{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":0.48,"endTime":3.06,"body":"Have you ever"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":0.48,"endTime":3.06,"body":"felt like you're stuck in a rut"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":3.06,"endTime":7.2,"body":"seeing the same stories and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":3.06,"endTime":7.2,"body":"characters over and over again?"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":7.68,"endTime":11.82,"body":"It might be time to diversify"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":7.68,"endTime":11.82,"body":"your reading. Today, we're"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":11.82,"endTime":15.6,"body":"talking about why diversity"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":11.82,"endTime":15.6,"body":"matters in romance and why it's"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":15.6,"endTime":20.4,"body":"important for us to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":15.6,"endTime":20.4,"body":"diversely. Listener discretion"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":20.46,"endTime":24.38,"body":"is advised, this podcast"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":20.46,"endTime":24.38,"body":"contains mature content intended"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":24.38,"endTime":28.88,"body":"for adult audiences only."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":24.38,"endTime":28.88,"body":"Welcome to the podcast. This is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":28.88,"endTime":33.68,"body":"our very first episode, and this"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":28.88,"endTime":33.68,"body":"is a topic that I am extremely"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":33.68,"endTime":38.12,"body":"passionate about. My name is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":33.68,"endTime":38.12,"body":"Alesia. I am an afro, Latina"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":38.18,"endTime":45.1,"body":"romance reader. I love reading"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":38.18,"endTime":45.1,"body":"so much a lot, and I wanted to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":45.58,"endTime":50.62,"body":"start us off with the importance"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":45.58,"endTime":50.62,"body":"of not just reading diversely,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":50.62,"endTime":55.12,"body":"but why this podcast is even"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":50.62,"endTime":55.12,"body":"here, is to encourage us to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":55.12,"endTime":60.1,"body":"diversely, to find authors"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":55.12,"endTime":60.1,"body":"outside of our typical scope, to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":60.58,"endTime":64.56,"body":"encourage you to follow creators"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":60.58,"endTime":64.56,"body":"who are pushing the boundaries"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":64.62,"endTime":70.32,"body":"of what we see in the top five"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":64.62,"endTime":70.32,"body":"publishing companies. So I think"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":70.32,"endTime":73.02,"body":"this is going to be a lot of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":70.32,"endTime":73.02,"body":"fun, but let me just kind of get"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":73.02,"endTime":78.06,"body":"into why reading diversely is so"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":73.02,"endTime":78.06,"body":"important to me as an afro"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":78.06,"endTime":82.34,"body":"Latina, it is so important that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":78.06,"endTime":82.34,"body":"I see myself reflected in the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":82.34,"endTime":85.88,"body":"stories I read. That does not"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":82.34,"endTime":85.88,"body":"mean that I only read afro,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":85.88,"endTime":91.4,"body":"Latina MCs or main characters."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":85.88,"endTime":91.4,"body":"What that means is that I also"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":91.4,"endTime":95.24,"body":"make sure to incorporate stories"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":91.4,"endTime":95.24,"body":"that have some of my lived"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":95.24,"endTime":99.62,"body":"experiences. And I understand"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":95.24,"endTime":99.62,"body":"the importance of seeing lived"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":99.62,"endTime":103.66,"body":"experiences outside of my own."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":99.62,"endTime":103.66,"body":"But I want to take you back to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":103.72,"endTime":108.7,"body":"2022, during that year, I was"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":103.72,"endTime":108.7,"body":"reading almost exclusively"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":108.94,"endTime":113.5,"body":"whatever the algorithm was"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":108.94,"endTime":113.5,"body":"serving me, and that didn't"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":113.5,"endTime":118.18,"body":"really work well at all for me,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":113.5,"endTime":118.18,"body":"because I only was reading white"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":118.18,"endTime":122.16,"body":"authors and white stories. Now"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":118.18,"endTime":122.16,"body":"there's nothing wrong with"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":122.16,"endTime":126.0,"body":"reading some white authors and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":122.16,"endTime":126.0,"body":"some white stories, but as"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":126.0,"endTime":131.16,"body":"someone who's a person of color,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":126.0,"endTime":131.16,"body":"as someone who has a platform"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":131.4,"endTime":135.48,"body":"that is encouraging other"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":131.4,"endTime":135.48,"body":"readers to read different books"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":135.48,"endTime":139.08,"body":"or new books or books that I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":135.48,"endTime":139.08,"body":"enjoy, I knew it was important"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":139.08,"endTime":143.42,"body":"for me to shift