Shows
The Write Spxt PodcastReflecting on My First Conversation About Representation in BooksThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.Originally published March 2018 via Minorities in Publishing | Original transcriptIn 2018, I was working at Atria Books, an imprint at Simon & Schuster. That year, I joined Jennifer Baker, host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, for what became my very first public conversation about representation, marketing and the realities of navigating publishing. Alongside me wa...
2025-10-261h 07
The Write Spxt PodcastAmeer Collier: A Literary Manager on Building a Career that LastsThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.Ameer Collier is a literary manager and the founder of Dirt Road Productions. But before that title, before the credits and the client roster, he was just a kid from Maryland who loved stories and wanted to help the people around him shine.In this conversation, we talk about what it really means to...
2025-10-191h 03
The Write Spxt PodcastLinda Korn: 38 Years Shaping the Sound of Stories in AudiobooksThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.Linda Korn is a Senior Executive Producer at Penguin Random House Audio. Her work has won Grammys and Audie Awards, shaping the sound of the modern audiobook. But over her 38-year career, she has been more than a producer. She has been a collaborator, a coach, a creative partner, a musician. . . someone who sees the vo...
2025-10-121h 07
The Write Spxt PodcastThe DEI Work You Won’t Find on Social MediaThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.Today, Amanda Armstrong-Frank serves as the Senior Director of Workplace Culture & Diversity Initiatives at Simon & Schuster. But over the course of her 30-year career in book publishing, she has filled many roles, transforming many lives. More than ten years ago, I found Amanda on LinkedIn. I was living in South Florida, trying to fi...
2025-09-141h 45
The Write Spxt PodcastAuthor Libby Tanner: Taking Yourself Seriously Invites Others To Do the SameThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.I met Libby Tanner while managing my booth at the Summer 2025 Oxford Exchange Book Fair in Tampa. She approached with a bright smile, curious about why I was giving books away for free (I wanted to spark conversations about The Write Spxt). When she learned that I worked in book publishing and was pa...
2025-09-0743 min
The Write Spxt PodcastAuthor Ebony LaDelle on Stories That Keep Us AliveThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.What a joy it was to sit down with Ebony LaDelle on The Write Spxt to talk about book marketing, transitioning into an author and finding moments of pause through it all. Ebony and I met 10 years ago, when I was a wide-eyed assistant at Simon & Schuster. Since then, we’ve never lost touch nor have...
2025-08-2453 min
The Write Spxt PodcastWilkine Brutus on Heritage, Travel, and the Four P’sThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.In this episode, journalist, poet, and multimedia storyteller Wilkine Brutus shares how Haitian heritage, global travel, and his guiding “Four P’s”—purpose, planning, persistence, and patience—have shaped his creative path. We revisit his years living in South Korea, including one unforgettable moment when a crowd of locals, fascinated by his locks, reached out...
2025-08-1755 min
The Write Spxt PodcastDaria Gocal’s Journey to Sznurki Studio in BarcelonaThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.This week on The Write Spxt, I sat down with Daria Gocal, the founder of Sznurki Studio and third-place winner of the Stan Store Challenge.Daria’s story is one of trust and tenacity: she left home alone at 19 to build a new life in Barcelona and turned crochet into a thriving business. So m...
2025-07-2746 min
The Write Spxt PodcastAnabel Jimenez on Curating Joy in Books and CareerThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.I first met Anabel Jimenez back when we were both navigating the early waves of our bookish careers at Simon & Schuster. Watching her evolution online has been nothing short of inspiring. From her cozy, joy-filled posts on @anabelscorner to her incredible work behind the scenes as the Social Media Manager for Random House, Anabel has al...
2025-07-0641 min
The Write Spxt PodcastElba Iris Pérez on Identity, Courage and CraftThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.In 2021, I was working at Gallery Books as the publishing industry faced a long-overdue reckoning. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the global uprisings of 2020, conversations around equity, access, and representation were finally gaining traction inside publishing houses.Our team began exploring new ways to elevate underrepresented voices—voices that had lo...
2025-06-151h 00
The Write Spxt PodcastSejoe Interviews Dead PeopleThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.Sejoe sits down with me to talk about his new AI generated animation series, Time Capsule with Sejoe. In it, he asks dead people questions. These ghosts, though, are not average citizens. These people are historical figures who have shaped the course of human history. If you could sit in front of one of your an...
2025-06-0111 min
The Write Spxt PodcastMichelle Lecumberry Left Engineering for BooksThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.Michelle Lecumberry is a bookstagrammer under @berrybookpages and inspires me at every turn. I sat down with her on the heels of Mothers Day to talk all things book publishing. We also touched on her journey from Mexico to the United States. I learned that she was setting up her life to become an engineer. Bu...
2025-05-251h 00
The Write Spxt PodcastMothers at the Park with Mitchelle Ray-WilliamsThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.At least once a week, Mitchelle and I venture to the park to allow our children the time and space to enjoy nature together. Between the two of us, there are 4 children ranging from one-years-old to eight. Three out of the four were carried in Mitchelle’s body. If you’re a parent, you know what t...
