if for no other reason that your network's been tapped out, or something else, that other people can bring in new thinking. So, this gets us into our next question. I think this notion that transitions are hard is really insightful. What other things would you tell a young person or anybody about entrepreneurship, and what kinds of advice would give them? Ellen: I think there's two things I would tell someone. The first is a practical thing, which is, do something you love, and do it with people you love or like, and all good things will come from that. I can't tell you the number of people who turn down great opportunities because their friends told them it was a bad idea, or it didn't fit in the sort of boxes that they had been taught in business school about how to evaluate an idea, or someone told them the business is going to be bad. So, you've got to, a lot of times, go with your instincts, and go with the businesses that make sense to you, and that you doing it, and with people you like, and then I would bet the percentages are in your favor. The second idea I would have for someone is a little less practical, but more of a gut instinct thing, and that is, don't worry so much. I think if you work hard, and you get a little bit lucky, and your timing is good, you will find good opportunities. If I had known how much fun I would have had doing different things, I wouldn't have worried so much along the way. Larry: Wow. Lucy: Is there a Yiddish word for, "Don't worry so much?" Ellen: No, I don't know that one, but I'll have to call my dad. Lucy: I think it could lead to a new company name. Ellen: I always think of, hakuna matata, right? Lucy: Yes, that's right. Exactly. But, I think you're right. Ellen: It's not Yiddish, but it should be. Larry: You got it. Lucy: It probably should be. Larry: Well, I've got to ask another question here that pertains to everything we've talked about so far, but we're now looking at you. What are some personal characteristics that make you a successful entrepreneur? Ellen: I think it's relentlessness, right? I think anybody's who's willing to face in the Internet world zero wages, zero revenue, you know, and a blank sheet of paper, I think yes, you have to have a certain passion, and relentlessness, and drive, and be internally focused, that you don't need someone every day telling you, "This is a great idea. You're going to do great." You've got to just have it from within and be laser-focused on executing. Lucy: I'm just writing this down. I mean, I think the laser focus is exactly right, and the relentlessness, you know, we've heard before, as well. Some people have said even, "stubborn," or... Ellen: I don't know that I would necessarily always write stubborn, because there's a fine line between being crazy and being brilliant. Lucy: That's true. Ellen: Most of the people will tell you that their original idea was not always their final idea, so you need to have a balance of having great conviction in what your doing, but being flexible with what the environment is telling you. Lucy: So, you had a very successful career starting companies, and obviously when you start a company, I'm sure you put everything into it, and give it your all, and people often want to know, well, how then do you balance that with a personal life, if, in fact, balance really exists? Ellen: Oh, I believe in balance. I think you set limits. I think that working smart is a lot better than working every hour of every day. I think being efficient matters. I've seen people take so much time to do something, where that could be done a lot quicker, and I sometimes think when you have more things to do, you're more focused about the things you have to get done. In terms of balance, you just have to. Nobody goes to their grave saying, "I wish I would have worked harder." Lucy: Absolutely. Ellen: I have a great family. I run half-marathons. I have deadly, struggling golf game, and I think the Spectaculars are the most fun, coolest organization on earth. So, you've got to get out there and do other thing, and I think you have a better approach to work when you do. Larry: That's some excellent advice. Gaining balance, or whatever that is, is one of the most difficult thing for new entrepreneurs, but they've got to somehow, as time goes along, really build that balance into their life. Ellen: Oh, you're so right. And you've gone on with your life, so it's especially... I do know couples where one of them doesn't like to come home and talk about work or the other doesn't. We just incorporate it in our lives. Lucy: There's an integration process there, I think. Ellen: Yeah. But at the same point, there are points, you know, my husband... you know, sometimes people are amazed that they'll say something to Dave, and he'll say, "Well, I don't know about this, that's in Ellen's area." And they think that all we do 100 percent of the time is only talk our business stuff, and there are sometimes many days we don't even discuss anything "businessy." Lucy: Well, that's so healthy, and also, you find things that way. Sometimes you find things when you just open up like that, that relate to the business that you never would have seen if you were just working all the time. So, that's very powerful. So, Ellen, you've achieved a lot, and we like to find out from the people we interview what's next for you. You obviously have a new company and so you'll probably be putting a lot of time into that, but anything else you'd like to share, either what's next for you, or what's next for Shmoop? Ellen: Well, I think for Shmoop, I think we've done a really good job on lit., and history and poetry. We're going to do more in civics and get some of the math and sciences up there, because I think it's really important to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic. So, we've got to add the third stool. Lucy: Well, we'd really like to talk about computing. Ellen: Oh, wow, that would be great! Lucy: Well, thank you so much. I just love your site. Larry: I love your site, and I just want to say this one thing. Lucy referred to this, but she buried it a little bit. Right off of your Website, one headline there that really caught my attention said, "Shmoop wants to make you a better lover." Lucy: Of literature. Larry: Well, then, in parenths. Lucy: Oh. Larry: "Of literature, history, poetry, and writing. I'm just getting in the complete line." Lucy: Oh, OK. Ellen: Well, you know, if you just become a better lover, that'd be OK, too, but we'd like you to like lit., history, and poetry. Larry: Oh, a fellow cheese head for sure. Thank you so much, Ellen, for joining us today. Ellen: My pleasure. Thank you for having me. Larry: And by the way, you listeners out there, make sure you pass this interview on to others that you know would be interested, and they can find the entire thing, and download it at any time at ncwit.org, as well as w3w3.com. Thank you for joining us. Lucy: Thank you. Transcription by CastingWords Series: Entrepreneurial HeroesInterviewee: Ellen SiminoffInterview Summary: Entrepreneurs are "people who would be just dreadful employees", says Ellen Siminoff. For those who go the entrepreneurship route, however, the appeal is in "the idea and the people and the excitement of creating something." Release Date: June 1, 2009Interview Subject: Ellen SiminoffInterviewer(s): Lucy Sanders, Larry NelsonDuration: 15:42