From DEI Hellscape to Angel Wings – 2026, Come Get Me, bestselling author Vanessa Riley reflects on a year of contradiction, triumph, and reckoning. From speaking before 800 scholars at the Jane Austen Society Conference to navigating publishing chaos, stolen books, and cultural erasure, 2025 tested both faith and resolve. This essay explores the cost of visibility, the lie of “historical fantasy” when Black presence is undeniable, and the power of choosing ambition, danger, and self-determination. As Riley closes her thirty-first book and steps boldly into the new year, she claims ASCENT—a declaration of earned growth, unstoppable momentum, and leadership forged in chaos. This episode is a call to rise, to endure, and to tell the stories no one expected—but desperately need.
Key Words:
ASCENT, Black women writers, publishing industry, DEI backlash, historical fiction, Black women pirates, Regency era diversity, creative resilience, feminine power, leadership in chaos, storytelling as resistance, Octavia Butler legacy, Harriet Tubman leadership, faith and craft, author life essay, literary activism, writing through adversity, women choosing ambition
Episode Notes & Extras
Find my full show notes, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and extras on Substack → vanessariley.substack.com
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