2025-05-1820 min
The Write Spxt PodcastJessica Bosques on HealingThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.In this audio, I sat down with my closest cousin, Jessica Bosques. She opens up about shedding judgment, finding peace, and finally healing—after heartbreak, burnout, and chronic illness. This conversation is the soft reset your spirit might need. 🎧Media mentioned while chatting with Jess* Finding Me by Viola Davis READ...
2025-05-1733 min
The Write Spxt PodcastAlison Hinchcliffe on Pursuing a Career in BooksThe Write Spxt is a weekly newsletter from a book marketer with a decade of experience at two Big Five publishers. It’s for writers seeking publishing tools, readers looking for great recs, and humans who love to journal, observe, and reflect.I walk around a very loud and busy Brooklyn with Alison Hinchcliffe, who is a senior publicity manager at Atria Books. We discuss Ali’s journey leaving a small town in Minnesota for the Big Apple in pursuit of a career in book publishing.Media mentioned while chatting with Ali* There’s More...
2025-05-1725 min
The Write Spxt PodcastWhen a Five-Year-Old Talks Learning New ThingsIn this short episode, I sat down with my daughter to ask how she handles learning new things. Often times, the perspective of a child can open doors of opportunity because they are not tied down by societal standards. Her answer will make you fall out of your chair, trust me! In the comments, I’d love to hear from you: what is the first thing you do when you’ve committed to learning something new? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...
2025-05-1705 min
Gastronodicas | Com Bianca TeixeiraDia das Crianças com o chef Felipe Appia O chef Felipe Appia é o convidado do Gastronodicas. O mestre-confeiteiro, conhecido como Willy Wonka brasileiro, é responsável por levar uma explosão de cores, camadas, confeitos e muito sabor ao restaurante ao Grupo BestFork, que tem à frente o restaurateur Marcelo Torres. As mirabolantes sobremesas do grupo, chegaram recentemente também ao NewYorkCityCenter, no Nolita Roastery, onde o Appia ganhou sua Fantástica Fábrica de doces, uma sala especial e lúdica aonde seus bolos e doces são fabricados. O que as sobremesas tridimensionais e super instagramáveis de Appia têm de coloridas e chamativas o que têm de delic...
2024-10-1148 min
Gastronodicas, com Bianca Teixeira e Marcus LacerdaDia das Crianças com o chef Felipe AppiaO chef Felipe Appia é o convidado do Gastronodicas. O mestre-confeiteiro, conhecido como Willy Wonka brasileiro, é responsável por levar uma explosão de cores, camadas, confeitos e muito sabor ao restaurante ao Grupo BestFork, que tem à frente o restaurateur Marcelo Torres. As mirabolantes sobremesas do grupo, chegaram recentemente também ao NewYorkCityCenter, no Nolita Roastery, onde o Appia ganhou sua Fantástica Fábrica de doces, uma sala especial e lúdica aonde seus bolos e doces são fabricados. O que as sobremesas tridimensionais e super instagramáveis de Appia têm de coloridas e chamativas o que têm de delicios...
2024-10-1148 min
Sophisticated IgnoranceEP. 80 - Still I Rise w/ Cat DucasseOur thoughts & prayers are with our videographer & contributor, Vixon as he mourns the passing of his stepmother.
Since the age of 9, Cat Ducasse has been diagnosed with lupus. Over the last 16 years she has not only learned to survive with the illness but live her life unapologetically. This week she comes to the studio to discuss what lupus is, her first signs when she was diagnosed, her current day to day battles, defining what a flare is, how she copes with the illness, ways to she maintains her confidence, some of her most scary moments, her perspective on life, how...
2018-08-201h 01
Sophisticated IgnoranceEp. 29 - That's What She Said w/ Cat Ducasse & Cat FernandezFirst we would like to announce that we are part of the Suite929 network. We will continue to have the same great content but will have more visuals, new website coming & just have the show grow overall.
We tackle some current events as revisit that black athlete who's actually a scammer, new Sesame Street character, Dave Chappelle's return & the unfortunate teenage girls missing in DC.
This week we are joined by Cat Ducasse & Cat Fernandez to wrap up our Women's History Month themed shows. We discuss sexual liberation for women, pros & cons of sexually liberated women, sex in America vs...
2017-03-281h 12
Sophisticated IgnoranceEp. 21 - Venus Vs Mars w/ Antoine Bennett & Cat DucasseThis week we are joined for the second time, Antoine Bennett & first time guest makeup artist, Cat Ducasse. We have a friendly convo from the male & female perspective on a bevy of topic. We touch on dating, cat calling, chivalry, infidelity, open relationships, double standards and more...
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Hosted by Steven & Nieema Simone
Special Guest: Antoine Bennett & Cat Ducasse
Executive Produced by Steven, Nieema Simone & Bianca
"Sophisticated Ignorance (Intro/Outro)" by @Crillum
Email: askUS@sophisticated-ignorance.net
Instagram: @SI_Podcast @Mr.Thesier @Nieema_Simone @Yo.Bianca @PC_Chillen @Antoine.Bennett...
2017-01-301h 31