Speaking in First Draft returns for a special bonus season celebrating some of our newest additions to the Girls Write Now community. We are thrilled to highlight some of the remarkable voices we’ll honor at our Girls Write Now Awards this fall, so make sure ot stay tuned! This season, we’ll talk about a diversity of topics through creative writing and artistic lenses, from sharing culture through cooking to processing grief to navigating the immigrant experience, and so much more. Thank you for listening!

Today's special episode features comedic actress and writer, and one of our awardees for 2025, Rachel Bloom. In conversation with mentee Inica Kotasthane, they discuss how they defy death! In promotion of Rachel's latest Netflix special, Death, Let Me Do My Special, they reflect on using stand-up comedy to process the trauma from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While we can’t guarantee you the cheat code to avoid death entirely, you’ll surely learn all the ways Rachel and Inica have learned to laugh and love through tremendous loss.

Speaking in First Draft is a production by Girls Write Now.

Host: Kathryn Destin

Producers: Kathryn Destin, Vahni Kurra, and Kenna McCaferty

Editors: Annaya Baynes, Kathryn Destin, Sally Familia, and Vahni Kurra

Music by Jaya Rao-Herel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.girlswritenowmedia.org