Black Writers Read (Nicole M. Young-Martin)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Black Writers Read
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
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| 07 Jun 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Margo Gabriel | 00:56:03 | |
Margo Gabriel (food, travel, culture, wine, music, art, lifestyle, self-care) joined us for Episode Two of Season Two (December 4, 2021) of the livestreamed series of Black Writers Read. She read the opening essay, Where Food, Culture and People Meet, from her debut cookbook, The Expat Kitchen. We also chatted about her expansive writing career. | |||
| 04 Jun 2022 | Introducing Black Writers Read ~ The Audio Podcast | 00:03:14 | |
Launched during the fall of 2020 as a livestreamed series, Black Writers Read was created as a platform to showcase, celebrate, and honor the words, work and traditions of Black writers from across the country, across genres, across experiences and across the African Diaspora. The livestreamed series is now wrapping up Season Two. Beginning with Season Three, Black Writers Read will be presented as both a livestreamed series and audio podcast, first airing the livestreamed episode online. After the episode has aired, supporters will be able to listen to Black Writers Read from their preferred audio podcast platform. | |||
| 07 Jun 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Khary Oronde Polk | 01:06:53 | |
Historian, essayist, and nonfiction writer, Dr. Khary Oronde Polk joined us for Episode 3 of Season Two of Black Writers Read. An Associate Professor of Black Studies & Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies at Amherst College, Dr. Polk is the author of Contagions of Empire: Scientific Racism, Sexuality, and Black Military Workers Abroad, 1898-1948 published by University of North Carolina Press in 2020. Contagions of Empire examines how the movement of Black soldiers and nurses around the world in the early-to-mid twentieth century challenged U.S. military ideals of race, nation, sexuality and honor. | |||
| 21 Jun 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Shannon Luders-Manuel | 00:58:16 | |
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| 14 Jun 2022 | Bonus: About Nicole | 00:08:32 | |
In this bonus episode of Black Writers Read, hear from Nicole M. Young-Martin, the person behind the scenes about herself, career, and the reason(s) behind Black Writers Read. | |||
| 02 Aug 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Shanta Lee Gander | 01:07:13 | |
Shanta Lee Gander (poetry, prose, journalism, photography) was our guest on Episode 5 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which originally aired on April 10, 2022 during National Poetry Month. In addition to teaching a Media Studies course at The Putney School, Shanta Lee is one of the writers for the Ms. Magazine Blog, a regular contributor to Art New England and is a producer and reporter for Vermont Public Radio. Her major exhibition, Dark Goddess: An Exploration of the Sacred Feminine, was on exhibit at the Fleming Museum of Art at the time of our conversation. This exhibition started off as an initial idea and inquiry: Who or what is the Goddess when she is allowed to misbehave? | |||
| 05 Jul 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Kaija Langley | 00:54:10 | |
Poet, fiction, and nonfiction writer Kaija Langley was our very first guest on Black Writers Read, which was originally livestreamed in September of 2020. Born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Kaija Langley has been writing since she fell in love with words at age seven. She knew she was onto something when she wrote her first poem and her grade school classmates thought she'd copied it from a book! A proud alumna of Morgan State University, a Historically Black College and University in Baltimore, MD, she received her MFA in Fiction from St. Mary's College of California in 2005. She's called many places home over the years -- New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, DC, California, Louisiana -- and currently lives, writes, and plays in Cambridge, MA with her two bonsai and her Beloved. | |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Aprell May | 00:42:37 | |
Aprell May (urban creative non fiction. journalism) was our guest on the first episode of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which originally aired on November 14, 2021. | |||
| 26 Jul 2022 | Bonus: A Work in Progress | 00:09:28 | |
In this bonus episode of Black Writers Read, Nicole M. Young-Martin (our founder, producer, and host) shares a short story she's been working on. This work doesn't have a title yet and Nicole would deeply appreciate some ideas and feedback on both the title and this piece of writing. Initially a poet and playwright, Nicole enjoys exploring other literary genres. She is a fan of young adult fiction and takes her pen to explore the genre in this work. She hopes to submit it for publication in the near future. | |||
| 09 Aug 2022 | Bonus: A Conversation with Miguel Bacho and Ramón J. Stern, the authors of Labores | 01:07:18 | |
On July 30, 2022, Black Writers Read, Attack Bear Press, and Radioplasma hosted the virtual book launch of Miguel Bacho's latest poetry collection, Labores. Written in Spanish by Miguel and translated into English by Ramón J. Stern, it was an honor to collaborate on this livestreamed event. This bonus episode features the audio from that event, which includes Miguel and Ramón reading excerpts from the book and my conversation with them. Ramón J. Stern is a translator between Spanish, Portuguese and English (he is also proficient in Hebrew and Arabic) with a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan. Stern has served as a medical interpreter, translation project specialist and proofreader, admissions reader and as a higher education administrator. His translation, Syrian and Lebanese Patrícios in São Paulo: From the Levant to Brazil (University of Illinois Press, 2018), won the Arab-American Non-Fiction Book Award in 2019. He has also translated COVID manuals, research interviews, book chapters, arts magazine articles, human right reports and the bilingual edition of Labores (Laboring) by Miguel Bacho. Stern is currently a Fulbright scholar in Manaus, Brazil researching Moroccan Jewish migration to the Brazilian Amazon. | |||
| 16 Aug 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Saida Agostini | 01:01:49 | |
Saida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet whose work explores the ways Black folks harness mythology to enter the fantastic. Her work is featured in Plume, Hobart Pulp, Barrelhouse, Auburn Avenue, amongst others. Saida’s work can be found in several anthologies, including Not Without Our Laughter: Poems of Humor, Sexuality and Joy, The Future of Black, and Plume Poetry 9. She is the author of STUNT (Neon Hemlock, October 2020), a chapbook reimagining the life of Nellie Jackson, a Black madam and FBI spy from Natchez, Mississippi. Her first full-length collection, let the dead in (Alan Squire Publishing) was released in Spring 2022. A Cave Canem Graduate Fellow, and member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collective, Saida is a two time Pushcart Prize Nominee and Best of the Net Finalist. Her work has received support from the Ruby Artist Grants and the Blue Mountain Center, amongst others. | |||
| 23 Aug 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Dorsey Spencer Jr. | 00:55:34 | |
Dorsey Spencer Jr. (fiction - children's picture books) was our guest on Episode 4 of Season 1 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on November 14, 2020. During the episode, Dorsey read from his first children’s picture book, Worms are a Yummy Snack A Story of Patience, Anger, and Joy. This delightful story showcases a loving relationship between father and son, and allows parents, caregivers and young readers to positively discuss themes of patience, expression and management of emotions and dealing with failure. Since joining us for Black Writers Read, Dorsey and See Us Fly LLC has published another children’s picture book, Queen Cara and the Kingdom of Jama’a, which was released on November 15, 2021. To learn more about Dorsey’s work, please visit seeusfly.com | |||
| 30 Aug 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Tracy Cross | 01:10:55 | |
Tracy Cross (horror fiction) was our guest on Episode 4 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on March 26, 2022. | |||
| 06 Sep 2022 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Natasha Marin | 01:14:50 | |
Natasha Marin (non-fiction and conceptual artist) was our guest on Episode 7 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on Juneteenth ~ June 19, 2022. Thank you so much to Amanda Choo Quan for introducing us to Natasha. | |||
| 13 Sep 2022 | Black Writers Read: Season Three Trailer | 00:08:05 | |
Hear insights on the planned lineup of guests for Season Three of Black Writers Read. | |||
| 20 Sep 2022 | Black Writers Read: St. Clair Detrick-Jules | 01:07:32 | |
Episode 1 of Season Three features St. Clair Detrick-Jules. We met to chat about and celebrate the one-year anniversary of the release of her book, My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood. St. Clair has a BA from Brown University in French and Francophone Studies. She has been featured in The Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, BuzzFeed News, The Christian Science Monitor, Byrdie, and NPR's Strange Fruit, among others. Her documentary DACAmented has received awards at Immigration Film Fest, Baltimore International Black Film Festival, Ogden City Latino Film Festival, and Cornell University’s Centrally Isolated Film Festival. Her book, My Beautiful Black Hair, which was published by Chronicle Books in September of 2021, showcases the photographs and stories of Black women embracing their crowns. St. Clair currently resides in her hometown of Washington, DC. This episode is presented in collaboration with Levee Break Lit. Special thanks to Lisa Pegram and her company for linking us up with St. Clair. | |||
| 27 Sep 2022 | Black Writers Read: Rage Hezekiah | 00:58:58 | |
This episode features poet Rage Hezekiah. Black Writers Read hosted Rage in person on June 18, 2022 at The LAVA Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts in honor of Juneteenth. We met to chat about her recently released collection of poetry, Yearn, which was a recipient of the 2021 Diode Editions Book Contest Award.