so around that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":139.08,"endTime":143.42,"body":"time, I started following a lot"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":143.42,"endTime":149.18,"body":"more bookish creators. I started"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":143.42,"endTime":149.18,"body":"following a lot more diverse"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":149.3,"endTime":153.08,"body":"people who were creating bookish"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":149.3,"endTime":153.08,"body":"content that were recommending"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":153.08,"endTime":157.82,"body":"books. And what that showed me"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":153.08,"endTime":157.82,"body":"is that the algorithm was lying"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":157.82,"endTime":163.3,"body":"to me. It was giving me only the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":157.82,"endTime":163.3,"body":"books by the main publishers,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":163.3,"endTime":166.72,"body":"instead of indie authors who are"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":163.3,"endTime":166.72,"body":"putting their heart and soul and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":166.72,"endTime":171.64,"body":"lived experience into these"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":166.72,"endTime":171.64,"body":"books, I found that to be really"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":171.64,"endTime":174.94,"body":"frustrating, that the algorithm"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":171.64,"endTime":174.94,"body":"was cheating me of these"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":174.94,"endTime":180.3,"body":"incredible stories. So in 2023 I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":174.94,"endTime":180.3,"body":"decided that I was going to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":180.3,"endTime":185.04,"body":"more diversely. While I did,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":180.3,"endTime":185.04,"body":"read a lot more diversely in"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":185.04,"endTime":189.66,"body":"2023 when I looked at the number"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":185.04,"endTime":189.66,"body":"of books that I had read versus"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":189.66,"endTime":194.34,"body":"the number of diverse books I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":189.66,"endTime":194.34,"body":"read, the percentages were not"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":194.4,"endTime":199.98,"body":"looking good. It was 28% were"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":194.4,"endTime":199.98,"body":"bipoc authors, and then the rest"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":199.98,"endTime":204.74,"body":"were all white or unknown"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":199.98,"endTime":204.74,"body":"authors, and I was really mad at"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":204.74,"endTime":208.34,"body":"myself. Quite honestly. I was"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":204.74,"endTime":208.34,"body":"frustrated with myself that as"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":208.34,"endTime":213.14,"body":"someone who talks about this so"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":208.34,"endTime":213.14,"body":"openly, who is like read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":213.14,"endTime":218.6,"body":"diversely, I was not showing up"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":213.14,"endTime":218.6,"body":"how I wanted to in the world."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":218.96,"endTime":223.36,"body":"And so in 2024 I made a decision"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":218.96,"endTime":223.36,"body":"that I needed to bump those"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":223.36,"endTime":227.92,"body":"numbers up, and I wanted my"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":223.36,"endTime":227.92,"body":"number to be closer to 45% of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":227.92,"endTime":232.48,"body":"diverse authors, or bipoc"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":227.92,"endTime":232.48,"body":"authors, versus the rest being"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":232.72,"endTime":236.02,"body":"white or unknown authors,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":232.72,"endTime":236.02,"body":"meaning unknown that I don't"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":236.02,"endTime":240.36,"body":"know what their ethnicity is or"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":236.02,"endTime":240.36,"body":"their race. What I liked about"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":240.36,"endTime":245.88,"body":"that challenge is that every"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":240.36,"endTime":245.88,"body":"month, I was able to see what"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":245.88,"endTime":248.58,"body":"does that number look like. And"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":245.88,"endTime":248.58,"body":"I personally use story graph."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":248.58,"endTime":251.94,"body":"I'm part of their premium"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":248.58,"endTime":251.94,"body":"subscription, and with their"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":251.94,"endTime":256.14,"body":"premium subscription, they have"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":251.94,"endTime":256.14,"body":"the ability to look at those"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":256.14,"endTime":259.92,"body":"stats a lot deeper. And I'm a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":256.14,"endTime":259.92,"body":"stats girly. I love looking at"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":259.92,"endTime":263.54,"body":"my stats, the story graph is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":259.92,"endTime":263.54,"body":"great for that, but I like"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":263.54,"endTime":267.8,"body":"having that ability to say, I'm"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":263.54,"endTime":267.8,"body":"tagging all of these books based"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":267.8,"endTime":271.7,"body":"on what I know about these"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":267.8,"endTime":271.7,"body":"authors, and then being able to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":271.7,"endTime":275.72,"body":"say, am I reading as diversely"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":271.7,"endTime":275.72,"body":"as I said I was going to and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":275.72,"endTime":279.5,"body":"being