Kate Schatz is the New York Times-bestselling author of Rad American Women A-Z and Rad Women Worldwide. Her books introduce readers to a list of powerful female role models and change-makers. From activists and artists, to scientists and rock stars, Kate highlights brave women who’ve impacted and altered our history for the better. I am so grateful for books like these.
In addition to delving into detail about the inspiration that led her to writing her books, we discuss her collaborative relationship with the illustrator of her books, Miriam Klein Stahl. Kate also walks us through what the heavy research process was like, and which of the women’s stories surprised her most during the research phase.
Further into our conversation, Kate gives really solid and helpful advice on rediscovering yourself and owning your identity in motherhood. We continued to discuss the importance of joining a writing community to inspire your craft and create accountability for yourself, how to gain the courage to claim yourself as a writer, and she shares her strategy on finding literary agents who are the perfect fit for your writing.
Happy listening!
Xo
Yin
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“Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself as a writer.”
-Kate Schatz
“Trust your intuition. Trust that you’re good at what you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it.”
-Kate Schatz
“I understand my process; it’s kind of messy. I just start writing and it takes shape at some point.”
-Kate Schatz
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
- Kate walks us through the inspiration that led her to writing her books
- She shares what it’s like working with her illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl and having a collaborative relationship
- The importance of joining a writing community to inspire your craft and create accountability for yourself
- How to gain the courage to claim yourself as a writer
- How to find yourself again and own your identity in motherhood
- Kate’s strategy on finding literary agents who are the perfect fit for your writing
Rad Women Worldwide tells fresh, engaging, and amazing tales of perseverance and radical success by pairing well-researched and riveting biographies with powerful and expressive cut-paper portraits. The book features an array of diverse figures from 430 BCE to 2016, spanning 31 countries around the world, from Hatshepsut (the great female king who ruled Egypt peacefully for two decades) and Malala Yousafzi (the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize) to Poly Styrene (legendary teenage punk and lead singer of X-Ray Spex) and Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft (polar explorers and the first women to cross Antarctica). An additional 250 names of international rad women are also included as a reference for readers to continue their own research.
This progressive and visually arresting book is a compelling addition to women’s history and belongs on the shelf of every school, library, and home. Together, these stories show the immense range of what women have done and can do. May we all have the courage to be rad!
Learn More About Kate Schatz
Kate Schatz is the New York Times-bestselling author of Rad American Women A-Z and Rad Women Worldwide. She’s a writer, editor, educator, and left-handed vegetarian Bay Area-born-and-bred feminist activist mama. Her book of fiction, Rid of Me: A Story, was published in 2006 as part of the acclaimed 33 1/3 series. Her work has been published in LENNY, Buzzfeed, Signature, Brightly, Oxford American, East Bay Express, Denver Quarterly, and Joyland, among others. Her short story “Folsom, Survivor” was included as a “Notable Short Story” in Best American Short Stories 2011. She is the former Chair of the School of Literary Arts at Oakland School for the Arts, where she taught fiction, poetry, and journalism to 9th-12th graders for many years. She received her MFA in Fiction from Brown University, and a double BA in Women’s Studies/Creative Writing from UC Santa Cruz. She is a co-founder of Solidarity Sundays, a nationwide network of feminist activist groups, and she lives with her family on the island of Alameda.
