Ep. 229: They’re Not Real, So Why Am I Crying w/ Author Kate Schatz
EQ: How does writing function as a form of activism, and what does it mean to tell stories that challenge the systems that shaped women’s lives?
We welcome Kate Schatz, feminist author, educator, and public speaker, to our podcast this week to discuss her brand new novel Where the Girls Were, released March 3, 2026. Many listeners may already know her from the bestselling Rad Women Worldwide series or from Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, which she co-wrote with W. Kamau Bell. In our conversation we discussed the impetus for her activism how it shapes both her fiction and nonfiction writing. From setting to character development, Kate gives insight into the choices for her novel and how she hopes it impacts readers. We could not avoid examining how the text juxtaposes agency and shame in a pre-Roe era and how it’s currently published in a time Roe v. Wade has been overturned.
Do Your Fudging Homework:
Hope: Rad Women series–great series perfect for a gift for a young woman!
Annie: Pick up Where the Girls Were, available now, from your favorite local indie bookstore
Kate: Support public libraries and check out Jessica Valenti Abortion Everyday