able to check that on a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":275.72,"endTime":279.5,"body":"monthly basis. And that really"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":279.5,"endTime":284.26,"body":"allowed me to see that I had to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":279.5,"endTime":284.26,"body":"be really intentional, that if I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":284.26,"endTime":286.84,"body":"was looking at those numbers,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":284.26,"endTime":286.84,"body":"and I was holding myself"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":286.84,"endTime":291.16,"body":"accountable, that I was actually"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":286.84,"endTime":291.16,"body":"going to do it. And so that was"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":291.16,"endTime":296.68,"body":"my mission for 2024 I am happy"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":291.16,"endTime":296.68,"body":"to say that I am currently, at"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":296.68,"endTime":301.08,"body":"the time of this recording, at"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":296.68,"endTime":301.08,"body":"about 68% Different bipoc"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":301.08,"endTime":305.58,"body":"authors, and the rest being"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":301.08,"endTime":305.58,"body":"white or unknown authors, it's"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":305.58,"endTime":309.9,"body":"about intention. When I think"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":305.58,"endTime":309.9,"body":"about the number of books that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":309.9,"endTime":314.34,"body":"are out there, or the tropes"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":309.9,"endTime":314.34,"body":"that people like, there are so"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":314.34,"endTime":318.42,"body":"many diverse stories within"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":314.34,"endTime":318.42,"body":"those tropes, or that have those"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":318.42,"endTime":322.1,"body":"tropes. So I think that it's"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":318.42,"endTime":322.1,"body":"really important to diversify"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":322.1,"endTime":325.58,"body":"our shelves, to diversify our"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":322.1,"endTime":325.58,"body":"reading. One way that you can do"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":325.58,"endTime":328.34,"body":"that is through our new"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":325.58,"endTime":328.34,"body":"challenge that we are running"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":328.4,"endTime":333.86,"body":"this year. Last year, we did the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":328.4,"endTime":333.86,"body":"bipoc ABC challenge, where you"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":333.86,"endTime":337.88,"body":"took a letter of either the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":333.86,"endTime":337.88,"body":"author's name or the title of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":337.88,"endTime":341.86,"body":"the book and filled out the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":337.88,"endTime":341.86,"body":"entire alphabet with those"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":341.86,"endTime":345.4,"body":"stories, we had a few people"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":341.86,"endTime":345.4,"body":"complete the challenge, who"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":345.4,"endTime":349.36,"body":"brought to you. I'm so happy for"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":345.4,"endTime":349.36,"body":"you. We are still running that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":349.36,"endTime":353.26,"body":"challenge. You can also follow"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":349.36,"endTime":353.26,"body":"that challenge on story graph,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":353.26,"endTime":356.5,"body":"just like last year. It's still"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":353.26,"endTime":356.5,"body":"going to be around for this year"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":356.5,"endTime":359.32,"body":"as well, but we're not going to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":356.5,"endTime":359.32,"body":"be focusing as heavily on it for"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":359.32,"endTime":362.58,"body":"this year. I wanted to create"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":359.32,"endTime":362.58,"body":"something a little different. I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":362.58,"endTime":366.84,"body":"wanted to create almost like a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":362.58,"endTime":366.84,"body":"book club, but for mood readers."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":367.14,"endTime":371.28,"body":"And what I mean by that is,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":367.14,"endTime":371.28,"body":"every month we are going to get"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":371.28,"endTime":375.84,"body":"a trope. For example, our"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":371.28,"endTime":375.84,"body":"January trope is friends to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":375.84,"endTime":380.96,"body":"lovers. We're going to find"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":375.84,"endTime":380.96,"body":"diverse authors, meaning bipoc"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":380.96,"endTime":386.0,"body":"or LGBTQIA, plus authors who"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":380.96,"endTime":386.0,"body":"have that trope within their"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":386.0,"endTime":391.94,"body":"books. The goal here is to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":386.0,"endTime":391.94,"body":"diversify your reading across"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":391.94,"endTime":397.16,"body":"the board, but to show people"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":391.94,"endTime":397.16,"body":"who are maybe curious about"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":397.16,"endTime":401.14,"body":"diversifying their shelves or"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":397.16,"endTime":401.14,"body":"diversifying their reading that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":401.26,"endTime":405.4,"body":"it's easy, that you can"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":401.26,"endTime":405.4,"body":"literally find so many books"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":405.52,"endTime":409.72,"body":"within