“I always say that I learned to be a writer by teaching. I didn't take a creative writing course in high school. I didn't take any creative writing courses in university. I really credit teaching writing with my knowledge of writing, which seems kind of backward, but having to understand writing enough to teach it, I felt like I knew enough about the writing process when I started writing Kings, Queens and In-Betweens enough to get something down on paper.”

In this episode, Tanya Boteju shares her thoughts on writing for Young Adult audiences and how teaching writing equipped her with the skills to become a writer herself.

She discusses:

1:09 | the importance of free-writing—how it’s informed her own practice and how she scaffolds the writing process for her students

3:34 | writing a book about joy and possibility set in the drag community in Kings, Queens and In-Betweens

7:57 | inviting previous students to be beta readers for both of her books (and getting feedback in emoji form)

9:31 | challenging ideas about strength in her second book, Bruised, and writing queer stories that move beyond coming-out narratives

15:54 | how writing in first-person to help you discover more about your characters and the unexpected details that can emerge from that

17:57 | balancing writing and teaching and being intentional with writing, even when you only have small chunks of time

Guest bio:

Tanya Boteju is an English teacher and writer living on unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver, Canada).

Tanya is grateful for her patient wife, supportive family and friends, committed educators, sassy students, and hot mugs of tea. In both teaching and writing, she is committed to positive, diverse representation.

About the podcast:

Parallel Careers is a monthly podcast about the dual lives of writers who teach.

Few writers make their living from publication alone; many fill the gaps with teaching in both academic and community settings. Much of the work is precarious, and there are few opportunities for professional development.

Parallel Careers features writers with diverse practices and points of view—writers who are at the top of their game in both craft and pedagogy. Tune in to hear the big ideas and practical tips they take into their classrooms. Take their insights into your own class or craft.

Credits:

Parallel Careers is produced by Claire Tacon, in partnership with The New Quarterly magazine. Erin MacIndoe Sproule is our Technical Producer and Story Editor. Music composed by Amadeo Ventura. Financial and in-kind support provided by the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund, St. Jerome’s University, and the Government of Canada.

The music you heard on this episode was composed by Amadeo Ventura. You can hear more of his music at amadeoventura.weebly.com.

Visit TNQ.ca to access more of Tanya Boteju’s writing and teaching tips, including web extras about professional development and figurative language.

If you like our podcast, please leave a review—it really helps other listeners find our show! Thank you!

You can find Tanya’s work here:  

Bruised

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens

Out Now edited by Saundra Mitchell

Recommended reading:

In the Key of Dale by Benjamin Lefebvre

Boys and Girls Screaming by Kern Carter

A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo

The Misewa Series by David A Robertson