Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwritingby Syd Field The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Books and resources:Īuthor Jacqueline Woodson (Check out her 88 Cups of Tea episode right here!)Īuthors Maxine Hung Kingston, Katherine Paterson, and Jane Yolen If this topic is triggering or upsetting for you, please skip this episode. This episode contains content and discussion about suicide. We then continue to dig into her experience writing for TV, the steps you can take to break into TV writing, and the important role that community serves in your creative pursuits and how you can find that through an MFA experience. She tells her story of grief and heartbreak that inspired her novel The Place Between Breaths, we discuss the harmful narratives created around mental illness, and she stresses the importance of mental health resources. She shares her experience serving on the National Book Awards committee and what the selection process looks like behind the curtain. We dive into her writing process for vignettes and how she builds upon emotions and feelings to craft her scenes. In her episode, Na shares how she fell in love with storytelling, giving us a peek into her childhood, and the heartwarming impact that representation has in the world. She also teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA.

Her books have been named as ALA Best Books for Young Adults and a New York TimesNotable Book. Her honors include the International Reading Association Award and the Parents Choice Gold Award.

Na is the author of The Place Between Breaths, The Fold, Wait for Me,and A Step from Heaven, which was a National Book Award Finalist and won the Michael L. Curious about crafting your stories with vibrancy? Ever wondered what kind of work goes into building powerful vignettes? How about the role that community serves in your creative pursuits? We talk about it all and much more with An Na.

The Fold by An Na