Wild Precious Life

Tara Pringle Jefferson is the founder of The Self Care Suite, a digital wellness community for Black women. Her voice has been featured on New York magazine’s The Cut, Black Enterprise, and Essence. In today’s episode, Annmarie and Tara discuss Bloom How You Must: A Black Woman’s Guide to Self-Care and Generational Healing, and the importance of both self-care and community care as a sustaining force for Black women.

Episode Sponsors:

Tastes & Tomes – A Black woman-owned, mission-driven, pop-up/mobile bookshop in Columbus, Ohio. Founded during the pandemic by author, poet, advocate, and educator, Tracy Ramey (pen name Tracy D.F. Resonance), Tastes & Tomes centers historically underrepresented stories, banned and challenged books, and indie authors. Find Tastes & Tomes online at bookshop.org/shop/tastesandtomes. And if you’re in the Columbus area today, April 7, 2026, come on out to Zora’s House for the Inaugural National Black Bookstore Day. Come support your local Black bookstore. Let’s celebrate and recognize literacy, knowledge, and those who paved the way before us.

Literary Cleveland – Developing writers, amplifying voices, and transforming our community through storytelling. Explore other voices and discover your own. Search for classes and find your creative community at litcleveland.org.

Titles Mentioned in This Episode:

Bloom How You Must: A Black Woman’s Guide to Self-Care and Generational Healing, by Tara Pringle Jefferson

Firstborn Girls, by Bernice L. McFadden

Dominion, by Addie E. Citchens

The Price of Exclusion: The Pursuit of Healthcare in a Segregated Nation, by Nicole Carr

Follow Tara Pringle Jefferson:

Facebook: @wherewomenbloom

Instagram: @wherewomenbloom

Threads: @wherewomenbloom

Substack: The Well Rested Black Woman

tarapringlejefferson.com

theselfcaresuite.com

**Writing Workshops:

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below.

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here.

For anyone interested in an evening class to jumpstart your creative practice, you can sign up here.

And if you’d like to travel with your writing, Annmarie is co-leading a writing retreat in Paris this June. Join us!
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Melody Chu is a writer and attorney. The daughter of Chinese immigrants from Taiwan, she graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School and has practiced as an attorney in Hong Kong, Beijing and the United States. In today’s episode, Annmarie and Melody discuss her debut novel Mathey Girls. They also talk about independent publishing and the power of female friendships across distance, time, and grief. 

Episode Sponsors:

Loganberry Books – An independently owned and operated bookstore in the historic Larchmere neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Loganberry features a carefully curated collection of new, used and rare books in all genres for both readers and collectors, with an inventory over 100,000 volumes. Find your next great read and shop online at loganberrrybooks.com.

Mac’s Backs – A proud Cleveland indie bookstore with three floors for browsing, great online service, and chocolate milkshakes right next door. Find your new favorite book and shop online at macsbacks.com.

Titles Mentioned in This Episode:

Mathey Girls, by Melody Chu

Kundun (1997) Official Trailer

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Official Trailer

Follow Melody Chu:

Facebook: @MelodyChu

Instagram: @MelodyChu_author

Threads: @melodygchu

melodychuauthor.com

**Writing Workshops:

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below.

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here.

For anyone interested in an evening class to jumpstart your creative practice, you can sign up here.

And if you’d like to travel with your writing, Annmarie is co-leading a writing retreat in Paris this June. Join us!

Photo Credit: Melissa Lipnick, Life Unscripted Photography
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Natalie Haynes is a writer, broadcaster and “rock star mythologist.” Her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and has been translated around the globe. She’s out now with No Friend to This House, a reimagining of the story of Medea. In today’s episode, Annmarie and Natalie poke fun at Perseus, demystify Greek myths, and discuss the relevance of classic literature in our modern world. 

Episode Sponsors:

Pocket Books – An independent, queer, feminist bookstore committed to the idea that bookstores are places for communities to share knowledge, wisdom, resources, and connections. We stock an intentional and eclectic selection of books that we hope will help you feel safe exploring something new. Pocket Books is a place of discovery where readers find support for their ideas and new interests. Stop by one of our Lancaster, Pennsylvania locations or shop online at pocketbooksshop.com.

Books Are Magic⁠ – A family-owned independent bookstore in Brooklyn, committed to being a welcoming, friendly, and inclusive space for all people. We believe that books are indeed magic and that literature is one of the best ways to create empathy, transportation, and transformation. Stop by or shop online at ⁠booksaremagic.net⁠.