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| 11 Oct 2022 | Black Writers Read: Nikesha Elise Williams | 01:01:45 | |
This episode features Fiction, Poetry, Narrative Non-Fiction author Nikesha Else Williams, originally live-streamed on October 1, 2022. We met to chat about her new book, Mardi Gras Indians, which was released on October 5, 2022 and published by Louisiana State University Press. Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy award winning producer, an Learn more about Nikesha and her expansive body of work by visiting: www.newwrites.com. | |||
| 25 Oct 2022 | Black Writers Read: Tricia Elam Walker | 01:01:21 | |
This episode features award-winning author, educator and recovered lawyer, Tricia Elam Walker, originally live-streamed on October 9 2022. Tricia read excerpts from her children's books, Dream Street and Nana Akua Goes to School. Following her reading, we chatted about her prolific career. Tricia’s short stories are included in the O.Henry Prize Stories, New Stories from the South and other anthologies and her essays are published in Father’s Songs, Dream Me Home Safely, It’s All About Love and more. Several of her plays have been produced and her first children’s book, Nana Akua Goes to School, was published by Random House in June 2020 and won a 2021 Children’s Africana Book Award and the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats writer award. Her second picture book, Dream Street was published in November 2021, garnered five starred reviews and was a New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2021 selection. Tricia is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Howard University in Washington, DC. | |||
| 31 Oct 2022 | Bonus: Celebrating the Launch of Addie Tsai's Unwieldy Creatures | 01:14:29 | |
This bonus episode features the virtual book launch of author Addie Tsai’s book, Unwieldy Creatures. This special event was livestreamed on August 30, 2022, Mary Shelley’s 225th Birthday as Unwieldy Creatures is a biracial, queer, gender-swapped retelling of Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein. Tracy’s forthcoming debut novel, Rootwork, is scheduled for release on November 14 later this year and will be published by MotherHorror’s Dark Heart Publishing. Her book is now available for pre-order. Based in Washington DC, Tracy is a widely published author. Tracy’s works have appeared in Don’t Break the Oath by Kandisha Press, 99 Tiny Terrors, and anthologies and magazines including Big Book of Bootleg Horror, Things That Go Bump, D’Evolution Z Horror Magazine, Tales of the Lost Vol. 2, and websites midnight & indigo and New American Legends. In 2016, Tracy was awarded the Boston Accent Literary Journal Prize. You can find out more about her at tracycrossonline.com or on Instagram at tracycrosswrites. Addie, our guest for this episode, is a queer nonbinary artist and writer of color who teaches courses in literature, creative writing, dance, and humanities. They are currently a Lecturer of Creative Writing at the College of William & Mary. They taught in Goddard College's MFA Program in Interdisciplinary Arts and Regis University’s Mile High MFA Program in Creative Writing. They collaborated with Dominic Walsh Dance Theater on Victor Frankenstein and Camille Claudel, among others. They hold an MFA from Warren Wilson College and a Ph.D. in Dance from Texas Woman’s University. Addie is the author of the young adult novel Dear Twin. Their writing has been published in Foglifter, VIDA Lit, Banango Street, The Offing, The Collagist, The Feminist Wire, Nat. Brut., and elsewhere. Addie is the Assistant Fiction Editor at Anomaly, Associate Editor at Raising Mothers, and Founding Editor & Editor in Chief at just femme & dandy. Find Addie online at addietsai.com. This episode is presented in collaboration with BookWoman and Levee Break Lit. BookWoman is a feminist independent bookstore, BookWoman based in Austin, Texas. Addie Tsai has ties to this region as they grew up in Houston and visited BookWoman often. They also hosted a book launch for Tsai’s previous book, Dear Twin. Celebrating 45 years, BookWoman is based on Tonkawa, Comanche and Apache land in Austin, Texas. Founded by a collective, BookWoman hosts a myriad of events including book launches, like this one, book groups, and in-person events. Visit their website at ebookwoman.com. Special thanks to Lisa Pegram and her literary publicity company, Levee Break Lit, for introducing us to both Addie and BookWoman. | |||
| 08 Nov 2022 | Black Writers Read: Tara Betts | 00:58:57 | |
This episode features poet Dr. Tara Betts, originally live-streamed on October 22, 2022. During the episode we chatted about her newest poetry collection, Refuse to Disappear, which was released in July of 2022. Refuse to Disappear is a declaration that there are some people who resist by merely existing. In these poems, Tara Betts renders celebrations and tributes to Black women, but also pieces together an anthem that we have survived so much, even if the world pretends to be blind. These poems are a bound collection of love letters to history, music, and people who are denied the chance to speak for themselves. Dr. Tara Betts is the author of Refuse to Disappear, Break the Habit and Arc & Hue. In addition to her work as a teaching artist and mentor for young poets, she has taught at several universities, including Rutgers University, Northwestern University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and at Stateville Prison via the Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project. She is the Inaugural Poet for the People Practitioner Fellow at University of Chicago. Betts serves as Poetry Editor at The Langston Hughes Review and is founder of the nonprofit organization The Whirlwind Learning Center on Chicago’s South Side. | |||
| 09 Nov 2022 | Black Writers Read: Desiree Cooper | 01:17:50 | |
This episode features award-winning flash fiction, essay, children's literature author Desiree Cooper, originally live-streamed on November 6, 2022 to kick off Children’s Book Week. During the episode we chatted about her first children’s picture book, Nothing Special, which was released in October. Published by Wayne State University Press and illustrated by Bec Stone, Nothing Special is a buddy story that spans generations. But it's also a love letter to the black family connections that survived the Great Migration. Between 1910 and 1970, more than six million African Americans left the Jim Crow South, but they never forgot the culture, the land, and the family they left behind. In the decades since, it’s been a summer ritual for many black families to reverse the journey and return South for a nostalgic visit to their homeplaces. Nothing Special celebrates the enduring connection between the generations who stayed in the South, and the millions of emigrants for whom it will always be home. Desiree Cooper is a 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow, former attorney, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. Her debut collection of flash fiction, Know the Mother, won numerous awards, including 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award. Cooper’s fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in The Best Small Fictions 2018, Callaloo, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Rumpus, and River Teeth, among other publications. Her essay, “We Have Lost Too Many Wigs,” was listed as a notable essay in The Best American Essays 2019. Her first children’s book, Nothing Special, received a starred review from Booklist. After spending her 30-year career in Detroit, she now lives in the Virginia Beach area where she cares for her mother and three grandchildren. | |||
| 22 Nov 2022 | Black Writers Read: Natasha Gordon-Chipembere | 01:19:35 | |
This episode features Dr. Natasha Gordon-Chipembere who joined us for the live-streamed episode on November 12, 2022. We talked about her debut historical fiction novel, Finding La Negrita, which was released in September. Published by Jaded Ibis Press, Finding La Negrita is a captivating retelling of the Black Madonna narrative, which has driven Costa Rica's national and spiritual identity since the 1700s. In powerful prose, Natasha Gordon-Chipembere delivers a vivid and intimate living portrait of slavery in this nation, which was radically different from plantation bondage in other parts of the Americas. Dr. Natasha Gordon-Chipembere is a professor of African Diasporic literature. She focused her first book on Sarah Baartman in Representation and Black womanhood: The Legacy of Sarah Baartman (Palgrave 2011). Gordon-Chipembere’s writing has also been published in Essence Magazine along with a monthly series, “Musings from An Afro-Costa Rican” in the Tico Times. She is a Senior Co-editor of the AfroLatin@ Diasporas Book Series from Palgrave, which prioritizes the voices of emerging Afro-Latin@ scholars. Her current writing focuses on slavery and the legacy of Afro-descendants in Latin America. Her historical fiction novel, Finding La Negrita was published by Jaded Ibis Press in September 2022. Gordon-Chipembere is the founder and host of the annual Tengo Sed Writing Retreats in Costa Rica, an exclusive gathering of global BIPOC writers in Costa Rica for a week. She was born in New York to Costa Rican/Panamanian parents and eventually moved to Costa Rica eight years ago with her husband and two children. She is currently working on her next historical fiction novel, Naomi, which is a loose rendering of her great-grandmother's life in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica in the 1940s. To learn more about Natasha and her work, please visit her website at www.natashagordonchipembere.com. This episode is presented in collaboration with Lisa Pegram and Levee Break Lit. | |||
| 06 Dec 2022 | Black Writers Read: Toni Ann Johnson | 01:10:13 | |
This episode features our conversation with Toni Ann Johnson, which was livestreamed on Saturday, December 3, 2022. We talked about her award-winning short story collection, LIGHT SKIN GONE TO WASTE which was published in October. It’s received praise from Publishers Weekly, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Washington Post. Toni Ann Johnson won the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction with her linked story collection LIGHT SKIN GONE TO WASTE, selected for the prize and edited by Roxane Gay. A novella, HOMEGOING, was published in 2021 after winning Accents Publishing's inaugural novella contest. A novel, REMEDY FOR A BROKEN ANGEL, was nominated for a 2015 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author. Johnson won the Humanitas Prize for her teleplays, Ruby Bridges (Disney/ABC), and Crown Heights (Showtime), both of which are based on true stories that examine race relations. She's been a Callaloo Writer's Workshop fellow, and a Sundance Screenwriter's Lab Fellow and she has received support for her writing from The One-Story Summer Conference, The Prague Summer Program for Writers, The Center For Fiction, and The Hurston/Wright Foundation. Johnson currently teaches fiction and screenwriting at Antioch University Los Angeles where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing. To learn more about Toni Ann and her work, please visit www.toniannjohnson.com. Special thanks to Amanda Choo Quan for introducing me to Toni Ann. | |||
| 20 Dec 2022 | Bonus: CoCo's Holiday Reading List | 00:08:25 | |
A bonus episode, Nicole shares what she is reading during her holiday break. Check out her list and read along with her! | |||
| 11 Jan 2023 | Black Writers Read: Mbinguni | 00:46:14 | |
This episode features our conversation with Mbinguni (historical fiction. women’s fiction. literary fiction), which was livestreamed on Saturday, January 7, 2023, opening up the Spring portion of Season Three. Mbinguni is a natural storyteller. Born and raised on the barrier island of Fernandina Beach, FL, she's had dreams of writing professionally for as long as she can remember. An avid reader, she began composing her own narratives as a small child in grade school. Mbinguni’s debut novel, Looking for Hope was released in January of 2021 and published by NEW Reads Publications. In this coming-of-age tale, Mbinguni weaves a narrative about Hannah “Mouse” Maynard and her transformation from a shy, quiet, girl into a strong and assertive woman. At 7-years-old, Mouse experiences a tragedy that forces her to face the evils of the world and leave behind everything she’s ever known. With their home destroyed, Mouse and her father travel from Maplewood, Georgia to Virginia and Michigan confronting their past as they move into their future. Mouse encounters women along the way who help her find the strength to survive and thrive against all she's seen. Through these bonds and their fierce protection, Mouse not only finds her voice but a renewed sense of hope. To learn more about Mbinguni and her work, please visit Mbinguni.life. | |||
| 24 Jan 2023 | Black Writers Read: Lisa Pegram | 01:25:36 | |
This episode features our conversation with Lisa Pegram (poetry. nonfiction.), which was livestreamed on Saturday, January 21, 2023. Lisa Pegram is a writer, arts integration specialist and publishing professional who hails from Washington, DC. She has over 20 years of experience in high-level program design for such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute, Corcoran Gallery of Art and National Geographic. She served as DC WritersCorps program director for a decade, and as co-chair of United Nations affiliate international women’s conferences in the US, India and Bali. Her endeavors as a literary publicist and acquisitions editor are sparked by a desire to advocate for and amplify underrepresented voices. Lisa completed her MFA in 2012 and has an Executive Certification in Arts & Culture Strategies from UPenn. She is currently working on a family memoir that is a narrative cookbook which explores her life story through the lens of food and music. Exploring the Black diaspora as a way of life, she’s currently based on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. To learn more about Lisa and for updates on her work, please follow her on This episode is presented in collaboration with Levee Break Lit. | |||
| 01 Feb 2023 | Bonus: Black Authors on Craft and Imagining (Our) Worlds | 00:53:32 | |
This episode features our conversations with Tricia Elam Walker We wanted an opportunity to examine how some of our guests approach craft and constructing worlds within specific literary genres. Tricia, Tara, and Toni Ann are not only writers who have written for various platforms and diverse audiences, they are each college educators. So talking with folks who demystify the craft for today’s emerging writers was definitely a way that we wanted to celebrate Black History Month this time around. They each offer unique perspectives on devising characters, exploring and challenging their own genres, and more importantly, examine an African-American experience. | |||
| 14 Feb 2023 | Black Writers Read: Shanita Hubbard | 01:06:11 | |
This episode features our conversation with Shanita Hubbard, which was livestreamed on Sunday, January 29, 2023. Shanita Hubbard is the author of the book, Ride-Or-Die: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women. Her writing has also appeared in numerous outlets, including the New York Times, Huffington Post, Essence Magazine, The Guardian, and more She is also a journalism instructor at the University of Toronto, a Soros Fellow, and the recipient of the La Maison Baldwin Fellowship. Her book, Ride-Or-Die, was published by Legacy Lit Books and released this past November. To learn more about Shanita, please visit her website at shanitahubbard.com. | |||
| 28 Feb 2023 | Black Writers Read: Regine Jackson | 00:42:35 | |
This episode features our conversation with Regine Jackson, which was hosted live at The Artist Cafe in Downtown Springfield, Massachusetts on February 12, 2023. Regine Jackson is a writer who was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. Born in 1997, Jackson has been an avid reader since she was a child. She always wished to write, specifically stories where the main characters looked like her and the people she interacted with on a daily basis. Jackson’s mother worked as a clerk and a page across different libraries in the city and would bring her back a multitude of books to read. Her favorite genres included science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. She also enjoyed reading graphic novels and comics, including manga. This voracious appetite for escape from her reality would be the eventual start of an interest in putting her own words on paper. While Jackson mainly writes short stories within the science-fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, she also writes prose and poetry revolving around her life living in the inner city. Jackson is currently working on the manuscript for her first full-length young adult urban horror novel, as well as planning a YA dark fantasy/horror trilogy series. Having first-hand experience with dealing with trauma, poverty, and inner city violence, and witnessing how drug addiction can ravage a community, she hopes to not only hone her own craft but to bring more creative work to her city and encourage more BIPOC women to write their truths. Regine is the current Emerging Writer Fellow with Straw Dog Writers Guild which supports women and gender expansive writers of color at the early stages of their career. Learn more about Regine by visiting: reginejackson.com. | |||
| 21 Mar 2023 | Black Writers Read: La'Vista Jones | 00:59:26 | |
This episode features our conversation with self-help and business author, La’Vista Jones, which was livestreamed on Saturday, March 18, 2023 to talk about her latest book, The BOSS™ Shift. La’Vista Jones is the founder and CEO of 31 Marketplace, an agency committed to helping women do the work they love, without sacrificing themselves to do it. As a corporate dropout, turned entrepreneur she is on a mission to challenge women to cultivate their own definition of success and to live life on their own terms. La’Vista is a business consultant, professional speaker, host of the BOSS™ Talk podcast and published author. Her latest book, The BOSS™ Shift which was released in October of 2022, is anchored in implementing her signature framework that focuses on battling overwhelm with systems and self-care. La’Vista is an Ohio native and bleeds scarlet and gray - go Buckeyes! She’s married to her college sweetheart Stewart and they share their home in Arizona with their son, publicly known as The Cub. To learn more about La’Vista and to purchase an autographed copy of her book, please visit her website at lavistajones.com.
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| 28 Mar 2023 | Black Writers Read: Raina J. León | 01:13:32 | |
This episode features our conversation with Philadelphia’s Dr. Raina J. León, which was livestreamed on Saturday, March 25, 2023 to talk about her expansive body of work. Dr. Raina J. León is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia (Lenni Lenape ancestral lands). She is a mother, daughter, sister, madrina, comadre, partner, poet, writer, artist, digital archivist, podcaster, and teacher educator. She believes in collective action and community work. She is the author of black god mother this body, Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn, sombra : (dis)locate, and the chapbooks, profeta without refuge and Areyto to Atabey: Essays on the Mother(ing) Self. She is a founding editor of The Acentos Review, an online quarterly, international journal devoted to the promotion and publication of Latinx arts, which celebrates its quince in 2023 and in that time has published nearly 1000 Latinx/Latine voices. She teaches at Stonecoast MFA at the University of Southern Maine and cohosts the podcast, Generational Archives, with Dr. Norma D. Thomas. Raina believes in the profound power of holding space for the telling of our stories and the liberatory practice of humanizing education. As an educator of our present and future agitators, Dr. León served as full professor of education at Saint Mary’s College of California, being only the third Black person and the first Afro-Latina to achieve this rank at the institution. In addition to her work as a digital archivist, Dr. León is an emerging visual artist, writing coach, and curriculum developer. On the podcast, Generational Archives, Drs. Thomas and León present a show where they connect, heal, uncover through intergenerational conversations and archival research. A mother-daughter team, they have been collaborating on writing, facilitation, education projects, and research for ... well all of Raina's life. This podcast explores the closeness of their relationship and how they are together practicing attunement with their ancestors through their ancestral recovery work. They are pushing to learn the forgotten and erased names ... and will teach you how to do that, too! | |||
| 11 Apr 2023 | Black Writers Read: Enzo Silon Surin | 01:27:43 | |
This episode features our conversation with Enzo Silon Surin, which was livestreamed on Saturday, April 8, 2023. We talked about their most recent books including When My Body was a Clinched Fist and the forthcoming poetry collection, American Scapegoat. Enzo Silon Surin is a Haitian-born, award-winning poet, educator, librettist, publisher and social advocate. He is the author of three previous collections of poetry, including When My Body Was A Clinched Fist (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), winner of the 21st Annual Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry and the forthcoming collection, American Scapegoat which will also be published by Black Lawrence Press and will be released in May (which is available for pre-order). He is co-editor of Where We Stand: Poems of Black Resilience which was published by Cherry Castle Publishing, 2022, and the recipient of a New England Poetry Club grant, a Brother Thomas Fellowship from the Boston Foundation, a PEN New England Discovery Award and a 2020 Denis Diderot Grant as an Artist-in-Residence at Chateau d’Orquevaux in France. Being a product of two countries, Enzo Silon Surin has dedicated his life and career to affecting social change through creative and critical writing and gives voice to experiences that take place in what he calls “broken spaces”. Surin teaches creative writing and literature at Bunker Hill Community College and is also Founding Editor and Publisher at Central Square Press and Founder/Executive Director at the Faraday Publishing Company, Inc., a nonprofit literary services and social advocacy organization. To learn more about Enzo, please visit their website at enzosurinink.org. | |||
| 18 Apr 2023 | Black Writers Read: Danielle Jernigan | 00:55:12 | |
This episode features our conversation with certified doula, writer, book coach, and host of the Write to Heal Podcast, Danielle Jernigan, which was livestreamed on Saturday, April 15, 2023 during Black Maternal Health Week. Danielle's work in maternal health focuses on helping doulas leverage their expertise and creative aspirations so they can write a heart-centered book that elevates their presence and attracts aligned clients with ease. Danielle's writing has been featured in Madame Noire Magazine, Your Tango, and Nourishing Word Blog and she’d been quoted in the Washington Post, New York Times Parenting Newsletter, and POPSUGAR Wellness. Prior to pursuing her literary career, she spent 20 years in medical research which garnered her co-authorship in 20 publications, including two textbooks. Her academic checklist includes a bachelor’s in biology from Delaware State University. Master in medical science from Indiana University School of Medicine and Graduate Studies in Publishing and Creative Writing at Drexel University. She's a vegan in principle — more of a whole foods-based flexitarian who won’t eat certain meats. But loves ethnic food so much she'll dabble here and there. She describes herself as a super opinionated introvert and quite bookish who loves art museums and sculptures, Japanese gardens, and black-and-white movies. Long drives towards the ocean and homegrown watermelons with seeds. She's the mother of two children and resides in Indiana with her youngest daughter Zoë. Danielle is represented by Carly Watters of PSI Literary Agency. To learn more about Danielle, please visit her website at www.daniellejerniganauthor.com. | |||
| 02 May 2023 | Black Writers Read: Lisbeth White | 01:54:54 | |
This episode features our conversation with Lisbeth White (poetry. prose.), which was livestreamed on Saturday, April 29, 2023. Lisbeth is the author of the 2022 Perugia Prize winning poetry collection, AMERICAN SYCAMORE. From the bayou, to Belgium, to Barbados, AMERICAN SYCAMORE examines the Black diaspora, ancestral reparation, and the sacred feminine. In pursuit of understanding the nuances of belonging and displacement in a Black mixed-race feminine body, Lisbeth White travels through mythic, biological, and geological landscapes, attending to the body and its beautiful and terrifying questions. Lisbeth White is a writer and ritualist living on S’klallam and Chimacum lands of Port Townsend, Washington. As a cross-genre writer of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, her writing explores the sensual and sociopolitical intersections of healing, ancestry, mythopoetics, and connection to the natural world. She has received support from VONA, Artist’s Trust, Tin House, Bread Loaf Environmental Writers Conference, and Blue Mountain Center. Her work has appeared in The Rumpus, Kweli, Apogee Lit, Green Mountains Review, Willowherb Review, EcoTheo Review, Split this Rock, and elsewhere. She is the author of the poetry collection American Sycamore, winner of the 2022 Perugia Press Prize and co-editor of the anthology, Poetry as Spellcasting: Poems, Essays, and Prompts for Manifesting Liberation and Reclaiming Power, published by North Atlantic Books, which is scheduled to be released in May. To learn more about Lisbeth, please visit her website at www.lisbethwrites.com. This episode is presented in collaboration with Perugia Press. To learn more about Perugia Press, please visit: https://perugiapress.org/ | |||
| 16 May 2023 | Black Writers Read: Shirley A. Jones Luke | 01:33:00 | |
This episode features our latest livestreamed from Saturday, May 13, 2023 in honor of Mother’s Day weekend. We chatted with poet and nonfiction writer, Shirley A. Jones Luke who read for our 2021 Black History Month virtual event. Shirley A. Jones Luke is a poet and writer. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Ms. Luke has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Her poems focus on culture, family, and society. Ms. Luke is working on her first collection entitled Traumaland, a manuscript in progress. When preparing for Black Writers Read, we ask each guest on why do they write. Here’s what Shirley had to share: "I write to survive. Writing keeps me alive. I write because I owe my deceased mother a book. I write for the future. My words and works will outlive me. Writing is immortality. I write to share and to inform. I write because there are those who wish to erase our stories from history. I write because our stories matter. At this time, there are those who worship guns over people. There are those who want to ban our books. I write to stop the erasure of my people's history in this country. Poetry is a powerful medium. I use poetry to express my feelings and thoughts. Poetry is a flexible form. I can do so much with my words through poetry." | |||
| 08 Jun 2023 | Black Writers Read: Itua Uduebo | 01:03:46 | |
This episode features our latest livestreamed from Sunday, June 4, 2023 with our guest, Itua Uduebo to discuss his debut novel, Parade of Streetlights. Itua was born in Lagos, Nigeria and currently resides in New York, NY. He graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in International Politics and works in the financial technology industry. Itua's writing journey began in 2016 and to date, he has several essays, articles, freeform poems, and short stories published online and in print. His work explores multiple genres including new adult fiction, urban literature, science fiction, thrillers, politics, racial justice, culture, and global affairs. Itua is working on his second novel manuscript and always looking to take on new creative challenges. Told in vignettes, Parade of Streetlights is a deeply personal and introspective novel that features characters who are working through many personal absurdities. Published by Read Furiously, this is a novel about the choices we make, the ways we restrict ourselves needlessly, and the freedom of embracing the authentic pursuit of happiness. Kola's voice is a welcome addition to the literary canon and his story will stay with you long after the last page is finished. Parade of Streetlights celebrated its release on Tuesday, June 6. It is available for purchase wherever you get your books. To learn more about Itua and his work, please visit his website at ituauduebo.com. | |||
| 15 Jun 2023 | Black Writers Read: Kimberly Mack | 01:20:34 | |
This episode features our latest livestream from Saturday, June 10, 2023 with our guest, Kimberly Mack to discuss her latest book, Time’s Up, which is on the band, Living Colour’s sophomore album. Kimberly Mack will begin her time as the Associate Professor of English at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this coming fall. Her book, Living Colour’s Time’s Up, part of Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 book series, was published in May 2023. She is also the author of Fictional Blues: Narrative Self Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020), which won the 2021 College English Association of Ohio’s Nancy Dasher Award. Kimberly is writing another book, tentatively titled The Untold History of American Rock Criticism, about the BIPoC and White women writers who helped develop American rock criticism and journalism during the 1960s and 1970s. The iconic Black rock band Living Colour's Time's Up, released in 1990, was recorded in the aftermath of the spectacular critical and commercial success of their debut record Vivid. Time's Up is a musical and lyrical triumph, incorporating distinct forms and styles of music and featuring inspired collaborations with artists as varied as Little Richard, Queen Latifah, Maceo Parker, and Mick Jagger. The clash of sounds and styles don't immediately fit. The confrontational hardcore-thrash metal - complete with Glover's apocalyptic wail - in the title track is not a natural companion with Doug E. Fresh's human beat box on “Tag Team Partners,” but it's precisely this bold and brilliant collision that creates the barely-controlled chaos. And isn't rock & roll about chaos? Living Colour's sophomore effort holds great relevance in light of its forward-thinking politics and lyrical engagement with racism, classism, police brutality, and other social and political issues of great importance. Through interviews with members of Living Colour, and others involved in the making of Time's Up, Kimberly Mack explores the creation and reception of this artistically challenging album, while examining the legacy of this culturally important and groundbreaking American rock band. To learn more about Kim and her work, please visit her website at kimberlymack.com. | |||
| 19 Jun 2023 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: On Heritage, Our History, & Our Future(s) | 00:49:14 | |
This episode features excerpts from four conversations we’ve had with guests that reflect on topics relevant to the Juneteenth holiday including family, ancestral influences, food, culture, and honoring our pasts. Included on this bonus episode are the following conversations: Desiree Cooper's (S3 E6) Nothing Special is a buddy story that spans generations. Published by Wayne State University Press and illustrated by Bec Stone, it's also a love letter to the black family connections that survived the Great Migration. Between 1910 and 1970, more than six million African Americans left the Jim Crow South, but they never forgot the culture, the land, and the family they left behind. Nothing Special celebrates the enduring connection between the generations who stayed in the South, and the millions of emigrants for whom it will always be home. | |||
| 15 Sep 2023 | Black Writers Read: Season Four Trailer | 00:03:44 | |
We are super excited to kick off Season Four of Black Writers Read! Learn more about our upcoming lineup of guests and an upcoming project, Writers from the Margins. | |||
| 19 Sep 2023 | Black Writers Read: Sami Miranda | 01:07:09 | |
Welcome to our first episode of Season Four of Black Writers Read! Samuel "Sami" Miranda grew up in the South Bronx and resides in Washington, DC. He is a visual artist, poet, and teacher who uses his craft to highlight the value of everyday people and places. His work is heavily influenced by Puerto Rican culture and family history, as well as his interactions with his students, people he encounters in his travels, and DC locals. Much of his work is figurative and explores how the body and face illustrate the successes, hardships, and beliefs that people carry with them. He is the author of Protection from Erasure, published by Jaded Ibis Press, Departure, a chapbook published by Central Square Press, and We Is, published by Zozobra Publishing. He is currently working on collaborative projects with musicians and visual artists about the deep connections they can make through their artwork. Samuel's artwork has been exhibited internationally in Puerto Rico and Madrid, as well as New York and Washington, DC. Most recently, Samuel's artwork has been included in the Smithsonian's new Molina Family Latino Gallery inaugural exhibition ¡Presente! His artwork has been included in University and private collections. In Protection from Erasure, Samuel Miranda aims to capture and celebrate a life lived and lives encountered. Through observations and conversations, we're reminded that mundane events and minute moments in our everyday lives can and should be memorialized. Part portraiture, part social commentary, and part memory, Protection from Erasure is meticulously crafted with arresting dialogue, sincere lines, and raw reflections that knit together and hover upon the edge of a shared remembrance. To learn more about Sami and her work, please visit his website at samimiranda.com. | |||
