Kidlit Happy Hour
Episodes
Ep. 37: Dan Santat, Joanna and Caroline on Launch Day, the State of Publishing and Hope
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Santat joins Joanna and Caroline to celebrate the launch of their book The Day the Books Disappeared! They share an honest conversation around the...
Ep. 36: Conflict: Jacqueline Woodson on Organic Discovery and How Picture Books Are the Ultimate Teacher
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here are some highlights from our episode with the #1 NYTimes bestselling, National Book Award-winning, former National Ambassador for Young People’...
Ep. 35: Voice: Namrata Tripathi on Jazz Odysseys and the Toothy Work of Excavating Truth
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from our conversation with Founder and Publisher of Kokila, Namrata Tripathi: The power of celebrating not just our communal work, but ...
Ep. 34: Joanna and Caroline Are Back After a Five-Month Hiatus!
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They’re back!!! Here are some highlights from Joanna and Caroline’s first episode after their five-month KLHH hiatus: Joanna’s major recent lif...
Ep. 33: Voice: Raina Telgemeier on Emotions as Truth and the Power of Emojis
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are some highlights from our conversation with the NYTimes bestselling, award-winning cartoonist and graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier: Why he...
Ep. 32: Voice: Aida Salazar on Embarrassing Your Characters and Writing as a Spiritual Practice
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our conversation with Aida Salazar is here! Aida shares about how one workshop radically changed her approach to voice, why writing is a spiritual pra...
Ep. 31: Character: Jasmine Warga on Robots, Geese, Turtles and the Alchemy of Writing
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are some highlights from our conversation with NYTimes-bestselling, award-winning author Jasmine Warga!: Excavating not simply WHAT your characte...
Ep. 30: Character: Adib Khorram on Keeping Your Mental Filing Cabinet Full and Why NSYNC Transcends Backstreet Boys
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are a few highlights from our conversation with the award-winning Adib Khorram: How his notes app has come to be bursting with character ideas an...
Ep. 29: Character: Randy Ribay on Asking the Right Questions and Graphing Relationships in Writing
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are highlights from our conversation with award-winning, NYTimes-bestselling author Randy Ribay: How characters explore the same internal ques...
Ep. 28: Setting: Grace Lin on Writing Where You Want to Be and the Myth of the "Real Writers"
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from our episode with the bestselling, awards-winning, queen herself, Grace Lin: Picking a setting where you *want* to spend time Identifyi...
Ep. 27: Setting: Liz Garton Scanlon on Creating Context and Chasing Stories Through a Dreamscape
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are some highlights from our conversation with award-winning, bestselling author Liz Garton Scanlon: 📚 Why setting is not relevant only in ...
Ep 26: Theme: Minh Lê on Burying Telephone Wires and Leaving Space for Connection
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode include: Starting with a story and discovering theme along the way Propping up a story with telephone poles and burying t...
Ep 25: Theme: Laurel Snyder on Maintaining an 8 year-old Brain and Creating in the Face of Capitalism
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're thrilled to introduce our first guest of Season 2, the brilliant author Laurel Snyder. Highlights in this episode include: Theme bumping against...
Ep 24: We're back! Caroline and Joanna Kick off Season 2
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In which we share ways we've taken our KLHH guests' advice to live life as inspiration for craft, and attempt to buckle down for this upcoming year - ...
Ep. 23: Reflections: Joanna and Caroline on Taking Leaps That Make No Sense and Our Favorite Moments From This Past Year
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s our final episode of the inaugural season of Kidlit Happy Hour!!! Join us as we surprise one another with favorite moments from each episode, r...
Ep. 22: Finding Audience: Claribel A. Ortega on Cultivating Real Community and No "Little Book Energy"
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from our conversation with NYTimes bestselling and award-winning author Claribel A. Ortega: The #1 way to connect to your audience Claribe...
Ep. 21 Finding Audience: Emily Lyman on Reframing Self-promo and Why Good Marketing is Storytelling
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some highlights from our conversation with marketing guru Emily Lyman: Reframing self-promotion as a celebration with your community Individuals un...
Ep. 20: Finding Audience: Cynthia Leitich Smith on Story as a Circle and Making Magic Out of Nothing
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are select highlights from our conversation with NYtimes bestselling, award-winning author Cynthia Leitich Smith: Story as a circle, gathering...
