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88 Cups of Tea

Love all things upbeat, warm, and uplifting? Welcome to 88 Cups of Tea, an online platform and podcast for creative writers who look for guidance in their storytelling journey and connection to a community, fostering year-round conversations around the personal and professional life of a writer. Our podcast episodes and online essays and articles explore and unpack conversations that touch on topics like overcoming rejections and challenges, querying tips and crafting advice, lifestyle habits that support the heart and the soul, what it means to be Human while navigating a creative path, and more. We pride ourselves in nurturing a supportive environment that aims to encourage, inspire, and entertain. Check out our website 88cupsoftea.com for essays, articles, and access to nearly 200 podcast episodes!
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Now displaying: July, 2016
Jul 28, 2016

“Even when we seemingly don’t have anything, we still have so much to give each other.” -Lily Wilson (click to tweet)

We have a special episode today that’s near and dear to my heart. A huge part of why this podcast was created was to help listeners with actionable advice for their writing goals. A majority of our episodes touch on the business side and the how-to of getting ahead with a creative career. Rarely do I get to talk about the artistry in creativity and the almost-spiritual sense of creating art with our innate gifts.  Today’s episode is a gem because we’re bringing it back to the basics about why we’re even creating in the first place: Why we must create for the livelihood of our souls and for the world.

Today’s interview features Lily Wilson, our first musician on the podcast! It’s incredibly eye-opening to see how art, from music to writing, has the power to connect us all at the very core of our experiences. Lily describes the heart-warming moment she shared with a kind homeless man named Charlie, and how they inspired in each other a second chance at life.

We discuss the hurt and darkness that engulfs us artists when the rug is tugged right out from under our feet, how we can find healing, and what it takes to resurrect our deep love for creating and making that art. We talked about goals and plans; the freedom in not having any and going with the flow, that following our intuition can, more often than not, lead to opportunities and abundance that we ourselves could not foresee.

Storyteller Tribe, I felt my heart expand in this one. Listen in and give yours a good stretch.

Xo,

Yin

PS. Did today’s episode help you in any way? Please share it with someone you think the episode can inspire!

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“I just love being around art. I’m really fueled by that.” -Lily Wilson (click to tweet)

 

“To be in that safe space, I personally need to be where someone can’t hear me.” -Lily Wilson (click to tweet)

 

“I’m really just so drawn to people who have talents that I don’t have.” -Lily Wilson (click to tweet)

 

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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: 

  • Disengaging negative inner voices

  • Awareness of unconscious mental blocks
  • Creating your artistic work in safe spaces
  • Recognizing and accepting your talents and strengths
  • How collaborating with another artist can bring out a creative side of you

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT LILY WILSON:

Lily Wilson’s music has a way of drawing the listener in and reminding us of the simple beauty of life. Her voice has been described as being “soothing in some other worldly way.”

On her newest release, “Harbour,” she says, “With all the craziness in the world right now, I am reminded of the things I have to be thankful for.  This group of songs feels like a twinkling harbour filled with welcoming front porches and real friends.”

Lily grew up on her family’s farm in Napa, California with lots of outside time and open space to roam and create.  Bands like Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills and Nash provided the backdrop for her childhood, and influenced her deeply.  Her career in music started when she moved to Spain in college.  She was drawn to the Flamenco songs coming from gypsy caves above the city.  She started writing songs, and soon was performing on street corners, teashops, and clubs all over Andalusia.

Growing up in such a remote place gave her a hunger to collaborate and perform for larger audiences. Now based in Los Angeles, she has released five CDs independently, and is currently writing and recording with producer/ bassist, Mark Browne (Melissa Etheridge, Simple Minds).  She recently won the L.A. Music Awards “Best Female Vocal Performance” in the AC category, and she has been lending her voice to other artists’ projects as well.  She has performed and recorded with Melissa Etheridge, Beth Thornley, Kiki Ebsen, Philip Sayce, Kenny Loggins, Patty Griffin, and John Batdorf.

 

 

LILY'S RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Lily’s Newest Album “Harbour”

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

Bandcamp

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

Los Angeles Fire Department

 

SAY 'HI' TO LILY:

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Jul 21, 2016

“Imagine all the great writing that’s being done secretly by people who are ashamed to share it.” -Matt de la Peña (click to tweet!)

Exciting new episode today with the one-and-only Matt de la Peña!  Matt is one of the most grounded human beings and great observers of the world, and just so happens to be the 2016 Newbery Medal-winning author of Last Stop on Market Street.

Today’s episode is proudly brought to you by VCFA! It's filled with personal stories about creative and personal growth that will inspire you. We discuss a whole lot about being present and living in the moment, how our experiences and honesty in our work create vibrancy, pacing ourselves to avoid writer’s block, the impact of having mentors, and so much more.

Xo,

Yin

 

“I don’t even know what my books are about until I finish it.” -Matt de la Peña (click to tweet!)

“You will never finish a book if you don’t write the book.” -Matt de la Peña (click to tweet!)

“I think sometimes writer’s block is a function of looking at the big picture too soon.” -Matt de la Peña (click to tweet!)

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"Last Stop on Market Street"is the Winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal, a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book, and a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book, a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of 2015 and a Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2015.

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don’t own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them.
 
This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the wonderful perspective only grandparent and grandchild can share, and comes to life through Matt de la Pena’s vibrant text and Christian Robinson’s radiant illustrations.

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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: 

  • Personal stories about creative growth and personal growth that will inspire you (and make your day!)
  • How reading changed Matt’s life and how it teaches the writer about the writing process
  • Living in the moment and how that effects us and our work
  • Vibrant work created from experience and honesty 
  • Breaking through writer’s block by pacing yourself and working on the “now”
  • How you and your work will benefit tremendously by ‘keeping it simple’
  • Mentorship and how its effected Matt and his career as an author

Learn More About Matt de la Peña

Matt de la Peña is the 2016 Newbery Medal-winning author of Last Stop on Market Street. He is the author of several critically-acclaimed young adult novels, as well as the celebrated picture book A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, which was New York Times Top 10 Illustrated Book of 2011, a Booklist Editor’s Choice Best Book of 2011, and an SLJ Best Book of 2011. Matt lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Matt’s Recommended Books & Resources:

Powerful video of police officer’s response to ruthless police shootings (Must watch!)

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Drown by Junot Díaz

Linda Sue Park 2002 Newbery Medal Winner for “A Single Shard”

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Say ‘Hi!’ to Matt
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Jul 14, 2016

“If the end result is a book, then you are a writer.” -Harriet Reuter Hapgood

We have Harriet Reuter Hapgood on the show today! Harriet is a freelance journalist who has worked with Marie Claire, ELLE, and InStyle in the U.K. Teen Vogue named her debut novel, The Square Root of Summer, the “Best New Book of 2016”.  In today’s episode, we discuss writing about heartbreak, quantum physics and time travel, the heavy research process for Harriet’s novel, creating multiple layers of plot to enhance your story, and why it’s important to sacrifice our own personal ties with the story for the ‘bigger picture’. We even dive into what it’s like to have depression and anxiety, and how we as writers can push through and stay on course with our writing goals with special attention to self-care.  I’m so excited for you to learn about Harriet and her journey as a writer!

Today's episode is proudly brought to you by Gotham Writers.

“The voice in your head that says you can’t finish the book or that it’s not worth it, ignore that bad voice.”-Harriet Reuter Hapgood

“You have to sacrifice what you think should happen versus what is good for the book and what is good for the character.”-Harriet Reuter Hapgood

 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

  • How Harriet weaves quantum physics into her novel The Square Root of Summer

  • Why you need to remove your personal connection from the story
  • Sacrificing what you want to happen in your story for what is best for your book and its characters
  • How to thread different themes together to create a multi-dimensional story without losing focus of your main theme
  • Harriet addresses writer’s block and gives us advice on how to use outlining to break free from it
  • Why self-care is so crucial to your happiness and success as a writer
  • How Harriet created a dream list of literary agents and pitched to them

Jul 7, 2016

“Success can be a moment, fulfillment is a lifetime.” -Renee Ahdieh (Click to tweet)

 

We have #1 New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh of The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger duology in today’s brand new episode brought to you by Vermont College of Fine Arts. We break down Renée’s character-driven writing process and delve into building multi-dimensional characters. Renée takes it one step further and generously walks us through exactly how she sets up a scene to highlight the main character’s attributes. It’s the perfect example of the infamous show-don’t-tell rulefor writers.

We discuss why it’s important to be responsible and respectful when writing about different cultures, and why we have to allow ourselves latitude in our writing. As if the episode couldn’t get any better, we dive even deeper and deconstruct what it means to have anxiety and how to combat it with gratitude and empathy.

Xo,

Yin

PS. Did today’s episode help you in any way? Share it with someone who needs a boost of inspiration!

Please leave a review about the podcast by clicking here. Your honest feedback helps to shape the show. Thank you for your time and for helping with the ranking of the show when leaving a review and rating!

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“Your thoughts influence your feelings. Your feelings influence your actions.”-Renee Ahdieh (Click to tweet)

“If we’re not questioning ourselves, we’re not pushing ourselves to do better.”-Renee Ahdieh (Click to tweet)

“Everyone is the hero of his or her own story.”-Renee Ahdieh (Click to tweet)

 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

  • Specific writing techniques to help build multi-dimensional character
  • How to write scenes that showcase a character’s attributes
  • When weaving in different cultures in our stories, why there’s a heavy responsibility in doing so respectfully
  • Combatting anxiety with gratitude and empathy
  • Creating room for freedom and spontaneity in our writing
  • Finding satisfaction and gratitude in our work as creatives
  • Why it’s crucial to set a clear purpose for your plot 

 

“You have to continuously challenge and question yourself." -Renee Ahdieh (Click to tweet)

 

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they’re going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there’s going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don’t know how many branches it’s going to have, they find out as it grows. And I’m much more a gardener than an architect.” -George R.R. Martin (the quote referenced in this episode)

 

 

Learn More About Renée Ahdieh

Renée Ahdieh is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger. In her spare time, she likes to dance salsa and collect shoes. She is passionate about all kinds of curry, rescue dogs, and college basketball. The first few years of her life were spent in a high-rise in South Korea; consequently, Renée enjoys having her head in the clouds. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and their tiny overlord of a dog.

 

 

Say ‘Hi!’ to Renée
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM

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