| 28 Sep 2023 | Black Writers Read: Aaron Dworkin | 00:51:40 | |
This episode features our latest conversation with Aaron Dworkin, which was live-streamed on Sunday, September 17, 2023. We chatted about his latest poetry collection, The Poetjournalist, and his evolving work as a writer. Named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts and member of President Biden’s Arts Policy Committee, Aaron P. Dworkin is former dean and current Professor of Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Aaron is a best-selling writer and poetjournalist having authored his poetry collection, They Said I Wasn’t Really Black, along with four other books including his memoir, Uncommon Rhythm: A Black, White, Jewish, Jehovah's Witness, Irish Catholic Adoptee's Journey to Leadership and The Entrepreneurial Artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives. Aaron originated the terminology “poetjournalism” which he defines as “journalism in which a news story or other event is presented in poetic form incorporating elements of emotion, opinion and creative illustration.” He serves as the Poet-in-Residence of the City of Ann Arbor’s Bicentennial, the Rodham Institute, Fisher Foundation, Wright Museum of African-American History, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Grantmakers in the Arts, Ovation TV and Shar Music. He has been featured on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Jet Magazine and named one of Newsweek’s “15 People Who Make America Great.” His Emmy award-winning film An American Prophecy was honored by numerous festivals, while his digital art project, Fractured History, has exhibited to rave reviews. Aaron is also a leading social entrepreneur having founded the globally-recognized Sphinx Organization, the leading arts organization with the mission of transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. He also serves as host of the nationally-broadcast Arts Engines show with a viewership of over 100,000. A sought-after global thought leader and a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, excellence in arts education, entrepreneurship, and leadership, as well as inclusion in the performing arts, Aaron is a frequent keynote speaker and lecturer at numerous universities and global arts, creativity, and technology conferences and is on the roster of the prestigious APB speakers bureau. Having raised over $50 million for philanthropic causes, Aaron personifies creative leadership, entrepreneurship, and community service with an unwavering passion for the arts, diversity, and their role in society. To access Aaron's full bio and learn more about his other work, please visit his website at www.aarondworkin.com. | |||
| 10 Oct 2023 | Black Writers Read: Aina Hunter | 01:19:10 | |
This episode features our latest conversation with Aina Hunter (science fiction.), which was live-streamed on Sunday, September 24, 2023. We chatted about her debut novel, Charlotte and the Chickenman: the Inevitable Nigrescence of Charlotte-Noa Tibbit (Whiskey Tit Books, 2022) So now it’s time to stop mourning. Get back on the bus, make a plan, start over. All this on a screaming planet divided into ethno-states mostly controlled by South Africa’s ruling Economic Freedom Party and their right wing, anti-black opposition – the Eurin supremacists of the New Broederband. Charlotte could probably use some trauma therapy, but first a quick trip to Haiti for a medical thing. And while she’s there, maybe she can find some comfort at the receiving end of a controversial reparative food justice initiative, which may or may not be sanctioned by New Caricom’s shadow government. | |||
| 24 Oct 2023 | Black Writers Read Presents Writers Across the Margins: Jason Montgomery | 01:07:15 | |
Welcome to our special series, Black Writers Read Presents Writers Across the Margins, our opportunity to chat with writers from other Diasporas! Jason R. Montgomery (he/they), or JRM, is a Chicano/Indigenous Californian writer, painter, community artist and engagement artist from El Centro, California. In 2016, along with Poet Alexandra Woolner, and illustrator Jen Wagner, JRM founded Attack Bear Press in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Jason’s work engages the cross-section of Chicano/Indigenous identity, cultural hybridization, post-colonial reconstruction, and political agency. His writing and visual art bridges the aesthetics and feel from the early cubist collage movement and the Russian abstract movement of the 1920s with living and historical Native/Indigenous Californian and Chicano art traditions to explore the Post-colonial narrative through active synthesis and guided (re)construction. JRM’s work has appeared in Split Lip Magazine, Storm Cellar, Ilanot Review, Rust and Moth and other publications. Jason is one of 2021 Newell Flather Awards for Leadership in Public Art outstanding nominees and 2021-2023 Easthampton Poets Laureate. Jason is also the co-founder of the police abolition group “A Knee is Not Enough” (AKINE) in Easthampton, MA. Find Jason on Instagram: @howka.jrm or @attackbearpress | |||
| 31 Oct 2023 | Black Writers Read: Kerika Fields | 00:57:56 | |
This episode features our latest conversation with Kerika Fields, which was live- streamed on Saturday, October 28, 2023. We chatted about her latest book, With Your Bad Self. Kerika Fields is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and photographer whose work has been published and exhibited widely. She is the author of With Your Bad Self (Jacaranda Books, November 29, 2022). With Your Bad Self is a coming-of-age love story set in an economically challenged Brooklyn on the precipice of WWII where 'Love Conquers All' may not be true this time. Her debut book, He’s Gone…You’re Back! The Right Way to Get Over Mr. Wrong, was published by Kensington Publishing and released in 2010. She has covered current events and the arts & entertainment scene in NYC for over two decades. Her articles and photographs have appeared in The Amsterdam News, Black Elegance, Caribbean Life, The Daily News, Honey, Savoy, The Source, Spice!, Variety, Vibe and online at ABFF.com, Bust.com, curlynikki.com, soulhead.com, and Tuenight.com. Kerika Fields' photographs have been exhibited at The African American Museum of Philadelphia, The Brooklyn Historical Society, The Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Moon Café, Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn, Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, 40 Acres Art Gallery in San Francisco, The McKenna Museum in New Orleans, and the RUSH Arts Gallery and Leica Gallery in Manhattan. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, daughter, and the spirit of her cat Smokey. Learn more about Kerika and her other work by visiting withyourbadself.com. | |||
| 28 Nov 2023 | Black Writers Read: Minda Honey | 01:14:31 | |
This episode features our conversation with Minda Honey, which was live streamed on Saturday, November 18, 2023, about her memoir, THE HEARTBREAK YEARS. Minda Honey’s essays on politics and relationships have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Oxford American, Teen Vogue, and Longreads. Her work is featured in “Burn It Down: Women Writing About Anger”, “A Measure of Belonging: Writers of Color on the New American South”, and “Sex and the Single Woman: 24 Writers Reimagine Helen Gurley Brown's Cult Classic.” She is the editor of Black Joy at Reckon — the newsletter has nearly 60K subscribers. She was the director of the BFA in Creative Writing program at Spalding University, a relationship advice columnist for LEO Weekly in Louisville, Kentucky, and founder of the capsule project, TAUNT, an alt-indie publication for Louisville that elevated the voices of the unaccounted during the height of the pandemic and ended in late 2021. Her debut memoir, THE HEARTBREAK YEARS (Little A, October 2023), is a hilarious and intimate portrait of a Black woman finding who she is and who she wants to be, one bad date at a time. | |||
| 19 Dec 2023 | Black Writers Read Presents Writers Across the Margins: Nada Samih-Rotondo | 00:51:37 | |
This episode features our conversation with Nada Samih-Rotondo (nonfiction. fiction.), which was live-streamed on Saturday, December 16, 2023. Nada Samih-Rotondo is a multi-genre Palestinian American writer, educator, and mother. A graduate of Rhode Island College, she earned degrees in English and Education and an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. When she is not befriending trees or attuning to hidden stories, she is leading transformational educational experiences and addressing the social-emotional needs of historically underserved and multilingual youth. Her writing has appeared in Masters Review, Gulf Stream Literary Magazine, and Squat Birth Journal. She lives in Providence with her husband and three children. All Water Has Perfect Memory (Jaded Ibis Press, 2023) is her first book. All Water Has a Perfect Memory is a memoir that takes readers from the author’s ancestral origins - the coast of Yaffa, Palestine, to her birthplace of Kuwait, eventually landing on the shores of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. Life changed forever for six-year-old Nada following Iraq’s invasion of her birth country, Kuwait, and subsequent immigration to the United States with her maternal family. Just as she finally settles into her strange new life apart from her father in Rhode Island, learns English, and grasps the fact that she is not merely visiting but is here to stay, life throws other surprises her way to forever change her world. narrative confronts generations of silence and, ultimately, revelation with an imaginative blend of folklore and history that explores the relationship between our bodies, ancestors, and the Earth. The work explores the way the author is intertwined with her maternal line while reuniting with her father after a 30-year separation. Voices once hidden in the waters of our bodies are amplified and released to forever alter the landscape, breaking cycles and seeding an audacious hope interconnected to lands past and present. Find Nada on Instagram: @nadasamihwrites | |||
| 23 Jan 2024 | Black Writers Read: K E Garland | 01:26:12 | |
