Bookable Space: A Space to Launch (and re-launch) Books

We're back with Season III. In this episode of Bookable Space Dr Khadijah Z. Ali- Coleman. Kadijah read to us from her book For The Girls Who Do Too Much. In this lively discussion with novelist Yvonne Battle-Felton, Khadijah talks to us  about writing influences, impact, creativity, vulnerability, and more in this engaging and uplifting episode. About the writer: Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is a visionary cultural curator with over two decades of experience transforming spaces into vibrant centers of artistic and educational engagement. She is the founding director of Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice (BWPSJ) and is the 2023-2026 Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland.A trailblazer in arts and education, Dr. Ali-Coleman founded the multidisciplinary arts group Liberated Muse in 2008 and co-founded the national education research group Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars, LLC (BFHES), during the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020. BFHES has provided vital support to over 3000 families, offering annual teach-ins and workshops. Dr. Ali-Coleman's impact extends beyond the stage and classroom. She has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Washington Post, USA Today, The Guardian, and The Financial Times for her pioneering work in arts and education. Her expertise as a playwright, performer, presenter, and curator has been sought after by institutions including the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, DC Public Library System, and The United States Peace Corps.A recipient of numerous grants and fellowships for her writing, performance, and teaching, Dr. Ali-Coleman is an Associate Professor of English at Coppin State University. Her second poetry collection, For The Girls Who Do Too Much was released on August 2.About the book:For the Girls Who Do Too Much is a poignant and powerful collection of poetry that resonates with the experiences of women of all ages. This collection is an ode to the women who wear many hats, work tirelessly, love deeply, and sometimes lose themselves in the process. With unflinching honesty and tender introspection, Ali-Coleman navigates themes of loss, love, aging, work toxicity, mothering, and depression. This book follows Ali-Coleman's debut poetry collection, The Summoning of Black Joy (2023), that features poetry that went on to be showcased at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on the Millennium stage during the 2023 Black History Month presentation, "Voices of Freedom and Resistance," performed by her multidisciplinary arts group, Liberated Muse

In this engaging episode, we are joined by Michal Spiegelman. Michal reads from Becoming Soulful Six Keys for Profound Transformation in Your Therapy, Coaching, or Healing Practice and talks to us about her writing practice, listening to our souls, and more.About Michal:Michal Spiegelman is the visionary behind Beacons of Change, a transformative platform dedicated to guiding women and healing professionals toward a soul-fueled life lived at full power. As the founder and creator of the Soulful Healer Method for Profound Transformation, Michal empowers a diverse community of individuals to find their authentic voice and develop a distinctive identity.About the book: Focusing on the six keys that unlock the best version of yourself (Empowerment, Spirituality, Authenticity, Insight, Vitality, and Embodiment), Spiegelman invites you to take a step-by-step journey to become a healer who has embraced your true power and full potential. This powerful book includes thought-provoking questions and practices to help you integrate this method into your life, as well as examples from women and healers like you. Whether you’re a seasoned therapist looking to connect more deeply with your life’s work or someone who wants to add more positivity and meaning to your life, the lessons in Becoming Soulful will light the way for your own healing.For more information and to buy the book go to: https://amzn.to/3WPai9H

In this engaging episode of Bookable Space, host Yvonne Battle-Felton is joined by Rosie Wilby. Rosie reads to us from The Breakup Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak and talks to us about writing, science of relationships, immersive research, and more. About the author:Rosie Wilby is an award-winning comedian, writer and podcaster who has appeared on BBC Radio 4 programmes including Woman's Hour, Saturday Live, Unsafe Space and Four Thought and TV programmes including Good Morning Britain and Sunday Morning Live. Her latest book The Breakup Monologues is based on her acclaimed podcast (a British Podcast Award nominee and recommended by Chortle, The Observer, Psychologies and more) and is published globally by Bloomsbury. You can check it out here:https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1472982282/Rosie also regularly contributes to The Guardian, The Independent, Stylist, Cosmo and Perspective and has hosted programmes for Virgin Radio, BBC and Resonance FM. Follow her on Twitter / X @rosiewilby or on Instagram / Threads @breakupmonologues About the book:In 2011, comedian and podcaster Rosie Wilby was dumped by email... though she did feel a little better about it after correcting her ex's spelling and punctuation. Obsessing about breakups ever since, she embarked on a quest to investigate, understand and conquer the psychology of heartbreak. Many years later, this book is a love letter to her breakups, a celebration of what they have taught her peppered with anecdotes from illustrious friends and interviews with relationship therapists, scientists and sociologists about separating in the modern age of ghosting, breadcrumbing and conscious uncoupling.Mixing humour, memoir and science, she attempts to assimilate their advice and ideas in order to not break up with Girlfriend, her partner of nearly three years. Will this self-confessed serial monogamist, and breakup addict, finally settle down?

