Bestselling author Kit de Waal has built a career writing stories that capture the reality of life on the margins, but her own story is just as compelling. Growing up in 1970s Birmingham with an Irish Catholic-turned-Jehovah's Witness mother and a Caribbean father, Kit learned early on that survival meant adaptation. Kit's mother’s dire warnings of an impending apocalypse pushed her into rebellion, leading to a breakdown that ultimately set her on a new path advocating for children in the care system before becoming a bestselling novelist. In this episode, Kit shares how she transformed personal crisis into epic creative success, the complexities of growing up between cultures, and why she rejects the term ‘resilience.’ With novels like My Name is Leon and her memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes, Kit has turned life’s challenges into powerful storytelling. Kit has also fought for greater diversity in the UK’s publishing industry. Using her advance, she set up a Creative Writing scholarship at Birbeck, University of London, Kit is breaking down industry barriers by helping writers from marginalised backgrounds find their own passion for writing. This is a paid advertisement by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CRISISPOD. Our listeners get 10% off their first month. Pre-order Kit’s new book The Best Of Everything: https://linktr.ee/TheBestofEverythingKitdeWaal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-de-waal-ba953455/ X: @KitDeWaal Website: https://www.kitdewaal.com/contact Host: Andy Coulson CWC team: Jane Sankey, Hana Walker-Brown, Bill Griffin With special thanks to Ioana Barbu and the brilliant people at Global For all PR and guest approaches please contact –
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