The Fourth Floor

Episode 7 - George M. Johnson on Writing What Hadn’t Been Written, Navigating Truth, Trauma, and Identity, and Finding Space for Joy at 40

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood violence, sexual assault, and molestation. Please take care while listening. Welcome to The Fourth Floor! Today’s guest is George M. Johnson, an important storyteller and voice whose work continues to shape national conversations around identity, truth, and community. George is the award-winning writer of All Boys Aren’t Blue, We Are Not Broken, Flamboyants, and their newest release, There’s Always Next Year, created in collaboration with fellow author Leah Johnson and published this week. George’s body of work has opened doors for essential national conversations about identity, queerness, trauma, truth, and what it means to find your communities while moving through both individual and shared experiences. In this episode, George takes us through their “floors”: -First Floor: Growing up in Plainfield, New Jersey; navigating family, identity, and the early experiences—both joyful and traumatic—that shaped their understanding of the world. -Floors 2 & 3: Finding their voice as a writer; joining and leading within their fraternity; working as a community health worker; and learning how to tell their stories while also navigating the triggers and truths that shape you. -Fourth Floor: Turning 40 and stepping into a new decade with authenticity, generosity, and intentionality — and reflecting on what it means to have their books available for those searching for what hadn’t been written before. Find a quiet place and settle in for 51 minutes with George M. Johnson.

Episode 6 - Susana M. Morris on Discovering Octavia Butler at 15, Teaching at the Intersections of Media, Science Fiction and Literature, and Celebrating Her Positive Obsession at 45

Welcome to The Fourth Floor! If you love Octavia Estelle Butler as much as I do, then you’re going to truly love our guest: Susana M. Morris. Not only is Susana the author of Positive Obsession—a stunning exploration of Octavia’s life and career—but she is also a professor, scholar, and Black feminist Afrofuturist. As an Associate Professor of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech, she brings a powerful perspective to the intersection of these three disciplines and is widely regarded as one of the most notable voices in Afrofuturism. In this episode, Susana takes us on a magical journey through her “floors”: -First Floor: Growing up in Florida, discovering Octavia’s work for the first time at her local library in Fort Lauderdale, and how Butler built a lasting foundation for a safe, creative community of readers. -Floors 2 & 3: Diving deeper into Butler’s writing in college, launching The Crunk Feminist Collective blog with friends, and writing her first book. -Fourth Floor: Her walkout song, feeling Octavia’s presence 20 years after her passing, and what she would write to honor Octavia’s pen—as both instrument and symbol of everything she’s gifted us. It’s time to proudly embrace your inner nerd for the next hour and eleven minutes with Susana M. Morris.

Episode 5 – Eric & Katrina Brooks on Curating the Vibe at Black Pearl Books, Gearing Up for the Texas Book Festival, and Enjoying Life at 50

Welcome to The Fourth Floor! For today’s episode, I invite you to join me at Black Pearl Books — where I had the privilege of chatting in person with owners Eric and Katrina Brooks. As always, I learned and laughed so much from these two incredible storytellers and booksellers. And just in time for the Texas Book Festival! Based in Austin, Black Pearl Books is a Black-owned independent bookstore that has built a beautiful community — and captured the attention and hearts of readers across the city, state, and country. At 50, Eric and Katrina are justifiably proud of what they’ve created and curated at Black Pearl Books. Whether you’re a local who pops in all the time or a curious reader passing through town, each visit to Black Pearl feels magical. In our episode, Eric and Katrina take us on a purposeful journey through their “floors”: -First Floor: Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Eric) and Chicago/Florida (Katrina), and how magazines like Sports Illustrated and Ebony shaped them as early readers -Floors 2 & 3: Their time at Clark Atlanta University before and after the 1996 Olympics, building careers in real estate, PR, and more — and how to balance being protective of your favorite works by an author while also staying open to what comes next -Fourth Floor: Their walkout songs, launching Black Pearl Books in November 2019, and how they hope to celebrate Black Pearl Books Day in 2026 Get ready to listen, learn, and laugh for 44 minutes with Black Pearl Books’ own Eric and Katrina Brooks.

Episode 4 – Erin Carlson on Loving New York in the Fall, Having Tom Hanks as a Surrogate Father, and Loving Her Neck at 44

Welcome to The Fourth Floor! Everything is copy according to the legend Nora Ephron and for national bestselling entertainment and culture journalist and author Erin Carlson...that is absolutely true. Her three books - I'll Have What She's Having, Queen Meryl and No Crying in Baseball are not only fabulous additions to your bookshelf but offer readers a fantastic deep dive into Hollywood history. At 44, Erin is proud to be a child of the 80s and 90s and like many of us, considers Tom Hanks as a surrogate father. In this episode, Erin takes us on a cinematic journey through her “floors”: -First Floor: Growing up in Batavia, Illinois and why seeing strong female leads like her mom and Winona Ryder in Little Women had such an impact on her childhood -Floors 2 & 3: Life as an entertainment reporter at The Associated Press, editor at The Hollywood Reporter and publishing her first book - all about the Fairy Godmother of modern rom coms -Fourth Floor: Publishing her next two books, why she is excited about the new Women’s Pro Baseball League and why she feels good about her neck If you watch When Harry Met Sally on repeat like me, despise people who move at a glacial pace and love to cheer on the Rockford Peaches, then you'll love this episode. Go get cozy, and let's hang out for 44 minutes with Erin Carlson.

Episode 3 - Jennifer Keishin Armstrong on Growing Up on Pop Culture, Being A Full-Time Author and Enjoying Laughing and Living at 50

Welcome to The Fourth Floor! Happy Mean Girls Day! To celebrate, we’re hanging out with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong — bestselling author of some of your favorite pop culture books, including So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls (And Why We're Still So Obsessed with It), which came out last year for the film’s 20th anniversary. At 50, Jennifer has technically left the Fourth Floor, but we made an exception for one of our favorite culture connoisseurs. In this episode, Jennifer takes us on a super fun journey through her “floors”: -First Floor: Growing up in Homer Glen, Illinois and falling in love with entertainment and pop culture -Floors 2 & 3: Life as a senior reporter at Entertainment Weekly and that moment when all her hard work paid off on her path to becoming a full-time author -Fourth Floor: Publishing five books on hit TV shows, women in television, pop goddesses, and who she’d throw pieces of her Spring Fling Queen crown to If you grew up loving TV Guide, Rolling Stone, or Entertainment Weekly like Jennifer and I did, you’ll love this episode. So get in loser...we're spending 50 minutes with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong.