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Dear Literature

Dear Literature

By Dear Literature

Welcome to Dear Literature, a new podcast where two friends, Alyssa and Vanessa, discuss books, writing, and publishing.
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021: Being Multigenre Writers

Dear LiteratureSep 07, 2021

00:00
45:18
032: Buddy Reads: All the Rage
Jun 28, 202256:21
031: Dear Literature Check-In
Jun 14, 202201:00:47
030: Buddy Reads: Disability Visibility

030: Buddy Reads: Disability Visibility

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From The Twenty-First Century, edited by Alice Wong (Vintage).


Essays Discussed:

“The Erasure of Indigenous People in Chronic Illness” by Jen Deerinwater

CN: Settler colonialism, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, erasure, sexual assault, violence, suicide, suicidal ideation

“While You Are Waiting to Be Healed” by June Eric-Udorie 

“The Isolation of Being Deaf in Prison” by Jeremy Woody 

CN: Sexual assault, language deprivation, isolation, incarceration, trauma, audism

“Common Cyborg” by Jillian Weise 

CN: Hate, misogyny, harassment, rape threats, death threats, racis, suicide, sterilization, ableism, eugenics

“How to Make a Paper Crane from Rage” by Elsa Sjunneson

“Why My Novel Is Dedicated to My Disabled Friend Maddy” by A. H. Reaume

“So. Not. Broken.” by Alice Sheppard

"The Beauty of Spaces Created for and by Disabled People" by s.e. smith


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:

Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology, edited by Alex Hernandez, Matthew David Goodwin, and Sarah Rafael García (Mad Creek Books)

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (Tor)

“I Needed to Know if My Favorite Books Were Products of Cultural Appropriation” by Cindy Fazzi (Electric Literature)

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (Tor)


Mar 29, 202258:05
029: First-Half 2022 Releases

029: First-Half 2022 Releases

Vanessa and Alyssa discuss their more anticipated releases for the first half of 2022

"Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2022" & "61 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2022" by R.O. Kwon 

I. The Octopus Museum by Brenda Shaughnessy | Odes to Lithium by Shira Erlichman | Deadline City | Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - II. Constellation Route by Matthew Olzmann | Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science by Jessica Hernandez | Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi | Violeta by Isabel Allende | The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn, trans. by Martin Aitken | Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu | Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda, trans. Sarah Booker | Reclaim the Stars: Seven Tales Across Time and Space, ed. Zoraida Córdova | Gallant by V.E. Schwab | The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories edited and collected by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang | Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library by Amanda Oliver | "Library as Infrastructure" by Shannon Mattern | The Promise of Access by Daniel Greene | Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong | Night Sky with Exit Wound | True Biz by Sara Nović | Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li  | Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service by Tajja IsenThe Trees Witness Everything by Victoria Chang | Siren Queen by Nghi Vo | Empress of Salt and Fortune | Swallowed Light by Michael Wasson | Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera | Woman of Light: A Novel by Kali Fajardo-Anstine | Sabrina & Corina | III. "Why PhDs Need to Study Creative Writing" by Anthony Ocampo | Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses

Feb 01, 202201:06:52
028: Dear Literature 2021 Wrap-Up
Jan 11, 202201:04:02
027: Buddy Reads: Multiply/Divide

027: Buddy Reads: Multiply/Divide

Vanessa and Alyssa discuss Multiply/Divide: On the American Real and Surreal by Wendy S. Walters (Sarabande Books).

CN: Racism (anti-Black), enslavement, classicism, gentrification, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, violence (gang, gun, police), death


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Simon & Schuster)

CN (so far): Racism (anti-Black, including use of slurs), enslavement, Jim Crow, murder, violence, spousal abuse, drug use (mostly meth and prescription drugs), child neglect, abandonment, incarceration, terminal illness (cancer), animal death

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

CN: Anti-Asian racism

The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw (Erewhon Books)

CN: Death, suicide, violence (including gun violence), gore, medical trauma, manipulation and gaslighting, graphic language

We Won't Move: A Living Archive

"A Cyborg Manifesto" by Donna Haraway

 “Why Don’t American Schools Value Creativity?” by Erin Crosby-Eckstine (Catapult)

CN: Mention of emotional abuse in an intimate partner relationship, anti-Black racism, institutional oppression 

Imani Barbarin (Crutches&Spice)

“Starting Testosterone During Ramadan Led Me to the Sacred in My Trans Self” by Zeyn Joukhadar (Catapult)

Dec 28, 202101:02:49
026: Publishing Supply Chain
Nov 23, 202156:13
025: Buddy Reads: The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

025: Buddy Reads: The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

For this week's Buddy Reads, Vanessa and Alyssa discuss recent science fiction release The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw (they/them) from Erewhon Books.

