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  <title>Episode 139 – Desiree Cooper – Being “Genre Agnostic”</title>
  <description>Desiree Cooper was once a Detroit Free Press columnist, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, a  Kresge Artist Fellow, an attorney and now she’s a children’s book author – which explains why she considers herself “genre agnostic.”   The latest author to share her story on  the Make Meaning Podcast, Desiree started writing professionally before social media was a thing, and readers regularly sent her letters and pictures in response to her columns. Her children’s book  NOTHING SPECIAL was three years in the making – and it might be her best creation yet. &amp;amp;nbsp; In this episode, host  Lynne Golodner interviews  Desiree Cooper about how much books ignited her when she was a child, the friendship between her grandson and her father, moving from Detroit to Virginia to care for her parents, and the fabrication artist who helped bring her book to life. &amp;amp;nbsp; In this episode, Lynne and Desiree discuss:&amp;amp;nbsp;  Launching the book in her yard The joy of being a featured book at the  Miami Book Fair  The Great Migration away from  Jim Crow &amp;amp; the terrorism of the South The Great Reverse Migration trend of African-American families to gather for reunions in the South despite segregation and white supremacy All the touchpoints in the book – including a USAF hat, a University of Michigan shirt and a UVA pennant Author branding Themes of motherhood, family and one life making way for another  &amp;amp;nbsp; Links and Resources:&amp;amp;nbsp;  Booklist Know the Mother The Choice film Marilyn Nelson Flash fiction  &amp;amp;nbsp; Find Desiree Cooper: Website&amp;amp;nbsp; Facebook Instagram&amp;amp;nbsp; TikTok &amp;amp;nbsp; If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other  Make Meaning Podcast episodes: &amp;amp;nbsp;   Episode 127 – Ly Tran – Writing Unapologetically  Episode 121 – Stephanie Steinberg – On Personal Passions &amp;amp; Creating Communities  Episode 118 – Elizabeth Gowing – How to Know a Place by Living Its Stories  Episode 102 – Patrick Hicks – How to Write Historical Fiction  Episode 97 – Eric Hale – How to Give Every Child a Chance, Even in the Most Poverty-Stricken Communities  Episode 70 – Elena Reads – How to Stoke a Love of Reading in Kids  </description>
  <author_name>The Make Meaning Podcast</author_name>
  <author_url>https://makemeaning.org</author_url>
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