Author and teacher Verde Arzu discusses her novels Rainbow and Promise Keeper, her work as a middle school special education and English teacher, and her commitment to centering Black queer lives and HBCU culture in her storytelling.

She also shares insights on indie publishing and placing books in independent bookstores, using AI as a creative tool, and how listeners can follow her work at VerdeArzu.com and on social media.

Host Nadia Gilkes revisits her 2020 Virtual Festival interview with June Dillinger, author of The Benefit of the Ex: Making Love Visible When Everything Changes. June shares her divorce-to-purpose journey, practical invitations for healing, and how she transformed pain into service as a speaker and Hawaii-based wedding officiant.

This hopeful episode covers accountability, reflective exercises from the book, tips for recording audiobooks, and simple ways to "make love visible" in everyday life.

Host Nadia Gilkes interviews Kala Gause, author of Keys to the Journey, about his workbook-style guide for parents and college‑bound student athletes. They discuss his coaching philosophy, real success stories (including his nephew’s path to the NFL), and practical steps for balancing academics, athletics, and career readiness.

The episode covers scholarship strategies, highlight reels and camps, mentorship, mental wellness, and how families can start preparing early. Kala also shares his writing process, speaking work, and resources for schools and parents to support young people’s long-term goals.

Host Nadia Gilkes revisits her 2020 interview with former Texas Tech standout Jerry “Bobo” Mason, covering his high school and college basketball career, the injuries he played through, and his choice to prioritize family over pro opportunities.

Mason discusses his book Coach, Mediator of Dreams and Destroyer of Generations, his 26-year coaching career, and the life lessons and mentorship that shaped his path and helped others heal.

Host Nadia Gilkes leads a short, guided pre-vision-board workshop to help you clarify goals before you start gluing pictures on a board. She offers reflective journaling prompts, pacing tips (including pausing to write), and a simple structure to review the past year, assess the present, and imagine the future.

The episode covers how to celebrate accomplishments, identify supports and limiting beliefs, inventory what energizes or drains you, and name priorities and role models. Nadia also asks practical future-focused questions—where you want to live, work, or travel, and what small steps you can take this month to move toward that vision.

You'll get guidance on choosing a one-word theme for the year, creating intentional visuals for your board, setting up accountability (partners and a 90-day guided journal), and celebrating progress along the way. The episode finishes with encouragement to prioritize yourself and practical tips for keeping your vision front of mind.

Author and speech coach Diane Windingland shares her journey from engineer to professional speech coach and author of 10+ books. She discusses overcoming fear, Toastmasters, self-publishing, using AI tools for coaching and writing, and practical habits to become a confident speaker.

This episode includes real client transformations, writing and launch tips, and resources for virtual coaching at virtualspeechcoach.com.

In this Festival Flashback, Sheila Kennedy explains why every author’s story matters — how books create connection, give others permission to speak, and start conversations that change lives. She shares candid self-publishing insights, encouragement for hesitant writers, and the power of storytelling even in a virtual world.

Recorded at the 2020 Virtual Festival of Books, the keynote highlights practical motivation for sharing memoirs or focused life moments, finding your audience, and using your book to influence others one conversation at a time.

Host Nadia Gilkes sits down with debut author Liz DelSignore to discuss her newly published novel From Death to Birth, which follows a man awakening in the afterlife and living his life in reverse. They explore themes of transformation, purpose, grief, and self-discovery, plus the author’s writing and publishing journey—from phone notes to cover design, audiobook narration, editing, and marketing.

Liz shares practical self-publishing tips, the inspiration behind her striking cover, lessons learned during the launch, and a preview of future writing projects.