Podcasts about Kekla Magoon

Marissa chats with Kekla Magoon about her new middle grade time travel fantasy, THE SECRET LIBRARY. Also discussed in this episode: How secrets can take many forms (goats!), writing stories non-linearly, how creating a timeline can help catch inconsistencies and track continuity, how sometimes you need to write the whole book to feel confident enough to try to sell it, mining old files for potential new projects, and so much more!The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. Writing Mastery AcademyUse the code HAPPYWRITER at WritingMastery.com for $20 off your first year of unlimited access.Red Herrings SocietyUse the code HappyWriter at RedHerringWriters.com to try the first month for free.Amplify MarketersOur mission is to help your message rise above the noise so it can be heard loud & clear.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377 Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

This week on From the Front Porch, it's another New Release Rundown! Annie, Erin, and Olivia are sharing the May releases they're excited about to help you build your TBR. When you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10% off your order! To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (type “Episode 475” into the search bar and tap enter to find the books mentioned in this episode), or shop on The Bookshelf's official app: Annie's books: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (5/7) Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan (5/21) Knife River by Justine Champine (5/28) Olivia's books: The Kid by Jeff Schill (5/7) The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (5/7) The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (5/21) Erin's books: Last House by Jessica Shattuck (5/14) When We Were Silent by Fiona McPhillips (5/21) I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue (5/21) From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today's episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum. Olivia is reading The Unwedding by Ally Condie. Erin is listening to Funny Story by Emily Henry. If you liked what you heard in today's episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Jennifer Bannerton, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Susan Hulings, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Here are select highlights from our conversation with NYtimes bestselling, award-winning author Cynthia Leitich Smith:   Story as a circle, gathering, and communal effort Figuring out where your voice can best serve and where your heart beats with hope Building on “and” instead of “vs” Inviting people into the conversation AND being a part of the conversation Social media dynamics as both tricky and powerful Approaches to book promotion that start locally How we can never surrender progress made by generations before Only asking kids to take on battles we're willing to engage in ourselves    Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) is a NYTimes bestseller, 2024 Southern Mississippi Medallion Winner, and 2021 NSK Neustadt Laureate. Her titles include HEARTS UNBROKEN, which won an American Indian Youth Literature Award, the anthology ANCESTOR APPROVED, an Indigenous PETER PAN retelling titled SISTERS OF THE NEVERSEA, HARVEST HOUSE, which is one of five Bram Stoker Award® Nominees for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, and—the BLUE STARS series, also by Kekla Magoon and Molly Murakami. Cynthia looks forward to ON A WING AND A TEAR for middle graders. She is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint of HarperChildren's.   Website: https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/ IG: @cynthialeitichsmith

Comic Reviews: DC Bat-Man: First Knight 1 by Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, Mike Spicer Blue Beetle 7 by Josh Trujillo, Scott Kolins, Cully Hamner, Howard Porter, Adrian Gutierrez, Natacha Bustos, Laura Martin, Wil Quintana, Hi-Fi, Luis Guerrero Marvel Aliens: What If…? 1 by Paul Reiser, Leon Reiser, Adam Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff, Brian Volk-Weiss, Guiu Vilanova, Yen Nitro Giant-Size Spider-Gwen by Melissa Flores, Alba Glez, Elisabetta D'Amico, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace 1 by Iman Vellani, Sabir Pirzada, Scott Godlewski, Erick Arciniega Spectacular Spider-Men 1 by Greg Weisman, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado Ultimate X-Men 1 by Peach Momoko, Zack Davisson Weapon X-Men 1 by Christos Gage, Yildiray Cinar, Nolan Woodard Marvel Unlimited It's Jeff 33 by Kelly Thompson, GuriHiru Image Last Mermaid 1 by Derek Kirk Kim IDW Golgotha Motor Mountain 1 by Matthew Erman, Lonnie Nadler, Robbi Rodriguez, Marissa Louise TMNT: Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution 1 by Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Luis Antonio Delgado Oni Night People 1 by Barry Gifford, Chris Condon, Brian Level, Ronda Pattison Ablaze Torpedo 1972 1 by Enrique Sanchez-Abuli, Eduardo Risso OGNs Marble Queen by Anna Kopp, Gabrielle Kari Lastman Vol 4 by Balak, Bastian Vives, Michael Sanlaville Army of One by Tony Lee, Yishan Lee Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught Blue Stars by Kekla Magoon, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Molly Murakami I Feel Awful, Thanks by Lara Pickle Magic Girls: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess by Megan Brennan Making Friends: Together Forever by Kristen Gudsnuk Rainbow! by Gloom and Sunny Table Titans Club by Scott Kurtz Additional Reviews: Kung-Fu Panda 4, Iwaju, Damsel Madame Web Challenge – Update Oscars 2024 News: ATLA Live-Action renewed, Scout relaunch, Zaslav strikes, My Adventures with Superman comic by Josie Campbell, Scarlet mini by Kelly Thompson, Destro by Dan Watters, X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse by Steve Foxe, new romance comic by Jeremy Whitley from Mad Cave, Black Label Zatanna series by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez, Mario sequel release date Trailers: Garfield, Wild Robot, Inside Out 2, Ripley, Late Night With the Devil Comics Countdown (06 Mar 2024): 1.     Love Everlasting 13 by Tom King, Elsa Charretier, Matt Hollingsworth 2.     Bat-Man: The First Knight 1 by Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, Mike Spicer 3.     Marble Queen GN by Anna Kopp, Gabrielle Kari 4.     Batman 145 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey 5.     Doctor Strange 13 by Jed MacKay, Pasqual Ferry, Heather Moore 6.     Blue Beetle 7 by Josh Trujillo, Scott Kolins, Cully Hamner, Howard Porter, Adrian Gutierrez, Natacha Bustos, Laura Martin, Wil Quintana, Hi-Fi, Luis Guerrero 7.     Ultimate X-Men 1 by Peach Momoko, Zack Davisson 8.     Nice Jewish Boys 5 by Neil Kleid, John Broglia, Ellie Wright 9.     Table Titans Club GN by Scott Kurtz 10.  Birds of Prey 7 by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Jordie Bellaire    

Becky, Austin and Jakob discuss the work of author Kekla Magoon including: The Rock and the River, X, Revolution in Our Time, How It Went Down, The Minus-One Club, and Chester Keene Cracks the Code. Introductory reading from Revolution In Our Time. 

Host Connor Cyrus chats with young adult author Kekla Magoon about her new book, The Minus-One Clubi

Kekla Magoon, Jetta Martin, Waldo Martin Jr., Cinnamongirl Olivia, Kimberly Cox Marshall The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense rocked the world with a revolutionary vision whose legacy still burns bright. Get to know the stories behind the movement with three renowned authors: Kekla Magoon (“Revolution in Our Time”) and Jetta Martin and Waldo Martin, Jr. (“Freedom! The Story of the Black Panther Party”).

First Draft Episode #350: Amanda Oliver Amanda Oliver, former librarian and author of OVERDUE: Reckoning with the Public Library. Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Reza Aslan, professor at U.C. Riverside's MFA program and author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth Claire Comstock Gay, author of weekly horoscopes for New York magazine's The Cut, and her debut book about astrology, Madame Clairevoyant's Guide to the Stars, Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir by Rebecca Solnit

This first episode provides a summary of and reading of the first pages of Kekla Magoon’s award-winning novel. **It has come to my attention that I did not pronounce Magoon’s name correctly in this first video. Now that I know better I will do better and get it right in subsequent videos.