In this engaging episode of Bookable Space, host Yvonne Battle-Felton is joined by Inés G. Labarta. Inés reads from The Three Lives of Saint Ciarán and talks to us about writing, reading, life, and more.The Three Lives of Saint CiaránA young girl, un-dead and un-alive, brought to the shores of Iberia and nurtured to become the saviour of Madrid. A crippled boy drowning in the waters of Loughmichnois, called to preserve the secrets of a civilisation. A nun who instigates the bombing of Neo Dublin to reset a futureless people and start afresh.Times of darkness, worlds seemingly beyond salvation, people who have never known joy. What do they have in common?Three entirely different versions of Saint Ciarán to restore hope, faith, and brightness for humankind.Bio:Inés G. Labarta is a queer and an immigrant writer living in the northwest of England. Her publications include the middle grade trilogy Los Pentasónicos (2008-2010) and the novellas McTavish Manor (Holland House, 2016) and Kabuki (Dairea, 2017). Her new novel, The Three Lives of Saint Ciarán, was shortlisted for the Northern Writers Awards and will be published by Blackwater Press in 2024. Her short fiction has appeared in places like Extra Teeth, Toasted Cheese Literary Journal and Oranges. Her writing has been commissioned by institutions such as the Lancashire City Council and Litro magazine. In 2019 she gained a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. After working as a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Wolverhampton and the University of Plymouth she returned to Lancaster University in 2023 to lecture there. In 2023 she was also an Eccles Centre Visiting Fellow which allowed her to travel to the British Library to research for her current novel, a dark queer western set in the Pacific Northwest.

In this episode of Bookable Space, host Yvonne Battle-Felton is joined by Steve Schlam. Steve reads from The Harvesting of Haystacks Kane and talks to us about writing, dreaming, creativity, taking readers on a journey on the river of words, and more. About the Author: STEVE SCHLAM was born and brought up in the Borough of Brooklyn in The City That Never Sleeps, and has since lived in cities and towns across the United States and in Mexico. An actor as well as a writer, he has performed on stages in all the places he's called home, and earned a Master's Degree in Creative Writing under the tutelage of Joseph Heller, renowned author of "Catch-22." "The Harvesting of Haystacks Kane" is his first published novel.About the Book: "THE HARVESTING OF HAYSTACKS KANE is a powerful and poignant work of literary fiction that tells the story of Haystacks Kane, 607-pound professional wrestler and devoted butterfly collector born Herschel Cain in Brooklyn, New York, who has been gravely injured in a match with his archrival and long-time nemesis and is lying in his hospital bed immobilized and unable to speak, attempting to figure out what has happened--both in the immediate sense and over the longer course of his life--and what can be done about it.

In this episode of Bookable Space, Angie Elita Newell joins host Yvonne Battle-Felton. Angie will be reading from her novel, All I See is Violence.About the Book:Following the real-life historical events caused by colonialism, such as the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, Indigenous author Angie Newell dives into the chaos that resulted from these events and the fallout modern Indigenous peoples still bear today in her historical fiction novel, All I See is Violence. About the Author:Angie Elita Newell belongs to the Liidlii Kue First Nation from the Dehcho. A trained historian, she blends oral stories with academic history and holds university degrees in English literature, creative writing, and First Nations history with an emphasis on colonialism and is the author of the historical fiction, All I See is Violence.

In this episode of Bookable Space, host Yvonne Battle-Felton is joined by Ishi Robinson. Ishi reads from Sweetness in the Skin. We talk about home, family, and food.About the BookSweetness in the Skin is set in 90s Kingston, Jamaica and tells the story of the irrepressible Pumkin Patterson who is trying and failing to find her place: at home, at school, and in wider society. When her family implodes, Pumkin chooses to become master of her fate and embarks on an epic journey to find a new home. But as Pumpkin strives to move further and further away from the city she knows, she discovers that what she is looking for might be closer to home than she’d imagined after all. About the Author Ishi Robinson was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She has lived in Bern, Toronto, Rome, London and now lives in Berlin with her Czech husband.

Hosted by Yvonne Battle-Felton, in this episode of Bookable Space we're joined by James Morehead. James reads from The Plague Doctor.About the writerJames Morehead is Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, author of three collections of poetry, and host of the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast. James' poem "tethered" was transformed into an award-winning animated short and "gallery" was set to music (baritone and piano). His poems have appeared in multiple publications.About The Plague DoctorThe Plague Doctor is both accessible and layered with meaning, a visual feast where poetry is paired with captivating art and photography to explore the ephemeral nature of existence. “Leafing through this book is akin to walking through an exhibition, through a series of galleries wherein Morehead’s far-reaching imagination is released.“ - The Colorado Review Artist credits from The Plague Doctor:Ink art by Natalia Andrus (aka Eerie Ink)Additional art by Mark KulasCover art by Tony RubinoPhotography by James Morehead and Natalie GrossThe Plague Doctor is available online via Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in local booksellers, and (for US customers) signed copies via ViewlessWings.com