Black & Published

This season on Black & Published we're meeting the moment. According to Pen America’s 2023 report, Banned in the USA, 138 school districts in 32 states banned books. The majority of those books featured queer themes and characters, protagonists of color, or addressed racism and activism. So this season we're talking about it all: book bans, mass incarceration, reproductive freedom, homophobia and transphobia, rape culture, racism and white supremacy and so much more.Look for new episodes starting next week featuring authors: Terah Shelton Harris, Jennifer Baker, Dolen Perkins Valdez, jarrett hill, Tre’Vell Anderson, Minda Honey, Lamya H and many many more. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Erica Simone Turnipseed author of the new children's picture book, Bigger Than Me. In the book, children discover the impact they can have when they band together and how solidarity lifts everyone up during the 2020 COVID pandemic and racial reckoning. In our conversation, Erica discusses why she decided to have her young characters use actual building blocks to make meaning of their lives, why she's eternally hopeful despite the current sociopolitical landscape, and how she's reaching parents, teachers, and librarians to get her book to a young audience. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

What’s Good Black & Published Family… Yes, I’m still but I wanted to pop into your ears to tell you how you can win a copy of Cleyvis Natera’s Neruda on the Park which was recently released in paperback. All you have to do is follow Black & Published (@BLKandPublished) and Cleyvis Natera (@CleyvisNatera) on both Twitter and Instagram. And then of course like this post. The drawing will close one week from today on June 26, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. at which point two winners will be randomly selected. We’ll notify you by DM and request your address for shipment. Oh… and if you want a taste of what the book is about check out the replay of my conversation with Cleyvis. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Lori L. Tharps, an author and ghostwriter living abroad in Spain. Her work sits at the intersection of race and real life. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed nonfiction books including, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (St. Martin's) Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain (Atria), and Same Family, Different Colors: Confronting Colorism in America's Diverse Families (Beacon) She also penned the novel, Substitute Me (Atria). In our conversation, Lori discusses how she's working to expand the definition of the Black experience in life and literature, her personal rift with the ghostwriting industry, and the platforms she's creating for BIPOC literary artists for community and travel. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Victoria Christopher Murray, author of Pride, A Seven Deadly Sins Novel. A native of Queens, New York, Victoria spent years in Corporate America and as an entrepreneur before embarking on her literary career in the late 90s. Dubbed a Christian Fiction writer because no one else was writing about religious topics, Victoria blazed the literary scene penning more than 30 novels, co-writing with other authors, and ghostwriting for top talent across the country.In our conversation, Victoria discusses her guerrilla marketing plan for her debut, self-published novel that led her to sell 9,000 copies in just a few months. How she managed a two year period of rejection by major publishers and being intimidated by her own work after winning an NAACP Image Award. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Nicole Cuffy, author of Dances. Nicole is a D.C.-based writer with a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from The New School. She is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and American University. Her work can be found in Mason’s Road, The Master’s Review Volume VI (curated by Roxane Gay), Chautauqua, and Blue Mesa Review, and her chapbook, Atlas of the Body, won the Chautauqua Janus Prize and was a finalist for the Black River Chapbook Competition. When she is not writing, she is reading, and when she is not reading, she is probably dancing.In our conversation, we discuss how she plans and researches her stories whether she's talking about classical ballet or anatomy. Plus, how history usurped her original premise for the setting of her novel, and why she's resistant to the label of African-American literature and only thinks of herself as a writer and not a "Black writer." Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Rhonda McKnight, author of The Thing About Home. Rhonda is also the author of twenty-five traditional and indie-published award-winning bestsellers, including An Inconvenient Friend, What Kind of Fool, and Unbreak My Heart. She is a two-time winner of the Emma award in the categories of Inspirational Romance of the Year (2015) and Debut Author (2010). She writes inspirational book club fiction and Christian romance about complex characters in crisis.In our conversation, we discuss the kind of internal commitment it takes to truly become a writer, how breaking her own rules helped renew and revive her literary career, and the pivot points that sent her from traditional publishing, to indie publishing, and back again. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Nikki May, author of Wahala. Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. At twenty, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, going on to run a successful agency. Her debut novel Wahala was inspired by a long boozy lunch with friends.In our conversation, we discuss how her overnight success in the literary world is really due to her 57 years of life on Earth. Plus why she revels in "frivolous" stories and how despite trying to write a fun entertaining story, serious issues seemed to creep in any way. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Caseen Gaines, author of When Broadway Was Black: The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical that Changed the World. Caseen Gaines is an author, director, educator, and pop culture historian. He is the author of We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy, A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic and Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse, which earned Caseen a 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award. In our conversation we discuss how Caseen landed his first book deal by cold pitching presses, the value of collective memory and how it increases the incentive to erase Black history, and why no matter how many books you publish, you're never just "good" as a working writer.Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Yessoh G.D. author of the African fantastical suspense thriller, Ta Lé Book One: Knowledge. Yessoh grew up in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, a country on the southern coast of West Africa. He believes that books have the power to change people for the betterment of the whole. When he is not day-dreaming about stories and the world, he is a visual effects artist and a gamer. He specializes in 3-D animation and visual effects and has worked on many films, television shows, and commercials, including for Disney, Netflix, and Apple TV.In our conversation, Yessoh discusses why he had to see the story clearly in his mind before he could begin writing, the challenges he faced getting his book to readers as an African author, and why it was important to him to incorporate African spiritual traditions and practices in the narrative of his novel. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Derrick Harriell author of the poetry collection, Come Kingdom. Derrick Harriell is the Ottilie Schillig Associate Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Mississippi. His previous collections of poems include Stripper in Wonderland, Cotton, and Ropes, winner of the 2014 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Poetry Book AwardDuring our conversation, Derrick opens up about being bitten by the poetry bug at an open mic night when he was just 19 years old, the vulnerability he experienced between his friends and family members during the pandemic, and writing a book that could stand the test of time as his Magnum Opus. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Dior J. Stephens author of the poetry collection, CRUEL/CRUEL. Dior J is the author of the chapbooks SCREAMS & lavender, 001, and CANNON!. They proudly serve as the Managing Poetry Editor of Foglifter Journal and Press and are a fellow of Cave Canem and Lambda Literary's Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fellowship. In our conversation, Dior discusses writing poems to popular music as a child, how confronting his rage and anger helped him publish his debut collection, and encouraging his students to fail as much as he encourages them to be great. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Victor LaValle author of the novel Lone Women. As the writer behind six other works of fiction, Victor's novels have been included in best-of-the-year lists by The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Nation, and Publishers Weekly, among others. He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Book Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Key to Southeast Queens. He lives in the Bronx with his wife and kids and teaches at Columbia University.In our conversation, Victor discusses being depressed after not being able to initially sell his first short story collection, the truth horror tells that other books don't, and writing horrific historical fiction where everything is true. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Laura Warrell, author of the novel, Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, which was named a ‘best’ or ‘must-read’ book by Vanity Fair, People, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and more. The novel was chosen as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick and Laura was named a “Writer to Watch” by Publishers Weekly. She grew up in Kent and Columbus, Ohio.In our conversation, Laura discusses her 25 year journey to publishing her debut novel. What it means now that her big dream has come true. And why she's not committed to giving her characters happy endings. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, author of the short story collection, Drinking from Graveyard Wells (University Press of Kentucky, Spring 2023) which was selected for the 2021 UPK New Poetry & Prose Series. Yvette is a Zimbabwean sarungano (storyteller). Her novel manuscript in progress was selected by George RR Martin for the Worldbuilder Scholarship. She is pursuing her MFA at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where she teaches in the Writing Program. In our conversation, Yvette discusses why she's forcing readers to come to her, the collaborative model she believes all editors should work under, and why she supports Black mediocrity in addition to Black excellence. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Sophronia Scott, author of the novel, Wild, Beautiful and Free. Sophfronia holds a BA in English from Harvard and an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She began her career as an award-winning magazine journalist for Time, and People. When her first novel, All I Need to Get By, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2004 Sophfronia was nominated for best new author at the African American Literary Awards. Sophfronia’s other books include The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, Unforgivable Love, Love’s Long Line, Doing Business By the Book, and This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain. Currently, Sophfronia is the founding director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, a low-residency graduate program based in Alma, Michigan. In our conversation, we discuss how she grew up in Lorain, Ohio--hometown of Toni Morrison--with a father who couldn't read. The one class in college that led her to writing when she was supposed to become a doctor, and the lengths she went to do her work as a writer, including driving a school bus, part-time, while she earned her MFA. