Episode 143: Interview with Literary Agent Alia Hanna Habib
[This interview was conducted online and there may be some audio variation.]
"Platform alone will not persuade an editor [to acquire your book]." --Alia Hanna Habib
During pub week for Take It From Me: An Agent's Guide to Building a Nonfiction Career from Scratch, VP & Literary Agent, Alia Hanna Habib and Jenn discussed the plethora of information detailed for writers, particularly nonfiction writers, in her new book and in her Substack, Delivery & Acceptance (https://aliahabib.substack.com). Consider this another great demystifying episode that explores the day-to-day realities, dispels assumptions about industry expectations, and provides guidance/help on how to approach the page, submissions, and publication with an open mind & heart.
[You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with job listings, guest news, transcripts, and new eps on the MiP website here (https://minoritiesinpublishing.com/). A transcript of this episode will be available in the coming weeks.]
9 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
Episode 142: Interview with "In Open Contempt" author Irvin Weathersby Jr.
[This interview was conducted online and there may be some audio variation.]
"I think human nature is always enamoured by it's own reflection. But to what end?" --Irvin Weathersby Jr.
Irvin Weathersby Jr. is the author of In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space, which was longlisted for the PEN Award for Nonfiction. At the time of recording, Jenn and Irvin spoke to the relevance of monuments, the acknowledgement of memorials, and the importance of community awareness & voices as posed in Irvin's powerful prose and examinations of history meeting the present moment. Irvin also touches on how he's taking care of himself upon and leading up to publication ("a pre-publication plan" as Jenn says.)
[You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with job listings, guest news, transcripts, and new eps on the MiP website here (https://minoritiesinpublishing.com/). A transcript of this episode will be available in the coming weeks.]
9 Feb 2026
MiP Returns to StoryFest 2025!
[This episode was recorded by Westport Library on-site in Westport, Connecticut.]
Last Fall, the MiP Podcast returned to Westport Library for their annual StoryFest! Jenn was joined by fellow debut authors / pub professionals Lauren Morrow (author of Little Movements) and Amber Oliver (author of When the Music Hits). They discussed the narrative parallels of these two novels with Black women protagonists making their mark in creative industries, navigating the other side of publishing as an author, and offer advice to novices seeking to begin a career in book publishing.
[You can sign up for the MiP monthly newsletter with job listings, guest news, transcripts, and new eps on the MiP website here (https://minoritiesinpublishing.com/). A transcript of this episode will be available in the coming weeks.]
Inside a recent episode
Episode 142: Interview with "In Open Contempt" author Irvin Weathersby Jr.
Published 9 Mar 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] But in terms of me taking care of myself, I mean, I'm always trying to prioritize my physical health and making sure or recognizing how that is forever tied and linked to my mental health and managing anxiety of being a published author who is talking about real issues. And to be honest with you, I thought about therapy for many years and before the book came out, I actively saw the therapist to kind of prepare me for this. Like therapy, I truly believe is for every human, human to be human is to be in conflict. And so, you know, I wasn't particularly at a moment of crisis, but you know, you should go to therapy before you get into that space for crisis. […]
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