What happens when a quiet, neurodivergent kid who couldn't raise her hand in class grows up to found a literary press, publish award-winning fiction, and write the novel she dreamed of since second grade? You get Laura Stanfill — and this conversation is one you don't want to miss.

Laura Stanfill is the founder of Forest Avenue Press, author of Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary, and one of the most quietly powerful forces in independent literary publishing. In this episode, she opens up about growing up in a New Jersey home full of player pianos and air horns, being the quiet kid who found her voice through the written word, navigating a controlling college relationship that nearly broke her spirit, and how moving to Oregon with nothing but a car and a dream helped her rebuild from the inside out.

This isn't just a publishing episode. It's a conversation about resilience, creativity, neurodivergence, and what it actually takes to keep believing in your work when the world hasn't said yes yet.

In this episode:

— Growing up in a house full of musical oddities and how it shaped a creative mind

— How a 5th grade teacher changed everything by letting classmates beg to hear more of her stories

— Writing as a safe harbor for kids who feel like outsiders

— The college years that dimmed her light

— and why none of it was her fault

— Moving cross-country right after 9/11 with no safety net and no plan

— The 6-foot weed growing through concrete that became her metaphor for survival

— Why the book nobody was waiting for

— the one she just played with

— was the one that sold

— The story of Keisha Ajo Fisher: an author who stopped waiting for permission and won an Oregon Book Award

— Real talk on self-publishing vs. agents vs. small presses

— and how to choose YOUR path

— Why honoring your creative spark matters more than chasing what's already selling

For writers, creatives, and dreamers: If you've been waiting for someone to tell you it's okay to do it your own way — this is that conversation.

Connect with Laura:

Website: https://laurastanfill.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laura.stanfill.98

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lhstanfill

Connect w / Rich:

Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠

LinkedIn: @richwrightunltd

Instagram: @richwrightunltd

FB: @theartrec

Instagram: @theartrec

Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom

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