Titles by Natalie Haynes: 

No Friend to This House

A Thousand Ships

The Children of Jocasta

Stone Blind

Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths

Additional Titles Mentioned in This Episode 

The Overstory, Playground, and Bewilderment, all by Richard Powers

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Official Trailer

Clash of the Titans (1981) Official Trailer

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics

Follow Natalie Haynes:

Facebook: @nataliehaynesstandupclassicist

Twitter/X: @officialnhaynes

Instagram: @NatalieHaynesAuthor

Threads: @nataliehaynesauthor

Bluesky: @NatalieHaynes

nataliehaynes.com

**Writing Workshops: 

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below. 

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here. 

For anyone interested in an evening class to jumpstart your creative practice, you can sign up here.

And if you’d like to travel with your writing, Annmarie is co-leading a writing retreat in Paris this June. Join us!Photo Credit: James Betts
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Beth Ann Fennelly is the former poet laureate of Mississippi and the author of seven books, including Heating and Cooling and The Titled World. In today’s episode, Annmarie and Beth Ann discuss her latest book, The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs, and what we can learn from everyday moments observed with extraordinary clarity and humor.

Episode Sponsors:

Square Books – A general independent bookstore on the historic town square of Oxford, Mississippi, home of the University of Mississippi and many great writers, including William Faulkner, Barry Hannah, Larry Brown, and, for a time, both Willie Morris and John Grisham. Square Books is known for its strong selection of literary fiction, books on the American South and by Southern writers, and its emphasis on books for children. The store hosts the popular Thacker Mountain radio show and over 150 author events a year. Stop by our Oxford location or shop online at squarebooks.com.

Fountain Bookstore – An independent, general, full-service bookstore serving the Metro Richmond area and the world! Fountain hosts more author programming than any other entity in the state of Virginia. We also ship autographed copies worldwide. Come check us out! You’ll find enthusiastic booksellers happy to talk about their favorite titles. Or find us online at fountainbookstore.com.

Titles by Beth Ann Fennelly 

Open House

Tender Hooks

Unmentionables

Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother

The Tilted World, coauthored with Tom Franklin

Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs 

The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs

Additional Titles Mentioned in This Episode 

House of Smoke, by John T. Edge

Me vs. Slugs: Pandemic Edition, by Beth Ann Fennelly

Outtakes from the Highlight Reel, by Beth Ann Fennelly

Follow Beth Ann Fennelly:

Facebook: @BethAnnFennelly

Instagram: @bethannfennelly

Threads: @bethannfennelly

Substack: The BethAnnigan

bethannfennelly.com

**Writing Workshops: 

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below. 

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here. 

For anyone interested in an evening class to jumpstart your creative practice, you can sign up here.

And if you’d like to travel with your writing, Annmarie is leading a writing retreat in Paris this June. Join us!

Photo Credit: Paul Gandy
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Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times Bestselling author of six award-winning novels, including Yellow Wife and The House of Eve. In today’s episode, Annmarie and Sadeqa discuss her latest novel, Keeper of Lost Children, and how one American woman’s vision in post WWII Germany changed the course of countless lives.

Episode Sponsors:

Fountain Bookstore – An independent, general, full-service bookstore serving the Metro Richmond area and the world! Fountain hosts more author programming than any other entity in the state of Virginia. We also ship autographed copies worldwide. Come check us out! You’ll find enthusiastic booksellers happy to talk about their favorite titles. Or find us online at fountainbookstore.com.

Politics and Prose – DC’s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub. At Politics and Prose, we’re devoted to cultivating community and strengthening the common good through books, programs, and a respectful exchange of ideas. And we’re committed to exceptional customer service and to the values of independence, inclusion, and diversity. Stop by one of our Washington, DC locations or shop online at politics-prose.com.

Titles by Sadeqa Johson 

Keeper of Lost Children

Yellow Wife

The House of Eve

Second House from the Corner

And Then There Was Me

Additional Titles Mentioned in This Episode 

Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall

Harlem Rhapsody, by Victoria Christopher Murray

Follow Sadeqa Johnson:

Facebook: @SadeqaJohnson

Instagram: @sadeqasays

TikTok: @sadeqasays

www.sadeqa.net

**Writing Workshops: 

If you liked this conversation and are interested in writing together, please consider the opportunities below. 

For women interested in an online Saturday morning writing circle, you can sign up here. 

For anyone interested in a memoir writing class, you can sign up here.

And if you’re looking to write and learn with Sadeqa, she’s hosting a writing retreat in Arcachon, France this April. You can sign up here.

And if you’d like to travel with Annmarie is leading a writing workshop in Paris this June.
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