the tropes that we all"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":405.52,"endTime":409.72,"body":"know and love, that you can find"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":409.72,"endTime":414.16,"body":"that you're going to enjoy, and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":409.72,"endTime":414.16,"body":"that just because these people"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":414.16,"endTime":416.56,"body":"have different lived"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":414.16,"endTime":416.56,"body":"experiences, you still get the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":416.56,"endTime":422.28,"body":"joy of experiencing a trope You"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":416.56,"endTime":422.28,"body":"enjoy. But this is not the only"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":422.28,"endTime":426.3,"body":"reason why I started this"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":422.28,"endTime":426.3,"body":"challenge. I understand why"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":426.3,"endTime":430.92,"body":"diversity matters in reading one"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":426.3,"endTime":430.92,"body":"thing that it has done for me is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":430.92,"endTime":436.02,"body":"it has allowed me to see other"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":430.92,"endTime":436.02,"body":"people's experiences that I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":436.02,"endTime":440.54,"body":"previously had not I've shared"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":436.02,"endTime":440.54,"body":"the story on Instagram, and I'll"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":440.54,"endTime":445.4,"body":"share it here in 2019 my mom"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":440.54,"endTime":445.4,"body":"passed away due to a fentanyl"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":445.52,"endTime":446.36,"body":"overdose."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":447.74,"endTime":451.88,"body":"She struggled for the majority"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":447.74,"endTime":451.88,"body":"of my life with addiction and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":451.88,"endTime":458.48,"body":"with severe depression. She was"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":451.88,"endTime":458.48,"body":"also diagnosed with manic"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":458.48,"endTime":464.02,"body":"depression, and as someone who"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":458.48,"endTime":464.02,"body":"does not struggle with manic"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":464.02,"endTime":468.58,"body":"depression and does not struggle"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":464.02,"endTime":468.58,"body":"with drug addiction, I did not"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":468.58,"endTime":473.8,"body":"understand and I had a really"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":468.58,"endTime":473.8,"body":"hard time being able to relate"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":473.8,"endTime":477.34,"body":"to her and being able to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":473.8,"endTime":477.34,"body":"understand her point of view, I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":477.34,"endTime":480.12,"body":"would ask her, like, why do you"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":477.34,"endTime":480.12,"body":"do this? I don't understand why"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":480.12,"endTime":485.1,"body":"you keep making these choices?"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":480.12,"endTime":485.1,"body":"And she would say, Alesia, it's"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":485.1,"endTime":491.64,"body":"not a choice that I make. It"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":485.1,"endTime":491.64,"body":"just happens in the day. It's a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":491.64,"endTime":496.44,"body":"culmination of moments that lead"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":491.64,"endTime":496.44,"body":"me to this point. And I did not"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":496.44,"endTime":499.92,"body":"understand, and I don't think I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":496.44,"endTime":499.92,"body":"really wanted to understand"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":499.92,"endTime":503.72,"body":"either, especially because of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":499.92,"endTime":503.72,"body":"how it impacted my childhood and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":504.08,"endTime":508.7,"body":"the person that I am today. So I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":504.08,"endTime":508.7,"body":"remember reading a book. I could"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":508.7,"endTime":511.52,"body":"not tell you the book at all,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":508.7,"endTime":511.52,"body":"but I remember reading a book"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":511.76,"endTime":516.62,"body":"where the main character"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":511.76,"endTime":516.62,"body":"struggled with addiction, and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":516.62,"endTime":520.84,"body":"they also struggled with"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":516.62,"endTime":520.84,"body":"depression and very severe"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":520.84,"endTime":526.24,"body":"depression. And I remember"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":520.84,"endTime":526.24,"body":"thinking, this is how my mom"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":526.24,"endTime":531.16,"body":"felt, and it gave me such a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":526.24,"endTime":531.16,"body":"deeper perspective and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":531.16,"endTime":537.4,"body":"understanding of her experience"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":531.16,"endTime":537.4,"body":"that I didn't have. That is the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":537.4,"endTime":542.04,"body":"power of reading. That is the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":537.4,"endTime":542.04,"body":"power of reading diversely,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":542.04,"endTime":545.82,"body":"reading lived experiences that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":542.04,"endTime":545.82,"body":"are not our own. I think that it"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":545.82,"endTime":549.54,"body":"can honestly make the world a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":545.82,"endTime":549.54,"body":"better