On episode 56 of the Reed, Write, & Create podcast, our guest is Stephanie Lim, co-founder and CEO of Third State Books, a new publishing company dedicated to amplifying the stories of Asian Americans. From the origin story of the company, to the challenge of finding a literary unicorn, the conversation is inspiring and enlightening.

We’re going Behind the Book with Bookseller Jeannine A. Cook. Jeannine is the founder of Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, PA. With a dash of magic and a whole lot of imagination, Jeannine brings books to life and curates literary experiences for all.

On episode 53 of the Reed, Write, & Create podcast, we’re going Behind the Book with David Ruggles, founder of the first Black-owned bookstore in the United States. D. Ruggles Books set the precedent for Black-owned bookstores to become community spaces for freedom and liberation.

We’re going Behind the Book on the Reed, Write, & Create podcast with Sylvia Arthur, founder of the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD), a private library in Accra, Ghana. Learn how and why Sylvia decided to turn her personal library into a “shrine” to her literary ancestors, and open the doors to everyone.

The Reed, Write, & Create podcast is back for Season five, and we’re going behind the book to share the stories of people whose work depends on the free circulation of books in society. Our first guest is Emely Rumble, a bibliotherapist from the Bronx.

The world’s first Global Book Crawl was a big success! From Iceland to Malaysia, independent bookstores joined forces to beat the big box stores, build community, and create a lot of bookish fun for their customers.

Why do we celebrate World Book Day on April 23? And is it really a global holiday? Find out the history of this totally lit holiday and where and how it is celebrated in different countries across the globe.

If you like reading women’s fiction, book club fiction, and domestic dramas, then you will love this list of books by African Authors. Find your next great read here.

Today, in 2025, celebrity book clubs are all the rage. Thanks Oprah. But despite the popularity of this literary trend, there are very few book clubs run by BIPOC celebrities. Who would be the best BIPOC celebrities to start a book club?

It’s been 65 years since her death, and we’re still celebrating Zora Neale Hurston in 2025. With a new book out, The Life of Herod the Great, and a new festival, Zora is still giving us so much to talk about.

Do you have a reading hobby or a reading habit? If you want to improve your craft as a writer, then you need to be reading with purpose and intention. Learn the steps you need to take to cultivate a sustainable reading habit that will make you a better writer.

Danzy Senna’s new novel, Colored Television, offers a darkly comic send-up of the writing life. But it also seems to be in conversation with R.F. Kuang’s, Yellowface. What cautionary tales are these two books sharing with BIPOC writers?

"Yellowface" by R.F. Kuang may read like the Real Housewives of the Publishing World, but it should be required reading for all BIPoC writers who want to make it in the publishing world. Call it a comedy or a tragedy, there are lessons to be learned in the pages of this delicious page-turner.

It’s time for another installment of BIPOC book news. This week we’re covering Viola Davis’ entry into the publishing world, the revival of an Asian American literature festival, and new books by Black women.

May is AAPI Heritage month, the perfect time to highlight some of the best Asian-American authors writing today. If you’re looking for drama, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, YA, Kid Lit, or even picture books, these women are writing it all.

In honor of National Librarian Appreciation Day, check out these four Black librarians whose work merits special recognition, from a Marvel superhero, to the hero who decolonized the Dewey Decimal system. These Black librarians deserve all the praise.

This week’s installment of BIPOC book news includes updates about Willow Smith and her first novel, Tabitha Brown and her literary angel, and a Black-owned children’s bookstore that can’t breathe because of death threats.

An honest review of Ours by Phillip B. Williams. Heralded as one of the most anticipated books of 2024, Ours definitely lives up to the hype, with satisfying revisionist history and witchy vibes, but it’s not going to be for everyone.

What are the best book festivals to attend for BIPOC authors and the readers who love them? Check out our updated, international list of BIPOC book festivals where the focus is on BIPOC authors, and add these to your literary tourism stops this year.

Josephine’s Bookshop is a new Pop-Up bookstore in Paris. Founded by Philadelphia bookseller, Jeannine Cook, the bookshop pays homage to the incomparable Black American entertainer, expat and spy, Josephine Baker.