Protests & Protagonists: Malavika Kannan on Queer Girlhood and YA Fiction

On this episode of Characters Like Us, we’re joined by author and multi-hyphenate creative Malavika Kannan for a conversation about queer girlhood, radical storytelling, and writing at the intersection of the personal and political.Malavika reflects on her journey from self-publishing in high school to releasing her YA debut All the Yellow Suns, a novel shaped by her experiences as a queer South Asian American growing up in Florida. We talk about what it means to write boldly when you don’t see yourself in books, how her Stanford years and journalism career shaped her voice, and what she’s working on now—including her upcoming adult novel set during the COVID-19 pandemic.From zines to sapphic supper clubs, this episode is a celebration of craft, community, and coming of (r)age.🎙️ Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on inclusive storytelling!Follow Malavika on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/literarymal/ and check out her debut YA novel ALL THE YELLOW SUNS on our Bookshop Page! https://tinyurl.com/clubookshopATYS⏳ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Introduction02:39 - Numbered Narratives Segment05:46 - Malavika's Journey to Becoming an Author09:14 - Malavika's Writing Practice11:52 - Transition to Full-time Writing12:28 - Writing First Novel During the Pandemic15:11 - Malavika's Approach to Reading as a Writer22:29 - Exploring Nonfiction and Essay Writing23:01 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Embracing Authenticity27:20 - Advice for Emerging Writers32:17 - Reflecting on Early Work39:05 - Navigating Cancel Culture and Online Criticism48:32 - Closing Segment50:32 - ClosingThis video comes with captions and a transcript.Characters Like Us is a podcast dedicated to exploring the craft of diverse and inclusive writing in the books that we read and write.💫 Enjoyed this episode? 💫 Join our Patreon / https://patreon.com/CharactersLikeUs Buy Malavika's book on our bookshop / https://bookshop.org/shop/clu🌻 Follow Geetanshi 🌻: Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/gee.tan.shi/ YouTube / https://www.youtube.com/@Geetanshi-Sharma📚 Follow Characters Like Us 📚: Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/characterslikeuspod/Business Email: [email protected] by Hafijur Rahman from Pixabay.Sound Effects from Pixabay.#MalavikaKannan #AllTheYellowSuns #CharactersLikeUs #QueerWriters #SouthAsianAuthors #YAfiction #InclusiveStorytelling #ComingOfAge #DebutAuthor