place. Another thing that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":549.54,"endTime":553.44,"body":"it does is that it challenges"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":549.54,"endTime":553.44,"body":"the biases and stereotypes. In"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":553.44,"endTime":559.26,"body":"this podcast we talk with Carla"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":553.44,"endTime":559.26,"body":"is reading who is a Latina who"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":559.26,"endTime":563.42,"body":"shares a ton of Latina"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":559.26,"endTime":563.42,"body":"recommendations, and in there we"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":563.42,"endTime":568.28,"body":"talk about the challenging of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":563.42,"endTime":568.28,"body":"the negative Hispanic and Latinx"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":568.28,"endTime":571.82,"body":"representation that we see in"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":568.28,"endTime":571.82,"body":"media, these stereotypes that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":571.82,"endTime":577.94,"body":"actually don't empower us as"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":571.82,"endTime":577.94,"body":"Latinas. And I think that it's"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":577.94,"endTime":581.08,"body":"such a powerful conversation,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":577.94,"endTime":581.08,"body":"and so make sure that you listen"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":581.08,"endTime":585.58,"body":"through for that one. So now we"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":581.08,"endTime":585.58,"body":"understand, hopefully, the power"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":585.64,"endTime":589.72,"body":"of reading diversely. Here are"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":585.64,"endTime":589.72,"body":"some practical ways that you can"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":589.72,"endTime":594.52,"body":"diversify your reading. First,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":589.72,"endTime":594.52,"body":"seek out diverse authors and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":594.52,"endTime":598.06,"body":"characters. This is really,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":594.52,"endTime":598.06,"body":"really important as we are"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":598.12,"endTime":602.16,"body":"building our own library. Is we"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":598.12,"endTime":602.16,"body":"are building our own repertoire"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":602.16,"endTime":606.12,"body":"of books that we have in our"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":602.16,"endTime":606.12,"body":"space. Follow diverse books to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":606.12,"endTime":608.94,"body":"grammars. We have a post. I'll"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":606.12,"endTime":608.94,"body":"make sure that I link it where I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":608.94,"endTime":613.44,"body":"share a bunch of books to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":608.94,"endTime":613.44,"body":"grammars that are diverse, that"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":613.44,"endTime":618.36,"body":"we like to follow and engage"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":613.44,"endTime":618.36,"body":"with. Follow book tubers, book"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":618.36,"endTime":622.4,"body":"bloggers, all of those that are"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":618.36,"endTime":622.4,"body":"diverse. Make sure that you"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":622.4,"endTime":625.58,"body":"check out diverse book lists and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":622.4,"endTime":625.58,"body":"recommendations from your local"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":625.58,"endTime":632.0,"body":"library or bookstores. I get"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":625.58,"endTime":632.0,"body":"lists or collections from book"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":632.06,"endTime":635.54,"body":"sellers. So if you go to a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":632.06,"endTime":635.54,"body":"bookseller's website, it is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":635.54,"endTime":639.8,"body":"likely that they will have a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":635.54,"endTime":639.8,"body":"section that is bipoc stories or"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":639.8,"endTime":644.26,"body":"bipoc authors or something like"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":639.8,"endTime":644.26,"body":"that. Check those out, buy them,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":644.56,"endTime":647.8,"body":"invest your money in them. Take"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":644.56,"endTime":647.8,"body":"the time to read those stories."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":648.1,"endTime":652.0,"body":"You can also support publishers"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":648.1,"endTime":652.0,"body":"and imprint that prioritize"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":652.0,"endTime":658.72,"body":"diverse voices. Another way is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":652.0,"endTime":658.72,"body":"to explore different genres and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":658.72,"endTime":662.1,"body":"formats. And I know that this"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":658.72,"endTime":662.1,"body":"might feel like, well, I like to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":662.1,"endTime":668.4,"body":"read x, or I like to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":662.1,"endTime":668.4,"body":"romance, or I like to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":668.64,"endTime":672.84,"body":"historical, or like to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":668.64,"endTime":672.84,"body":"fantasy, maybe you just"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":672.84,"endTime":676.02,"body":"challenge yourself to read one"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":672.84,"endTime":676.02,"body":"book that is in a different"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":676.02,"endTime":679.92,"body":"genre than you typically read,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":676.02,"endTime":679.92,"body":"or maybe in a different format."