88 Cups of Tea

Warm welcome, Storytellers! If you’re looking for a super intimate space where you can meet fellow storytellers and experience what it’s like to be a part of our community, come hang out with us in our private Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea. We check in with each other on the daily, and have weekly threads where you can update each other about your work-in-progress, along with swapping recommendations for books and tv shows, and there’s a whole lot more that happens in there. Join us athttps://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/]! --------------------------------------- We are thrilled to announce we are beginning the process of building out 88 Cups of Tea’s volunteer positions and would love to hear from you if you’re passionate about 88 Cups of Tea and want to be a part of building out our future. Fill out our application here:https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/ [https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/] --------------------------------------- Tochi Onyebuchi is the author of Beasts Made of Night [https://amzn.to/37Snodw], its sequel Crown of Thunder [https://amzn.to/2TBljKE], War Girls [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9780451481672], Riot Baby [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9781250214751], and its sequel and his newest novel Rebel Sisters [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9781984835062]. In our conversation, we explore Tochi's writing process, the ways it’s evolved over time, and how he continues to find joy in the process. Tochi shares how to cultivate a specific kind of confidence that enables us to bring our story ideas to life, and how to maintain that confidence to pave way for equity in publishing. Join us for a conversation filled with crafting advice from overcoming your writing fears to plotting intricate threads in your stories and much more. Please say 'Hi' to Tochi on Twitter! https://twitter.com/tochitruestory [https://twitter.com/tochitruestory] Head over to his shownotes page at: https://88cupsoftea.com/tochi-onyebuchi [https://88cupsoftea.com/tochi-onyebuchi] to download his writing prompt and to find the resources and books mentioned in his episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning:https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ [https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/] If you’re looking for a super intimate space where you can meet fellow storytellers and experience what it’s like to be a part of our community, come hang out with us in our private Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea. We check in with each other on the daily, and have weekly threads where you can update each other about your work-in-progress, along with swapping recommendations for books and tv shows, and there’s a whole lot more that happens in there. Join us athttps://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/]! --------------------------------------- We are thrilled to announce we are beginning the process of building out 88 Cups of Tea’s volunteer positions and would love to hear from you if you’re passionate about 88 Cups of Tea and want to be a part of building out our future. Fill out our application here:https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/ [https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/] --------------------------------------- Stacey Lee is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including Outrun the Moon [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9780147516916], Under a Painted Sky [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9780147511843], The Secret of a Heart Note [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9780062428325], and her most recent novel, The Downstairs Girl [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9781524740955]. In our conversation, Stacey reflects on how she cultivated her inner confidence as a storyteller at a young age and how it's continued to grow throughout her writing career. She opens up about the invaluable writing strategies she learned as a lawyer that helps her see the importance of every single word on the page and craft authenticity in her characters. Filled with crafting advice on detailed research processes, using metaphors to write strong protagonists, finding critique partners, and more, our conversation will be sure to spark inspiration and joy. Please say 'Hi' to Stacey on Twitter! https://twitter.com/staceyleeauthor [https://twitter.com/staceyleeauthor] Head over to her shownotes page athttps://88cupsoftea.com/stacey-lee [https://88cupsoftea.com/stacey-lee]to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning:https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ [https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/] If you’re looking for a super intimate space where you can meet fellow storytellers and experience what it’s like to be a part of our community, come hang out with us in our private Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea. We check in with each other on the daily, and have weekly threads where you can update each other about your work-in-progress, along with swapping recommendations for books and tv shows, and there’s a whole lot more that happens in there. Join us athttps://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/]! --------------------------------------- We are thrilled to announce we are beginning the process of building out 88 Cups of Tea’s volunteer positions and would love to hear from you if you’re passionate about 88 Cups of Tea and want to be a part of building out our future. Fill out our application here:https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/ [https://88cupsoftea.com/volunteer/] --------------------------------------- Kat Cho is the international bestselling author ofWicked Fox [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9781984812346]andVicious Spirits [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9781984812377]and the co-host of theWrite or Die Podcast [https://writeordiepodcast.com/]. In our conversation, we reflect on our experiences navigating the pandemic as a human, a creative, and an author. Kat shines a light on the act of writing as a transformative source of solace and joy in the most challenging of times as we discuss her journey moving through grief, and fleshing out her stories that emerged from the rawest heartbreak that evolved into the most powerful form of hope. In a conversation lined with transparency and vulnerability, Kat shares wisdom on the human experience beyond her years. Please say 'Hi' to Kat on Twitter!https://twitter.com/KatCho [https://twitter.com/KatCho] Head over to her shownotes page athttps://88cupsoftea.com/kat-cho [https://88cupsoftea.com/kat-cho]to find the resources and books mentioned in her episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, you can follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/]@88CUPSOFTEA [https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/] to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays, feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. And join our private Facebook group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/88cupsoftea/] to experience the warmth and encouragement of our community first-hand! --------------------------------------- In this special edition 88 Cups of Tea podcast episode, we feature National Book Award Finalist Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam of The Exonerated Five in conversation with 88 Cups of Tea guest-host Lelina Chang, an advocate whose work is focused on the intersection of racial equity and environmental justice. In 1989, Dr. Yusef Salaam was just fifteen years old when he was tried and convicted in the “Central Park Jogger Case” along with four other Black and Latino boys. The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars, until their sentences were overturned in 2002. Since then, they received a multi-million-dollar settlement from the City of New York for its injustice and were profiled in award-winning films, including The Central Park Five [https://amzn.to/3bkLQnz] documentary from Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon and the award-winning Netflix limited series When They See Us [https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549], written and directed by Ava DuVernay. In our podcast episode, Lelina interviews Yusef and Ibi about their newest co-authored novel in verse Punching the Air [https://bookshop.org/a/3063/9780062996480] and how the book came to fruition. Yusef talks about the power of self-purpose and hope and how his spiritual journey was mirrored through the main character Amal while Ibi shares how she embraced and holistically weaved Yusef‘s stories and philosophies to craft a story told from a young Muslim, Black boy’s point of view. Further in, they break down and analyze two influential poems in the novel that speak to Yusef’s experience being boxed in with his thoughts and his own devices in his jail cell, and the power DNA has to tie individuals to the collective injustices of the past. Ibi shares how crafting her poems in different shapes and forms helps bring to life the meaning of the poems on the page. And later, they discuss what it means to bring about diversity with diversity and the crucial work that still needs to be done to create a holistic representation of communities of color in the literary world. Please say 'Hi' to Yusef Salaam on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dr_yusefsalaam [https://twitter.com/dr_yusefsalaam] Please say 'Hi' to Ibi Zoboi on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ibizoboi [https://twitter.com/ibizoboi] Head over to their shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/yusef-and-ibi/ [https://88cupsoftea.com/?p=11137] to find the resources and books mentioned in their episode, tweetable quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the entire conversation.

Warm welcome to our new listeners, let's continue and build upon the momentum surrounding the active work to create a just and equitable system for the black community. Head over to our page of resources of recommended learning: https://88cupsoftea.com/learn/ You can https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ to keep up with our latest posts and Instagram stories where we announce new episodes and essays,  feature our favorite quotes, and host Instagram Story takeovers by some of your favorite authors. So make sure to head over to https://www.instagram.com/88cupsoftea/ so you don't miss out on the next takeover!  --------------------------------------- Curious to hear stories from our listeners about what 88 Cups of Tea means to them? Want to discover the exciting future of 88 Cups of Tea that involves becoming a nonprofit to better serve the storyteller community? Or the four big pillars we'll be implementing over the next five years? We talk about it all in our special 5-year anniversary episode. We turned five years old this month! To celebrate this huge milestone, we held a zoom party with our storytellers to reminisce on all the good times we've had over the years, celebrate the accomplishments our community has made, and to share the exciting future 88 Cups of Tea has in store. So for today's episode, we're sharing the audio recording from that zoom party so you can join in on the festivities. Throughout the episode, you'll hear my journey from when the idea of starting 88 Cups of Tea popped into my head, to interviewing my first few guests, to growing into a community full of sportive and inspiring creatives. You'll get a behind-the-scenes look of podcasting around the world and all the work that is done behind each episode. I share some of my most meaningful memories throughout the years and the special interactions I have been so lucky to have with our community and you'll hear messages directly from a few of our storytellers. And towards the end, I share 88 Cups of Tea's future of receiving a receiving 501(c)(3) status to better serve the community by launching new initiatives and increasing in-person and online engagement through mentoring, in-depth learning, and community-building. --------------------------------------- Win Prizes From Your Favorite Literary Agents We've teamed up with three of your favorite and top most-requested literary agents Joanna Volpe, Suzie Townsend, and Holly Root for special prizes in honor of our milestone anniversary. We're thrilled to gift three winners from our community with a prize that leaves an inspiring impact on your storytelling journey. Prizes include: A 20-minute phone call with Holly Root to answer your most burning questions about the industry A critique of your query letter and the first five pages of your story by Suzie Townsend A 20-minute phone call with Joanna Volpe along with a critique of your query letter and the first five pages To enter for a chance to win one of our 5-year anniversary prizes, visit https://88cupsoftea.com/five to find the link to fill out a submission form.  --------------------------------------- Volunteer with 88 Cups of Tea Over the years, our storytellers have asked how they can help contribute to our podcast through writing, editing, and other creative and practical ways. We are thrilled to announce that we are now accepting volunteers to be a part of our team and to help grow 88 Cups of Tea!  If you're interested in volunteering, be sure to fill out our volunteer application form over at https://88cupsoftea.com/five --------------------------------------- Head over to our shownotes page at https://88cupsoftea.com/five to find the resources and books mentioned in the episode, tweeta ble quotes, and the timestamps of highlights throughout the conversation.