Fostering Change Podcast | Episode 290 | Shannon Gibney

Who gets to tell the story of adoption?

For generations, adoption narratives have often been shaped by agencies, systems, and families. But increasingly, adoptees themselves are taking ownership of those stories and offering perspectives that are more complex, nuanced, and deeply personal.

This week on Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by acclaimed author, educator, and activist Shannon Gibney, whose award-winning memoir, The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, explores transracial adoption, identity, race, belonging, and the lifelong process of understanding where we come from.

As an adoptee, Shannon brings lived experience to a conversation that challenges assumptions and invites listeners to think more deeply about identity, voice, and perspective. Together, Rob and Shannon explore how adoption stories evolve over time, why adoptee voices matter, and what it means to reclaim ownership of one’s own narrative.

This is not a conversation about simple answers. It’s a conversation about listening, understanding, and making space for experiences that have too often been left out of the discussion.

Conversation Highlights

How adoption narratives are evolving to include more adoptee-centered perspectives
The unique complexities of transracial adoption and identity formation
Why race, culture, and belonging remain important parts of the adoption conversation
How Shannon uses “speculative memoir” to explore memory, identity, and possibility
What it means for adoptees to reclaim and tell their own stories
Why listening to lived experience strengthens conversations about adoption and foster care

Shannon Gibney is an award-winning writer, educator, and activist whose work explores race, identity, family, and adoption. She is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption, which received a Michael L. Printz Honor and a Minnesota Book Award.

In addition to her writing, Shannon teaches at Minneapolis College and was named Educator of the Year in 2023. Her work encourages readers and audiences to engage thoughtfully with questions of identity, belonging, and social justice.

Connect with Shannon Gibney

Website: Shannon Gibney

Email: shannongibney@gmail.com

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