Stay Ready, So You Don’t Have to Get Ready: Writing Advice You Need Now from Tracey Lewis-Giggetts

Press play on this fan-favorite, rewind episode with award-winning author, Tracey Lewis-Giggetts. 

Tracey Lewis-Giggetts has written over 30 books in multiple genres. She writes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenplays.  She is the author of the award-winning, Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration and Then They Came For Mine: Healing from the Trauma of Racial Violence.

Tracey is also an award-winning, celebrity ghostwriter and has penned best-selling books for several public figures including Tabitha Brown, Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five, and Dr. Joy Harden Bradford of Therapy for Black Girls.

During our inspiring conversation, Tracey revisits her 30+ year career as a writer and writing instructor, to share the nuggets of wisdom she’s gleaned along the way. We discuss:

• how she keeps going in the face of rejection, 
• how she managed to quit her job in academia to write full time
• why it’s okay to write in more than one genre.

Most importantly, Tracey talks about how and why she is so prolific, why she makes no apology for centering her stories around Black people and Black culture, and why it is so important to stay ready so you can be ready when opportunities arise.

BTW, we’re re-airing this episode this week, because Tracey has a new book coming out on October 29, 2024. If you’re listening in real time, that’s tomorrow!

The book is called The Black Joy Playbook: 30 Days of Intentionally ReClaiming Your Delight. It’s a guided journal and devotional that includes thirty reflective entries on themes like the power of our laughter, the weight of joy in the midst of grief, and embracing our everyday delights. Each section provides meditations, prompts, and actionable steps to help you unearth or reclaim joy in your life. It is a companion title to Black Joy, which we discuss in the episode. Get one for yourself and grab one for a friend for the holidays!

To learn more about Tracey, please visit her website and follow her on Instagram.

Tracey mentioned the following useful resources for writers:

The Hurston Wright Writers Workshop is an excellent resource for Black writers.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamontt is a book for writers about writing that Tracey recommends. 

If you want more information, inspiration and resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, and Create website.

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