Ep. 19: Polishing Story: Tavita Pritchard on Trusting the Process and Letting 5-Year-Olds Feel Their Feelings
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from our conversation with football coach Tavita Pritchard: Centering relationships over x’s and o’s How who you are shows up on the...
Ep. 18: Polishing Story: Andrea Davis Pinkney on Screaming on the Cyclone and Our Page One Pact
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from our conversation with Andrea Davis Pinkney: - Why riding the Coney Island cyclone is one of the earliest steps to polishing a manus...
Ep 17: Polishing Story: Lil Miss Hot Mess on Doing Nails, Dolly Parton, and Killing Our Darlings
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Lil Miss Hot Mess include: Why nail polish is like writing a book Writing for kids through the lens of performance a...
Ep. 16: How to Build a Story: Erin Entrada Kelly on Writing Organically and Trapping Guinea Pigs in a Well
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Erin Entrada Kelly: Building stories grounded in a single character The gift of writing in you...
Ep. 15: How to Build a Story: Angel Barreto on Making Samgyetang and That One Scene From the Bear
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Angel Barreto, one of the most creative and celebrated chefs in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyon...
Ep. 14: How to Build A Story: Jerry Craft on Writing Authentic Feel-Goods and Characters with Body Odor
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Jerry Craft include: Why building a story is like building a house How eavesdropping enriches characterization…...
Ep. 13: How to Build A Story: Nic Stone on Walking Barefoot in Her Yard and Personifying Emotions
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Nic Stone include: Nic’s famous mnemonic for the writing process, including a behind the scenes sneak peek to h...
Ep. 12: Finding Ways into Story: Frankie Quiñones on Moving Past Fart Jokes to Sharing His Truth
28 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Frankie Quiñones include: Deriving inspiration from witnessing others people’s art and vulnerability How laughter...
Ep 11: Finding Ways into Story: Yuyi Morales on Getting Lost and Feeling Your Way Home
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Yuyi Morales include: The impact of environment on storytelling Reframing what it means to write and work Toggling b...
Ep 10: Finding Ways into Story: Christina Soontornvat on Listening to Songs 500 Times and Earning Endings
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Christina Soontornvat include: Crying on planes and the power of music to unlock stories Giving ideas the time and s...
Ep 9: Writing Truth: Karla Souza on the Visceral Truths and an Asymmetry of Power
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with award-winning actress Karla Souza, who you may recognize from her starring roles in hit shows How to Get Away with M...
Ep 8: Writing Truth: Carlos Andrés Gómez on Saying Things Everyone Else is Too Terrified to Say
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with award-winning poet, speaker, actor, and equity and inclusion strategist, Carlos Andrés Gómez include: Being briefl...
Ep 7: Writing Truth: Liz Kleinrock on Representation as Low-Hanging Fruit and Finding Our North Star
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with acclaimed educator, consultant, author, and antibias antiracist facilitator Liz Kleinrock include: Distinguishing tr...
Ep 6: Writing Truth: Maggie Tokuda-Hall on Trashing Drafts and Caping for the Giving Tree
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with acclaimed author Maggie Tokuda-Hall include: Writing protagonists that are not role models The magic of the 25k word...
Ep. 5: What is Story? Reflections with Joanna and Caroline
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s just the two us of us on today’s new episode!!! We are reflecting on the question that guided the first three interviews of the season: What ...
Ep 4: What is Story? Michelle Li Says You Learn Something, You Feel Something, You Do Something
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with award-winning news anchor and founder of The Very Asian Foundation include: Going viral for being "very Asian" Relev...
Ep. 3: What is Story? Donna Barba Higuera and Drinking Every Time You Hear the Word ”Wonder”
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A few (of the many!) highlights from this episode with New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal and Pura Belpré Award-winner Donna Barba Higuera inc...
Ep 2: What is Story? Dan Santat on Holding Multiple Complexities and Harry Winkler
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Highlights from this episode with Caldecott medalist, Dan Santat include: Name dropping gone wrong Creating emotional resonance The reality behind s...
Ep 1: Introducing Kidlit Happy Hour
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the very first episode of Kidlit Happy Hour. HUZZAH!!! In this episode, you'll learn more about our big, juicy vision for this podcast. Som...