Téa Mutonji takes over the Champagne Room in the latest episode of the talk series from the team behind STR*PPER NEWS, w/ hosts Andrea and Ariel.

A celebrated Congolese-Canadian author, Mutonji has built a body of work rooted in truthful, character-driven storytelling about friendship and self-discovery. In this episode, she traces her path from aspiring actor and bartender to professional writer, and reflects on how her identity as a queer, bilingual Black woman shapes the stories she tells. She talks about the weight of public perception after Shut Up You’re Pretty became a Canada Reads finalist, why she now guards her privacy and boundaries, her sobriety, her refusal to believe in writer’s block, and her pull toward the unpolished side of human intimacy. She also discusses her forthcoming novel, My Person.

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