This episode provides a brief analysis of how place functions in the text, especially as it intersects with race. Here’s a well-resourced good start at learning about sundown towns:

In this episode, I talk about my reaction to Magoon’s story. Representation matters, so I think one of the most important aspects of this book is that it gives readers opportunities to engage with the fact that people of color exist and thrive and experience hardship and joy in rural spaces. That they sometimes wantContinue reading "RRYAL: Kekla Magoon’s Season of Styx Malone Episode 3"

In this episode, I drop some rapid fire ideas and then talk more in depth about how I would run place-based book clubs that look across Black experiences in rural and urban places. The clubs would serve to offer students an opportunity to explore and think with one another about the similarities and differences ofContinue reading "RRYAL: Kekla Magoon’s Season of Styx Malone Episode 4"

Tyla Collier delivers Kekla Magoon's narrative of how centuries of abuse to Black Americans led to deep unrest and the founding of the Black Panther Party. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile's Michele Cobb discuss this National Book Award finalist for Youth literature. The Black Panthers' “power to the people” was less about militancy and more about gaining equity in education, health care, justice, and politics and seeking gender equality. Listeners young and old alike will be affected by the audiobook's emotive tone, tragic events, and parallels to recent events. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile's website. Published by Listening Library. Sign up for a live talk with narrators about REVOLUTION IN OUR TIME and more excellent nonfiction audiobooks on January 25th. Register for Hearing History with Black Voices on Zoom. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Support for Behind the Mic comes from Oasis Family Media, the home of Oasis Audio, Enclave Audio, Paperback Classics, and Hollywoodland audio books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First Draft Episode #335: Kekla Magoon Kekla Magoon is the award-winning author of many novels and nonfiction books for kids and teens, including How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and her newest, Revolution In Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People. The presenting sponsor for this episode is Sips By, a multi-brand, personalized monthly tea subscription box. Use offer code "draftsips” for 50% off your first Sips By box! Links to Topics Mentioned In This Episode: Norma Fox Mazer, author of The Missing Girl, Good Night Maman, Missing Pieces, and many more Vermont College for Fine Arts' MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (listen to this excellent interview with him on The Stacks podcast) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo Blackbirds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert, author of Pointe, Little & Lion, The Only Black Girls in Town, and The Voting Booth. Hear Brandy's First Draft interviews here, here, and here! African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History by Tracey Baptiste

Vermont author Kekla Magoon has been going where few children's authors dare to go, tackling topics such as racism and social justice in her books. She is now being recognized as one of America's top writers for young adults.Magoon was a finalist for this year's National Book Award, one of the world's most prestigious literary prizes, for her new book for young adults, Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People.It is a magisterial 400-page work that explores black resistance starting with colonialism in Africa and leading up to the Black Panthers and the Black Lives Matter movement.Magoon, who is on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, said that her new book “carries the weight of history and it carries the power to inspire young people to say, ‘Oh I see myself in this and I'm going to use my voice.'”Earlier this year, Magoon received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for “her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.” This is essentially a lifetime achievement award that Magoon won at the age of 41. The ALA proclaimed, “Kekla Magoon's powerful prose and complex characters enrich literature for young adults by bearing witness to the trauma and triumph of the American Civil Rights Movement.” Magoon's other books include X, a teen novel about civil rights leader Malcolm X that she co-authored with his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, and How it Went Down, about the complicated aftermath of a shooting of a Black teenager. Magoon is also a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, John Steptoe New Talent Award, NAACP Image Award and other honors.Magoon told the Vermont Conversation that her writing “is a powerful opportunity to be telling Black history as a Black woman in this country. It's part of what I value in the world. I want to be an activist. But I'm not the person who marches and protests. I'm really good at writing. So I choose to use the skills that I have to advance the …causes that I believe in.”Magoon is determined “to push back against everyone who wants to diminish young Black people. Because there are a lot of people out there that don't want us to recognize and own our power, that don't want us to have a space and a voice in the world. So the best thing I can do is to model the ability to do both of those things.”“I try to use my writing skills to make the world a better place.”

Maurice highlights African American History Month, career development, and leisure programs. Molly talks about four Open Book/Open Mind events as well as a few more. Kiersten shares fiction titles that won Youth Media Awards in 2021 that are available digitally or physically in our collection. Ken shares new February adult fiction titles. Adrienne explores the beginning of There There by Tommy Orange. Ariel interviews local author Gabrielle Glaser on her new book, "American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption." Books Discussed: A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles Blood Grove by Walter Mosley Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibrim X. Kindi Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story, by Daniel Nayeri Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh We Are Not Free by Tracy Chee All the Days Past, All the Days to Come,” by Mildred D. Taylor Legendborn by Tracy Deonn This is My Brain in Love by I. W. Gregorio Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender This Light Between Us, by Andrew Fukuda They Went Left by Monica Hesse X: A Novel, by Kekla Magoon, co-written by Ilyasah Shabazz How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon Fire in the Streets by Kekla Magoon

