All posts filed under: Columns

Shop Talk with Katherine Morgan of Grand Gesture Books

Katherine Morgan is the founder and owner of Grand Gesture Books, a new, online-only (for now!) bookshop that specializes in romance books. Grand Gesture opened in November 2023 and is based in Portland, Oregon. You can follow Katherine and Grand Gesture’s journey on Instagram. What led you to open a romance bookstore? It felt like a natural kind of instinct to do. I’ve been working as a bookseller at Powell’s Books for about four-and-a-half years. I currently still work there, running the romance section, and it’s always been my happy place, especially since I got into romance during the pandemic. There are so many romance bookstores, which is great, but very few of them are in the Pacific Northwest. I knew, based on how much traffic the romance section gets, that if there are this many people who are interested in it, there are going to be people who are interested that live in Portland, or Washington, and want to travel down. That’s when I got the idea: I don’t know if [a romance bookstore] …

Melania Luisa Marte | Mama’s Writing

By Starr Davis

What recent writing accomplishment(s) are you most proud of? Was this accomplishment shared and supported by your children? My 2-year-old was born on the day that my collection of poems Plantains and Our Becoming was sent off to auction by my agents. Looking back on that moment now feels so cosmic. This book of poetry feels directly intertwined with my story of motherhood. When I think of myself as a writer, I always also think of myself as a mother and it is so grounding to view my work from that lens. I always want my accomplishments to be a part of who I also am as a mother. I want my children to see me as an individual and to know that I lived a full life and did not allow the one-dimensionalizing of the patriarchy’s gaze upon women to flatten me not for one second. If I can accomplish that through daily action, that is what I will be most proud of. Plantains & Our Becoming has yet to win an award but …

Ten Questions for Jane Wong

By Sherisa de Groot

What inspired you to tell this story? My mother! Everything I write and create comes back to her. My memoir is a love song for working-class, low-income immigrant women… I really wanted to spotlight her life and what I’ve learned from her. Her story is also my story. I also wanted to write a memoir that played with form – echoing migration itself. It’s non-linear and tonally textured… just like in real life, I wanted there to be moments where I’m laughing so hard to stop myself from crying. I also think we need more stories that refuse a singular voice; yes, this book is about me growing up in a take-out restaurant, but it’s also about my relationships with toxic men, what it means to fall in love with poetry, and the ferocious of matrilineal wisdom and clairvoyance. What did you edit out of this book? Writing a memoir is definitely a challenge in terms of what you keep in and what you leave out. I really wanted there to be a balance between …

Ten Questions for Neda Toloui-Semnani

By Sherisa de Groot

What inspired you to tell this story? The first time I tried to explain the contours of my family and, frankly, my grief was when I was in third grade. I wrote a little story of my father’s death, illustrated it, and then my teacher helped me bind it. I knew then that I’d write this book. Every few years, I’d tell it, again and again. On holidays and family gatherings, my mother or aunts and uncles, cousins and family friends would exchange stories, and I wanted to be the one to record some of them. Then, after my mother died when I was 31, it felt like the story I had to tell–a way to grieve her loss but also, a way to honor my parents, my family, and the whole of our community. It was also how I learned to write long-form. What did you edit out of this book? They Said They Wanted Revolution has had several forms, but it really began as my MFA thesis. Hundreds of pages of research and …

Cleyvis Natera | Mama’s Writing

By Sherisa de Groot

Mama’s Writing is Raising Mothers’ monthly interview series, curated by Starr Davis. What recent writing accomplishment(s) are you most proud of? Was this accomplishment shared and supported by your children? After toiling to publish my first novel for many years (from first sentence to publication, it was a fifteen year journey), I sold my second novel, The Grand Paloma Resort, as a proposal this past summer! It’s truly incredible and wonderful as I didn’t even know it was possible to sell a book before it was finished. When I told my children I sold my second book, their first suggestion was that I get on TIKTOK. I think that means they’re proud! Tell about a time mom-guilt emerged (or emerges) in the midst of your writing process. I don’t have much mom-guilt when it comes to my writing. I worked a full time job the entire time I was writing my first novel and that largely meant waking up at four and five AM just to get some pages down before my family woke up and …