CN: Death, suicide, violence (including gun violence), gore, medical trauma, manipulation and gaslighting, graphic language


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


"Forty-One False Starts" by Janet Malcom (The New Yorker)

The Next Word” by John Seabrook (The New Yorker)

“Imitation Games” by Franny Choi (Gulf Coast)


Nov 16, 202155:48
024: On Writing Workshops
Nov 16, 202101:12:54
023: Buddy Reads: Ace of Spades

023: Buddy Reads: Ace of Spades

Vanessa and Alyssa discuss YA thriller Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé in this week's Buddy Reads.

CN: Racism and white supremacy (anti-Black), homophobia, violence, bullying, stalking, gaslighting, attempted suicide, mention of rape, drugging of a minor, incarceration, capital punishment, police brutality, racial slurs, alcohol use (Note: All of these involve minors)


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media:

How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao (Bloomsbury YA)

"Faster Than We Thought: What Stories Will Survive Climate Change?” by Omar El Akkad (Literary Hub)

Oct 05, 202140:37
022: Dear Literature's 1st Birthday!
Sep 21, 202140:07
021: Being Multigenre Writers
Sep 07, 202145:18
020: Buddy Reads: Sabrina & Corina

020: Buddy Reads: Sabrina & Corina

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (One World / Random House Books).

CN by story: 

1.) "Sugar Babies": Abandonment, human remains

2.) "Sabrina & Corina": Death by strangulation, violence against women, graphic descriptions of a dead body, alcohol/drug use (cigarettes)

3.) "Sisters": Xenophobia and hispanophobia, sexual assault, violence against women, homophobia, alcohol use

4.) "Remedies": Abandonment, child neglect, xenophobia

5.) "Julian Plaza": Terminal illness (cancer), death

6.) "Galapago": Murder, death, gun violence

7.) "Cheesman Park": Partner abuse, death, violence, alcohol/drug use (cigarettes)

8.) "Tomi": Abandonment, violence, suicide, death, alcohol/drug use (prescription pills)

9.) "Any Further West": Abandonment, suicide, alcohol/drug use (cigarettes, marijuana)

10.) "All Her Names": Abortion, alcohol use, sexual content

11.) "Ghost Sickness": Abandonment, sexual content


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:

Kingdom Animalia by Aracelis Girmay (BOA)

These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong (McElderry Books / Simon & Schuster)

CN: Murder, mass death, self-mutilation/suicide, gore, gun violence, imperialism, racism (anti-Chinese), transphobia, parental abuse, medical trauma/unethical experimentation, disease/infection, alcohol/drug use (cigarettes, opium) 

“Why Linguistically Diverse Audiobook Casting Matters” by Julia Shiota (Electric Literature)

"Ghosts" by Vauhini Vara (Believer Magazine)

CN: Cancer, death

Aug 24, 202139:56
019: Reimagining Books Into Other Media

019: Reimagining Books Into Other Media

This week Vanessa and Alyssa reimagine some of their favorite books into other mediums.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Moral Panic II EP

The Octopus Museum by Brenda Shaughnessy (Knopf)

Tillie Walden

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins)

CN: Murder, death, drug & alcohol use by minors, kidnapping, violence against a child 

002: Buddy Reads: Truly Devious

The Haunting of Bly Manor

La Casa de la Flores

Little Women

The Diviners by Libba Bray (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

CN: Murder, violence, xenophobia, racism (anti-Asian, anti-Black, anti-semitism), sexism, police violence

Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (One World / Penguin Random House)

CN: Child abuse, miscarriage, vivid descriptions of bodily functions, anti-Asian racism

Sea Wall / A Life

008: Buddy Reads: Bestiary

Soft Science by Franny Choi (Alice James Books)

Cryo Chamber 

Soft Science playlist

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press) 

CN: Body horror, eating disorder, body shaming, fatphobia, sexual assault, sexual content

The Magnus Archives

Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron Books)

CN: Violence, murder, rape of a minor, drug & alcohol use

“Finding a Face for My Invisible Illness” by Lorraine Boissoneault (Catapult)

Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes

Spinning by Tillie Walden (First Second Books)

CN: Sexual assault, homophobia

Good Talk by Mira Jacob

Aug 10, 202137:51
018: Buddy Reads: Yolk

018: Buddy Reads: Yolk

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi (Simon & Schuster).