Kekla is the author of many award-winning books for young people. Her next book is the upcoming THE HIGHEST TRIBUTE: THURGOOD MARSHALL’S LIFE, LEADERSHIP, AND LEGACY. Kekla can be found on Twitter @keklamagoon. Her website is keklamagoon.com.Mentioned in this Episode:Bridgerton series by Julia QuinnBridgerton series on NetflixDerry GirlsLaura FreemanRuby BridgesThe Blue Stars by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich-SmithCynthia Leitich-SmithHow It Went Down by Kekla MagoonX: A Novel by Kekla Magoon and Ilyasah ShabazzOur episode with Amanda GoteraNorma Fox MazerLegendborn by Tracy DeonnGreat British BakeoffRevolution in Our TimeThe Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-HeronStrange Fruit by Billie HolidayAbout Us:Truer Words is created and produced by Melissa Baumgart and Kathryn Benson. Our music was composed by Mike Sayre, and our logo was designed by Marianne Murphy.You can follow us on Twitter @truerwordspod and on Instagram @truerwordspodcast. Contact us via our website, truerwordspodcast.com, or email us at truerwordspodcast@gmail.com.

Enjoy our presentation of X: a Novel written by Ilyasah Shabazz  and Kekla Magoon, and published by Candlewick Press. Malcolm Little's parents have always told him that he can achieve anything, but from what he can tell, that's a pack of lies. There's no point in trying, he figures, and lured by the nightlife of Boston and New York, he escapes into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. But Malcolm's efforts to leave the past behind lead him into increasingly dangerous territory. X follows the boy who would become Malcolm X from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today.This title is a 2016 NAACP Image Award-winner and Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. X: a Novel is recommended for ages 14+ for violence, language, and references to drug use. Please visit Common Sense Media for more information and reviews: http://bit.ly/XReviewsThis title is available as an ebook through Libby: http://bit.ly/XLibbyEbookPlease visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.Music: Sad Clown (excerpt) by Orquesta Arrecife. Licensed under CC BY-SA 1.0 http://www.opsound.org/artist/orquestaarrecife/

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 6, 2020 is: legerdemain • lej-er-duh-MAYN • noun 1 : sleight of hand 2 : a display of skill and adroitness Examples: "An example of Mr. Northam's political legerdemain is his tax proposal, which avoided the minefields of income or sales tax increases. Instead, he suggested hiking the gas tax while scrapping mandatory annual vehicle inspections and halving vehicle registration fees." — The Washington Post, editorial, 20 Dec. 2019 "One must find the resonance between ancient and contemporary, blending incongruous elements in a way that seems not only right but inevitable: telling the story of a founding father with hip-hop lyrics, as in 'Hamilton,' or presenting the myth of Theseus in the milieu of reality television as in 'The Hunger Games.' Kekla Magoon manages a similar feat of legerdemain in 'Shadows of Sherwood,' her compelling reboot of the Robin Hood myth." — Rick Riordan, The New York Times, 23 Aug. 2015 Did you know? In Middle French, folks who were clever enough to fool others with fast-fingered illusions were described as leger de main, literally "light of hand." English speakers condensed that phrase into a noun when they borrowed it in the 15th century and began using it as an alternative to the older sleight of hand. (That term for dexterity or skill in using one's hands makes use of sleight, an old word from Middle English that derives from an Old Norse word meaning "sly.") In modern times, a feat of legerdemain can even be accomplished without using your hands, as in, for example, "an impressive bit of financial legerdemain."

