Write of Passage by Vanessa Riley
Join bestselling author Vanessa Riley as she delves into untold histories, reflects on current events through a historical lens, shares behind-the-scenes writing insights, and offers exclusive updates on her groundbreaking novels. vanessariley.substack.com
Episodes
July 15, 2025 • 11 mins
In this reflective essay, Vanessa Riley explores the ongoing presence of colorism and classism in contemporary life, from reality TV to historical memory. Triggered by tweets and TikToks around Love Island contestants Nic and Olandria—particularly the racialized critiques of Olandria’s poise and beauty—Vanessa dives deep into how dark-skinned women continue to be policed, misunderstood, or erased in the public eye.
Through a blend ...
Through a blend ...
Mark as Played
July 8, 2025 • 12 mins
Don’t Believe Your Lying Eyes
We’re living in a time when AI can steal a writer’s voice, forge an artist’s work, and clone a person’s face or voice—all with a few clicks. In this episode, I dig into the growing threat of AI-driven scams, from fake books published under real authors' names to deepfakes and phishing that targets everyone—not just your grandma. I share my own experience with AI theft, spotlight high-profile victims lik...
We’re living in a time when AI can steal a writer’s voice, forge an artist’s work, and clone a person’s face or voice—all with a few clicks. In this episode, I dig into the growing threat of AI-driven scams, from fake books published under real authors' names to deepfakes and phishing that targets everyone—not just your grandma. I share my own experience with AI theft, spotlight high-profile victims lik...
Mark as Played
July 3, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode of Write of Passage, Vanessa reflects on an unexpected lesson learned at 30,000 feet. On a turbulent return trip from the Historical Novel Society conference, she witnesses firsthand how indoctrination quietly seeps into our lives—not through shouting, but through repetition, comfort, and curated fear. From her own journey as a historical fiction writer breaking free of industry expectations, to the quiet propaganda...
Mark as Played
June 24, 2025 • 11 mins
It probably won’t surprise you—at least not once you’ve met me—that I’m a planner. My name is Vanessa Riley, and I’m a serial planner. There isn’t an outline I don’t love, nor a spreadsheet that doesn’t call my name. If I could design a map of a map of a map of systems accompanied by a flowchart—I’d consider it bliss. Come to one of my book events and ask what kind of person or writer I am, and I’ll often tell you: I’m a nerd’s ner...
Mark as Played
June 17, 2025 • 8 mins
If you don’t recognize the phrase “Sexual Chocolate,” then you might be too young or too sheltered—or simply overdue for a viewing of Coming to America. The phrase hails from a hilarious moment in this 1988 cult classic when Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) attends a church service in Queens hoping to find a “good woman.”He does find one—but not before the audience is treated to a cringe-worthy performance by a band called Sex...
Mark as Played
June 10, 2025 • 10 mins
Whenever I finish writing a manuscript, there’s always this unexpected wave of sadness that hits me. It shouldn’t be unexpected. This is like my 27th or 28th book.But yes. You heard me right—sadness.Because now I’m done with these characters.Characters I’ve lived with for three, sometimes four months. Characters whose voices echoed in my head, who made me laugh, who made me cry, and made me question everything. And once I’ve typed ...
Mark as Played
June 3, 2025 • 9 mins
Have you ever not known how empty you were—until a weekend of feasting showed you just how hungry you really are?That was me, this weekend. I spent it in the company of 1,500 readers and fellow authors at the Black Romance Book Fest, and I left with my heart and spirit overflowing. Now, you might say, “Vanessa, I get your newsletter. I follow you on Instagram and Threads. I see the pictures. You go to a lot of events.” And yes, tha...
Mark as Played
May 27, 2025 • 11 mins
n 2020, America and the world were spiraling. COVID. COVID shutdowns, high COVID deaths, and the divisive uproar over wearing masks frayed nerves and divided communities. Then, in the middle of the chaos, we witnessed the killing of a man.George Floyd, a man who’d run afoul of the law in the past, was approached by police under the false suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill.At 8:20 p.m. on May 25, 2020, outside Cup Foods in Mi...
Mark as Played
May 20, 2025 • 12 mins
This week, I went through a whirlwind of emotions—yes, whirlwind. That’s the word. It captures the highs and lows, the unpredictable moments, the shared grief, reflection, and the surprising grace that shaped these past few days. All these feelings—they live in pictures.Picture this: an artist gifted in creating larger-than-life floral and celebratory installations-roses, sunflowers, and even huge gift boxes with perfect bows. I fo...
