This week I am talking with Kimothy Joy, the author of “Extraordinary Wing Women: True Stories of Life-Altering, World-Changing Sisterhood,” “Focus Pocus: A 90-Day Guided Journal,” and “That's What She Said: Wise Words from Influential Women.” A Denver-based artist and author who combines watercolor and hand lettering to create artwork that uplifts and inspires women worldwide, Kimothy has collaborated with the Women's March on Washington, the US Women's National Soccer Team, Gucci and Melinda Gates, just to name a few.We covered:- How following her curiosity into painting watercolors in her journal went took her from “just a person painting my feeling” to “a career”- How motherhood impacted her creative process- How her creativity ebbs and flows, and how she learned to accept those ebbs and flows because “the more I resist, the more painful it is”- Learning how to untie her sense of self-worth from how much she was producing on any given day- How time spent outside sparks both mindfulness and creativity- The inspiration for her Focus Pocus 90-day journal- The concept of creative hygiene- The tools she uses to catch her creative ideas when they comeBig thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final installment of my talk with Lisa See–bestselling author of so! many! beloved books, including “Lady Tan's Circle of Women” and “The Island of Sea Women’’--we find out what Lisa is currently working on bringing into existence and what she knows at this moment about where her personal through line is leading her next. Plus my final fast five questions.- How being at the Aspen Music Festival is helping her deal with the upset of writing her characters through a massively disastrous event- The superstars who inspire Lisa by their example of “effortless and imperfect perfection”- The daily habit she picked up from her mother (I totally want to steal this)- The change she and her husband are in the process of making- A really cool vantage on seeking to create generational memories as a grandparent- The book that made her get out of bed and go to another room so she could finish it- Paging all tea lovers! Lisa gave an awesome mini class on pu er, her favorite kind of tea- A peek at some of the albums (current and vintage) that she plays on her turntable- The meal she’s currently cravingBig thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second part of my conversation with hugely successful and popular (and oh my God, did this really happen??) Lisa See, author of Lady Tan's Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, and more, we talked about the interior side of writing–things like dealing with your inner critic and dealing with the parts you would really rather not do, thank you very much, including:- The fascinating tidbit of information her research taught her about Los Angeles- How the Chinese public discourse about protection against smallpox epidemics 500 years ago are eerily similar to the controversy over Covid vaccines we recently experienced- The predictable emotional rollercoaster she rides each time during the revision process- Why writers should start celebrating good sentences the way Olympians celebrate an important point- The ninja trick of agreeing with your inner critic- A potential peril of becoming an internationally bestselling author- How the inevitable losses we experience with age can deepen your writing- The things she says no to now that she’s the age that she is- Some of the beliefs and attitudes passed down through the Chinese side of her family she really had to work to cast off (and how her mother, who is not Chinese, helped)- Why reading fiction is her go-to personal development toolBig thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm talking with Lisa See, the New York Times bestselling author of so many beloved books, including Lady Tan's Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, Snow Flower and the Secret Ban, Shanghai Girls, and Dreams of Joy. Lisa's books often center the experience of women across time and cultures, particularly stories that have been lost, forgotten, or deliberately covered up.Lisa talked with me while she was on vacation and I'm so thankful that she carved out some time for us.We covered:- How her mother and grandfather were both writers, so she, naturally, vowed never to become one… and how that all changed when she was bumming around Europe on $5 a day after college- The atrocious 1970s TV miniseries that was so poorly written, it inspired her to try writing fiction (under the pen name Monica Highland)- How she started researching the Chinese side of her family thinking that she’d include a short letter about it in that year’s holiday card, and how that grew into “On Gold Mountain,” her first book written under her own name, as well as a national bestseller and New York Times notable book- What’s been easy and what’s been hard about her work as a novelist- A peek into her (fascinating) research process- The routine she follows every morning routine (that involves waiting for her husband to get done exercising)- Why she doesn’t worry about keeping her tea hotBig thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast!For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Note, this episode is a replay that originally aired in February.)In this final installment of my talk with author and essayist Minda Honey, we cover:* The insights–on double consciousness, omniscience, and overlapping timelines–she got at a recent conference* How Andre 3000’s new flute album is cracking open possibilities in her mind* The concept of a braided essay, and how it’s like making a charcuterie board* The book Minda could not put down (and that made her cry)For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Big thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 2 of my interview with essayist and author of the memoir "The Heartbreak Years," Minda Honey, we really break down the inner parts of writing, including how to stay focused on the impact your work is having when all some people want to do is complain.