Who Are We Writing For—And Who Are We Reading?

Krisserin and Kelton barely make it to record — 15 minutes late despite trying to be 30 minutes early — and that kind of week sets the tone. Kelton's survived two weeks of Colorado spring break without daycare, while Krisserin's mom is in town and the two have been watching movies and running around together. A conversation about Hamnet opens up a question that runs through the whole episode: who is a book actually made for?That question gets personal when Krisserin responds to a listener letter from Sarah — a writer and loyal listener — who gently pushed back on her offhand comment about not reading male authors. Krisserin takes the feedback seriously, sits with it, and comes back with something more honest and nuanced than the original remark: not every writer is for every reader, and that's okay. When she's reading for pleasure and escape, she knows where she reliably finds what she's looking for. Kelton weighs in with her own reading year and they find their way to something they both actually believe.The accountability check-in brings the theme back around to their own writing: the what-if exercise from Ramona Ausubel's Unstuck unlocked something for both of them, Krisserin shares feedback on her short story from her mom and from Kelton, and Kelton floats a summer writing project that is quietly one of the most charming ideas they've discussed on the pod.Books Mentioned:- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley- Starling House by Alex Harrow- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman- James by Percival Everett- Unstuck by Ramona AusubelWrite to us: [email protected] us:Instagram: @penpalspodTikTok: @penpalspodYouTube: @PenPalsPodSubStack: penpalspod.substack.comFollow Krisserin and Kelton:TikTok: @krisserin, @keltonwrites Instagram: @keltonkin, @keltonwritesKelton's Substack: ShangrilogsKrisserin's Substack: krisserin.substack.comMusic by Golden Hour Oasis Studios