This week on Story Effect, Abigail promotes five Middle Grade and Young Adult books about black protagonists and by black authors. Featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling black authors writing for teens today, these stories shed light on the teen black experience in America, and provide a variety of interesting tales for girls and boys alike. Add these to your summer reading list, and purchase at your local bookstore or borrow them from the library to support black authors, while simultaneously encouraging your growth and learning. Books covered in this podcast induce:You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America by Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Rita Williams-Garcia, Dhonielle Clayton, Kekla Magoon, Leah Henderson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Liara Tamani, Renée Watson, Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Ibi Zoboi, Lamar Giles Ghost by Jason Reynolds Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert New Kid by Jerry Craft

Over the last two weeks, as it seems like the moment for a national reckoning with over 4 centuries of systemic racism may have finally arrived for America, we at TWWS have been taking a step back to spend some time listening, particularly to Black women. As we go forward, we’re talking amongst the four of us about what we want a humor podcast hosted by four white, middle-aged, middle class, rural women to sound like during this important time. As we continue our thinking, Kelly and Jenny recorded a quick episode about the children’s books we’ve been reading. Kelly is a librarian, and Jenny is an elementary family engagement worker who has a not-so-secret identity of “The Book Lady” for young children in our small community.  Today, we’re talking about the #weneeddiversebooks movement, how to read from an anti-racist perspective with the youngest children, and titles for babies, big kids, and young adults that portray fully complex Black and African-American characters. We encourage you to check out Ten Nine Eight by Molly Bang; The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis; The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon; and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. 

We talk self-acceptance, debut novel expectations. Plus a deep dive into the colorism, sexism, racism, capitalism (all the isms except maybe feminism), and misogyny in the Netflix binge-fest, Self Made.

Kekla Magoon, Author, Speaker and Educator, joined us on March 15, 2020 to share the story behind her title.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, be sure to follow us on Instagram @88CUPSOFTEA to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- We Love Our 88 Cups of Tea Sponsors Did you know we collaborated with VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults to curate a thoughtful series of intimate essays and podcast episodes so you can feel empowered throughout your writing journey? Click here to explore the published pieces. Vermont College of Fine Arts is a global community of artists continuously redefining what it means to be an arts college. They’re accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education and offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in a variety of fields, including Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults, and Writing & Publishing, along with an International MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation. With low-residency and fully residential options, VCFA has the graduate program to fit your needs. Be sure to learn more about VCFA by clicking here! --------------------------------------- Curious to discover ways an MFA program can strengthen your writing craft and provide a thriving community of writers to lean on for the well-being of your creative life? Wondering how to pick yourself up during those heart wrenching bouts of self-doubt during writing setbacks? How about a strong dose of writing advice about creating powerful first-person POV? We talk about it all and more with Kekla Magoon. Kekla is an award-winning author who has published over a dozen novels for children and young adults, including The Season of Styx Malone, The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, Light It Up, and X: A Novel. She received an NAACP Image Award, three Coretta Scott King Honors, the Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, has been long listed for the National Book Award, and more. Kekla holds an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts where she now serves on faculty. In our conversation, Kekla and I jump right in and talk about her love for stories and how being absorbed into a narrative can help you make better sense of the world around you and bring you comfort in times of uncertainty. We dive into her career path to becoming an author and how she discovered Vermont College of Fine Arts where she got her MFA. She shares her childhood experience and discovering her identity which influenced her passion for acknowledging the grey areas, the reality of racial bias, and cognitive dissonance in her writing. Later we dive deeper into her experience at VCFA and how the MFA program helped evolve her writing, grew her reading and critiquing skills, and provided her with a supportive writing community. We wrap up our conversation by discussing how to be compassionate towards yourself during writing setbacks, along with tips to help you move past moments of frustration, and advice for crafting your characters in the first person. Please say 'Hi' to Kekla on Twitter! https://twitter.com/keklamagoon Head over to her shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/kekla-magoon/‎ to download the writing prompt she made special for our community and to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation. 

