Episode #161: Long Gaps Between Books with Molly Burnham
Grace and Alvina are recording live together, and welcome special guest Molly Burnham to talk about what it means to have a long gap between publishing books.
Recording from DC!
Grace, Alvina, and Molly are recording this episode from a hotel room while in Washington, DC for the 2022 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition. Grace will be accepting her Legacy Award at the Newbery-Caldecott-Legacy banquet. They start their conversation as usual by asking each other, “how have you been?”
Molly grew up in DC and is feeling very nostalgic to be back visiting since the pandemic began. Grace is both nervous and excited to be back with so many people in-person. She walked over to the Vietnam War Memorial and was just in awe as she has been working on the She Persisted: Maya Lin book.
Alvina is also nervous and excited to be with this community in-person again! She and Stephen recently celebrated their 1-year wedding anniversary and they’re excited to be headed to Oregon for a family reunion next week!
Gaps Between Books
Molly and Alvina share the gaps they’ve had between books and what exactly that means to them. They discuss the believed myth out there that you have to keep publishing books often or people will forget you! Grace talks about what gaps between book means in terms of your identity as a creator and a writer.
Alvina adds her thoughts and feelings about gaps from an editor and publisher’s point of view.
Fortune Cookie Segment: Librarian Love!
Molly, Grace, and Alvina share their favorite memories about libraries and librarians. They talk about how important they are and some of their earliest memories of borrowing books. The DC Public Library, New Hartford Public Library, and the Utica Public Library.
Gratefuls
After hearing the news about Roe V. Wade being overturned. Molly is grateful that despite all of the unrest in the world, there is a reckoning. As a white woman she is grateful for that. She is grateful that some voices are finally being heard! Grace is grateful to be in DC with like-minded folks after hearing the news about Roe V. Wade. Alvina is also grateful to be surrounded by this community at this time.
Other books and media mentioned in this episode:
Thank you!
*If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Authors Melissa Iwai and Grace Lin answer the random question What fashion trend do you wish would come back? Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!
Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Twitter and Instagram and @gracelinauthor on TikTok and @authorgracelin on Facebook
You can find Molly on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @Mollybburnham
