NYT Bestselling Author Kennedy Ryan: Black Love, Romance & "The Bar Is in Hell"
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Show notes
New York Times bestselling author Kennedy Ryan is not just writing romance. She is writing Black women into love stories where they are centered, desired, protected, and loved outrageously.
In this episode of Awf The Record, Kennedy joins Jeannette Reyes and Mona Kosar Abdi to talk about the craft, conviction, and cost behind her work. She opens up about getting her first book deal at 40, why romance is often dismissed because it centers women’s pleasure, and how writing from a specific point of view actually expanded her audience instead of limiting it.
Kennedy also gets honest about burnout, depression, motherhood, marriage, and the pressure of navigating major Hollywood deals while still fighting for visibility in publishing. From centering Black women on the page and on the cover, to raising the bar for what love can look like, this conversation is a reminder to never settle, in romance, in work, or in the life you are building for yourself.
KEY POINTS
00:00 - Introduction: Kennedy Ryan on Black love, romance, and raising the bar
02:37 - Kennedy explains how her storytelling process evolved from ideas to intentional discourse
05:39 - Kennedy shares why decades of writing in the dark prepared her for “overnight” success
09:48 - Romance is often dismissed because it centers women’s pleasure
14:04 - Why Kennedy centers Black women on the page, on the cover, and in the audience
17:44 - Her advice to young authors: figure out your why and be prepared to fight
20:23 - Kennedy opens up about the cost of success, burnout, and struggling to celebrate
34:30 - Faith, community, therapy, and medication helped her survive the hardest seasons
56:18 - Her relationship commandments after 29 years of marriage: trust, reciprocity, and never settle
QUOTES
"I want to put black women on the page who are being loved outrageously." – Kennedy Ryan
"I could write the man that I believe you deserve. I could write an experience that I believe honors you, that is a partner you can trust, a partner who's faithful, a partner who honors your dreams and your ambitions." – Kennedy Ryan
"There is enough in culture that tells black women we don't deserve, and that tells black women that we shouldn't expect. So, I get to write an outcome that says, no, actually, you deserve the best, and you should expect a partner who loves you and whom you can trust." – Kennedy Ryan
"Racism costs us all money." – Kennedy Ryan
"I call it being the architect of your own existence, build a life that you love and you're excited about, and you're not waiting for anything, and when that partner comes, invite him or her into that, but you're not waiting to build anything." – Kennedy Ryan
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Jeannette Reyes
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