Chasing Creative

We thought we’d be back with a new season of Chasing Creative in 2022, but alas: it did not happen. Our lives are just too full right now with, well… life! We cannot, however, let the year go by without getting together to talk about books: our most favorite episode to record each season. So, we’ll dive in and talk about our reading wins this last year, our goals for next year, and what life *actually* looks like these days for both of us.  Where to connect with Abbie:  Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20016618-abbigail-kriebs] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/abbigailekriebs/] | Newsletter [https://inkwellsandimages.substack.com/about] | Bookshop [https://bookshop.org/shop/inkwellsandimages] (affiliate)  Where to connect with Ashley:  Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1864876-ashley-brooks] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites/] | Newsletter [https://ashleybrooks.substack.com/]   Books Mentioned: The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk  Wintering by Katherine May Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune  The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (audio narrated by Tom Hanks)  Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (on audio)  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty Anxious People by Fredrik Backman  Matrix by Lauren Groff Sea Wife by Amity Gaige  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver  The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo  The Life We’re Looking For by Andy Crouch  The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman The Wild Robot & The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling (illustrated versions, too!)  The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street Series by Karina Yan Glaser (audio)  The Henry Huggins Audio Collection by Beverly Cleary  Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery  Rewilding Motherhood by Shannon K Evans  State of Wonder by Anne Patchett  Attached to God by Krispin Mayfield The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr Try Softer by Aundi Kolber Middlemarch by George Eliot  The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

Hi! It has been *an entire year* since we last appeared in your podcast feed.  We’re wading through Pandemic Year 2 just like everyone else, complete with all the day-to-day negotiations and risk calculations like everyone else. And also: a fourth baby for Ashley, a smattering of kids entering the public school system for both of us, and entire routines shifting overnight.  We gave ourselves a break and didn’t record a single thing together in all of 2021 – but it didn’t feel right to finish a year on the calendar without talking together about books. So let’s talk books!    Resources Mentioned:  Pantsuit Politics Extra Credit Book Club [https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/pantsuit-politics-extra-credit-book-club] The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anthropocene-reviewed] by John Green    Books Mentioned: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi  Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer Rewilding Motherhood by Shannon K. Evans No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler  Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley What You Wish For by Katherine Center  It Didn’t Start with You by Mark Wolynn (DNF for Ashley)  Fair Play by Eve Rodsky (skimmed by Abbie)  Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham  The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson  Harry Potter Book 1-3  The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi Keep Going by Austin Kleon  The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater  Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr  The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto The Bodyguard by Katherine Center The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green  Who Made This Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa The Wordless Trilogy by Aaron Becker The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall  Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control our Lives by Michael A. Heller and James Salzman 12 Tiny Things by Ellie Rosher and Heidi Barr The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty   Where to connect with Abbie:  Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20016618-abbigail-kriebs] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/abbigailekriebs/] | Monthly Newsletter [https://inkwellsandimages.substack.com/about] | Bookshop Storefront [https://bookshop.org/shop/inkwellsandimages] (affiliate link)    Where to connect with Ashley:  Goodreads [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1864876-ashley-brooks] |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites/] |  Blog [https://www.ashleybrookswrites.com/]  |  Newsletter [https://tinyletter.com/AshleyBrooks]

2020 hasn't been kind to most of us, but books are always there to see us through. Listen in to hear how 2020 changed our reading habits, the books we loved (and didn't), and what's next for our reading lives—and the podcast!—in 2021. Books Mentioned in This Episode The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett Becoming by Michelle Obama The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Kindred by Octavia Butler The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Pride by Ibi Zoboi The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi The Selection Series by Kiera Cass The Book of Essie by Megan McLein Weir Your Blue Flame: Drop the Guilt and Do What Makes You Come Alive by Jen Fulwiler What Is a Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb Attachments and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell  Eleanor & Park and Landline by Rainbow Rowell Harry Potter (of course)  Beach Read by Emily Henry Normal People by Sally Rooney Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters by Tom Nichols I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World by Shelley Miller The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stievater The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (book 3 of Winternight trilogy) The Book of Essie by Megan McLein Weir Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson  The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson Tweet Cute by Emma Lord Calm the H*ck Down by Melanie Dale Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell  Curious George by H. A. Rey Maybe God Is Like That, Too by Jennifer Grant and Benjamin Schippert The Wind in the Willows by Igloo books  The Preacher’s Wife by Kate Bowler Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and Women's Work by Kathleen Norris The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Reconnect: Spiritual Restoration from Digital Distraction by Ed Cyzewski The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner The Switch by Beth O’Leary The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary   Links Mentioned in This Episode Past Chasing Creative episodes with Kendra Adachi (the Lazy Genius): Kendra Adachi on Trusting Your Creative Intuition [https://chasingcreative.simplecast.com/episodes/kendra-adachi-trusting-creative-intuition] and Kendra Adachi on Valuing Yourself Enough to Create [https://chasingcreative.simplecast.com/episodes/bb4e3cf2] The Naughty Corner [https://www.amazon.com/Jen-Fulwiler-Naughty-Corner-Jennifer/dp/B08LQYW9W4] comedy special by Jen Fulwiler on Amazon Prime  Read more of Ed Yong’s science writing [https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ed-yong/] for the Atlantic Ashley’s Winnie-the-Pooh books are out of print, but this looks similar [https://bookshop.org/books/winnie-the-pooh-9780140361216/9780525444435]  Abbie’s copy ofThe Wind in the Willows [https://bookshop.org/books/the-wind-in-the-willows-9781499880885/9781499880885]   Connect with Abbie:  Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com [http://www.inkwellsandimages.com] Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs [http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs] Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs [http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/ [https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/] Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages [http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages]   Connect with Ashley:  Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com [http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com] Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com [http://www.brookseditorial.com] Instagram: http://instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites  [http://instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites] Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial [http://twitter.com/brookseditorial]

In today’s episode, we chat with Kayla Craig about what it looks like to advocate for the more vulnerable people around you. As a journalist, Kayla learned the value of listening well and choosing to hear a story and act on it. As a mom, Kayla knows just how important the stories we read and tell and see in our own lives affect everything about them -- and she has some tips for adding diverse voices to your shopping list this year. Kayla Craig [https://kaylacraig.substack.com/] is a writer and podcast producer who believes in the power of story. She writes modern prayers for moms and dads at Liturgies for Parents [http://www.instagram.com/liturgiesforparents] and her book is forthcoming with Tyndale in 2021. Kayla co-founded and hosts Upside Down Podcast [http://www.upsidedownpodcast.com], a place for conversations on faith and justice. She is a podcast producer for Sacred Ordinary Days, where she helps cultivate peace, presence, and purpose. Kayla loves deep mugs of coffee, deeper belly laughs, and even deeper questions. She and her pastor-husband Jonny live in Iowa, where they’re raising four young kids who joined their family via birth and adoption. She has two fluffy dogs and spends too much time on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/kayla_craig]. Her most recent published essays are in This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices and Rally: Litanies for the Lovers of Jesus and Justice.  Kayla’s tips for diversifying your holiday decor and your bookshelves:  1. Buy a nativity set where the figures are historically accurate and have brown skin.  2. Buy books written by Black and brown authors.  3. Don’t just buy books with diverse characters struggling with racial tension. Buy books that normalize the lives Black and brown people live; make sure that your kids see Black joy.  4. Follow @hereweread [http://instagram.com/hereweeread/?hl=en] on Instagram for diverse book suggestions all year long.    Books we talked about: Madeleine L'Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781524759308?aff=chasingcreative] The Jane Austen Society [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250248732?aff=chasingcreative] by Natalie Jenner  This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781683642657?aff=chasingcreative] Rally: Communal Prayers for the Lovers of Jesus and Justice [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781935205319?aff=chasingcreative]   Here’s where to find Kayla:  Site: www.kaylacraig.com [http://www.kaylacraig.com] Newsletter: https://kaylacraig.substack.com/ [https://kaylacraig.substack.com/] Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kayla_craig/ [https://www.instagram.com/kayla_craig/] Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaylacraig [https://twitter.com/kaylacraig] Liturgies for parents info: http://www.kaylacraig.com/liturgies-for-parents.html [http://www.kaylacraig.com/liturgies-for-parents.html] Liturgies Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liturgiesforparents/ [https://www.instagram.com/liturgiesforparents/] Podcast: http://www.upsidedownpodcast.com/ [http://www.upsidedownpodcast.com/] Work: https://sacredordinarydays.com/pages/podcast [https://sacredordinarydays.com/pages/podcast] Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/kayla_craig [https://www.goodreads.com/kayla_craig]   Here's where to find Abbie:  Website: http://www.inkwellsandimages.com [http://www.inkwellsandimages.com] Instagram: http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs [http://instagram.com/abbigailekriebs] Twitter: http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs [http://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs] Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/ [https://www.pinterest.com/abbigailekriebs/] Facebook: http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages [http://facebook.com/inkwellsandimages]   Here's where to find Ashley:  Personal blog: http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com [http://www.ashleybrookswrites.com] Business website: http://www.brookseditorial.com [http://www.brookseditorial.com] Instagram: http://instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites   [http://instagram.com/ashleybrookswrites ] Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookseditorial [http://twitter.com/brookseditorial] Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial [http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial]

Ari Tison is an award-winning writer with poems and short works published in Yellow Medicine Review, The Under Review, and Rock & Sling. She is also the editor for Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop's Broadside Competition. Ari lives and works on Dakota and Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) lands in St. Paul, MN. Join us as she shares action steps for lifting up underrepresented voices in the literary community, especially Indigenous people and those who are incarcerated. ACTION STEPS THAT LIFE UP UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES * Reach out to nonprofits to see where they need help. Look for ways to serve that match your interests and talents. * Investigate nearby prisons to see if they have creative arts programs you can support. * Seek out and share work by marginalized populations. * Read anthologies that include Native writers. * Connect with tribes in your area to learn about creative events or festivals you can attend or local artisans you can support. * Learn about the history of the land you live and work on. Which Indigenous tribe(s) was the land taken from? LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop [https://mnprisonwriting.org/] Birchbark Books [www.birchbarkbooks.com] BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The works of Poet Laureate Joy Harjo [https://www.joyharjo.com/] New Poets of Native Nations edited by Heid E. Erdrich Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer There There by Tommy Orange The Great Believers by Rebecca Makai The Day You Begin  by Jacqueline Woodson HERE'S WHERE TO FIND ARI Website: www.aritison.com [https://www.aritison.com/] Twitter: @AriTison [https://twitter.com/AriTison] Instagram: @aritisonwrites [https://www.instagram.com/aritisonwrites]