“I’ve realized I need chaos and randomness”: Anna Lena Feunekes on her career as an illustrator and author April 9, 2026 I still remember how captivated I was by the richness of Anna Lena’s illustration style the first time I encountered her work. In ways that will come as no surprise to anyone who’s familiar with her multi-hyphenate status—e.g., as an illustrator, who is publishing books, who has been trained as a designer—she brings such… Read More »“I’ve realized I need chaos and randomness”: Anna Lena Feunekes on her career as an illustrator and author

“I had to figure out how to get through”: Victoria Redel on her career as a novelist, poet, and professor March 26, 2026

“I knew I wanted to build my life around that”: Melissa Febos on her career as a writer and professor March 12, 2026 Few writers possess the ability to command an avid readership for their every new release. Melissa is one of them. All five of her books have been both critically acclaimed and impossible to put down. If you’ve been a longtime reader of her work, you’ll know that there’s just something about her… Read More »“I knew I wanted to build my life around that”: Melissa Febos on her career as a writer and professor

“I became a person who took those kind of risks”: Alia Hanna Habib on her career as a literary agent and an author February 26, 2026

“I was going to do whatever I wanted”: Stephanie Wambugu on her career as a writer and editor December 30, 2025 Editor’s note With her celebrated debut novel, Lonely Crowds—which has been hailed as both the book of the summer and a best book of 2025—Stephanie delivers a moving, Ferrante-like study on the complexities of female friendship. It’s a mark of distinction that is evident from its first pages: “When I met Maria,” her narrator… Read More »“I was going to do whatever I wanted”: Stephanie Wambugu on her career as a writer and editor

“I went back to what I’d always been passionate about”: Petya K. Grady on her career as a writer, featured Substacker, and UX strategist December 16, 2025

“I realized that maybe I could be the one”: Anna Malaika Tubbs on her career as a writer and TED speaker November 25, 2025 You can listen to the introduction to this interview on Substack, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.   Editor’s note Anna Malaika’s latest book, Erased, showcases her characteristic ability to make complex ideas accessible at every level. Building on both her acclaimed first book and viral TED Talk, it examines the far-reaching impacts… Read More »“I realized that maybe I could be the one”: Anna Malaika Tubbs on her career as a writer and TED speaker

“I essentially rearranged my life”: Emily J. Smith on her career as a writer and novelist October 28, 2025 You can listen to the introduction to this interview on Substack, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.   Editor’s note With her debut novel, Emily has accomplished the rare feat of writing a book that is timely, incisive, and deeply affecting — all while being the kind of impossible-to-put-down read that audiences dream of finding. The book, along… Read More »“I essentially rearranged my life”: Emily J. Smith on her career as a writer and novelist

“I was in a situation that didn’t add up”: Corinne Low on her career as a writer and Wharton economist September 30, 2025

“I realized I could see myself there”: Nikkya Hargrove on her career as a writer and memoirist September 2, 2025 You can listen to the introduction to this interview on Substack, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.   Editor’s note Nikkya’s writing in Mama, her first book, is visceral and punctuated in its vulnerability. She recounts each of the emotionally saturated events that frame her memoir with open-hearted precision, including her mother’s incarceration, the adoption of her… Read More »“I realized I could see myself there”: Nikkya Hargrove on her career as a writer and memoirist