Write of Passage by Vanessa Riley

Write of Passage by Vanessa Riley

Write of Passage is where history, culture, and creativity meet. Hosted by author Vanessa Riley, this weekly essay podcast unpacks the news and moods of today through the long lens of history.From Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime symbolism to the politics of representation, from lessons on writing resilience to meditations on empathy, each episode blends cultural critique with storytelling and a reverence for history.Part personal reflection, part cultural commentary, Write of Passage is written in love: a place to wrestle with wrong takes, dig into symbolism, and celebrate the power of words to make sense of the world.🎧 What you’ll find here: Cultural & Historical Commentary — current events examined with historical depth. Encouragement for Writers — reflections on the craft, resilience, and community of writing. Booklists & Recommendations — curated reads that expand each week’s themes. Storytelling with Heart — opinionated, thoughtful essays written to inspire dialogue, not just hot takes. If you’re a writer, reader, or thinker who loves connecting dots between past and present, Write of Passage is your table. Pull up a chair. vanessariley.substack.com VanessaRiley.com

Episodes

Create. Deliver. Disappear?

March 31, 2026 • 13 mins
Half the workforce is going gig—and writers have been living that reality all along. But with AI reshaping publishing, rising censorship, and a rapidly shifting marketplace, the writing life feels more uncertain than ever. In this episode, we unpack fear, resilience, and what it means to keep creating when the rules keep changing.

Writers were the original gig workers. Now AI, censorship, and chaos are changing the game. Can authors...
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Not What They Voted For

March 17, 2026 • 13 mins
In this deeply personal and unflinching episode, author Vanessa Riley reflects on the tension between the creative life and a world that feels increasingly unstable. After a trip to Baltimore filled with bookstores, libraries, and readers, she receives devastating news that brings the realities of war painfully close to home. What follows is a powerful meditation on grief, compartmentalization, and the emotional cost of living thro...
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The Vicarious Vicious Keyboard

March 10, 2026 • 14 mins
Why do cruel posts go viral? And why does it feel so good when our own posts do?In this episode of Write of Passage, Vanessa Riley explores the dark psychology of the internet—the thrill of going viral, the temptation of vicarious living, and the rise of the “vicious keyboard.” From a childhood vocabulary word that unlocked the power of storytelling to a viral Instagram moment that revealed the addictive pull of social media, Riley...
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Shut Up and Write

March 3, 2026 • 11 mins
When artists speak beyond their craft, they’re told to stay in their lane. From “shut up and dribble” to “just write romance,” this episode examines why Black art is expected to entertain but not challenge power—and why silence has never been an option.

Keywords:
Black artists, creative resistance, art and politics, LeBron James, Laura Ingraham, shut up and dribble, Black writers, censorship, cultural criticism, race and identity, ar...
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Fifteen Seconds and a Slur

February 24, 2026 • 13 mins
The edit is power. In this episode, we explore how writers, journalists, broadcasters, and everyday creators shape truth through what they choose to include—or cut. From manuscript revisions to social media posts to recent media controversies, this conversation examines responsibility, impact, apology, and the moral weight of the delete button. Because editing isn’t neutral. It’s a choice. And that choice reveals who we are.

Keyword...
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P&P – Persecution and Paranoid

February 17, 2026 • 15 mins
In this deeply personal episode, I unpack what I call the “P&P-season” — persecution and the paranoia that tries to follow it. When doors slam, integrity is questioned, and you can’t find what you did wrong, how do you stay whole? I share the hard lessons I learned about documentation, discernment, boundaries, holy anger, and knowing when self-preservation — even a graceful exit — is wisdom. If you’re in the storm, this one is ...
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Hands. Hands. Hands.

February 10, 2026 • 13 mins

A single image from Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show—many hands reaching up in trust—sparks a meditation on hope, heritage, and the fragile idea of an America willing to catch one another again.

Keywords:
Bad Bunny, Super Bowl LX, Super Bowl halftime show, trust fall, hands reaching up, hope in America, cultural unity, Puerto Rican culture, Latinx representation, American identity, collective trust

Episode Notes & Extras 


Find ...
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The Scars We Carry

January 20, 2026 • 10 mins
In this essay, Vanessa Riley reflects on betrayal, trust, and the scars we carry—through lived experience and the journey of Jacquotte Delahaye in Fire Sword and Sea. A meditation on forgiveness, boundaries, and choosing healing without losing yourself.

Keywords: betrayal, trust, healing from betrayal, surviving betrayal, forgiveness and anger, trauma recovery, trust after betrayal, emotional healing, marginalized voices, betrayal t...
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Fire Sword and the Crime of Womanhood

January 13, 2026 • 10 mins
What if piracy wasn’t lawless—but legal?
What if the most dangerous thing a woman could do in the 1600s was choose?In this release-week episode of Write of Passage, Vanessa Riley celebrates the launch of her 29th novel, Fire Sword and Sea—a muscular, immersive historical epic about Caribbean women pirates, integrated crews, secret empires, and the global powers history books left out.Meet Jacquotte Delahaye, Bahati, Lizzôa, Sarah Sa...
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Between the Book and Me: Why Reading isn't Elitism

January 6, 2026 • 8 mins

Is reading elitism—or survival? Vanessa Riley responds to a viral claim with a lyrical essay on books as refuge, resistance, and inheritance, weaving Black literary classics, history, and cultural power into a defiant meditation on why reading still matters.