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Diane Marie Brown, author of the novel, Black Candle Women. A professor at Orange Coast College and a public health professional for the Long Beach Health Department, Diane has a BA and MPH from UCLA and a degree in fiction from USC’s Master of Professional Writing Program. She grew up in Stockton and now lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband, their four daughters, and their dog, Brownie. Black Candle Women is her debut novel.In our conversation, Diane discusses the incidents in her childhood that made her afraid to take risks in her writing, the experience of winning a publishing contest with a manuscript that had been sitting in a drawer for a decade, and the connection she found between Voodoo and Catholicism that helped her bring to life her novel about the rituals of hoodoo magic. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Destiny O. Birdsong, author of the triptych novel Nobody's Magic. She's also a poet and essayist, and her workhas either appeared or is forthcoming in the Paris Review Daily, Poets & Writers, African American Review, The Best American Poetry 2021, and elsewhere. Nobody’s Magic, was published by Grand Central in February 2022 and was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize.In our conversation, Destiny discusses the deal she made with herself to write whatever came to her mind, shopping a manuscript before it was ready and the power of affirmation that boosted her confidence for writing a story entirely in AAVE. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Danyel Smith, author of the Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Danyel is anaward-winning journalist, and producer. She’s the creator and host of the Black Girl Songbook podcast, a music and talk show that centers black women in music. Danyel has served as editor of Billboard, editor at large at Time Inc., and editor in chief of Vibe. She's also the author of two novels—More Like Wrestling (2003), and Bliss (2005).In our conversation, Danyel discusses growing up reading about rock stars in Rolling Stones and wishing there was coverage of the Black artists she loved. How in writing the history of Black women in pop she gained the confidence to put herself in the story, and the most surprising thing she learned in researching her book that covers everyone from Phillis Wheatley to Rihanna. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Tia Williams, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Seven Days in June. Tia had a fifteen-year career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, and Essence. She also wrote the bestselling novel, The Accidental Diva, and penned two YA novels: It Chicks, and Sixteen Candles. Her award-winning novel, The Perfect Find, will be adapted into a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union this year.In our conversation, Tia discusses how living with chronic pain pushes her to accomplish everything she sets her mind to, the reason Black authors should walk through every open door publishing offers (even if it's a trend), and the best way to fight for your own happy ending. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Janay Harden, author of the novel Forty-Two Minutes. As a licensed clinical social worker, Janay works as a mental health therapist. She is the CEO of Restoring Your Destiny Counseling and Consulting and has over ten years of experience working in the mental health field with children, families, and schools. She's translated her background in mental health into accessible stories for children and teens. In our conversation, Janay discusses why she wants to be known as the storytelling therapist, the generational inheritances she believes keeps people in a chokehold, and how she finally got the guts to ignite her writing career in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Ladee Hubbard, author of the short story collection, The Last Suspicious Holdout. Ladee is also the author of the novels The Talented Ribkins which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction and The Rib King. Her writing has appeared in Oxford American, Guernica, Virginia Quarterly and Callaloo among other venues. Born in Massachusetts and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida, She currently lives in New Orleans. In our conversation, Ladee discusses why she felt the need to pursue an MFA after already earning a Ph.D. and having children. Plus, how Hurricane Katrina inspired her need to share her writing and be in community with other storytellers. She also details how the cynicism and suspicion after President Obama's historic election in 2008 was the fuel for the fire needed to produce this short story collection.Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Mant¿s, author of the poetry collection, The Rootwork Stretched. Mant¿s writes from the intersections of Black, femme, queer, and artist. They are Pittsburgh born, and Hill District raised. They have performed their poetry at universities, open mics, launch parties, book tours, and featured showcases throughout Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. Mant¿s creates work that reflects their healing.In our conversation Mant¿s discusses how poetry is a form of holistic health care she gives to herself, the importance of voicing things out loud, and how poetry allows her to speak across time and give birth to new versions of herself. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with C.M. Lockhart, author of the novel, We Are the Origin. C.M. (also known as Chelsea) is a Black writer of fantasy. She loves creating worlds, exploring relationships, and writing stories about Black girls who aren't all that nice. She is the founder of Written in Melanin LLC — which encompasses a weekly podcast and YouTube channel as well as an online database of books written by Black authors.In our conversation C.M. discusses the reprieve she finds in writing high fantasy. How creating a world run by a goddess and four god lovers helped her work out her own questions of faith, spirituality, and religion. And how she returned to writing at the lowest point in her life. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