This episode features our conversation with K E Garland, which was live streamed on Saturday, January 6, 2024. We chatted about her debut memoir, In Search of a Salve. K E Garland is a creative nonfiction writer and blogger based in Florida. She uses personal essays and memoir to de-marginalize women's experiences with an intent to highlight and humanize contemporary issues. She has published essays with Midnight & Indigo, Raising Mothers, and For Harriet. Other works have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, I'm Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope, All the Women in My Family Sing: Women Write the World-Essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom, and other anthologies. Garland’s writing has been awarded twice with the Florida Writers Association for her unpublished creative nonfiction essay, “The Transition” and for her blogging series, “Mental Health Matters.” She is married with two adult daughters and is an associate professor at a community college. To learn more about K E and her work, please visit kegarland.com. | |||
| 15 Feb 2024 | Black Writers Read: T.H. Moore | 01:10:17 | |
This episode features our conversation with T.H. Moore, which was live streamed on Saturday, February 10, 2024. We chatted about his forthcoming memoir, Ghetto Bastard, and his expansive body of work. T.H. Moore is a Southwest Philadelphia native who relocated to Camden, New Jersey at the age of ten. He’s an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State University. His career as an Information Technology Consultant and Real-Estate investor has afforded him the opportunity to travel to many countries all over the world as well as most of the United States. Blending experience with imagination helped formulate the basis of, and inspired him to write his first novel, The End Justifies the Means. His second novel, The Devil’s Whisper, is uniquely creative fiction that ventures away from the inspiration of his own life experiences. In The Devil’s Whisper, he dives into a darker set of dual protagonists whose sole objective is to survive the circumstances of the world they live in. In his third novel, I AM..., T.H. Moore plays clairvoyant and without apology release the wrath of American citizens targeted by police brutality. In his latest work titled, Ghetto Bastard: A Memoir (scheduled for release in July 2024), he takes an honest audit and chronicling of his life traumas and the decisions resulting from them and how they shaped his life both good and bad. He shares how acknowledging his flawed behavior ultimately led to resolving them with the help of therapy. Now, emotionally free and at peace he shares his journey for the first time with readers. To learn more about T.H. and to purchase his books, please visit his website at thmoorenovels.com. | |||
| 29 Feb 2024 | Black Writers Read: Donna Hemans | 00:39:27 | |
This episode features our conversation with Donna Hemans, which was live streamed on Saturday, February 17, 2024. We chatted about her recently released novel, The House of Plain Truth, and her writing career. Donna Hemans is the author of three novels, River Woman, Tea by the Sea, and The House of Plain Truth. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in Slice, Electric Literature, Ms. Magazine, The Rumpus, Crab Orchard Review, among others. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Media Studies from Fordham University and an MFA from American University. She lives in Maryland, and is also the owner of DC Writers Room, a co-working studio for writers based in Washington, D.C. Central to our conversation was Donna’s recently released novel, The House of Plain Truth (Zibby Books, 2024). The House of Plain Truth is a lyrical, lush, evocative story about a fractured Jamaican family and a daughter determined to reclaim her home. When Pearline receives grave news about her ailing father, she abruptly leaves Brooklyn for her childhood home in Jamaica. But Pearline isn’t prepared for a tense reunion with her sisters or for her father’s startling deathbed wish that she repair their long-broken family legacy and find the sister and two brothers no one has seen in more than 50 years. Moving through time and place, from modern-day Brooklyn and Montego Bay to 1930s Havana and back again, The House of Plain Truth is a journey through generational secrets and a family coming to terms with its past. Inspired by the author's own history, this soulful novel explores a fascinating story of immigration, divided loyalties, and what one woman must sacrifice in her attempt to find home. To learn more about Donna and her expansive body of work, please visit donnahemans.com. | |||
| 14 Mar 2024 | Black Writers Read: Janine Fondon | 01:08:15 | |
This episode features our conversation with Janine Fondon, which was recorded during our live event held in person on March 4, 2024 at Holyoke Media. Janine Fondon, MFA, is an award-winning writer, digital media producer, and educator/historian who uses the art and science of communication and inclusion to elevate voices, engage audiences, and inspire creative thinking in a world of change. As Assistant Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Communications at Bay Path University for ten years, she founded the college's inaugural multimedia digital newsroom for students and continues to work on communication projects to connect communities. Fondon earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University, a Master of Arts in Communications and Business from New York University, and her MFA (Creative Nonfiction Writing) from Bay Path University. As a media ecologist, artist-curator, and narrative historian, Fondon created a popular museum exhibit on women's history, "Voices of Resilience," highlighting inclusive narratives bearing untold stories. Amongst her many awards, she has received the Pynchon Medal, the Western Massachusetts region's 100+-year-old public-service award from the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts as well as several creative awards. She also has a 20-year legacy of content creation, diverse outreach, and public relations. Fondon and her husband created a legacy communication project, UnityFirst.com, which is now one of the longest-running, Black-owned e-news sites founded in Massachusetts that serves an inclusive audience nationwide. She has also published numerous editorials in the local newspaper, 'The Springfield Republican,' and created a range of narrative history video stories on UnityFirst.com. Fondon is inspired and honored to tell the stories of many generations. To learn more about Janine and her work, please visit janinefondon.com. Special thanks to the On the Move Forum and Holyoke Media for supporting this event. | |||
| 28 Mar 2024 | Black Writers Read: Angie Chatman | 01:09:05 | |
This episode features our conversation with Angie Chatman, which was live-streamed on March 16, 2024. For long-time Black Writers Read supporters you may remember Angie from our Black History Month Virtual Event in 2021.
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| 11 Apr 2024 | Black Writers Read: Chana Shinegba | 01:07:19 | |
This episode features our conversation with Chana Shinegba, which was live-streamed on March 30, 2024. Chana Shinegba, a gifted storyteller, embodies the spirit of resilience and creativity that defines her generation. Coming of age as a young Black girl in the vibrant but complex landscape of the 1980s and 1990s, Chana grappled with acknowledging her innate talents amidst the backdrop of societal expectations and personal fears. From a tender age, Chana’s artistic prowess manifested in various forms. While her first haiku, penned at age five, hinted at her literary inclinations, her enchanting dance moves initially stole the spotlight. Yet, beneath the graceful exterior, her passion for storytelling simmered, finding expression within the pages of her childhood diary, where poems and short stories danced with vivid imagination. Chana’s literary journey took flight through her academic years, where her adept writing skills shone brightly. Her knack for words also made her the go- to person for leading literary endeavors among family and friends. However, it wasn't until a transformative experience at a summer journalism program at American University that Chana realized she didn’t want to be confined to traditional news reporting. This episode of Black Writers Read is presented in collaboration with Levee Break Lit. | |||
| 18 Apr 2024 | Black Writers Read: Nandi Comer | 01:26:45 | |
Happy National Poetry Month! Launched in April of 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month celebrates the literary traditions sustained by this mode of storytelling. Thank you so very much to every single poet who has joined me on this platform. This episode features our conversation with Nandi Comer (poetry.), which was live-streamed on April 7, 2024. To learn more about Nandi and her work, please visit nandicomer.com. | |||
| 25 Apr 2024 | Black Writers Read: M. Nzadi Keita | 01:24:55 | |
This episode features our conversation with M. Nzadi Keita, which was live-streamed on April 14, 2024 during National Poetry Month. M. Nzadi Keita's new poetry collection, Migration Letters (Beacon Press, April 2, 2024), reflects on Black working-class identity and culture in Philadelphia. Her second book, Brief Evidence of Heaven (Whirlwind Press, 2014), shed light on Anna Murray Douglass, Frederick Douglass’ first wife and was cited in David Blight ‘s prize-winning biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, Her writing appears in anthologies and journals such as A Face to Meet the Faces: A Persona Poetry Anthology, Killens Review of Arts and Letters, and About Place. Keita won a Pew Fellow in Poetry, a Leeway Foundation Transformation Award, and served as an adviser to the documentary, BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez. For many years, she taught creative writing, American literature, and Africana Studies at Ursinus College. Her latest book, Migration Letters, is a poetry collection that takes a closer look at what it means to be Black in America just after the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. This new addition to Beacon Press’s “Raised Voices Poetry Series” centers on Black working-class Philadelphia from the 1960s to the present day. Migration Letters shares a story about Black people that resonates across generations—Black people innovating, learning by doing, teaching by witnessing, and evolving in spite of themselves. To learn more about Nzadi and her work, please visit www.zeekeita.com. | |||
| 03 May 2024 | Black Writers Read: Lynne Thompson | 01:17:32 | |
