In a true roundtable discussion, Joy and episode co-hosts, Amah Edoh, Sonia Alejandra Rodriquez, and Hadassah K. Williams speak with the writer, Dr. Camille U. Adams, about her emotionally resonant work that is largely set in her home country, Trinidad and Tobago.

This episode explores discovery in the process of memoir writing, what it’s like to write about a toxic mother, the issue of representation when writing about your country for non-natives, and a favorite podcast topic: how to care for oneself through the writing process.

We discuss:

1. Integrity i.e. “being real with yourself” during the writing process
2. Distance and perspective in memoir writing
3. Making sure that participation in literary communities isn’t exploitative
4. What does it mean to make discovery a part of your writing practice
5. So many things that don’t fit easily into a list!

How to Be Unmothered (Pre-Order!)

How to Be Unmothered (excerpt)

In The Belly Of The Earth: Poems, Short Stories & Memoir by Camille U. Adams

Designated Rememberer by Camille U. Adams

Special thanks to all who attended: Amah Edoh, Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, Hadassah K. Williams, DeeDee Mitchell, Virginia Piegnot, Exetta Harris, and Rekia. And thank you to the one and only Mat "Mat Mat" Poirot for editing and production help and our lovely logo design.

After a break, Joy Notoma is back with more insightful talks with early career BIPOC creative writers. In this episode Joy talks with Tolu Daniel about PLACE as a vehicle to create stories that transport readers. In a wide-spanning conversation rich with ideas about how one's personal relationship to place shows up in writing, Tolu eloquently discusses leaving his home country, Nigeria, how he views racism as a Nigerian in America, and what it means to create a platform for other writers whose work converses with his own. If you have ever written a piece that is very invested in character, plot, dialogue, etc...only to find that your setting is only vaguely fleshed out, this is for you!

We explore:

1. How being specific about place adds breadth and depth to writing 2. Place as a site of memory versus imagining a future or unknown place 3. Giving yourself permission to write, sometimes even after other people already identify you as a writer 4. The value of creating a platform for the work of other writers Further Reading: Ellipses Newsletter on Substack

In Defense of Silence: A Portable Paradise by ADEOLA OPEYEMI Tremor by Teju Cole A Souvenir of Me by Kemi Falodun

Thank you to participants Ucheoma Onwutuebe and Kwaku Kyereh. Special thanks to the one and only Mat "Mat Mat" Poirot for editing and production help and our lovely logo design.

In this season finale episode, host Joy Notoma speaks with fiction writer, poet, and essayist, Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez, about the ins and outs of writing about traumatic life experiences.

Have you ever heard phrases like "Start where it hurts" or "Go where the wound is" or any other sentiment that implies that pain is valuable to the making of art? This discussion takes the idea behind those statements a step further. Once we've started writing from the wound, how do we care for ourselves to make sure that we're not just bleeding on the page?

We explore:

1. How the revision process can ensure that you’re writing with care and not “re-traumazing” yourself.
2. How historical fiction can help you reimagine the future
3. What young adult literature can teach us about voice, character, and plot
4. How to incorporate moments of joy even if the story is rooted in trauma
5. How to show empathy for loved ones whose personal lives may be a part of the story you’re telling

Querida by Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez

Roxane Gay addresses difficulty of writing about trauma

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos

Roots.Wounds.Words.

Follow Sonia on social media at @RodriguezSoniaA.

Thank you to participants Monika Gupta, Hazel Pritchard, and Kat. Special thanks to the one and only Mat "Mat Mat" Poirot for editing and production help and our lovely logo design.