CN: Disordered eating, body dysmorphia/fatphobia, terminal illness (cancer), child death, racism (anti-Asian), drug & alcohol use (including cigarettes, marijuana, and other hard drugs), vomit, sexual content.


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:


The Poets & Writers Complete Guide to Being a Writer: Everything You Need to Know About Craft, Inspiration, Agents, Editors, Publishing and the Business of Building a Sustainable Writing Career by Kevin Larimer and Mary Gannon (Simon & Schuster)

“Asexual Romance Readers Are Finally Getting Their Happily Ever Afters” by Lily Herman (Bustle)

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

“Did Twitter break YA?” by Nicole Brinkley (Misshelved Newsletter #6)

Jul 27, 202158:33
017: Second-Half 2021 Releases
Jul 20, 202101:07:33
016: Buddy Reads: The Chosen and the Beautiful

016: Buddy Reads: The Chosen and the Beautiful

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom).

CN: Xenophobia / racism (anti-Asian), sexual content, abortion, spousal abuse, murder, alcohol / drug use (cigarettes).


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:

Ed Yong's Pulitzer Prize Award

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

“Yahoo! Answers Was My First and Best Writing Coach” by Alexandria Juarez (Electric Literature)


Jun 30, 202101:13:16
Bonus: Buddy Reads: The Comedown

Bonus: Buddy Reads: The Comedown

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss Justin Marks's poetry collection, The Comedown

Jun 25, 202121:09
015: Mid-Year Check In
Jun 15, 202101:14:48
Spring Hiatus Announcement

Spring Hiatus Announcement

Hello, bookwyrms! We at Dear Literature will be going on a short hiatus. We will return with new episodes in mid to late June. Until next time, happy reading!

May 22, 202100:42
014: Speculative Fiction Recommendations ('Sup, Nerds)

014: Speculative Fiction Recommendations ('Sup, Nerds)

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa geek out about works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.


Note: There are some minor audio issues in this episode. Thank you for listening, and May the Fourth be with you. 


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:

“For Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, The Story of the Universe is Also the Story of Blackness” by Aricka Foreman (Electric Literature)

“Finding from Particle Research Could Rewrite Known Laws of Physics” by Dennis Overbye (The New York Times)

“Is It Worth Reading If I Forget Everything I Read?” by Danika Ellis (Book Riot)

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, trans. Ken Liu (Tor)

CN: Murder, suicide, violence, state-sanctioned violence, torture

Exhalation by Ted Chiang (Knopf)

The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab (Titan)

CN: Kidnapping and violence (involving children), attempted murder, imprisonment

Heaven’s Vault (Inkle)

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)

CN: Murder, death, suicide, violence (including gun and domestic), rape, sexual assault, incest, infanticide, cannibalism, body horror, racism (anti-Latine/Indigenous, generally white supremacist), colorism, kidnapping/confinement, alcohol use, drug use (mushrooms, cigarettes), miscarriage, abuse, sexual content

The Diviners by Libba Bray (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

CN: Murder, violence, body horror/gore, racism (anti-Black, anti-semitic, as well as general white supremacy), domestic abuse, rape, alcohol use, drug use (cigarettes), abortion

The End of the World with Josh Clark (iHeartRadio)

“On the Behavioral Economy of the Book World” by Robert Frank (Literary Hub)

May 04, 202101:12:19
013: Buddy Reads: Wound from the Mouth of a Wound

013: Buddy Reads: Wound from the Mouth of a Wound

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss Wound from the Mouth of a Wound by torrin a. greathouse (Milkweed Editions).

CN: Rape, child abuse, ableism, transphobia, addiction (alcoholism), homophobic slurs, restricted eating (brief), violence


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:

“The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfield (The New Yorker)

“A For Alone” by Curtis Sittenfield (The New Yorker)

How a Pandemic Puppy Save My Grieving Family” by Nicole Chung (Time)

CN: Death

Light in August by William Faulkner

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz

"torrin a. greathouse vs. The Truth" The VS Podcast

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Sonnets by Bernadette Mayer

Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia (Knopf)

CN: State-sanctioned violence, (attempted) suicide/homicide, (child) abuse, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, drug/alcohol use (might be missing some)

How Science Journalist Ed Yong Helps Readers Make Sense of the World” by Nicole Chung (Catapult)

Apr 20, 202158:47
012: Poetry Recommendations

012: Poetry Recommendations

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss some of their favorite poetry collections.


Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod


Media Mentioned:

“Teen Writers Deserve Better Than the Teen Writing Scene” by Amanda Silberling (Electric Literature)

“Why Do I Write in My Colonizers’ Language?” by Anandi Mishra (Electric Literature)

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang, performed by Emily Woo Zeller (HarperCollins Audio)

CN: Violence (wartime & against women), rape, drug & alcohol use, drug addiction (opium), & cannibalism

“Visible Invisibility: The Ghostly Nature of Queer-Reading” by Miachel Elias (Catapult Magazine)

A Cruelty Special to Our Species: Poems by Emily Jungmin Yoon (HarperCollins)

CN: Violence (wartime & against women), state-sanctioned violence, & rape

A House Made of Water by Michelle Lin (Sibling Rivalry Press)

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes (Penguin Poets)

CN: Racism (anti-Black), slavery, police brutality, sexual content

Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson (Vintage)

CN: Sexual abuse, drug/alcohol use, violence, sexual content

Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar (Alice James Books)

CN: Alcohol addiction

Homie by Danez Smith (Graywolf Press)

i shimmer sometimes, too by Porsha Olayiwola (Button Poetry)

Soft Science by Franny Choi (Alice James Books)

Trickster Feminism by Anne Waldman (Penguin Poets)

CN: Colonialism, racism, state-sanctioned violence, violence against women

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Díaz (Copper Canyon Press)

CN: State-sanctioned violence, racism (anti-Indigenous), addiction, terrorism, sexual content

“How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Read” by Joumana Khatib (The New York Times)

“Your Book Might Not Sell, and You Have to Live with That” by Abigail Rasminsky (Electric Literature)

Apr 06, 202101:25:26
Bonus: Dear Lit
Apr 01, 202112:44
011: Publishing Tropes & Trends
Mar 23, 202101:09:23
010: Buddy Reads: World of Wonders

010: Buddy Reads: World of Wonders

Vanessa and Alyssa get excited about the natural world with Aimee Nezhukumatathil's World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)

CN: Disaster, terrorism, violence, discussions of death and illness 

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarer #2) by Becky Chambers, performed by Rachel Dulude (HarperCollins / Tantor Media)

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt & Company)

CN: War, death, violence

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt & Company)

CN: Murder, sex trafficking, rape/sexual assault, violence, drug / alcohol use, graphic depictions of dead bodies

The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang, performed by Emily Woo Zeller (HarperCollins)

CN: Drug & alcohol use, drug addiction, violence (wartime & state-sanctioned), rape/sexual assault, execution, graphic depictions of dead bodies

The VS podcast

"Penguin, Depressed"

CN: Discussion of depression

And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomás Rivera (Arte Publico Press)

CN: Racism (anti-Mexican), murder, death, war, exploitation, violence against women, sexual content

“The Secret Society About Pug Dogs That Was Brought Down by a Book” by Julia Métraux (Electric Literature)


Mar 09, 202101:03:29
009: Genre Swap Recommendations

009: Genre Swap Recommendations

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa recommend books to one another based on what genres they want to read more of.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dearlitpod

Media Mentioned:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh

CN: Violence, state-sanctioned violence, sex trafficking, drug & alcohol use

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

CN: Graphic rape/sexual assault of a minor, murder, violence, drug & alcohol use by minors

“Six Authors Demystify Publishing with a Small Indie Press” edited by Nina Boutsikaris and Jessica Gross

Hysteria by Jessica Gross

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

CN: Fantasy violence

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

CN: Alcohol use, sexual situations, state-sanctioned violence & torture

Invisible Planets & Broken Stars translated by Ken Liu

Collected Novellas by Gabriel García Márquez

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

CN: Alcohol use & sexual situations

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Hood by Alison Kinney

CN: Extensive descriptions of state-sanctioned violence & torture, military violence & torture, police violence, anti-Black racism, Islamophobia

Sadie by Courtney Summers

CN: Child abuse, sexual assault of minors, drug & alcohol use

Obit by Victoria Chang
CN: Death

“Humans Are Not the Virus—Don’t Be An Eco-Fascist” by Sherronda J. Brown

“Saving the Songs of South Korea’s Female Divers” by Hahna Yoon

"Emily Jungmin Yoon vs. Femininity" VS

Feb 23, 202141:47
008: Buddy Reads: Bestiary

008: Buddy Reads: Bestiary

In this episode, Alyssa and Vanessa discuss K-Ming Chang's debut novel, Bestiary.


