Lola Opatayo
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lolaopatayo.bsky.social
Lola Opatayo
@lolaopatayo.bsky.social
25 followers 23 following 47 posts
Writer, editor, podcast host (journeyoftheart.com). Empowering writers (wordcaps.com).
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lolaopatayo.bsky.social
@adedayoagarau.bsky.social 's latest work, The Years of Blood, documents disturbing realities of living in Ibadan in the nineties.

Watch: youtu.be/MeGmN7tz0Dc

Or listen: open.spotify.com/episode/0DmU...

#literarypodcast #theyearsofblood #bookpodcast #journeyoftheart #authorinterviews
October 11, 2025 at 6:59 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
The immigrant life is one of highs and lows, and in this clip, Saad posed a question I’d never quite considered about resilience.

Skip to this conversation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb2-...

Or listen wherever you get your podcasts: open.spotify.com/episode/5SEe...

#literarypodcast
October 3, 2025 at 5:30 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
What happens when love is not enough? This episode with Saad Omar Khan is one you should definitely watch.

📺Watch: youtu.be/Bb2-aq0Gu5s

🎧Or listen: spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/hqTLyireiUb

#literarypodcast #authorinterview #journeyoftheart #saadomarkhan #drinkingtheocean
September 26, 2025 at 3:09 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
The lines get blurry when writing stories inspired by personal experiences, especially when said stories involve other people.

Writers, how do you manage this?

Watch: youtu.be/09gTlT1BreU
Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/7jHz...

#literarypodcast #bookpodcast #journeyoftheart
July 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
Children’s book writers, how much do you trust your readers?

Watch/listen to my conversation with @katejenkslandry.bsky.social on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

📺 youtu.be/09gTlT1BreU
🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/7jHz...

#literarypodcast #bookpodcast #journeyoftheart #kidsmentalhealth
July 17, 2025 at 8:07 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
In Ep 28, I'm joined by @katejenkslandry.bsky.social
author of A Summer Without Anna to discuss the hardship children face when a family member is sick. Part memoir, the book offers a photographic contemplation of nature and family love.

Listen here: spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/5GfZDLCS2Ub
July 16, 2025 at 4:34 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
In Episode 27, I’m joined by James Cairns, writer of the essay collection, In Crisis, On Crisis, to discuss what happens when we examine crisis from the lens of personal, secret struggles.

Watch: youtu.be/KM78jLRe5-k
Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/4yek...

#authorinterview #incrisisoncrisis
July 3, 2025 at 4:33 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
In Ep 26, @erynecki.bsky.social shares her struggles with the school system, noting that the best teachers were the ones who understood ADHD and the diverse accommodations her son required.

📺Watch the full episode:
youtu.be/xz8Yg6pbwmM

🎧Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/23le...

#authorinterview
June 20, 2025 at 2:51 AM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
💪🏽💪🏽“I gave myself permission to do this.”

The most empowering moment of this conversation with Martha Batiz was probably this.

Watch: youtu.be/2gFXHA5wW9w
Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/39C8...

#writingpodcast #authorinterview #historicalfiction #journeyoftheart #journeyoftheartpod #marthabatiz
June 6, 2025 at 4:12 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
Who really was Isabel de Saavedra? And was she really as cruel as history portrays her?

In Ep 25, @mbatiz.bsky.social tells me what inspired her to reimagine the stories of Miguel de Cervantes and his family.

Tune in tomorrow on Spotify/YouTube/Apple Podcasts #authorinterview, #historicalfiction
June 3, 2025 at 11:06 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
Up next! On Episode 20, I sit down with author and illustrator Kid Haile to discuss his book, Sometimes I Eat with My Hands.

We talk about the role of food in identity and what it means to honor our cultural traditions at the table. 🍽️📖

Tune in on March 24!🎙️
#bookpodcast
March 23, 2025 at 12:32 AM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
Sandra shares her strategy in developing her Emotions and Me series, which features young children managing difficult emotions.

Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/WwpEQ8Wmimo

Or listen wherever you get your podcasts: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jou...
March 12, 2025 at 2:11 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
I think the best stories tell the truth with tact, and that’s why I was excited to chat with Jack Wang about The Riveter, a historical novel surrounding Chinese Canadian experiences during WWII. Check it out!

Watch our chat: youtu.be/NyYOI0m7hlc

Or listen: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jou...
February 28, 2025 at 4:28 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
Jenny tells me how Keep, her debut novel, came to be after she didn’t get a spot to attend a workshop with Rachel Cusk.

Often, right next to rejection is the door of possibility.

#journeyoftheartpod #writinglife

📺: youtu.be/XH96GUsZ0wU

🎧: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jou...
February 13, 2025 at 4:45 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
I asked Jonaki how she balances being a scientist and an artist in her work.

Listen to the episode here: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jou...

#journeyoftheartpod #writingpoetry #bookdiscussions
February 4, 2025 at 7:37 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
On transplanting identities and rejection based on language and dialect.

A.K.’s short story collection, The Believers, dissects the reality of people in transit, rejected, not by outsiders, but by their own people.

📺 youtu.be/qT3tyrPZTYw
🎧 creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jou...

#writingpodcast
January 16, 2025 at 7:09 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
The first episode of the year, I chat with the amazing A.K. Herman about her short story collection, The Believers.

Follow on Spotify to get notified: open.spotify.com/show/3hH5Cr6...

#writingpodcast #journeyoftheart
January 10, 2025 at 5:26 PM
lolaopatayo.bsky.social
The relationship between the writer and the editor is delicate. Here, Anwuli shares her approach to building trust before a project starts.

📺 Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/agoBUidLkj8

🎧 Or listen: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/jou...

#journeyoftheartpod #africanliterature #publishing
December 17, 2024 at 4:09 PM