Mark as Played
May 13, 2025 • 10 mins
Funny thing happens when you go outside.You notice that everything is still moving—still shifting, still becoming—and no matter how much I want it to revolve around me, the earth does its own thing. That’s humbling. That’s sobering. And yes, at times, alittle infuriating. Because I want to believe that if I just dream hard enough, andwork long enough, and sacrifice deep enough, the outcome will be what I want it to be.That’s the na...
Mark as Played
May 6, 2025 • 10 mins
To step away from my desk, from writing, usually takes intention—an obligation, an appointment, an event.But this weekend, instead of rushing back to my hotel room to work, I took a walk in the city that never sleeps.New York City is magic. The lights and screens can mesmerize for hours. The hustlers are everywhere, each chasing their own dream with a specific kind of determination. I melted into the crowd—a sea of people, heads ti...
Mark as Played
April 29, 2025 • 12 mins
There is a time and a season for everything.The real question is: Are you ready to move?Right now, it’s a scary time to be a Black creative. Honestly, it’s a scary time for everybody in the arts. I’ve shared in a previous episode how the Canva bots came for me — they told me that the word slavery was political and banned in their system of tools.Banning books is all the rage. Banning concepts or ideas — stopping the writer or artis...
Mark as Played
April 22, 2025 • 13 mins
Last week was a weird one. The algorithms—the bots—seemed to come for me. Canva, of all places, led the charge. It made me feel like I wasn’t just wrong in opinion, but wrong in essence. As if the characters I write—rooted in history, full of breath and heart—were somehow unworthy. Handcuff me now, because it felt like I was being told it was a crime to write them at all.Caption: Two Scaredy-Cats watching the must see movie, Sinner...
Mark as Played
April 15, 2025 • 11 mins
The Warning That Sparked It AllIt started with a slide.Vanessa Riley trying to find peace and missing it.Nine months away from the release of Fire Sword and Sea, my fourth historical fiction novel, I was using Canva—an online design tool—to create character slides. Each slide was a snapshot of a journey: a woman who rose from enslavement to ship captain, a reimagined heroine defying colonial narratives and gender norms. I hit the “...
Mark as Played
April 8, 2025 • 10 mins
There comes a moment when the noise fades, the dust settles, and you look around and realize: this is a losing season. The signs are everywhere—opportunities dried up, allies silent or absent, and the very ground that once felt firm beneath your feet feels like it’s shifting. You blink and think, how did I get here? Vanessa - Out of CoffeeI move through the world on a mission. It's loud and clear in my heart: I’m here to tell stori...
Mark as Played
April 1, 2025 • 15 mins
“Her skin was very brown, but, from its transparency, her complexion was uncommonly brilliant; her features were all good; her smile was sweet and attractive; and in her eyes, which were very dark, there was a life, a spirit, an eagerness which could hardly be seen without delight.” — That’s Jane Austen purply prose describing Marianne Dashwood in https://bookshop.org/p/books/sense-and-sensibility-jane-austen/226656?ean=97805936224...
Mark as Played
March 25, 2025 • 10 mins
My mother was the first female entrepreneur I ever met. She started selling baked goods during tax season while my father prepared income taxes for clients in our home. I distinctly remember her brownies—one of my favorite treats—being sold right on our porch to delighted customers. But my mother wasn’t just an entrepreneur; she was a serial entrepreneur. She took that experience and built a bookstore—Goldenrod Christian Bookstore—...
Mark as Played
March 18, 2025 • 13 mins
Sometimes, there are words and events designed to provoke, to get under your skin, to upset the balance of your peace. Over time, I have learned that I can’t react to everything. There’s just too much noise. But some things are too important to ignore.Right now, libraries are under threat. Institutions we’ve funded to preserve history, like Arlington National Cemetery, are erasing lesson plans that once provided a comprehensive vie...
Mark as Played
March 11, 2025 • 11 mins
When I was in school, I once had a saying, "Sleep you can get any old time, but grades last forever." At the time, I meant it. It wasn’t the best mindset, but it fueled my drive to maintain a near-perfect grades. As an overachiever, I found comfort in metrics—things that could be measured, quantified, and tracked. That’s how I knew I was doing well. They were the invisible pats to the shoulders. You did good. With working divorces ...
Mark as Played
March 4, 2025 • 17 mins
The Sensitivity of Sensitivity ReadsOne of my first essays on Substack, when I was testing out what I wanted to do, was about my editing process. Before I began podcasting, I was exploring my platform and had just gone through a brutal but necessary copyedit, and I wanted to talk about the lessons learned.Write now in the ethos of publishing is a bit of a scandal about a writer when given feedback about an offensive bit of dialog i...
Mark as Played
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