Last November I had the esteemed privilege of moderating a panel at NCTE, the annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of English. The panel was titled “Redefining the Boy Hero: Empowering Sensitive Boys and Bucking Gender Stereotypes Through Middle Grade Fiction”. Sitting on the panel among a standing room only crowd were four exceptional children’s book authors: Elana K. Arnold, Erin Entrada Kelly, Kekla Magoon, and Katherine Marsh. We only had one mic and it was affixed to the podium, so I wasn’t sure how this recording would turn out. Thankfully my Zoom H4n Pro went above and beyond, allowing this panel and the noteworthy thoughts of my panelists to be recorded for others to hear. It gives me great pleasure to share this conversation with you. I sincerely hope you enjoy listening. You can access even more information about this book and its author by visiting www.matthewcwinner.com/podcast. Thank you to this week's sponsor: Libro.fm And to the generous support from our Patrons.

Kekla Magoon is an award-winning author of a number of books for young adults--the latest is "Light it Up", and she's an incredible storyteller. This book is very insightful and helpful and is timely as we consider both the birthday of The Rev. Martin Luther King whom we honor and recognize next weekend, and of Black History month, which is February. We can gain some insights and awareness for compassion and understanding of recent and current situations, and the will to make a change in our society. www.keklamagoon.com

Welcome to Season 4, Ep. 1! In this episode, the girls at Fulbright Junior High School have a conversation with author Kekla Magoon about how your experiences inform your work. Listen in to hear what this week's interviewee tells the girls of AGC about the importance of finding and believing in your voice.

In this episode, Kristen Lepionka recommends Carol Anshaw and Kekla Magoon recommends Pamela F. Service. This episode is sponsored by Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke and By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery. You can subscribe to Recommended in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or in your podcast player of choice. The show can also be found on Stitcher. A transcript of this episode is available here. BOOKS DISCUSSED The Stories You Tell by Kristen Lepionka Seven Moves by Carol Anshaw Light It Up by Kekla Magoon Being of Two Minds by Pamela F. Service

Kekla Magoon and Karen Blumenthal discuss #ownvoices. 

Writing Barn friend and master storyteller Kathi Appelt returns to The Porchlight after having joined Bethany previously in episode 5. In this latest episode, they discuss Kathi's first young adult novel, ANGEL THIEVES, as well as her picture book MAX ATTACKS, which will be released this summer. Kathi's books have won numerous national and state awards, including the Irma and Simon Black Award, Children’s Choice Award, Teacher’s Choice Award, the Oppenheimer Gold Award, Parent’s Choice Award, Storytelling World Award, Growing Good Kids Award, Texas Writer’s League Award for Children’s Literature, the Texas Institute of Letters Award, Best Books for Young Adults, VOYA Top of the Shelf Award, and a host of others. Kathi's first novel, THE UNDERNEATH, was a National Book Award Finalist and a Newbery Honor Book.  It also received the Pen USA Award, and was a finalist for the Heart of Hawick Children’s Book Award. Her novel, THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP, was a National Book Award Finalist in 2013. In 2016, MAYBE A FOX, co-written with Alison McGhee, won the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Middle Grade Literature and was named to the Texas Library Association’s “Texas Bluebonnet Master List.” In 2009, Kathi was named “Texas Distinguished Writer” by the Friends of the Abilene Public Library.   ANGEL THIEVES took three years and countless hours of research to write even though Kathi grew up on the Houston bayou. Getting the history of the city and the people right and telling the truth as deeply as possible were vital to Kathi as she crafted this complex story. She and Bethany discuss the misrepresentation in history that has shaped us and continues to do so and why Kathi used sensitivity readers to help her represent the characters and world in this novel as honestly as possible. They also discuss the importance of place in fiction and how setting can be the backbone of a story. Both writers share their delight in seeing how children's literature, especially picture books, has expanded to include difficult subjects that, when handled well, can impact children's worldview and teach them empathy. They give a shout-out to friend and fellow author, Kekla Magoon, and her beautiful books and they discuss how the children they write for give them courage to tackle tough topics with honesty as Kekla and many authors do so skillfully in their work. Also, Bethany and Kathi talk about how long stories and ideas can live with us and reassure writers that not every idea has to be written right now. In fact, ANGEL THIEVES was really 25 years in the making rather than just three. Listen today to this inspiring episode with the talented and insightful Kathi Appelt and find out more about Kathi and her work at https://www.kathiappelt.com/

