Q&A | Acree Graham Macam and Natalie Nelson

February 9, 2018 Reading Women

The King of Birds is a colorful, playful homage to Flannery O’Connor and her love of birds written by Acree Graham Macam and illustrated by Natalie Nelson—who also happen to be close friends. The story imagines how Flannery, as a child, might have gone about collecting her collection of birds, and we watch as she solves the problem of getting her prize peacock to show his magnificent fan. It’s a wonderful way to introduce young readers to Flannery O’Connor and captures her quirkiness perfectly. We think her peacocks would approve.

Q&A | Thi Bui

January 26, 2018 Reading Women

Thi Bui's graphic memoir The Best We Could Do still leaves us speechless. The beauty of her art and precision of her language create story that feels perfectly balanced. Bui's understanding of how stories are told comes through on every page, in every frame. In addition to being one of our shortlisted authors for the Reading Women Award in nonfiction, Thi Bui is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in autobiography. Bui told us about her writing process and the importance of reading stories from refugees.

Q&A | Michelle Kuo

December 15, 2017 Reading Women

One of the great surprises for us in 2017 was discovering Michelle Kuo. Kuo writes about her experience teaching high school English in the Mississippi delta with such clarity and insight. Her memoir Reading with Patrick taught us so much about humanity, the kindness and grace that can be found in all corners of the globe. But you don't have to take our word for it. Here's our conversation with Michelle Kuo, one of our Reading Women Award shortlisted authors.

Q&A | Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

December 1, 2017 Reading Women

Sometimes you read a book that captivates you from the first page until the last. For us, The Fact of a Body was one of those books. You guys heard on the podcast why we love this book, but let us just say, in short, we love Alexandria's blend of memoir and true crime to create something beautifully unique. Her use of time and structure also illustrate her masterful approach to storytelling. So without further ado, here is our conversation with our Reading Women Award shortlisted author, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich.