#025 - Stephanie Gaitán

Stephanie Gaitán is a writer, editor, and mother from the Bronx whose work has been featured in 433. Her past-times include laughing, sharing photos of cute everything with her friends, and binge-watching childhood TV shows with her daughter. Her work has also been featured in Stone of Madness Press, Voyage YA, and Palabritas, and she has work forthcoming in LaLibreta. You can find her on Twitter @GaitanWrites and on Instagram @JupiterGaitan.

On this episode, we discuss the value of writing workshops and MFA programs, Stephanie’s academic background, her passions, depression, effects of social media on society, our personal politics, socialism vs capitalism, UBI, SF movies and series that have influenced us, mixed identity, post-colonialism, the writing process, and much more. She also reads from an upcoming work titled “Hood Phantom.” 

Episodes are also posted on Youtube on a new channel, Jim Nog Pod. 

Currently, I am a one-man show. JNP takes a lot of effort and time. Please show your support via Patreon.com/jimnog.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro song
0:44 - Introduction
2:20 - Start of convo; about Stephanie
3:44 - 433 (magazine)
6:15 - Stephanie's creative writing background
12:02 - MFA programs and independent writing workshops
18:12 - About Stephanie's story “Neutron Star"
20:10 - Stephanie's academic background
25:00 - Stephanie’s biggest passions
27:00 - Depression
31:12 - Therapy and mental health
35:55 - Effects of social media on society
41:59 - How to social media better
46:12 - Stephanie's politics
49:11 - Jim’s politics
50:33 - How to define hard work
52:43 - Tax the rich
56:34 - UBI
1:02:22 - Star Trek: TNG
1:03:03 - Dr. Who
1:04:30 - HHGG
1:07:28 - Major Cow scene and philosophy
1:12:58 - Other influences (writers)
1:16:45 - Other influences (movies and series)
1:22:52 - Language learning
1:24:14 - Transracial Jimin
1:30:34 - Mixed racial identity
1:32:13 - Defensiveness & post-colonialism
1:36:12 - Stephanie reads her poem "Hood Phantom"
1:38:16 - Discussion of poem
1:42:52 - A story from Jim about artifice
1:45:34 - Stereotypes of hiphop heads
1:46:49 - Good writing in hiphop
1:48:24 - Stephanie's writing process
1:50:55 - Jim’s writing process (w/ examples from others)
1:53:38 - Writers and cats
1:54:30 - Vegetarianism and pets
1:55:20 - NaNoWriMo
1:56:32 - Stephanie's parting message; being a "good writer"
2:01:04 - Outro song & some words about next time
2:02:11 - Credits

Jim's Socials:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimnog/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimnog
- Website: http://www.jamesnoguera.com

References:
- 433: https://www.fourthreethree.org
- When We Make It by Elizabeth Velasquez: https://amzn.to/3uTML84
- "Forbidden Words (#TTR)" by Marcos de la Guagua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iNIiLOUhM8