This episode features our conversation with Lynne Thompson, which was live-streamed on April 14, 2024 closing out National Poetry Month. Lynne Thompson served as the 4th Poet Laureate of the City of Los Angeles. She's the author of four collections of poetry: Beg No Pardon (Perugia Press, 2007), Start With A Small Guitar (What Books Press, 2013), Fretwork (Marsh Hawk Press, 2019) and, most recently, Blue On A Blue Palette (BOA Editions, 2024). In 2022, Thompson was awarded a Laureate Fellowship by the Academy of American Poets and in 2023, she received the George Drury Smith Award for Achievement in Poetry from Beyond Baroque. Thompson has also received fellowships from the City of Los Angeles, the Summer Literary Series in Kenya, and Vermont Studio Center. Recent work has been published or is forthcoming in Kenyon Review, Colorado Review, Pleiades, and Gulf Coast. Thompson sits on the Boards of the Poetry Foundation, Cave Canem, Los Angeles Review of Books, and her alma mater, Scripps College. Lynne Thompson’s Blue on a Blue Palette (which is featured on this episode) reflects on the condition of women—their joys despite their histories, and their insistence on survival as issues of race, culture, pandemic, and climate threaten their livelihoods. The documentation of these personal odysseys—which vary stylistically from abecedarians to free verse to centos—replicate the many ways women travel through the stages of their lives, all negotiated on a palette encompassing various shades of blue. These poems demand your attention, your voice: “Say history. Claim. Say wild.” This episode is presented in collaboration with Perugia Press. Founded in 1997, Perugia Press is a nonprofit feminist press that publishes one beautifully designed book each year: the winner of the Perugia Press Prize, their annual national contest for first or second books of poetry by women-identified authors. To learn more about Perugia Press and the Perugia Press Prize, please visit perugiapress.org. | |||
| 16 May 2024 | Black Writers Read: David Jackson Ambrose | 00:58:58 | |
This episode features our conversation with David Jackson Ambrose, which was live-streamed on May 11, 2024 in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month. David Jackson Ambrose writes on the intersections of race, sexuality and generational trauma. Through fiction, his work explores various genres, topics, and themes including African American life, Black history, LGBTQ issues and life, prison industrial complex, mental health, and generational trauma. David has an MFA in Creative Writing from Temple University, an MA in Writing Studies from Saint Joseph’s University, and a BA in Africana Studies from The University of Pennsylvania. He has over twenty years of experience working in social services. During our conversation, we had a chance to talk about David’s three books, State of the Nation, A Blind Eye, and Unlawful DISorder. State of the Nation (The TMG Firm, 2018) is a Lambda Award finalist. State of the Nation looks at the impact of the Atlanta Child Murders and Tuskegee experiment on three friends living in Philadelphia. Each struggles to survive and create an identity in a world that ignores them at best, and preys upon them at worst, much like the children in Atlanta. | |||
| 30 May 2024 | Black Writers Read: Wakisha Stewart | 01:12:24 | |
This episode features our conversation with Wakisha Stewart, which was live-streamed on May 18, 2024 in recognition of Women’s Health Week (May 12th-18th) and National Share a Story Month. Wakisha (Kisha) Stewart is a wife, mother of three, nurse, heart attack survivor, and a national advocate for heart health dedicated to improving the quality of cardiovascular health care for everyone. Since her heart attack in 2011 at age 31, she has conducted extensive research about the specific health risks that women, particularly Black women, face. A dynamic, nationally recognized speaker on ways to improve heart health through lifestyle changes and a fierce advocate for systemic changes in the health care system to guarantee equity and social justice for all, Kisha, a nurse with a unique perspective and survivor on a mission, was a national spokeswoman chosen in 2022 by the American Heart Association (AHA) to educate the public about the risks of cardiovascular disease. In collaboration with the American Heart Association, Kisha wrote the memoir, SONATA FOR A DAMAGED HEART. SONATA FOR A DAMAGED HEART is one Black woman’s story of a near-death experience following her second pregnancy and the racial disparities in the healthcare industry that contributed to it. The memoir is both a moving, lyrically told story of a decade-long struggle to survive a near-fatal heart attack with dignity and a clarion call for community-wide mobilization to guarantee health care equity. SONATA FOR A DAMAGED HEART recounts the complicated professional and emotional journey that Kisha takes from heart failure to being selected in 2022 by the American Heart Association as one of twelve spokeswomen advocating for women’s heart health in its national education campaign, Reclaim Your Rhythm.
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| 13 Jun 2024 | Black Writers Read: Lisa Braxton | 00:56:18 | |
This episode features our conversation with Lisa Braxton about her recently released memoir, Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss, which was live-streamed on June 1, 2024. Lisa Braxton is the author of the award-winning Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss (Sea Crow Press, April 2024). The memoir in essays is a powerful meditation on grief, a deeply personal mosaic of a daughter’s remembrances of beautiful, challenging and heartbreaking moments of life with her family. It speaks to anyone who has lost a loved one and is trying to navigate the world without them while coming to terms with complicated emotions. She is also the author of the novel, The Talking Drum, winner of a 2021 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards Gold Medal, overall winner of Shelf Unbound book review magazine’s 2020 Independently Published Book Award, winner of a 2020 Outstanding Literary Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, and a Finalist for the International Book Awards. She is an Emmy nominated former TV journalist and is a writing instructor at Grub Street Boston. She is the presidents of the Greater Boston Section of the National Council of Negro Women and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Lisa Braxton's parents died within two years of each other-her mother from ovarian cancer, her father from prostate cancer. While caring for her mother she was stunned to find out that she, herself, had a life-threatening illness—breast cancer. In the intimate, lyrical memoir-in-essays of Dancing Between the Raindrops, Lisa Braxton takes us to the core of her loss and extends a lifeline of comfort to anyone who needs to be reminded that in their grief they are not alone. To learn more about Lisa and her work, please visit lisabraxton.com. Find Lisa on Instagram: @lisabraxtonwrites | |||
| 19 Jun 2024 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Fiction Authors on Craft, Inspiration & Impact | 01:17:00 | |
In celebration of Juneteenth, we revisit our conversations with fiction authors featured during Season Four to reflect on approaches to creating worlds for our characters and what informs this work. Included in this bonus episode are: | |||
| 03 Jul 2024 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: Authors on Memoir | 00:53:47 | |
This bonus episode features excerpts from five interviews from Season Four - those that we had with authors who write memoir. Over the summer, we will be revisiting conversations that cover the nuisances of genre, form, and style - offering mini masterclasses filled with advice and insight from some of our guests. This retrospective offers insight on source material, exploring the effects of traumatic experiences, self-reflecting on formative moments in life, and honoring the past. Memoir, which is considered creative nonfiction, offers writers a space to tackle difficult situations with grace and humility - also a chance to implore the mechanics of fiction to expand upon memory and circumstances. Included on this bonus episode are: K E Garland (S4 E8) uses personal essays and memoir to de-marginalize women's experiences with an intent to highlight and humanize contemporary issues. She has published essays with Midnight & Indigo, Raising Mothers, and For Harriet. We chatted about her debut memoir, IN SEARCH OF A SALVE: MEMOIR OF A SEX ADDICT. Wakisha "Kisha" Stewart 's (S4 E18) SONATA FOR A DAMAGED HEART recounts the complicated professional and emotional journey that Kisha takes from heart failure to being selected in 2022 by the American Heart Association as one of twelve spokeswomen advocating for women’s heart health in its national education campaign, Reclaim Your Rhythm. Lisa Braxton (S4 E19) is the author of the award-winning DANCING BETWEEN THE RAINDROPS: A DAUGHTER'S REFLECTION ON LOVE AND LOSS. This memoir in essays is a powerful meditation on grief, a deeply personal mosaic of a daughter’s remembrances of beautiful, challenging and heartbreaking moments of life with her family. It speaks to anyone who has lost a loved one and is trying to navigate the world without them while coming to terms with complicated emotions. | |||
| 19 Jul 2024 | Bonus: Insight into the Heavy is the Crown Anthology | 01:20:03 | |
I've been so excited to share insight on a project I've been working on for the past few months. Serving as editor on this project, I wanted to give the Black Writers Read community a preview of the anthology, Heavy is the Crown, which is scheduled for release in August of 2024. It is now available for pre-order. Produced under the auspices of A Queen’s Narrative, Heavy is the Crown features essays and creative writing contributed by twenty-two women, femme-identified, and trans folx from across the country. Topics explored in this book include experiences with addiction, recovery, sexual assault, toxic workplaces, journeys as mothers and caregivers, pregnancy, immigration, identity, identities, domestic violence, generational trauma, incarceration, suicide, suicide ideation, and mental health. Authors explored their healing journeys and life lessons learned while offering advice for others who are going through something that might be similar. In this episode, you'll hear from eight women who contributed their stories to the anthology in a mix of brief interviews and readings of excerpts from poems and creative nonfiction included in the anthology: T’challa Williams, Laverne Ben-Mansel, Yaya Gloria Agosto, Nzima Hutchings, Regine Jackson, Queenpen, Gri Saex and Barbara McClane. Based in Western Massachusetts, A Queen's Narrative is a BIPOC women-led empowerment company whose mission is to define narrative power and use narrative storytelling to empower women and girls to become their best version. Using various platforms like blogs, newsletters, anthologies, events, and youth development programming help them in achieving the vision of amplifying the voices of women and girls for the rest of the world to hear. A Queen's Narrative is especially committed to providing free thematic youth development workshops that strengthen youth skills in public speaking, teamwork, leadership, and creative expression. To learn more about A Queen’s Narrative, please visit aqueensnarrative.com. | |||
| 24 Jul 2024 | Bonus: Nicole on Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie | 00:18:11 | |
In this bonus episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the book, Queenie (2019) by Candice Carty-Williams and its streaming television series adaptation. For those of you who are new to this platform and my work, I’ve always been extremely interested in spectatorship and what draws us to the things we watch, read, and consume. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting bonus episodes where I talk about some of the books written by Black women that I’ve read recently that have been adapted for film and television. I really appreciate these types of formats as it makes work accessible to various audiences as some folx prefer to read while others prefer to watch a narrative interpretation of the thing. | |||