First Draft Episode #188: Ally Condie Ally Condie, New York Times bestselling author of the Matched series, as well as Summerlost and The Darkdeep, co-written with Brendan Reichs. In this conversation, Ally talks about what inspired her to get an MFA after establishing herself as a bestselling author, always working on two things at once, and how the 2016 election gave Ally enough rage to write her newest young adult novel, murderous revenge story The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe. Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode The Planet of the Apes movies, which were filmed near where Ally grew up in rural Utah Ally was inspired by a blog post by Shannon Hale, New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Academy and Austenland, where she wrote about writing 1,000 words a day. Ally was inspired by Shannon to commit to daily word goals. She started with 500. Lisa Mangum, editor at Shadow Mountain press, which released Ally’s first few books Brandon Mull, New York TImes bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series, who got his start at Shadow Mountain PressChris Shoebinger, publishing director at Shadow Mountain Press, who released Ally from her publishing contract so she could pursue a bigger contract for Matched Jodi Reamer, literary agent at Writer’s House, who also represents Tahereh Mafi, New York TImes bestselling author of the Shatter Me series (listen to her First Draft episode here), Ransom Riggs, New York Times bestselling author of the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series (listen to his First Draft episode here), John Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, and Stephenie Meyer, author of the global phenomenon Twilight series Julie Strauss-Gabel, publisher at Dutton Books, who has edited John Green, Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark & Grimm and The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, and Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way The Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in writing for children, the program Ally attended Emily Wing Smith, author of The Way He Lived and All Better Now, and Carol Lynch Williams, author of The Chosen One and Glimpse, two Utah authors Ally was friends with who also attended the Vermont College of Fine Arts for the MFA program Kekla Magoon, author of National Book Award Longlisted X: A Novel (written with Ilyasah Shabazz), Coretta Scott King-honored The Season of Styx Malone and How it Went Down, and was Ally’s mentor at the Vermont program and helped her with an early draft of Poe Blythe An Na, author of Printz winner and National Book Award long-listed A Step From Heaven, as well as Wait For Me and The Place Between Breaths, was also an advisor at the Vermont College of Fine Arts Martine Leavitt, author of Keturah and Lord Death, and Calvin,  who Ally calls “a stone cold genius.” Martine helped Ally work on a project during her Vermont residency. Quentin Tarantino’s advice to screenwriters was to delete the last two lines of dialogue from every scene, which Alfred Gough and Miles Millar--creators of Smallville and Into the Badlands shared with me on their recent First Draft episode. That’s similar to Ally’s feeling that sometimes she writes past the natural ending of a chapter. Brendan Reichs, New York Times bestselling author of Genesis, and co-writer of Virals with his mother, New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs, and The Darkdeep with Ally. Brendan and Ally fortuitously decided to pursue an MFA at Vermont at the same time. YALLWEST and YALLFest, two national young adult and middle grade book festivals held in Charleston, S.C. and Los Angeles. Ally is on the board of the festivals, alongside Brendan Reichs and Margaret Stohl, New York Times bestselling author of the Beautiful Creatures series, Red Widow and Royce Rolls (listen to her First Draft episodes here and here) Stranger Things meets The Goonies, the pitch for Ally and Brendan’s co-written middle grade series, The Darkdeep   Ally’s pitch for Poe Blythe is: “Mad Max: Fury Road meets Firefly meets something really lovey.” I got a distinctly Heart of Darkness (by Joseph Conrad) vibe from Poe when I read it!   Write Out, the non-profit organization Ally founded as a way to bring authors to kids in rural Utah Brendan Reichs, Shannon Hale, Soman Chainani (author of The School for Good and Evil series--listen to his First Draft interview here), and Yamile Saied Mendez (author of Blizzard Besties: A Wish Novel, and the forthcoming On These Magic Shores) are among the authors who volunteer at Write Out Ally and I urge listeners to Marie Kondo your fear -- go write that angry revenge novel!!!! Subscribe To First Draft with Sarah Enni Every Tuesday, I speak to storytellers like Veronica Roth, author of Divergent; Michael Dante  DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; John August, screenwriter of Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; or Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for The Old 97s. Together, we take deep dives on their careers and creative works. Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. It’s free! Rate, Review, and Recommend How do you like the show? Please take a moment to rate and review First Draft with Sarah Enni in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Your honest and positive review helps others discover the show -- so thank you! Is there someone you think would love this podcast as much as you do? Please share this episode on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or via carrier pigeon (maybe try a text or e-mail, come to think of it). 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This episode, Kekla Magoon! We discuss her path from activist educator to award winning movelist; what stories publishers want from Black authors; how the shape of a story effects its meaning; then deep dive into Roxane Gay’s heartrending memoir, Hunger.

