Tlotlo Tsamaase is a remarkably talented author of speculative fiction. Her novella The Slience of the Wilting Skin - a provocative, psychedelic, heartwrenching novella that explores the devastating impacts of colonialism - served as the centerpiece of our first conversation. Tragically, something went wrong with that recording and the audio was unlistenable. We had a great time, but we couldn't share it with you.
We decided to pick up where that conversation left off, exploring the ineffable nature of creativity. It’s hard to put into words, but you might imagine rather than saying “I am writing something,” you say instead, “something is writing me.” It’s an elusive and incredibly powerful state, one that infuses Tlotlo’s work with visceral and vital energy.
So we start there and wind our way into the ways in which the stories that repress us - colonialism, sexism, and systemic racism - have shaped so much of what’s written, and all the ways that Tlotlo’s working to unpack that, offering stories that might set us free. Stories that challenge us to see truths about our world that we may not be ready or willing to see.
Her debut novel Womb City comes out in the Fall of 2023, and I can promise you that it will be a potent one. Tlotlo also offers beautiful insights about how to make a space for your own singular artistic voice when you're repeatedly told by gatekeepers that there is not a seat at the table for you. She’s carved her own beautiful path. Perhaps it will inspire you to carve your own.
Show Notes:
tlotlotsamaase.com
facebook.com/tlotlo.tsamaase
instagram.com/tlotlotsamaase
twitter.com/TlotloTsamaase
The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase
Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
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#120 The Stories That Might Set Us Free (with Tlotlo Tsamaase)