BLOG PAGE – Page 4 – Lane Igoudin | Author, Professor, Dad

On eWN’s Late Boomers

Interviewed by eWN Network’s veteran podcasters Cathy Worthington and Merry Elkins on their popular Late Boomers show.

What is Late Boomers? It’s “the podcast that is your guide to creating a third act with style, power and impact! Join your hosts as they bring you conversations with successful artists, entrepreneurs and entertainers who have set themselves up for an amazing third act. Cathy and Merry take you along for the ride on each interview, recounting the journey each guest has taken to get where they are, and inspiring you to create a path to success as you look toward your own third act!”

Episode 231 (48 min.) Description

Are you curious about the emotional rollercoaster of fostering and adopting as an out gay family? Merry Elkins and Cathy Worthington sit down with Lane Igoudin, author of A Family, Maybe. Lane shares his poignant journey of fostering and adopting multicultural children, diving deep into the complexities faced by LGBTQ families.

Hear Lane read the first chapter of his memoir, capturing the heart-stopping moment he and his partner Jonathan welcomed a newborn with a complex background into their lives. Discover why they chose fostering over other options, and how it impacted their relationship. Lane candidly discusses the cultural dynamics within their family and the broader social and political challenges surrounding adoption rights.

This episode is a heartfelt exploration of love, resilience, and advocacy. Tune in for insights and inspiration!

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Author talk in honor of Foster Care Awareness Month

About 250 Los Angeles City College students and faculty attended attended my talk in honor of Foster Care Awareness Month as part of LACC Book Program author event series.
The two-hour event went off perfectly thanks to the tireless work of the Book Program organizers and the moderator Sergio Garcia of LACC Foster Care Programs.

In my 45-minute speech, I touched on the social, cultural, and political issues surrounding foster adoption and child welfare in Los Angeles, and illustrated with excerpts from my memoir A Family, Maybe. I finished with some takeaways from my experience as a writer and a parent.

The talk was followed by a conversation with Sergio and a Q&A with the students who lined up behind the audience microphone. The questions they asked were highly relevant, for instance, about the discrimination against LGBTQ parents and the book’s path publication.

The first 40 students received a free copy of my book, subsidized along with the event, by LACC Foundation, which I stayed on to sign afterwards.

On SoCal Voices

Interviewed on SoCal Voices, an award-winning podcast focusing on regional stories and issues. It went live on Apple, IHeartRadio, Spotify, and also on Amazon Music (my first recording there).

Episode description:

Foster adoption in Los Angeles County is, in a word, unpredictable. The process goes smoothly for some but for others it can be difficult, presenting political, legal and personal challenges that test patience and resolve.

In his memoir A Family, Maybe, author Lane Igoudin chronicles the journey he and his husband faced as they embarked on the rocky path to adopt as a gay, interracial couple in the early 2000s.

In this episode of SoCal Voices, author Lane Igoudin shares how the goal to become a family — while ultimately successful — was sometimes marked by pain and powerlessness, and he offers tips to prospective foster adoptive parents on how to successfully navigate a child welfare system that doesn’t always seem to operate in the best interests of the children it is designed to serve.”

Listen to the 30-minute interview at https://dub.sh/socal .

BookLife Critic’s Review: 10/10

A quarterfinalist for The 2024 BookLife Prize, A Family, Maybe scored 10/10 on this Publishers Weekly-sponsored competition. The Critic’s Report left me deeply humbled. I am sharing it here with the award organizers’ permission.

This book is a profound study on the meaning of family—both biological and found—that will stun readers in its authenticity and emotion. Igoudin’s inclusion of adoption’s legal side adds complexity to an already intricately woven memoir.

Igoudin writes with a delicate touch, relaying even the most painful moments with grace and respect for all involved. The prose brilliantly captures contrasting moods and emotions, wrapping this warm message of family love in a realistic, often-heartbreaking rendering of how adoption impacts not just the children, but their biological family, adoptive family, and the professionals assisting in the process.

Igoudin hits every beat in this lovely narrative, bringing vivid life to his adopted daughters, his partner, and the support team who helped them persevere through a years-long battle to create a stable family.

The complete review is posted on the BookLife website.

Recalling the 1st generation of out LGBTQ families on a queer podcast

A historical memoir set in a particular time and place, A Family, Maybe documents the rise of the first wave of out gay families and the struggle for the equal rights of the LGBTQ community in the 2000s, something we were very much involved in at that time.

I was thrilled to speak with Angelica Thompson, Ph.D., about our journey and struggles on her weekly A Queer Understanding podcast – “a space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to talk about how we’re breaking glass ceilings and making an impact on society.”

Season 7 Episode 5: DESCRIPTION

When Dr. Lane Igoudin and his husband Jonathan decided to become parents in early 2000s California, they stepped into a world of uncertainty and prejudice that would challenge them to their core. Dr. Igoudin’s memoir, A Family, Maybe: Two Dads, Two Babies, and the Court Cases That Brought Us Together, chronicles how this interracial gay couple navigated the labyrinthine foster care system during pre-equality times, fighting to create a family against daunting odds.

Listen here or click on https://dub.sh/aqueeru .

Signing and reading at AWP 25

2 signings at the bookfair, a joint reading at CSU Los Angeles, panels, receptions, networking – AWP 2025 in Los Angeles was a three-day creative whirlwind.

On Famous Interviews (Neon Jazz)

“Foster Adoption & Fatherhood” was the theme of my talk with Joe Dimino on his Famous Interviews podcast series, a companion to his Neon Jazz radio show.

From the episode description:

🎤 Tune in to https://dub.sh/neonjazz for an inspiring discussion on family, love, and the power of perseverance.

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. In this episode, we speak with author, professor, and adoptive dad Lane Igoudin, whose book, A Family, Maybe, chronicles his emotional journey through foster adoption to fatherhood.
A respected voice on adoption, parenting, and LGBTQ families, Lane has contributed to Adoption.com, Forward, Jewish Journal, LGBTQ Nation, and Parabola, and has shared his insights on NBC’s Daytime show. His book has received endorsements from U.S. Congressman Alan Lowenthal and other esteemed professionals, making it a must-read for anyone interested in family, resilience, and the foster care system.
In this interview, he shares his personal and professional insights on the challenges and joys of adoption, parenting, and advocacy.
📌 YouTube: https://dub.sh/neonjazz
📌 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hZZ4uPIK8RTIn4cuMSBuw

“Claim your space!” interview on WV Uncommonplace

“A Black man and a White man with two Hispanic kids walking around – we were like a walking spotlight. Heads would turn. People would ask all kinds of crazy questions. Some people would give you attitude. And I would say: take it in stride and claim your space! That’s we’ve always done.”

It’s an excerpt from my interview on WV Uncommonplace, a popular podcast hosted by JR Sparrow.

Lane Igoudin, Ph.D., stops by WV Uncommonplace Interviews and Sessions to share his incredible journey through foster adoption, LGBTQ advocacy, and the process of publishing his memoir A Family, Maybe. 📖✨
From navigating the complexities of the foster care system to breaking barriers for LGBTQ families, Lane’s story is one of resilience, love, and transformation.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss!
🎧 48 minutes.
Available now on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and YouTube!

The Mike Wagner Show

Interview with the podcast/radio personality Mike Wagner

Radio interview with Peter Anthony Holder

This week’s episode of the radio/podcast show “The Stuph File” with my 11-minute interview is airing on 10 stations in the U.S., Canada, and even New Zealand! It’s probably one of the most dense and dynamic interviews I’ve ever given – thanks, in large part, to the host. Peter Anthony Holder is a broadcast veteran of over 40 years, including a 20-year run as the host of a late night Montreal radio show and a former television news anchor/reporter. The link takes you directly to the interview. Audio only.