298: Character-Driven YA and Middle Grade — Interview with Brandy Colbert

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brandy Colbert, the critically acclaimed author of several YA and Middle Grade novels. Her books include</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Pointe</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, Stonewall Award winner</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Little & Lion</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finding Yvonne</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Revolution of Birdie Randolph</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and her 2020 releases,</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Only Black Girls in Town</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Voting Booth</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Her short fiction and essays have also been published in several critically acclaimed anthologies for young people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, Brandy spent a few years living in Chicago before relocating permanently to Los Angeles. She is very active on social media and also works as a copy editor for magazines and books. She is also on faculty at Hamline University’s MFA program in writing for children.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode Brandy and I discuss:</span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The inspiration behind</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Revolution of Birdie Randolph</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Exploring black friendships and experience in</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Only Black Girls in Town</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How books can functions as both mirrors and windows</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Exploring