79. Meet strangeness with kindness - Kestral Gaian on the role of representation, community and politics in fiction

"It's really about what happens when kindness is the first response to strangeness." — Kestral Gaian

What does it take to stay human in a world that often forgets what that means? This episode explores storytelling as an act of resistance: why humans need fiction, why representation matters, and how meeting difference with curiosity rather than judgement can ease the loneliness of modern life.

Our guest is Kestral Gaian, an award-winning writer of fiction, theatre and poetry, whose debut young adult novel "The Boy From Elsewhere" is out now.

In this conversation we cover:

The origins of "The Boy From Elsewhere", born from a 26-hour charity writing livestream, and what tiredness taught Kestral about creativity and craft

Why storytelling is fundamental to being human, and how representation shapes what young readers believe is possible

Whether all art is political, the recent publishing pushback against LGBTQ+ fiction, and meeting strangeness with kindness

Links:

The Boy From Elsewhere: https://reconnectingrainbows.co.uk/book/tbfe/

Kestral Gaian's website: https://kestr.al

Support Humanism Now: https://ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod

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