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This episode features our conversation from September 28, 2024 with Lori L. Tharps, founder of the Reed, Write & Create platform.

Lori is an award-winning author, journalist and educator. A self-described, storytelling evangelist, Tharps is a recognized voice in the areas of race, identity politics and African-American culture. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Glamour and Essence magazines, among others.

In 2021, Tharps moved with her husband and children to the south of Spain, where she launched Reed, Write & Create, a podcast and platform that celebrates and supports BIPoC stories and storytellers with content, coaching, and community. The Reed, Write, & Create podcast was named Best Literary Podcast by the Black Podcasting Awards in 2023 (Black Writers Read is the recipient of the 2024 Best Literary Podcast Award from the Black Podcasting Awards.

A graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Tharps is the author of three critically acclaimed nonfiction books, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain, and Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America’s Diverse Families. Tharps also penned the novel, Substitute Me.

Tharps also works as a book coach and collaborator with celebrities and public figures, and has written four books in this role, including The Redemption of Bobby Love and I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here. Both of these titles began as posts on the popular Humans of New York Instagram feed.

The Reed, Write & Create platform provides multiple opportunities for writers to receive a range of support including the blog, the podcast, and The Sanctuary.

Learn more about Lori, her work and the Reed, Write & Create platform, please visit: ReedWriteandCreate.com.

Find Lori on Instagram: @loriltharps
Find Reed, Write & Create on Instagram: @reedwriteandcre8
Find Black Writers Read on Instagram: @blackwritersread
Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/

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