In this episode, Mickelle sits down with Hannah Huber, founder of the Amsterdam Academy Press.
She wrote her first book, Place, to tell her story about finding one’s home in the world while living abroad.
Her upcoming book: Queens Row brings to life a historical fiction cast of characters of political royalty in 1960 as they and their country wrestle with changing expectations of motherhood, gender norms, and the bonds of love, family, and friendship.
Hannah is also founder of Amsterdam Academy Press, where she brings stories to life by empowering and supporting authors on their journey to self publish. Based on her own needs, she saw a gap in the market and she’s filled it with the help of an incredible team of creatives, where together with her team, she supports her clients without the process of publishing a book and offers a wonderful alternative to traditional publishers.
In this conversation, they talk about what brought Hannah to the Netherlands and her values that center around embracing different perspectives and finding joy in the differences. They talk about the difficulties of living away from where you grew up and how Hannah navigates that with her family.
Hannah’s first taste of something different other than her American upbringing, was a month-long stay with a family friend in France where she was introduced to the rich culture and history. This sparked an interest and appreciation for different experiences and cultures and the young Hannah volunteered herself for a student exchange which saw her spend a year in the Netherlands at just 16. She then went on to a highschool that was known for its international exchanges where she would spend time in England and Italy. When finishing school, because of her Dutch language skills, she wrote a bold letter to the Dutch Embassy in Washington and she got a job which would ultimately lead her to her husband and living in the Netherlands.
This experience would shape her future as she then spent many years working with students from the US as they experienced life in the Netherlands and helping them navigate that journey has brought her much satisfaction and joy.