Mai Nguyen knows that we can feel two contradictory things at once

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Mai Nguyen knows that we can feel two contradictory things at once

On It’s a Lot this week, I talked to author and fellow toddler mom Mai Nguyen. Mai is the author of Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead, a novel rooted in her own experience with infant loss. We talked about the utter shock of losing a baby when they’re a few days old, why it’s worth measuring the placenta, which platitudes we hated the most when grieving, and how Mai moved through her grief by starting to write again.

Mai got pregnant 7 months after losing her firstborn; in the second half of the episode, we discuss some of the joys and struggles of parenting a toddler. Highs: getting new episodes of Trash Truck on Netflix, visiting splash pads, and eating ice cream often. Lows: trying to get them to eat any food that’s not woefully plain. We also talked about how she speaks to her youngest, Leah, about her big sister Gemma, and how they honor Gemma as a family.

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Kristina Ten on folklore from a 90s childhood, retaining our critical thinking skills in the AI era, & battling impostor syndrome

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Kristina Ten on folklore from a 90s childhood, retaining our critical thinking skills in the AI era, & battling impostor syndrome

On the latest episode of my podcast It’s a Lot, I spoke to Kristina Ten, author of Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine, about everything from fighting impostor syndrome to why she chose to go back to school for an MFA, from what it was like teaching undergrads during COVID to the importance of writing unlikable queer characters.

During the second half of our conversation, we shared some love for Rochester’s awesome indie bookstores, discussed how moving around so much has impacted Kristina and her writing, and our fears about the age of AI and how it’s impacting our brains. Kristina is a delight to talk to! I hope you enjoy listening.

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Mad friendship & writing funny with author Leanne Toshiko Simpson

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Mad friendship & writing funny with author Leanne Toshiko Simpson

On the latest episode of It’s a Lot, I spoke with fellow toddler mom Leanne Toshiko Simpson about figuring out when you’re ready to have kids, the joys of slow walks with curious toddlers, and the insidious productivity culture depicted in Thomas the Tank Engine. Leanne is also a writer, mental health advocate, and educator, so in the first half of the show, we dive into her bipolar diagnosis, navigating the mental health system, writing characters with mental illness, the joys of mad friendship, and how to write funny. It was a fun conversation and I learned a lot from Leanne’s insights on mental illness and mad community!

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