(Note, this episode is a replay that originally aired in February.)Other things we cover:* How an earlier school of personal essays bordered into too personal, or what Minda referred to as “self-exploitation”, and how to make sure you’re not doing that in your own personal writing* How even when you tell people what your book is about with a very clear title, some people are going to be upset by what you include in your book* How people are dismissive of women writing truthfully about all parts of their lives–and how she deals with the haters* Why doing the art that speaks to your soul is the only way to go* Her genius approach to dealing with the inner critic (preview: she proves it’s a liar)* Why not every day is a day for writing* Why Minda had to start doing her own taxes at age 17* Learning to cry* How Minda uses tools like human design and tarot in work and lifeFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Big thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minda Honey is the author of "The Heartbreak Years," a hilarious and intimate memoir of a Black woman finding who she is and who she wants to be, one bad date at a time.Minda's essays on politics and relationships have appeared in all kinds of amazing places, including Harper's Bazaar, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Teen Vogue, and Longreads. She is also the editor of Black Joy at Reckon, an online outlet where she also helms a newsletter that has nearly 60,000 subscribers.Honestly there were SO MANY quotes I wanted to pull from this interview–just go ahead and press play right now.(Note, this episode is a replay that originally aired in February.)But here’s the synopsis:* How Minda–the daughter of a postal worker and a computer programmer–did the “get good grades, get a scholarship, join corporate America” thing and realized, it wasn’t for her* Squaring all the “Davids and Jonathans”--the typical authors taught in MFA programs–with the Tonis and Zoras Minda revered* The financial move that helped Minda launch her freelance career* The many daily parts of life that count as ‘writing’* Why you NEED to find your writing community* Minda’s recipe for sitting down to write: Lofi music + a trio of beverages and four hours blocked off* The satisfying clickety clack of a specific type of keyboard* Why Minda was doing our interview from Mexico (it involves “skipping winter”, but there’s a lot more to it than that)* Giving up drinking and moving away from homeFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Big thanks to our sponsor, AquaTru.com. Use promo code KATE to save 20% off a reverse osmosis water filter and support this podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final installment of my conversation with author and bookstore co-owner Lucas Mann, we talk about the books, writers, TV shows, music, and even dinners that are getting his wheels turning, including:The book he recently read with his book club that got him excited about writing in new ways and that he couldn’t stop talking aboutWhy a long walk or bike ride can solve most problemsThe two writers whose work and ways of being inspire himThe reality TV show he would forego sleep for weeks at a time if he couldThe dad music he has embraced, the morning beverage he drinks until he feels ill, the recent book that kept him awake, and his favorite sushi restaurantVisit Lucas at www.lucasmann.com.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.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 conversation with Lucas Mann, author of Attachments, Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances and co-owner (with his wife, Ottavia) of the fabulous Riff Raff Bookstore and Bar in Providence, Rhode Island, we really got into the evolution of his thinking about what it means–and what it takes–to be a ‘successful’ writer, and what the even means.Specifically, we talked about:The hardest part of writing for Lucas–namely, discipline–and why writing an article feels so much harder than writing a bookHow his inner critic is obsessed with making sure he sounds smart, and not like he’s just writing about feelings–and how it’s always wrongHow getting older has helped him be less precious about his writingHow being a competitive, jock-y kid fed into his writing pathHow teaching creative writing (which he does at U. Mass Dartmouth) has changed since he was an MFA student at the University of IowaReleasing the idea that the only way to be good at something is to be maniacally devoted to itWhy he loves the EnneagramVisit Lucas at www.lucasmann.com.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.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’m talking with Lucas Mann, author of multiple non-fiction books, including his latest, Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances, Captive Audience: On Love and Reality Television, Lord Fear: a Memoir, and Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere. In addition to writing books, Lucas has written essays that have appeared in a long list of top tier publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, The Rumpus, and Buzzfeed.Lucas teaches creative writing at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and he and his wife, Ottavia, own Riff Raff Bookstore and Bar in Providence, Rhode Island, an amazing hub of community for folks who love to write and or love to read and or both.In this episode we talked about the nuts and bolts of how he got to where he is today and how he gets his work done, including:The realities of running a bookstore alongside having your own writing careerA peek into the author talk/event planning side of the book businessWeaving in a new strand to the braid of your writing careerGetting over the idea that writing is a solitary professionThe value of a hyperlocal writing community, and how to tap into oneThe emotional intricacies of writing memoir and how to navigate themWhy he walks across town to writeVisit Lucas at www.lucasmann.com.For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.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