"I Write the Worlds I Want to Live In": A-M Mawhiney on Social Work, Indigenous Healing & Writing скачать в хорошем качестве

"I Write the Worlds I Want to Live In": A-M Mawhiney on Social Work, Indigenous Healing & Writing

What happens when a lifelong academic, social worker, and university professor finally listens to the eight-year-old inside her who always wanted to be a writer? You get stories that don't just entertain—they heal. In this deeply moving conversation, A-M Mawhiney joins us from northern Ontario—where snowbanks reach seven feet and the winters are brutal—to share a life story that is anything but cold. From a childhood spent in a small mining community to a career spent transforming how social work is practiced with Indigenous communities, A-M's journey is a master class in purpose, patience, and the power of showing up. We explore: The moment at eight years old she declared she wanted to be a writer—and the family connection that reassured her it was possible. The story of an eight-year-old boy burning books to survive a freezing winter, and how that moment shifted her life toward social work. Her groundbreaking work with First Nations communities to co-create an Indigenous-led social work program that has thrived for nearly forty years. The painful transition from academic writing to creative storytelling—and why her first draft was "painful for friends to read." How the COVID lockdowns sparked her debut novel Spindrift, where she built the world she longed to live in. Her latest book, Fugitive Riffs, following four teens whose lives are changed by crisis—and who go on to bring meaning to those society has left on the margins. The character Alice, who wouldn't stop haunting her—and why her next book might just be Alice's story. This is not a conversation about escaping reality. It's about facing it head-on, and daring to imagine something better. Key Quotes from A-M Mawhiney "I turned to my parents and said, 'I want to be a writer when I grow up.' Then I said, 'But I don't see any writers from where I'm from, so I don't know if I'll be able to do that.'" "That eight-year-old boy burning books to survive—that probably shifted my life. I decided I wanted to become a social worker that actually transforms lives." "When I approached the Indigenous community, they asked me: 'Is this going to be another white idea, or can we do something different?' I said, 'You're the experts. I'm not. That's why I'm here.'" "The first draft of my first book was painful for my friends to read. It came across like an academic paper. Thank heavens for them—they told me the truth." "I write books about worlds I'd like to live in." "Every small thing that each of us can do helps make changes in the long term. Every bit that moves toward a world built on humanity, kindness, hope, and protecting our planet is a piece of the whole puzzle." "If it's a wild ride and you have wacky ideas, keep them in. You never know where they're going to lead you. My characters talk to me all the time—and they take me on curves I never expected." About A-M Mawhiney: A-M Mawhiney is a retired university professor, former social worker, and author of the speculative fiction novels Spindrift and Fugitive Riffs, with a third on the way. She spent decades working alongside First Nations communities to develop culturally grounded social work education—a program that has now been running for nearly forty years. Her writing explores themes of inclusion, resilience, and the quiet power of ordinary people to create meaningful change. Official website https://www.ammawhiney.ca/ #AuthorInterview #SpeculativeFiction #SocialWork #IndigenousHealing #FirstNations #WritingCommunity #CanadianAuthor #WomenWriters #BookPodcast #FugitiveRiffs #Spindrift #HopeInLiterature #CreativeAging #LateBloomer #WritingWithPurpose #InclusiveStories #ClimateFiction #DystopianHope #SocialJustice #HealingThroughStory #PodcastEpisode #AuthorLife #BookLovers #WritingInspiration #NewBook2026 #AmWriting #WritersOfInstagram #Bookstagram #BookTok #author #authorlife #writer #writerlife #amwriting #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #authorsupportingauthors #bookstagram #booktok #authorsofinstagram #writerscommunity #publishedauthor #indieauthor #booklover #writingprocess #authorbranding #newbook #AMMawhiney