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":680.1,"endTime":684.98,"body":"So one challenge for me at the"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":680.1,"endTime":684.98,"body":"end of 2024 was that I wanted to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":684.98,"endTime":689.12,"body":"do my 10 before the end. But as"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":684.98,"endTime":689.12,"body":"a mood reader, I wanted to read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":689.12,"endTime":695.0,"body":"two new to me authors, two"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":689.12,"endTime":695.0,"body":"backlist reads, two new formats,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":695.48,"endTime":698.72,"body":"two recommendations from"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":695.48,"endTime":698.72,"body":"friends, and then finish two of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":698.72,"endTime":702.88,"body":"the challenges that I was suing."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":698.72,"endTime":702.88,"body":"And the two different formats"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":702.88,"endTime":707.32,"body":"that I picked was one comic"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":702.88,"endTime":707.32,"body":"book, and there are romance"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":707.32,"endTime":712.06,"body":"comic books, it is possible, and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":707.32,"endTime":712.06,"body":"there are diverse romance comic"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":712.06,"endTime":716.02,"body":"books, and then a book of poems."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":712.06,"endTime":716.02,"body":"And so I picked a book of poems"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":716.08,"endTime":720.72,"body":"by a bipoc author that is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":716.08,"endTime":720.72,"body":"sharing poems about motherhood,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":720.72,"endTime":724.92,"body":"because I'm a mom and so that is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":720.72,"endTime":724.92,"body":"what I picked. That is outside"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":724.92,"endTime":729.54,"body":"of my typical reading style or"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":724.92,"endTime":729.54,"body":"scope, but I did it, and I know"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":729.54,"endTime":733.8,"body":"that you can too. It is"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":729.54,"endTime":733.8,"body":"important that we're mindful of"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":733.8,"endTime":738.9,"body":"the books that we choose and are"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":733.8,"endTime":738.9,"body":"actively seeking out to be those"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":738.9,"endTime":743.48,"body":"that are from diverse voices,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":738.9,"endTime":743.48,"body":"even a small change, like adding"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":743.54,"endTime":746.9,"body":"one more diverse book to your"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":743.54,"endTime":746.9,"body":"reading list each month, and"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":746.9,"endTime":751.04,"body":"actually reading it can make a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":746.9,"endTime":751.04,"body":"difference. It will open you up"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":751.04,"endTime":755.6,"body":"to new authors that you never"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":751.04,"endTime":755.6,"body":"even considered as options"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":755.6,"endTime":758.6,"body":"before, and you're gonna say,"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":755.6,"endTime":758.6,"body":"Wow, I need to read this"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":758.6,"endTime":762.4,"body":"author's entire backlog. I know"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":758.6,"endTime":762.4,"body":"I have done that before, and so"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":762.4,"endTime":766.96,"body":"I highly recommend just making a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":762.4,"endTime":766.96,"body":"conscious effort of I'm going to"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":767.02,"endTime":772.84,"body":"do one thing, and that's going"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":767.02,"endTime":772.84,"body":"to add one book per month. Maybe"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":772.84,"endTime":778.18,"body":"I'm going to join the diverse"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":772.84,"endTime":778.18,"body":"trope challenge. There's so much"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":778.18,"endTime":781.74,"body":"power in diverse reading. I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":778.18,"endTime":781.74,"body":"highly recommend that if you are"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":781.74,"endTime":787.62,"body":"interested join our diverse"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":781.74,"endTime":787.62,"body":"reading challenge that is from"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":787.62,"endTime":791.88,"body":"January to December. If you join"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":787.62,"endTime":791.88,"body":"in the middle, that's okay, too."},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":791.94,"endTime":796.98,"body":"The goal there is really to show"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":791.94,"endTime":796.98,"body":"that there is so much diversity"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":797.22,"endTime":801.5,"body":"in the stories that we can read"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":797.22,"endTime":801.5,"body":"and in the tropes that we know"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":801.5,"endTime":805.58,"body":"and love, you can find out more"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":801.5,"endTime":805.58,"body":"about that on our Instagram or"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":805.58,"endTime":810.2,"body":"at we read smut.com thank you so"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":805.58,"endTime":810.2,"body":"much for being here. I"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":810.2,"endTime":815.12,"body":"appreciate you. Please leave a"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":810.2,"endTime":815.12,"body":"rating and review if you enjoyed"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":815.12,"endTime":819.32,"body":"this episode and I cannot wait"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":815.12,"endTime":819.32,"body":"for you to hear the next episode"},{"speaker":"Alesia Galati","startTime":819.32,"endTime":819.44,"body":"you"}]}