In this debut episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Mbinguni, about her debut novel, Looking for Hope. Mbinguni is a natural storyteller with roots in West Africa and the Gullah-Geechee region of Georgia's barrier islands. Her novel, Looking for Hope, follows the life of young Hannah "Mouse" Maynard in this coming of age tale where Mouse transforms from a shy, quiet, girl into a strong assertive woman. Through the course of the conversation, Mbinguni reveals why it took her 14 years to tell the story of Mouse, how she overcame her own insecurities to finally take the leap of her dreams, what made her to decide with an independent publishing company or "vanity press," and why in everything she does she wants to make sure it is done in a spirit of excellence, as she leads with love. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts, author of the essay collection, Black Joy. Tracey, holds both an MBA and an MFA. She's come up through the indie author ranks, has served as a celebrity ghostwriter, and is the author of 15 other titles. During the Conversation, Tracey opens up about the happenstance opportunity that propelled her from relative anonymity to major book deal visibility, how joy feels in her body, and the ways she's creating legacy for her daughter. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Cleyvis Natera, author of the novel, Neruda on the Park. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Cleyvis has received honors from PEN America, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation (VONA). Her fiction, essays and criticism have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, URSA Fiction, The Rumpus, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Skidmore College and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University. Cleyvis worked a corporate job in insurance for two decades ascending to the executive level before pivoting her career to become a full-time writer.In our conversation Cleyvis explains how attending elite programs did not prepare her for the rejection and failure she experienced within the publishing industry. Plus, why it was important for her to address toxic masculinity, the climate crisis, and capitalism in her story about a family in crisis. And the sacrifices made for her and that she's made herself that have helped to shape who she is as well as her career. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Remica Bingham-Risher, author of the memoir, Soul Culture: Black Poets, Books and Questions that Grew Me Up. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Remica is a Cave Canem fellow and Affrilachian Poet. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Writer’s Chronicle, Callaloo and Essence. She has written three poetry collections and is the Director of Quality Enhancement Plan Initiatives at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, where she resides with her husband and children. In our conversation we discuss, how she came to conduct interviews with poetic giants that eventually developed into her memoir, why writing love poems in times of crisis is a revolutionary act, and the directive she's giving to the next generation of poets coming behind her. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Shola Gbemi, author of the novel, They Were Chosen. A New York native of Nigerian descent, his novel focuses on the twin movements of social justice and sexual assault while following fictional characters on an HBCU campus.During our conversation, Shola explains why writing his novel was a seven year process. What he learned from the council of women who checked him over the course of the writing to create female characters with nuance and depth, plus the research he did that helped his characters feel true to life. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Toni Ann Johnson, author of the short story collection, Light Skinned Gone to Waste. The collection won the 2021 Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction. Toni Ann's novella, Homegoing, won Accents Publishing's inaugural novella contest and was published in 2021. Toni Ann was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her novel, Remedy for a Broken Angel. During our conversation, Toni Ann opens up about how she was able to overcome her insecurity as a writer, how her collection contributes to the ever evolving conversation about Blackness in America, and how she developed her style and voice after her first career as a screenwriter. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with George McCalman, author of the book, Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen. The work collects 145 of George's original portraits of Black pioneers alongside stirring profiles of why these individuals matter. A classically trained artist, his studio, McCalman.co creates long-lasting brands for clients across arts, lifestyle, food, and mobile media. He is a senior lecturer in graphic design at California College of Art and is the author and illustrator for the San Francisco Chronicle’s monthly “Observed” column. During our conversation, George discusses how rage fueled his publishing process, why he says book publishing is harmful for writers and artists, and how his mother's death clarified his vision for the book. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Tracy Cross, author of the horror novella Rootwork. Tracy has had several stories published in mass market anthologies and contributed to many horror podcasts. Her debut novella, Rootwork, is a folk horror homage to her late grandmother. She lives in Washington, DC and is a huge Prince fan. During our conversation, Tracy opens up about growing up practicing hoodoo rituals she calls earth magic, why it was important for her characters to get the revenge her grandmother couldn't, and why you will never catch her reading or writing romance. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of the novel, Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? Lizzie is a British-Nigerian writer who has been at the receiving end of the question in the title of her novel many times. Born and raised in London, she now lives with her husband in Milton Keynes, England. In our conversation, Lizzie explains why her novel is an unconventional love story. The three traits she believes every writer needs to have. And she explains why she chose to tackle colorism, the importance of mental health, and prioritizing religion and Christianity when dating. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Chinedu Achebe, author of the novel, The Miseducation of Obi Ifeanyi. Chinedu is Nigerian-American. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors degree in Economics. He published his first book, Blunted on Reality in 2012. Chinedu has also written articles in the Huffington Post, Medium, and Bella Naija. He currently lives in Houston, Texas with his wife and son.In our conversation, he discusses the historical event that inspired his writing, why he doesn't mind if readers have problems with some elements of his fiction, and why he thinks most books marketed toward Black people are overrated. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, author of the novel, Embers on the Wind. Becoming a novelist is Lisa's third career. Before writing, she was a professional ballet dancer with the Pennsylvania and Pacific Northwest Ballet Companies. She also has a Masters in Social Work and works as a psychotherapist. Lisa is biracial and Jewish and her writing on identity has been published in Longreads, Narrative.ly, Literary Mama and The Piltdown Review, where she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.In our conversation, Lisa discusses how her career in ballet prepared her for publishing, the seven full novels she wrote before Embers on the Wind, and what she felt she owed to the spirit of an ancestor who inspired her main character. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Mateo Askaripour, author of the novel, Black Buck. The New York Times bestseller takes on racism in corporate America with humor and wit. Askaripour was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 rising stars to make waves,” and Black Buck was a Read With Jenna Today Show book club pick. He lives in Brooklyn. In our conversation, Mateo discusses the fine line between cult and culture in corporate America, the key dates he will always remember along his writing journey, and how he finds the balance between his head and his heart. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Maisy Card, author of the novel, These Ghosts Are Family which won an American Book Award, the 2021 OCM Bocas Prize in fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, among others. Maisy's writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, The New York Times, and other publications. She was born in Portmore, Jamaica but was raised in Queens, NY. In our conversation, Maisy discusses the difference between the fun and work of writing, telling a family story to say all the things she couldn't say to her own family, and the spooky parallels she noticed between the ghost story she created and her own real life. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this BONUS episode of Black & Published, Nikesha talks about the release of her new book, Mardi Gras Indians, coming out from LSU Press on October 5, 2022. She details the journey since her last bonus episode detailing her own Black & Published story about how the book started with an essay about food, evolved through a global pandemic and pregnancy, and left her with doubts and fears about whether she'd really be able to tell a story older than America. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Katerina Canyon, author of the poetry collection, Surviving Home. Katerina is a 2020 and 2019 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Her stories have been published in New York Times and Huffington Post. She also served as the Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga from 2000 - 2003. She has published multiple chapbooks and an album.In our conversation, Katerina explains why she doesn't believe she has to be happy, how she was tricked into being committed to a psychiatric ward by her own therapist, and how she's learning to take pride in sharing the truth of her trauma. Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicidal ideations, domestic and sexual abuse, extreme poverty and homelessness. Please be gentle with yourself when listening. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dawn Turner, author of the memoir, Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood. An award-winning author and journalist who's reported all over the world, Dawn is a former columnist for the Chicago Tribune where she spent 15 years writing about race, politics and people whose stories are often dismissed and ignored. In 2018, she established the Dawn M. Turner and Kim D. Turner Endowed Scholarship in Media at her alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In our conversation, Dawn explains how her global dreams started with her parents "pointing her towards the sun." She also divulges the secret she kept in shame until writing her memoir made her relive her vulnerable moments. And she explains why even though her memoir chronicles abortion, addiction, murder, and incarceration she believes this is still a story of redemption. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks Marita Golden, author of the novel, A Woman's Place, which was first published in 1986 and is now being re-released by McSweeney's. Marita is the author of six novels as wells as memoirs and other non-fiction works. She's also the co-founder of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and works with writers all over the world facilitating workshops to help them get their stories out. During our conversation, Marita discusses the ruthlessness she had in writing her memoir based on what she was living through, why we shouldn't look to mainstream (white) publishing as the place where the best of Black thought has been produced, and the charge she has for the next generation of your writers to carry on. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Natasha Marin, curator of the Black Powerful anthology; the latest installment in her Black Imagination artist series. A conceptual artist whose people-centered projects have circled the globe, Natasha's focus is on amplifying, centering, and holding sacred space for a diverse sample of voices including LGBTQIA+ Black youth, incarcerated Black women, Black folks with disabilities, unsheltered Black folks, and Black children. She pays the bills by helping individuals and institutions achieve their antiracism goals through creative consulting (NONWHITEWORKS).During our conversation, Natasha explains why even though she got an MFA, she didn’t think she had gone through enough trauma to call herself a writer. Plus the one subject she tackled with her writing that led to doxing and death threats, and what it means to believe in Black supremacy. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

Black & Published podcast is coming back with fresh episodes for all of your literary needs. We're of course talking writing and publishing, but it's all dipped in the Black experience. Our stories and the lessons we learned from our families, even the crazy ones, and what it means to live a life where your legacy is words. New episodes drop every Tuesday starting September 6. Subscribe to Black & Published in your podcast platform of choice and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BLKandPublished. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Georgia Dawkins, about her memoir, Everybody Knows: The Power of Being in Position. Georgia is The Purpose Producer. From ABC’s Good Morning America to Will Packer’s Central Ave, Georgia has worked within a multitude of television genres including local news, network news, talk shows, reality television, and entertainment news. In 2018 she published Everybody Knows while at the same time launching Georgia Dawkins Media to cement herself as a young media tycoon in the making. During the conversation, Georgia and Nikesha discuss how they came to their respective media careers--which is where their paths first crossed some 10 years ago--and why they left. Georgia also shares why she can't help but tell the truth, how she can't help but to seek bigger for herself after years of playing small, and why it's sometimes necessary to burn bridges in your life in the name of self-preservation. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with poet, essayist, and journalist Jeneé Darden about her book, When a Purple Rose Blooms. An Oakland native, Jeneé holds a BA in ethnic studies from UC San Diego and a masters's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She has reported for NPR, Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Ebony and more. The National Book Foundation awarded Jeneé a summer writing fellowship in 2003 and her award-winning short documentary, Where is East Oakland? was screened at the Oakland International Film Festival. Jeneé is passionate about African-American erotic art and mental health awareness. In this conversation she discusses growing up with insecurities, her struggle to love herself, honoring the power in the feminine, and the trauma she endured during and after the O.J. Simpson trial and how it all fuels her work today. ***Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold. Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. Support the showSupport the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author and poet Jessica Lynn about her novel, Kissing Frogs: The Thirteenth. A proud graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and an educator for over 10 years, Jessica Lynn used her experiences, the experiences of friends, and others to craft a literary drama that takes readers to the ancestral realm, on thrilling adventures, and sexy exploits to interrogate what it means to love, lose, and love all over again. During the conversation, Jessica discusses how she wrote a happy ending for her characters even though she was experiencing devastating lows in life. She also explains why she grounds the good and bad decisions of her characters in the reality that as people we may know better, but we don't always do better when it comes to matters of the heart, forging friendships, and fixing familial bonds. ***Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold. Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

In this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Tamika Newhouse, about how she went from teen mom to CEO by the age of twenty. The author of 17 novels, including her latest romance collection, Suga Hill, Tamika Newhouse opens up about the pros and cons of the publishing industry, her battle with mental illness and depression while fulfilling her dreams, and making sure Black women take agency over their own sexuality by creating characters who aren't afraid to ask, get, or even take exactly what they want. