Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

In part two of my interview with Puschart-nominated essayist, novelist, and writing instructor Sheree L. Greer, we get into the nitty gritty of the thought processes, ideas, and attitudes that shape her work and her identity. We talked about:- Pushing your creative boundaries to try new genres and forms- How she gets through the discomfort of sharing personal work, and the payoff that comes on the other side- Committing to telling the full story, even when you’re not the ‘hero’- The really cool and skillful way Sheree collaborates with her inner critic- Getting to that “raw space of feeling” so you can tell your story from the heart, and not the head (at least at first)- Taking care of your body in a sedentary profession- Knowing when to follow standard writing advice, and when to let it go- Releasing the idea that any one thing will happen and then you will have “made it”- How she’s radically changed her idea of success as she’s gotten older Connect with Sheree on Instagram @shereelgreer. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is writer, author, teacher, and arts administrator, Sheree L. Greer. Sheree is the author of two novels, “Let the Lover Be” and “A Return to Arms,” and an award-nominated essayist, with two of her essays having been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Sheree is also the founder of Kitchen Table Literary Arts—a Tampa Bay writing community dedicated to nurturing the literary art of Black women and women of color–and the independent press Ain't No Extra Credit, which publishes unique books dedicated to personal and professional development. Sheree teaches for several literary arts centers, including The Porch in Nashville and Story Studio Chicago where she was voted instructor of the year in 2023.Sheree has also written two guides to writing including “Stop Writing Whack Essays,” which might be one of the best titles for books on writing that I've ever heard. We covered:- The book that inspired her to move writing from the “hobby” category to the “career” category- Acknowledging moments of delight when they happen, and using them as fuel to keep going- The magic that happens when you get together with other artists- Getting intentional about creating a “writer’s world”--a mental space where you feel affirmed as an artist- Why she has a telescope that she named Octavia Connect with Sheree on Instagram @shereelgreer. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the final installment of my interview with Jinwoo Park, debut author of Oxford Soju Club, which is coming out in September of this year. In today’s episode, Jinwoo shared some really great insights about how embracing your creativity filters out into all parts of your life, especially relationships. I left this conversation feeling like I was walking on clouds–very hopeful and inspired. Enjoy! We covered:- Taking inspiration from politics, in South Korea and around the world- Working as a translator for Korean sci-fi and thrillers- How owning your creative identity helps you be more authentic in your relationships- How being a Dad inspires him to pursue happiness- Becoming a more collaborative partner- The TV series that cured his disillusionment with streaming series- Some frank talk about milk, oat milk, and flatulence- The song that never fails to turn his mood around- The Korean stew he could eat every day Connect with Jinwoo on TikTok or Instagram @jinwoopark0721 or at jin-woopark.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this second part of my interview with Jinwoo Park, author of the soon to be released “Oxford Soju Club,” an award-winning thriller, we talk about the interior side of building a life as a writer. We discussed:- How sharing social media content helps him be a better writer- Staying open to feedback- Appreciating the one- and two-star reviews- The hard-won realization that publishing a book isn’t an ending, but a beginning- The practical and emotional ways to embrace identifying as a writer- Building a community of writers- Valuing his time as a writer (SUCH a great bit of wisdom here)- Why there is no right time to pursue the thing that’s calling to you- How he keeps consistent writing momentum as a person with ADHD Connect with Jinwoo on TikTok or Instagram @jinwoopark0721 or at jin-woopark.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is Jinwoo Park, author of the soon-to-be-released “Oxford Soju Club,” which is coming out in September of this year—a riveting story about Korean spies, C.I.A. agents, false identities, love, and betrayal. It also earned Park the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award from the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop. We covered: - Using writing as a form of therapy to “figure myself out”- How he decided to go for it and pursue writing more seriously- A great plug for submitting your work for an award–you just might win- Sticking with a manuscript for years- How TikTok helped him get a publishing deal- The difference between creativity and productive creativity- The beauty and importance of a deadline- Making the transition between the day job and creative work- His trick for getting focused as a person with ADHD Connect with Jinwoo on TikTok or Instagram @jinwoopark0721 or at jin-woopark.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final part of my interview with Shannon Watts, activist and author of the brand-new book “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age,” we get a look at what's coming up next for her. I also ask her what she's reading, watching, listening to, drinking in her morning cup, and what she'd have for dinner tonight if she could have anything in the world. We talked about: - Her voracious love of podcasts (including a shortlist of her faves)- Knowing that it's time to shift into a different way of being, but not yet knowing exactly what that looks like- The reality show she watches until the wee hours whenever her husband is out of town Thank you for listening! Visit Shannon at ⁠shannonwatts.substack.com⁠. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second part of my interview with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, host of the Substack newsletter "Playing with Fire", and author of the brand new book “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age”, we get into the mindset side of writing. We covered: - Reckoning with the enormity of needing to produce 60,000+ words for a book- The "small miracle" or crystallizing a thought in a way you hadn't been able to articulate before- How getting reiki helps her write- Shifting out of perfectionism and into flow- The huge difference in the lived experience between Gen X women and their mothers- Taking aim at mom guilt- The woo woo retreat that almost made her run for the door, but turned out to be a much-needed entryway to being playful Thank you for listening! Visit Shannon at ⁠shannonwatts.substack.com⁠. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I am re-playing my interview with advocate, Substacker, and "summoner of women's audacity," Shannon Watts in honor of the fact that her new book “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age” released just last week. Shannon first entered that national conversation when she founded Moms Demand Action, the grassroots movement for common sense gun reform that began with a Facebook post the day of the Sandy Hook school shooting and has grown to include more than 10 million members. Shannon writes regularly for her Substack, Playing with Fire, and outlets like The Washington Post, Elle, Time, and more. She has also been named Glamour's Woman of the Year and one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.Since leaving Moms Demand Action, Shannon has been on a quest to motivate more women to use their voices to advocate for change, whether that’s within their own families, workplaces, communities, states, the country, or the world. It was an honor to talk with her and we really broke it down, covering: - Knowing when it's time to transition out of what you've been doing- ADHD and how its effects have changed as she's gotten older- Switching gears from being a very public person who had to keep her private life private (to not feed the trolls) to a private person who talks about private things (menopause, ADHD) publicly- The incredible origin story of Moms Demand Action (or what I call, "the Facebook post heard 'round the world)- Her standing desk fail Thank you for listening! Visit Shannon at ⁠shannonwatts.substack.com⁠. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the Finding the Throughline interview with Denali Sai Nalamalapu, author of the brand new book, “Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance,” which tells the story of six frontline resistors to the Mountain Valley pipeline in Appalachia. In this final installment of our interview, we cover:- The graphic novels and streaming shows that are inspiring Denali these days- Making the shift to writing for young adults- Listening to your audience–not just talking at them- Finding hope for huge problems (like climate change)- The shows and books that are helping Denali learn how to write in a way that engages a younger audience- The song that helps Denali “get in touch with being a little blip in a very big world”- The food Denali describes as “a flavorful cloud” Connect with Denali on Instagram @denalisai or at danali-sai.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part two of my interview with Danali Sai Nalamalapu, author of the brand new book “Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance,” we talk about the squishier side of writing–the thoughts and beliefs that can affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of them. We cover:- How being creative is a means of survival- The joy of sharing your work after the years spent working in isolation to create it- The worst, most boring part of creating a graphic novel (for Denali)- Denali’s trick to countering the voice of the inner critic- The gifts of having a mother who teaches you to question the status quo- “Wiggling out” of external definitions and expectations- Finding ways to do extroverted work (activism, promotion) as an introvert Connect with Denali on Instagram @denalisai or at danali-sai.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices