Jana M. Perkins
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Jana M. Perkins
@janajm.com
5.1K followers 170 following 490 posts
founder, @womenofletters.org. data scientist with a PhD writing a book (DEEP LITERACY, DIGITAL TIME) for Routledge
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Jana M. Perkins @janajm.com · Dec 2
For @womenofletters.org, I had the great pleasure of talking with Anna Malaika Tubbs.

We discuss her latest NYT-bestselling book, preparing for her viral TED Talk, her relationship to social media, what she’s working on now, & so much more. 📚💙

womenofletters.substack.com/p/anna-malaika-tubbs
Text that reads: 

Ripple effects and waves: In conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs "I was invited to give a TED Talk, and I was pregnant at the time. I knew that I would have to deliver the TED Talk when my baby was only three months old." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM A screenshot of text that reads:

 “Tell us about some of the projects, ideas, or questions you’re currently working on. Anna Malaika Tubbs: I am really excited because I wrote a script based off of my first book — The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation — and we now have a producer attached. Our next step is to look for a director, and then from there we’ll look for the actresses who will play these beautiful roles and honour these women with us. I am so, so, so excited, because I have wanted to turn The Three Mothers into a film for a long time. It came out in 2021, and I think I was really looking for a different writer to help me do it — I didn’t know that I could do it — and then a couple of months ago, maybe half a year ago now, I realized that maybe I could be the one who wrote the script. And I did. My team feels really good about it, and I’m just excited for this next stage of my career.” A screenshot of text that reads:
 “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. Jana M. Perkins, PhD
 Founder, Women of Letters"
janajm.com
This bright light of a book is essential reading
kamalaharris.com Kamala Harris @kamalaharris.com · Dec 3
Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of traveling across our country to share the story behind 107 Days. Here are a few of my reflections from the road:
Reflections from the Road
Gratitude, Community, and Continuing the Fight
kamalaharris.link
December 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
kamalaharris.com
Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of traveling across our country to share the story behind 107 Days. Here are a few of my reflections from the road:
Reflections from the Road
Gratitude, Community, and Continuing the Fight
kamalaharris.link
December 3, 2025 at 5:46 PM
janajm.com
Going to need to create a new account to contain all of my commentary on the new Love Is Blind season
December 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
janajm.com
!!

A dream opportunity to work with a dream team of writers
rokwon.bsky.social R. O. Kwon 권오경 @rokwon.bsky.social · Dec 3
we’ve been working on this for months—introducing a new teaching collective ✨

starting 2/4, Fatimah Asghar, @ingridrojasc.bsky.social, & I will offer generative & workshop-based classes! In fiction, nonfiction, & poetry!

theministryofwords.com
The Ministry of Words Introducing a new teaching collective From award-winning writers Fatimah Asghar, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, & R. O. Kwon Offering generative & workshop-based classes in fiction, poetry, & nonfiction starting Feb. 5 Apply by Jan. 20 theministryofwords.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:31 PM
janajm.com
For @womenofletters.org, I had the great pleasure of talking with Anna Malaika Tubbs.

We discuss her latest NYT-bestselling book, preparing for her viral TED Talk, her relationship to social media, what she’s working on now, & so much more. 📚💙

womenofletters.substack.com/p/anna-malaika-tubbs
Text that reads: 

Ripple effects and waves: In conversation with Anna Malaika Tubbs "I was invited to give a TED Talk, and I was pregnant at the time. I knew that I would have to deliver the TED Talk when my baby was only three months old." WOMENOFLETTERS.SUBSTACK.COM A screenshot of text that reads:

 “Tell us about some of the projects, ideas, or questions you’re currently working on. Anna Malaika Tubbs: I am really excited because I wrote a script based off of my first book — The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation — and we now have a producer attached. Our next step is to look for a director, and then from there we’ll look for the actresses who will play these beautiful roles and honour these women with us. I am so, so, so excited, because I have wanted to turn The Three Mothers into a film for a long time. It came out in 2021, and I think I was really looking for a different writer to help me do it — I didn’t know that I could do it — and then a couple of months ago, maybe half a year ago now, I realized that maybe I could be the one who wrote the script. And I did. My team feels really good about it, and I’m just excited for this next stage of my career.” A screenshot of text that reads:
 “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. Jana M. Perkins, PhD
 Founder, Women of Letters"
December 2, 2025 at 4:55 PM
janajm.com
Convinced the world would be better if everyone had to take 1-2 years of lit seminars like this one before graduating to full adulthood
libraryephemera.bsky.social S. Kramer @libraryephemera.bsky.social · Dec 2
College course on the English Novel from 1970.

(Sorry @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social, no Middlemarch.)
List of readings from a class on the English Novel. Includes Moll Flanders, Tom Jones, Emma, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, Adam Bede, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Heart of Darkness, Sons and Lovers, Portrait of the Artist, To the Lighthouse and Pincher Martin.
December 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Diagonal siding
Anamoose, ND
November 28, 2025 at 10:25 PM
janajm.com
New email autoresponder just dropped
An image of a sign that reads: “We are full now please do not enter I do not know the waiting time No questions accepted”
November 26, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
corinnelow.com
Wow what a lovely review from my proofreader!!!
wilcoxediting.com/articles/202...
November 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
janajm.com
Still so moved every time I see a shoutout to our podcast out in the wild. This one from Erin, who worked on @corinnelow.com’s amazing book, meant a lot
A screenshot of text that reads: “I’ve been talking about this book to anyone who will listen, ever since I had the chance to proofread it. So often, I work on fiction or memoir. It was a treat to step into this world of data and ideas. As an economist and professor at Wharton, Corinne Low insists that no one-size-fits-all goal exists to describe happiness. Any self-help book that assumes people of all genders are aiming to maximize the same result, such as money or fame, will be inherently flawed, according to the author. Instead, Low advocates for calculating your own “personal utility function,” which accounts for both indirect means to fulfillment and direct fulfillment. If you love your job, for example, you might get indirect utility (wages) and direct utility (enjoyment) from it. Although no one is likely to pay you for spending time with your kids, the direct utility of doing so has value, nonetheless. We all get to make our own individual valuations in these matters, and Low provides the tools to do so. I don’t have a background in economics, but this idea seems to me like a refreshing take.” A screenshot of text that reads: “into this world of data and ideas. As an economist and professor at Wharton, Corinne Low insists that no one-size-fits-all goal exists to describe happiness. Any self-help book that assumes people of all genders are aiming to maximize the same result, such as money or fame, will be inherently flawed, according to the author. Instead, Low advocates for calculating your own “personal utility function,” which accounts for both indirect means to fulfillment and direct fulfillment. If you love your job, for example, you might get indirect utility (wages) and direct utility (enjoyment) from it. Although no one is likely to pay you for spending time with your kids, the direct utility of doing so has value, nonetheless. We all get to make our own individual valuations in these matters, and Low provides the tools to do so. I don’t have a background in economics, but this idea seems to me like a refreshing take. The author talks overtly about pushing back on business books like Lean In that advocate for women to take a certain approach to workplace leadership. She states this eloquently in the book, and also on an interview on the Women of Letters podcast, which I enjoyed. There isn’t any data, she says, that illustrates the efficacy of certain gendered traits over others. In her words: “Research indeed underscores that women show differences in multiple traits compared to men, in a variety of settings […]. But *none* of the literature has demonstrated that the traits women exhibit more than men are actually *bad* from a profit or productivity perspective.” (90) Perhaps it’s not women who need to change, Low suggests. Society, on the other hand, could benefit from looking at the data and adjusting how it values different styles of work and leadership. I love this message and the deep breath it lets me take as I navigate life’s twists and turns.”
November 25, 2025 at 3:10 PM
janajm.com
New interview with 2x NYT-bestselling author Anna Malaika Tubbs on @womenofletters.org tomorrow ✨

Come say hi: womenofletters.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
drewmagary.bsky.social
Okay now it’s the holidays
My dog in a red holiday sweater
November 23, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
npr.org
Books We Love is back with a brand new batch of hand-picked titles. Mix and match tags like “Book Club Ideas” and “Eye-Opening Reads.” Find 380+ new 2025 reads, and stick around to browse more than 4,000 books from the last 13 years.
Books We Love
Here are 380+ great reads from 2025 handpicked just for you by NPR staffers and trusted critics.
n.pr
November 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
janajm.com
The disclaimer I add to any meme I send in the group chat
dieworkwear.bsky.social derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · Nov 23
listen to me. listen to me right now. if you don't know what this tweet means, just close your device. don't look anything up. go for a walk. return in a week. if you don't listen to me, your life will be ruined and i can't be held accountable
November 24, 2025 at 5:35 PM
janajm.com
During the first season of Women of Letters, things were so hectic and uncertain that we were often scrambling even to publish our very next interview — because we hadn’t yet been able to secure it, because we had but something had come up along the way, because because because 🧵
November 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
roxanegay.bsky.social
I'm editing an anthology about unlikable characters and seeking work from younger writers, 15-21. If you know of one such writer who might want to submit their work for consideration, please share this call for submissions: audacity.substack.com/p/acquired-t...
Acquired Tastes: A Call for Submissions
For younger writers, ages 15-21
audacity.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
pollybananarchy.bsky.social
Here is a morning puppy.
Black lab puppy on a leash. He is on a walk.
November 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
maggietokudahall.bsky.social
It is genuinely incredible to me how much evidence there is to support investing in the public good and how much animus there is to do this simple, effective thing.
November 18, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
womenofletters.org
“Part of me wishes I’d opened my eyes up to writing earlier, but in a lot of ways I’m grateful that I had a different experience than most writers I know.”

Emily J. Smith — @emjsmith.bsky.social — on how her years of experience as a woman working in tech informed her debut novel:
Pushing against the pull: In conversation with Emily J. Smith
In this author interview, Emily J. Smith discusses her debut novel NOTHING SERIOUS, her background in tech, how she navigated the transition to writing full-time, and what she’s working on next.
womenofletters.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
yearprogress.bsky.social
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░ 87.33%
November 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
womenintranslation.bsky.social
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation in 2025! "Each of these books arrives in English in expert and accessible translations that honour the art and voice of their original authors."
tinyurl.com/f9sccz4v
A photograph of the 6 titles shortlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation in 2025. The books are stood on their side on a wooden table with wood panelling backdrop. The six titles photographed are: Johanna Ekström and Sigrid Rausing, And the Walls Became the World All Around, translated from Swedish (Sweden) by Sigrid Rausing (Granta) Evelyne Trouillot, Désirée Congo, translated from French (Haiti) by M.A. Salvodon (University of Virginia Press) Maylis Besserie, Francis Bacon's Nanny, translated from French (France) by Clíona Ní Ríordáin (The Lilliput Press) Krisztina Tóth, My Secret Life, translated from Hungarian (Hungary) by George Szirtes (Bloodaxe Books) Liliana Corobca, Too Great A Sky, translated from Romanian (Romania) by Monica Cure (Seven Stories Press UK) Han Kang, We Do Not Part, translated from Korean (South Korea) by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK)
November 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
janajm.com
Icons on icons
Dua Lipa In Conversation With Margaret Atwood, Author of The Handmaid's Tale
YouTube video by Service95
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 PM
janajm.com
Spent an hour sitting across the table from the hottest person I’ve ever seen in my life this morning and instead of saying literally anything about that I said “what are your plans for Thanksigiving”
November 8, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Jana M. Perkins
lottelydia.bsky.social
am reminded of the old joke: what did James Watson discover?

Rosalind Franklin’s notes.
November 7, 2025 at 9:15 PM