Recorded on the same day as our discussion on Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (oh, you should check that episode out), so, like that one, featuring not your perfect audio quality, this episode centers on damn near perfect Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Seriously, we are so into it, it's almost difficult to sustain discussion. Everytime I read a passage for us to discuss everyone just oohs and ahs. Molly suggests Macbeth and Hamlet. Nate suggests Monster by Walter Dean Myers, The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon, Ghost by Jason Reynolds, and also "Hit 'Em Up" by Tupac Shakur. Kim suggests Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. Amy suggests Bus 57 by Dashka Slater. Cash Money suggests Boyz N The Hood. Lindsey suggests The Godfather Part 2.

In this episode we'll talk about the events that happen in pages 80-160. There is more information for us in this section about the circumstances surrounding Tariq's death and the investigation that followed. We'll talk about that, plus new developments with our favorite characters, and who we still can't stand. This podcast is produced at the Northside Library's Digital Studio. Our intro music is performed by Caleb Ritchie.

In this episode we'll talk about the events that happen in pages 161-240. The Underhill communnity, led by the Rev Sloan, begin to mount a response to Tariq's death, as well as the police investigation. We also interview Lexington resident Jim Sleet, about his work with the Civil Rights movement in Lexington in the 1960's and 70's. This podcast is produced at the Northside Library's Digital Studio. Our intro music is performed by Caleb Ritchie.

In the fourth and final installment of our virtual bookclub, we'll talk about how the author wraps up, or doesn't wrap up the events in the book. Where are our favorite characters headed? What do we know for sure about Tariq's death? Are we left with more questions than answers? This discussion covers pages 241-to the end of the book, if you're reading along at home.

In this episode we'll talk about the events that happen in pages 1-80, we'll go over all the characters that are introduced and how they fit in to the story. We'll share our opinions (lots of them) and talk about what we want to see in the rest of the book. This podcast is produced at the Northside Library's Digital Studio. Our intro music is performed by Caleb Ritchie.

The Lexington Public Library's virtual book club for our 2016 One Book One Lexington pick, How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. Join us weekly throughout April as we talk about the book and all the exciting things the library has planned for this year's One Book One Lexington.

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk LGBQT diversity in YA, the overall health of the publishing industry, a good year for humble bundle, the IT books of 2014, and more. This week's episode is sponsored by Squarespace, TryAudiobooks.com, and X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

Join William Jackson as he welcomes Malcolm X's 3rd daughter, iLyasah Shabazz!  ilyasah Al-Shabazz is a community organizer, activist, motivational speaker, and author of the critically acclaimed Growing Up X . She is co-editor with Herb Boyd, The Diary of Malcolm X , worked with illustrator AG Ford, The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X (Simon & Schuster, 2013) and with Kekla Magoon, X . Ilyasah promotes higher education, interfaith dialogue, and building bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world. She produces The WAKE-UP Tour™ and participates on international humanitarian delegations. She is the founder of Malcolm X Enterprises and is a Trustee for The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. Ilyasah serves on the Board of the Harlem Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the Arts Committee for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and a Project Advisor for the PBS award-winning documentary, Prince Among Slaves. Ilyasah holds a Master of Science degree in Education and Human Resource Development and currently resides in Westchester County of NY.

These two authors believe children are our future and are investing wisely! Plus they are setting an example of excellence for them to follow in the literary world. They are more than authors, they are a breath of inspiration for anyone who endeavors to communicate their message to the masses. If they can do it - and inspire youth - you can too. Hear Kekla and Larry talk about their journey in the publishing biz and how they are impacting the next generation of creative souls.