In this episode of This Is the Author, meet poet Alessandra Narváez Varela, author of Thirty Talks Weird Love, performer Laura Hankin, author of A Special Place for Women, and poet Ishle Yi Park, author of Angel & Hannah. Listen in as these authors describe their new novels and what inspired them – whether that be rethinking how we talk about mental health, classic love stories, or infiltrating secret clubs. Plus, hear them share what it was like to record their audiobooks.
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Listen to clips from the audiobooks mentioned in this episode:
A powerful YA novel-in-verse on audio, Thirty Talks Weird Love follows a 13-year-old girl growing up in Mexico who is visited by her 30-year-old future self. A thought-provoking, moving audiobook that will lead adult and young adult readers alike to vital discussions on important topics.
It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose bewitching members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business. Welcome to A Special Place for Women.
Told across the changing seasons, Angel & Hannah is a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet that holds all of the tension and cadence of blank verse while adding dynamic and expressive language rooted in a long tradition of hip-hop and spoken word. The poetry of Angel and Hannah’s relationship is dynamic, arresting, observant, and magical, conveying the intimacies and sacrifices of love and family and the devastating realities of struggle and loss.
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