Music by Ben Sulzinsky


Media Mentioned:


Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (One World)

CN: Child abuse, miscarriage

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt and Company)

CN: Genocide, death, violence, colorism

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)

CN: Discussion of rape, drug / alcohol use

“Allegations of Wage Theft, Discrimination at Small Press Distribution” by Alex Green (Publishers Weekly)

The Memory Trees by Kali Wallace (Katherine Tegen Books)

CN: Death, child homicide, violence, drug / alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts and actions

We Were All Someone Else Yesterday by Omar Holmon (Button Poetry)


Other References:


Asian American Writers' Workshop

Kundiman

Franny Choi


Feb 09, 202101:01:54
007: First-Half 2021 Releases
Jan 26, 202153:24
006: 2020 Wrap-Up

006: 2020 Wrap-Up

In this episode, Vanessa and Alyssa review their 2020 in books and writing.


Music by Ben Sulzinsky

Instagram: @dearlitpod | @sea_of_sirens (Vanessa)

Vanessa's Shop: https://seaofsirens.bigcartel.com/


Books Mentioned:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (Penguin Classics)

The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach (Wednesday Books)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World)

The Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis (Knopf)

We Slept Here by Sierra Demulder (Button Poetry)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron Books)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins)

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendara Blake (Quill Tree Books)

Exhalation by Ted Chiang (Knopf)

Lovely War by Julie Berry (Viking Books for Young Readers)

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, read by January LaVoy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Kona Winds by Scott Kikkawa (Bamboo Ridge Press)

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen (Beacon Press)

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (W. W. Norton Company)

Vicious & Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (Flatiron Books)

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (Graywolf Press)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

The Diviners series by Libba Bray (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (Beacon Press)

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (Akashic Books)


Other Notes:

BookCon + Book Expo closing

Cons: YALL FEST, YALL WEST, NTTBF, Miami

Dec 22, 202051:06
005: Bookshelf Backlist
Dec 08, 202035:55
004: Buddy Reads: The Song of Achilles
Dec 01, 202001:03:50
003: Reading and Writing While in School
Nov 10, 202052:34
002: Buddy Reads: Truly Devious
Oct 27, 202001:13:34
Bonus: Spooky Bookish Media
Oct 13, 202021:20
001: Who We Are (As Readers & Writers)

001: Who We Are (As Readers & Writers)

Oct 06, 202057:31
000: Second-Half 2020 Releases

000: Second-Half 2020 Releases

In this pilot episode of Dear Literature, Vanessa and Alyssa discuss the books releasing in the second half of 2020 that they're excited for.


Music by Ben Sulzinsky


Books Mentioned:

Food Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Our Edible World by Julia Rothman with help from Rachel Wharton (Storey Publishing)

Urban Temple by David McCann (Bo-Leaf Books)

The King of Crows by Libba Bray (Little, Brown and Company)

Or What You Will by Jo Walton (Tor Books)

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis (St. Martin’s Press)

I Hold a Wolf by the Ears by Laura van de Berg (FSG)

Must I Go by Yiyun Li (Random House)

Finna: Poems by Nate Marshall (One World)

The Unreality of Memory: And Other Essays by Elisa Gabbert (FSG Originals)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen (Beacon Press)

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (Katherine Tegen Books)

Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie (Dutton)

Skyhunter by Marie Lu (Roaring Book Press)

Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant (Flatiron Books)

Bestiary by K-Ming Chang (One World)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

Eartheater: A Novel by Dolores Reyes, trans. Julia Sanches (HarperVia)

Wound from the Mouth of a Wound by torrin a. greathouse (Milkweed Editions)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron Books)

Lovely War by Julie Berry (Penguin Young Readers Group) 


Other notes:

Kaveh Akbar

Danez Smith

Clint Smith

Franny Choi

Kundiman

Sep 22, 202052:57
Trailer: Dear Literature
Sep 18, 202000:56