In this episode of Chronically Candid, host Morgan Barrett returns after a year-long break to explore her long-held dream of becoming a published author through a heartfelt conversation with literary agent Jessica Berg of Rosecliff Literary. Morgan reflects on how chronic illness—especially her lifelong experience with cystic fibrosis—has shaped her creative voice and inspired her mission to build a space where people with chronic illness feel seen and validated. She shares how stepping into writing publicly, including through her Substack, has been a vulnerable but transformative part of embracing her calling.

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Jessica brings warmth and “big sister energy” as she breaks down the myths and opaque systems of the publishing world. She explains her own unconventional path into agenting, her commitment to making the industry more equitable, and why storytelling should never be limited by privilege or pedigree. Together, Morgan and Jessica discuss the confusion built into traditional publishing, the slow evolution toward amplifying marginalized voices, and the realities of querying, platform-building, and treating authorship as both creative passion and business. The episode ultimately serves as both encouragement and roadmap for anyone dreaming of writing but unsure where to begin.

Jessica Berg is a literary agent, author, and the founder of Rosecliff Literary, where she champions bold, emotionally resonant fiction with unforgettable characters, strong stakes, and a sense of urgency. She is currently closed to fiction. She is especially drawn to upmarket, historical, and supernatural suspense, with a soft spot for haunting atmosphere, richly layered relationships, and characters who carry deep emotional wounds. Give her a protagonist standing at the edge of reinvention, a world on the brink of change, or a past that refuses to stay buried. She loves stories that explore grief, longing, ambition, and survival and the complicated ways they intersect. If your book feels like it belongs in a candlelit room with a storm raging outside, she wants to see it. She earned her MFA from Spalding University and contributes regularly to Writer’s Digest. Jessica serves on the boards of the Women’s National Book Association and the Historical Novel Society, and teaches nationally on querying, comp titles, and the business of authorship, with a focus on building sustainable, long-term writing careers. Her client list includes Vincent Zandri, Lisa Roe, Arizona Bell, and others.

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Welcome to the Chronically Candid podcast! I haven’t recorded anything for a year, but I’m back with a solo episode!

• Life updates: Our kids are back at school full time & I’m back at work full time
• An Instagram post I chickened out of sharing
• WRITING MY FIRST BOOK: How it’s going & answering the question, “What’s it about?”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 19 of the Makers, Dreamers, Doers podcast, Morgan talks with Jessica Grider, a fellow mom-of-twins (+ a singleton!), high school librarian, hobby gardener, and writer. Morgan and Jessica compare notes on their experiences with finding out they were having twins, twin pregnancy, C-section birth, (tandem) breastfeeding, and the emotions that come with weaning but knowing that it's 'time'. Jessica shares about why she and her husband don't share a bedroom (spoiler: yes, they like each other, and, yes, they have sex) and how it's made them more intentional about spending time together.

Morgan and Jessica delve into a conversation about race: The difference between racist remarks and genuine curiosity about the differences between her skin color and her boys'—both are things that Jessica experiences often as a Black mother to biracial children; raising 'white-presenting' boys and how that may change how she and her husband have conversations with them about police brutality and racial bias when they are older; and the importance of open dialogue and honesty in interracial relationships.

Jessica also shares about her transition to becoming a high school librarian and what she loves most about her role in the 'hub' of her school (she was previously a high school English teacher for 12 years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic); what it's been like being a librarian in the midst of a frenzy of book bans from the political right across the country, and how her school district has mostly remained immune from the discriminatory bans happening in libraries across Missouri; and, lastly, why representation in libraries and literature matters (Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop: "Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors")

Books Mentioned in This Episode

• Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
• The Poet X by Alyssa Acevedo
• Supermarket by Bobby Hall
• Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
• Babel by R.F. Kuang
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Lawrence mom gives birth to 'MoMo' twins — article referenced in the episode

You can learn more about Jessica and her life as a school librarian raising three boys by following her on Twitter and Instagram

You can learn more about Morgan and her work by following her on Instagram | morganbarrett.co

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In episode 18, Morgan sits down with Nancy O'Connor, the Executive Director at Growing Food Growing Health, a non-profit in Lawrence, Kansas which runs school gardens and a community garden at a women's residential drug addiction treatment center (Growing Food Growing Hope). Nancy shares her love for fresh, organic, locally-grown food through a conversation on how Growing Food Growing Health began and has grown over its 14 seasons (and counting). Nancy shares how the kids she's worked with over the years have found a passion for growing healthy food through the GFGH programs, particularly through the connections they make with fellow gardeners and those who benefit from the food they grow. Nancy shares how gardening has taught the teens she works with about where their food comes from and the labor it takes to get (healthy) food on our plates.

Nancy and Morgan muse about what keeps them coming back to gardening, despite the unglamorous work and frequent failures and flops. They talk about their love for gardening—how it reconnects us to nature, encourages us to slow down, and teaches us to be present.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

• Michael Pollan (author)
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer

Nancy is also the author of the Rolling Prairie Cookbook (Buy her book on ThriftBooks!)

Follow Morgan on Instagram | Learn more at morganbarrett.co

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In episode 17, Morgan sits down with her friend Farai Harreld to talk about breaking generational cycles, motherhood, home schooling, representation in education, and instilling a love for nature in children. Farai is a mother, spouse, writer, herbalist, and much more. Born in Zimbabwe, raised in Botswana, and now living in Kansas, she calls all three places home. Farai is thoughtful and intentional in all of the work she does—in examining her own generational trauma and breaking cycles, in raising and educating her children, and in the way she lives upon the Earth—and she brings that energy to this conversation.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue

Children's books by Phoebe Wahl

To learn more about Farai and her work, visit her website at faraiharreld.com or follow her on Instagram at @thehillbillyafrican

Learn more about Morgan and her work at morganbarrett.co or follow her on Instagram at @morganbarrett__

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A piece Morgan wrote for the Lawrence Times (never got published) about her favorite local coffee spot, La Prima Tazza.

Instagram | Website

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For Episode 16, Morgan sits down with Tayanna (Tay) Nelson, the photographer and owner of GoodBodies, a KC boudoir photography business, and Hey Tay, a queer-focused KC wedding & portrait photography business. Morgan and Tay talk about why Tay's photography focuses on marginalized identities, what trauma-informed boudoir means & what it looks like in Tay's studio, unpacking society's body & beauty expectations imposed upon us, Tay's advice to 'stay in your lane' and 'keep your eyes on your own paper' when it comes to other peoples' bodies & their supposed health status, what Fat Camp is and how it's a middle finger in the face of what 'fat camp' has meant in the past, what's behind the hate directed toward fat people and LGBTQIA+ folks, and the persistent joy of queer love even in the face of hateful legislation.

Whew! It's a fun and loaded episode. Enjoy!

You can learn more about Tay's work and enjoy her good humor by following her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

good-bodies.com | hey-tay.com

You can learn more about Morgan and her work by following her on Instagram | morganbarrett.co

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.