Confession time: the first few episodes of The Reader's Heart were recorded in Zoom. A newbie podcasters, I figured using Zoom would just make things easier. After all, I've recorded hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Zoom meetings... what could go wrong? Turns out: a lot! Most notably, extracted audio from Zoom meetings is often, well... not good. Such was the case the FIRST TIME Erin Bow and I recorded an episode of The Reader's Heart. While everything appeared to go smoothly during the recording, the resulting audio proved unusable. Luckily, Erin was gracious enough to agree to a take two! Truth be told, I can't remember a thing about our first recording, but I am 100% in love with our second conversation in part, because it feels perfectly aligned with the goals of this podcast - which revolve around the desire to amplify the many ways children's literature can heal and shape our hearts. As a mega fan of Erin's work, I was thrilled to chat with her about her books. Turns out, I'm also a mega fan of Erin as a human, too. I hope you love our conversation as much as I did.
ABOUT THIS WEEK'S GUEST
Erin Bow grew up wanting to be an astronomer, trained as a particle physicist . . . and then took a left turn into writing poetry and children's fiction. Her books--which include Stand on the Sky, Plain Kate, Sorrow's Knot, and the science fiction duology The Scorpion Rules and The Swan Riders--have won a fistful of awards. Her 2023 middle grade novel, Simon Sort of Says, about navigating trauma and realizing that none of us are defined by the worst thing that every happened to us, was long listed for the National Book Award and received a Newbery Honor that same year. Born in Iowa and raised in Nebraska, Erin now writes in a shed in her messy but beloved garden in Ontario, Canada. Visit her online at ErinBow.com and @ErinBowBooks.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
RESOURCES & LINKS
Please enjoy a special discount of 20% off the titles mentioned in this episode (or others of your choice) by visiting Bookelicious and using the code JENNIFERLAGARDE. Note: I do not make any money from the sales, but I am delighted that you get to save some!
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
Stand on The Sky by Erin Bow
Connect with Erin
MORE ABOUT THE READER’S HEART
Rooted in the belief that our world needs the magic of children’s literature now more than ever, the Reader’s Heart podcast captures conversations with authors and illustrators about children's literature as a vehicle for empathy and joy in a dark world. I'm so excited about this project and it's my wish that it brings you as much light and hope as it has brought me.
Special thanks to Corinna Luyken for creating the beautiful illustration that will serve as the show's logo. I've always found Corinna's art so moving and she perfectly captured the spirit of what I am trying to do, which is to put warmth and love into the world during a time when so many are working to limit kids' access to the warmth and love inherent in children's literature. (Also, don't forget, you can use the discount above to buy Corinna's books from Bookelicious, too!)
Weekly episodes will drop on Tuesdays. Once you've had a chance to listen, I hope you will consider leaving The Reader's Heart a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review! Podcast reviews are one of the best ways to support your favorite shows and help others find these conversations.
WHERE TO LISTEN:
Wherever you listen to podcasts!
