Women of Letters

Jana M. Perkins
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In-depth conversations about work, writing, & professional success with the women shaping our cultural landscape. A longform interview series now in its 3rd season.

  1. “I became a person who took those kind of risks”: Alia Hanna Habib on her career as a literary agent and an author

    9H AGO

    “I became a person who took those kind of risks”: Alia Hanna Habib on her career as a literary agent and an author

    The publishing industry occupies a unique space in our cultural landscape: it is ubiquitous in its influence, and yet persistently opaque in its operations. Alia has been working to change that. In addition to representing some of today’s most successful authors as a literary agent, she has also taken on the task of demystifying the world of publishing with her debut book, Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch. In it, she details each step of the process with characteristic generosity of insight. Her account offers precisely the kind of peek behind the curtain that will interest even those who aren’t themselves in publishing, revealing, as it does, an insider’s perspective into how the books we love make their way into the world. P.S. I am so excited to be able to gift two hardcover copies of Alia’s amazing book. Leave a comment with your thoughts on our Substack post of this interview — womenofletters.substack.com/p/alia-hanna-habib — or restack the post to enter to receive your copy. 📚 — Alia Hanna Habib is a literary agent and Vice President at The Gernert Company, which she joined in 2017 after starting her publishing career as a publicist at HMH and working as an agent at McCormick Literary. She is the author of Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Career from Scratch and of the publishing-themed Substack Delivery & Acceptance. Among the New York Times-bestselling and prize-winning clients she represents are Clint Smith, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Lauren Oyler, Nathan Thrall, Merve Emre, Adam Serwer, and Hanif Abdurraqib. She is on the board of n+1 literary magazine and on the creative council of Aspen Words. She was profiled by New York Magazine for their special issue on “The 49 Most Powerful New Yorkers (You’ve Never Heard Of).” She lives in Brooklyn. —— Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    1h 26m
  2. “I went back to what I’d always been passionate about”: Petya K. Grady on her career as a writer, featured Substacker, and UX strategist

    12/16/2025

    “I went back to what I’d always been passionate about”: Petya K. Grady on her career as a writer, featured Substacker, and UX strategist

    With her work on A Reading Life, Petya’s newsletter exemplifies the vibrant literary community that has emerged on Substack. Her writing charts the terrain between casual reader and devoted bibliophile, offering essays on her favourite reads, interviews chronicling the reading lives of fellow book-lovers, and frameworks for cultivating a more sustained reading practice. She views reading as an antidote to scrolling, and — as her thousands of subscribers can attest — it’s a perspective that continues to resonate with all those who encounter her work each week. Our wideranging conversation explores how she developed her approach and why it matters now. — Petya K. Grady is a writer and UX strategist. Now entering its sixth year, her popular literary newsletter, A Reading Life, has been named a Substack Featured Publication. Originally from Bulgaria, she lives in Memphis with her family. — — Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    1h 8m

  3. 11/25/2025

    “I realized that maybe I could be the one”: Anna Malaika Tubbs on her career as a writer and TED speaker

    Anna Malaika’s latest book, Erased, showcases her characteristic ability to make complex ideas accessible at every level. Building on both her acclaimed first book and viral TED Talk, it examines the far-reaching impacts of patriarchal systems and how our world continues to be structured around them. The book has earned her a second New York Times bestseller designation — along with a host of other accolades — further solidifying her status as one of today’s most influential writers. I’m grateful, with this interview, to have learned more about the experiences that have shaped her career. Read the full interview at womenofletters.substack.com/p/anna-malaika-tubbs — Anna Malaika Tubbs is a 2x New York Times bestselling author and multidisciplinary expert on current and historical understandings of race, gender, and equity. With a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Masters in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge in addition to a Bachelors in Medical Anthropology from Stanford University, Anna translates her academic knowledge into stories that are clear and engaging. Her articles have been published by TIME Magazine, New York Magazine, CNN, The Guardian, and others. Her first book The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation came out in 2021; her second book Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us came out in May of this year. Anna’s storytelling also takes form in her talks, including her TED Talk that has been viewed 2 million times, as well as the scripted and unscripted screen projects she has in development. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their three kids. —— Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    2 min

  4. 10/28/2025

    “I essentially rearranged my life”: Emily J. Smith on her career as a writer and novelist

    With her debut novel, Emily has accomplished the rare feat of writing a book that is timely, incisive, and deeply affecting — all while being the kind of impossible-to-put-down read that audiences dream of finding. The book, along with its author’s Substack, draws on Emily’s years of experience as a woman working in tech to offer cultural commentary that is both intellectually rigorous and emotionally honest. In one exchange, for example, we see one character confronting another, saying, “You’d think a woman that smart would know better.” The book’s main character, Edie, responds without hesitating: “Not at all,” she says. “Smart women look for challenges.” She’s one of the few writers whose latest work I never miss. I’m thrilled we were able to connect over this interview. Read the full interview at womenofletters.substack.com/p/emily-j-smith — Emily J. Smith is a writer based in Brooklyn. Her debut novel, NOTHING SERIOUS, is out now from William Morrow / HarperCollins. She has a BS in computer engineering from Cornell, an MBA from UC Berkeley. Her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Catapult, Curbed, Slate, Hobart, The Washington Post, Vice, and elsewhere. She publishes regularly on Substack and runs the workshop From Corporate to Creative Writer. —— Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    2 min
  5. “I was in a situation that didn’t add up”: Corinne Low on her career as a writer and Wharton economist

    09/30/2025

    “I was in a situation that didn’t add up”: Corinne Low on her career as a writer and Wharton economist

    In her meticulously researched, newly published book, Corinne brings her years of expertise as a Wharton professor and an economist studying gender to answer the age-old question: is it possible for women to have it all? From parenting to partnership to career planning to self-care, she offers a wealth of accessibly articulated and data-rich insight into so many subjects central to women’s lives—including a detailed account of the many reasons why, historically, ‘having it all’ has been such an elusive goal. If there was one book published on this topic in the last year I would recommend as essential reading, it would be this one. — Corinne Low, PhD, is an associate professor of business economics and public policy at the Wharton School, where she teaches an award-winning course on the economics of discrimination. Her research has been published in journals such as the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Political Economy. She regularly speaks to and advises companies on their practices, and her research has been featured in media outlets from Vanity Fair to the Harvard Business Review. She received her PhD in economics from Columbia University and her BS in economics and public policy from Duke University, and formerly worked for McKinsey & Company. She lives in Philadelphia with her family. Having It All is her first book. — — Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    54 min

  6. 09/02/2025

    “I realized I could see myself there”: Nikkya Hargrove on her career as a writer and memoirist

    Nikkya’s writing in Mama, her first book, is visceral and punctuated in its vulnerability. She recounts each of the emotionally saturated events that frame her memoir with open-hearted precision, including her mother’s incarceration, the adoption of her half-brother, and the experience of falling in love with her now-wife. “We keep the conversation light,” she recalls of visiting her mother in jail as a teenager. “We do not go deep. We do not ask about fears, wants, or needs.” Her book, however, does exactly that, venturing into all of the above and more. It was a privilege to get to speak with her about some of the stories behind those stories. Read the full interview at womenofletters.substack.com/p/nikkya-hargrove — Nikkya Hargrove is a LAMBDA Literary Nonfiction Fellow and has written about adoption, marriage, motherhood, and the prison system for The Washington Post, the Guardian, the New York Times, Scary Mommy, and Shondaland. She has worked for social impact nonprofits providing support to underserved communities throughout her professional career. She graduated from Bard College and lives in Connecticut with her wife and three children. — — Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    2 min
  7. “I’m doing everything I want to do”: Carrie Sun on her career as a writer and memoirist

    07/29/2025

    “I’m doing everything I want to do”: Carrie Sun on her career as a writer and memoirist

    Among the most compelling memoirs are those that offer a window into experiences so singular they would otherwise remain known to only a fraction of humanity. Literary treasures of this kind are scarce not because extraordinary experiences evade us, but because we so rarely encounter the writer who can transmute those experiences into essential reading. Carrie is one of those writers, and Private Equity is one of those memoirs. Named one of TIME Magazine’s must-read books of the year, one of Vogue’s best books of the year, and the work memoir of the year by Harper’s Bazaar, it chronicles, as its central focus, her time spent working at one of the most prestigious hedge funds in the world. Yet to say that Private Equity is a memoir about Wall Street, the financial industry, or even a professional coming-of-age is to fail to capture the breadth of insight it offers across so many intensely interesting subjects. As Carrie explains below, “A decision is only risky if what’s at stake is valuable.” I learned a lot about decision-making, risk, and value from her propulsively readable memoir, and it was a privilege to get to learn more about her in this interview. Read the full interview at womenofletters.substack.com/p/carrie-sun — Carrie Sun was born in China and raised in Michigan. She holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School. She lives in Jersey City with her husband and young son. Private Equity: A Memoir is her first book. — — Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    3 min
  8. “I had to unlearn to be a high achiever”: Kapka Kassabova on her career as a writer

    06/24/2025

    “I had to unlearn to be a high achiever”: Kapka Kassabova on her career as a writer

    The only word that can be used to adequately describe Kapka’s work is ‘mesmerizing.’ The effect either of reading her writing or of listening to her speak is one of being swept into what feels like an alternate dimension, where everything is tinged with a kind of numinosity and wonder. To experience the vividness of her perspective once is to seek its repeated encounter — and, fortunately for us, it can be found throughout what are currently more than a dozen of her published books and countless interviews. I’m delighted, with our conversation, to have added to this rich collection of transporting exchanges. — Kapka Kassabova is a multigenre writer of narrative non-fiction, poetry, and fiction. Border, the first book in her Balkan quartet, won a British Academy Prize, the Scottish Book of the Year, the Stanford-Dolman Travel Book of the Year, and the Highland Book Prize. Kassabova grew up in Bulgaria and studied in New Zealand; today, she lives by a river in the Scottish Highlands. Her work has been translated into twenty languages, and she remains literarily bilingual with English being her primary literary language and Bulgarian a close second. — — Song: “Walk Through the Park,” by TrackTribe

    50 min
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About

In-depth conversations about work, writing, & professional success with the women shaping our cultural landscape. A longform interview series now in its 3rd season.

Information

  • Creator
    Jana M. Perkins
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jana M. Perkins
  • Show Website
    Women of Letters