| 02 Aug 2024 | Black Writers Read Retrospective: On Poetry | 01:14:54 | |
Today, August 2, 2024, is African American essayist, novelist, poet, cultural critic, orator and activist James Baldwin’s (1924-1987) centennial birthday. In this retrospective, we take a look back at conversations with poets whose work performs the task of "bearing witness", like that of Baldwin's writing. Baldwin's canon of work explored fundamental questions about the experiences of African Americans, particularly issues pertaining to class, race, religion, masculinities, sexuality and social acceptance. Documenting the world and society as it was manifesting around him, Baldwin delivered the news to his readers as a way to advocate for change. Nicole highly recommends folx to read Baldwin's essay, Letter for My Nephew, which first appeared in The Progressive magazine in 1962. Included on this bonus episode are: | |||
| 16 Aug 2024 | A Conversation with Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin from A24's SING SING | 00:20:46 | |
This bonus episode features my recent conversation with Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin from the latest release from A24 Films, SING SING. Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) helps people in prison develop critical life skills through the arts, modeling an approach to the justice system based on human dignity rather than punishment. Founded at Sing Sing in 1996, RTA works with professional teaching artists to lead year-round workshops in theater, dance, music, creative writing, and visual arts. The RTA model provides an intensive, comprehensive arts program in prison that builds critical life skills so that people can meet the challenges of connecting with family and community when released. RTA demonstrates that an approach based on human dignity is vastly more successful than one based on punishment. Less than 3% of RTA members return to prison, compared to the national recidivism rate of 60%. To learn more about Rehabilitation Through the Arts, please visit their website at rta-arts.org. | |||
| 11 Sep 2024 | Black Writers Read: Season Five Trailer | 00:03:44 | |
Welcome to Season Five of Black Writers Read! Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/ | |||
| 12 Sep 2024 | Black Writers Read: Yael Valencia Aldana | 01:11:05 | |
This episode features our conversation with Yael Valencia Aldana, the recipient of the 2024 Pushcart Prize for Poetry. We chatted about her forthcoming poetry collection, BLACK MESTIZA, which is scheduled for release in January of 2025 . Yael Valencia Aldana is an award-winning poet and writer. She is the author of the poetry collection Black Mestiza (University of Kentucky Press, 2025) and the chapbook, Alien(s) (Bottlecap Press, 2023). She is a Pushcart Prize winner, and her work has been widely published, among others. She teaches creative writing at Florida International University and is the managing editor of Purple Ink Press. She lives in Florida near the ocean with her son and too many pets. In Black Mestiza, Yael reckons with her identity as a Caribbean Afro-Latinx woman with Indigenous, Black, and white roots and pays homage to the legacy, resilience, and fortitude of her ancestors. These stunning poems paint a vivid picture of everyday life and Aldana's experiences as a mixed-race woman, daughter, and mother. The Pushcart Prize–winning poem "Black Person Head Bob" addresses how Black people silently yet soulfully acknowledge and see each other. "Why Don't You Write About Joy?" acknowledges the suffering that women of color endure while their cries and spirit remain resolute: because you cannot hear me / doesn't mean I am not singing. "Small Dark and Moving" skillfully represents the poet's journey and the souls she carries with her, evoking images of evolving landscapes and beings as they transition through different forms. The poet beautifully interweaves narratives regarding the constant presence and influence of her Caribbean parents and a desire for more connection with her Colombian grandmother and ancestry, capturing the essence of origins, blood ties, and the idea that nothing is ever truly lost. This collection is not only a testament to Aldana's deep-rooted connection to her heritage, but a compelling celebration and expression of pride, recognition, and a profound sense of community. To learn more about Yael and her work, please visit YaelAldana.com. | |||
| 19 Sep 2024 | Bonus: Isabel Wilkerson's Caste, a Conversation with Pink Lady Jasmine Gary | 01:08:37 | |
This episode features my conversation with guest host, fellow Black woman podcaster Jasmine Gary, about the book, Caste: The Origin of our Discontents (2020), by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, Isabel Wilkerson and its film adaptation, Origin, written and directed by Ava DuVernay (Array). Both the book and the film revisit some very dark moments in history, making important connections to today’s political climate. Both are vital to experience now as DuVernay has been cited as saying she specifically wanted to make and release this film ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Though emotionally heavy, the book and film contribute key social commentary to the culture. Her love for creativity and expression began as a child when she sang, danced, acted, and stage-managed various productions in her middle and high school performing arts schools. A proud Patersionian, Jasmine went on to earn a B.A. in Communications from Howard University, graduating in 2015, which allowed her to explore the behind-the-scenes aspects of radio, TV, and film. Jasmine became an avid listener of podcasts in 2017. So in 2019, she began editing and producing them. While developing Pink Lady Productions, she realized a gap in the representation of queer entrepreneurs and women of color in the podcasting world. Both in front of the microphone and behind-the-scenes, queer entrepreneurs and women of color and their stories continue to be underrepresented. So the mission of Pink Lady Productions is a simple one: to take on the role of "producer" so that artists can focus on creating and telling their stories. Podcasting Is the New Kink! is a space for Black women to get inspiration and insight! Join host, Jasmine Gary, best known as Pink Lady, as she interviews wellness and healing professionals and reviews television adaptations of novels written by Black women. Learn to be your best and favorite self, and think more critically about media and society. Find Jasmine on Instagram: @pinkladyprod and @pod.kink | |||
| 03 Oct 2024 | BONUS: Nicole + Jasmine Chat about 'The Other Black Girl' | 00:59:20 | |
This special bonus episode of Black Writers Read is the first episode of Season Eight of Podcasting is the New Kink! which features me as a guest co-host! I was invited by Jasmine Gary to join her on her platform to chat about the novel, The Other Black Girl (Atria, 2021) by Zakiya Delila Harris, and the subsequent television series adaptation (now available to stream on Hulu). Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, this thriller, Harris's debut novel, is about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.
Find Jasmine on Instagram: @pinkladyprod and @pod.kink | |||
| 10 Oct 2024 | Black Writers Read: Lori L. Tharps | 01:28:12 | |
This episode features our conversation from September 28, 2024 with Lori L. Tharps, founder of the Reed, Write & Create platform. Lori is an award-winning author, journalist and educator. A self-described, storytelling evangelist, Tharps is a recognized voice in the areas of race, identity politics and African-American culture. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Glamour and Essence magazines, among others. In 2021, Tharps moved with her husband and children to the south of Spain, where she launched Reed, Write & Create, a podcast and platform that celebrates and supports BIPoC stories and storytellers with content, coaching, and community. The Reed, Write, & Create podcast was named Best Literary Podcast by the Black Podcasting Awards in 2023 (Black Writers Read is the recipient of the 2024 Best Literary Podcast Award from the Black Podcasting Awards. A graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Tharps is the author of three critically acclaimed nonfiction books, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain, and Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America’s Diverse Families. Tharps also penned the novel, Substitute Me. Tharps also works as a book coach and collaborator with celebrities and public figures, and has written four books in this role, including The Redemption of Bobby Love and I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here. Both of these titles began as posts on the popular Humans of New York Instagram feed. The Reed, Write & Create platform provides multiple opportunities for writers to receive a range of support including the blog, the podcast, and The Sanctuary. Learn more about Lori, her work and the Reed, Write & Create platform, please visit: ReedWriteandCreate.com. | |||
| 24 Oct 2024 | Black Writers Read: Tracy Cross's A Gathering of Weapons | 01:22:15 | |
On this episode, we welcomed back Tracy Cross (who first joined us in Season Two) for our conversation on October 5, 2024 to talk about her recently released second book, A Gathering of Weapons. About A Gathering of Weapons Nearly four years have passed since the events of Rootwork (the first book of The Conjure Series) and the youngest Conway sister, Pee Wee, is now thirteen years old and on the cusp of magical greatness. Ever since the tragedy of 1889, she's worked tirelessly to practice her Hoodoo and hone her conjure skills so as to right the wrongs done to her family. But as a young Black girl living in the post-Reconstruction era of the segregated South, her growing powers do not go unnoticed. Strange and malevolent forces have descended upon the small Louisiana parish Pee Wee calls home, and she must use her newly acquired conjure skills to fight back. Will she use them for good? Or will she pledge herself to the ghost of a dead Voodoo priestess and the darkness the woman serves in exchange for unlimited power and the promise of generational revenge? A Gathering of Weapons is the second book of The Conjure Series. About Tracy Cross Tracy Cross’s debut novel, Rootwork, explored racism, sexism, karmic justice, and the power of family and faith. Her second novel in the series, A Gathering of Weapons (Dark Hart Publishing, 2024). Her work can be found in several anthologies, including Don’t Break the Oath, Black Magick (13 Tales of Darkness, Horror and the Occult) and 99 Tiny Terrors. She has been a recipient of a grant from the Ladies of Horror Fiction and the Horror Writers Association Scholarship from Hell. She lives in Washington, DC, is an active member of the HWA and a huge Prince fan. She also enjoys disco and has an Esty page for her other artistic endeavors. Learn more about Tracy and her work, please visit tracycrossonline.com. Find Tracy on Instagram: @tracycrosswrites | |||