Hello everybody,
Welcome to the first episode of the second series of The Bibliotherapists, a podcast all about the healing power of words that’s hosted on and celebrates the people of Substack.
For the next eight weeks we’ll be sharing conversations with writers and creatives whose work we love, asking them to share their VIBs (very important books) and how they use words to heal themselves, and others.
We’ll also get a glimpse into their many and various reading and writing processes.
And as you’ll hear, it’s amazing the insight that a chat about favourite books can deliver…
🎧 EPISODE 1: CLOVER STROUD
For our first episode we are joined by , a bestselling author who writes on the way life feels (also the name of her Substack publication).
Clover, 50, writes about the big stuff - creativity, grief, joy, motherhood, sex, death - as well as life’s small but meaningful moments.
“Words are the tools I use to make sense of chaos.”
And, joining us from her home in Washington, Clover shares how reading and writing has helped her (continues to help her) navigate life, opening up about her own experiences of grief, motherhood and the writing process.
🎧 5 takeaways from our conversation with Clover
1. Grief as Catalyst for Creativity
Clover’s writing often emerges from personal loss (people, places, identity). She believes grief isn’t something to avoid, but something that can transform and expand us.
2. The Power of Saying Yes
Her work is also very much a celebration of life in all its mess and majesty. Even in pain, the writer finds ways to say yes to love, art, motherhood and being fully human.
“I want to say yes to life. That’s the message in everything I write.”
3. Writing as Spiritual Practice
For Clover, writing is not just craft—it’s communion.
4. Motherhood and Sisterhood in Full Colour
Clover speaks candidly about the beauty, exhaustion, wildness and transformation that comes with losing her mother, raising five children and grieving her sister.
“I write about the things I don’t understand in order to try and understand them.”
5. There’s No Map, Only The Work
Clover urges aspiring writers to stop waiting for permission. The only way forward, she says, is to show up for The Work and let the words take shape.
(some of) CLOVER’S VIB’s
In this episode Clover references a mix of memoir, classic tomes and shiny new reads she’s discovered while living in the USA, including…
This episode is a masterclass in using words to make meaning of life.
We can’t wait for you to listen.
If you enjoy, please share with the word nerds in your life.
(And we always love to hear about any of your insights and aha moments, and - of course - what you are reading right now, so please share in the Comments…)
Happy listening (and reading),
Toni & Tanya,
💛
PS Next week we’re talking to about visibility in midlife, and why she definitely doesn’t want to be a one-woman media empire
WATCH THE PODCAST
NB while the audio version of the podcast has been polished, we’re definitely not video editors and so the videos of these interviews are the unedited, unfiltered real thing showcasing the lo-fi reality of various wifi connections from various (often rural) locations + two overexcited book nerds interviewing experts. There may be a couple of bloopers/sneezes/dog barking situations. But there’s something kinda lovely about the real-ness, and it’s a perfect example (we think) of “done is better than perfect.”
Share this post