Key Words:
reading is resistance, Black literature, literary activism, banned books, intellectual freedom, cultural inheritance, Write of Passage, Vanessa Riley, Between the Book...
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From Hellscape to Angel Wings – 2026, Come Get Me.

December 30, 2025 • 11 mins
From DEI Hellscape to Angel Wings – 2026, Come Get Me, bestselling author Vanessa Riley reflects on a year of contradiction, triumph, and reckoning. From speaking before 800 scholars at the Jane Austen Society Conference to navigating publishing chaos, stolen books, and cultural erasure, 2025 tested both faith and resolve. This essay explores the cost of visibility, the lie of “historical fantasy” when Black presence is undeniable,...
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When Records Don’t Exist, Storytellers Do

December 23, 2025 • 11 mins
In this season two opener of Write of Passage, author Vanessa Riley reflects on finishing her 30th book and what it means to remain a storyteller in a time when truth is contested and history is incomplete. She explores why fiction—especially historical fiction—is essential for marginalized voices whose lives were never fully recorded, and how storytelling preserves memory, resilience, and humanity when official records fall short....
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Why I Stayed

December 16, 2025 • 12 mins
In this Season One finale of Write of Passage, Vanessa Riley reflects on what it meant to keep showing up with honesty and heart in a less gentle America. From the discipline of writing historical fiction to the vulnerability of weekly personal essays, Vanessa shares how this past year required restraint, courage, and commitment. She talks about why storytelling matters—especially when reclaiming the complexity of Black women’s liv...
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Transcript

Get Someone Else to Do It

December 9, 2025 • 12 mins
In this episode of Write of Passage, Vanessa Riley reflects on the entrepreneurial reality of being a writer, sharing the highs, lows, and relentless grind of book launches, marketing, and storytelling. From chasing hidden histories aboard a pirate frigate for Fire Sword and Sea to balancing release logistics, Vanessa explores the courage, creativity, and persistence required to bring stories to the world—and why, at the end of the...
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Transcript

Lead Like A Pirate

December 2, 2025 • 13 mins
A meditation on women’s leadership through the lens of Fire Sword and Sea, this episode explores the moral gray spaces women navigate across centuries—caregiving, ambition, survival, and the cost of doing right in a world that often demands compromise. From a pirate captain rising through the 1600s’ brutal hierarchies to modern women reshaping boardrooms and homes, this essay examines courage, complicity, and the fire required to r...
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Transcript

Hospitality Dead?

November 25, 2025 • 11 mins
A heartfelt reflection on the fading art of hospitality, the legacy of a mother who mastered Thanksgiving, and the power of gratitude during difficult seasons. In this episode of Write of Passage, Vanessa explores persistence, community, creative courage, and the deep hope that carries us into a new year. A warm Thanksgiving reflection on hospitality, resilience, family legacy, and gratitude. An honest, hopeful message for anyone s...
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Bitter Ground: On Dissatisfaction, Bitterness, and Breaking Up the Bad Ground:

November 18, 2025 • 13 mins
In this episode of Write of Passage, Vanessa explores the deeper meaning of dissatisfaction—both on the page and in real life. She reflects on how creative frustration signals that it’s time to examine the bones of a story, from character motives and relationships to the lies they believe. Then she draws a powerful parallel to our lived experiences: how unaddressed dissatisfaction can root itself as bitterness, how bitterness sprea...
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Do The Math

November 11, 2025 • 12 mins
In this episode, Vanessa Riley dives beneath the glitter of Hollywood’s pirate myths to uncover the real stories—of women, of survival, of truth—and connects that search for authenticity to the modern struggles of publishing, timing, and creative perseverance. It’s a call to “do the math,” embrace truth over nostalgia, and keep telling the stories that matter, even when the system isn’t built for you.

 Keywords:
pirates, publishing, ...
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Hang the Pictures

November 4, 2025 • 10 mins
In this reflective episode, Vanessa shares the story of three photographs that sat unhung for nine years—a simple act that became a powerful metaphor for grief, healing, and reclaiming purpose. Through personal loss, creative pauses, and the courage to begin again, she reminds us that it’s never too late to return to our dreams, forgive ourselves for detours, and finish what we started. Hang the picture. Write the book. Pick up you...
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Hold Me, Help the World

October 28, 2025 • 12 mins
In this heartfelt reflection, Vanessa Riley explores the power of a simple hug, from Misty Copeland’s final bow embraced by Debbie Allen to moments of connection at the 21st Cavalcade in Chicago, reminding us that in times of anxiety, stress, and uncertainty, human connection, encouragement, and kindness can heal and inspire.

Comma-delimited keywords:
hugs, human connection, Misty Copeland, Debbie Allen, legacy, kindness, encourageme...
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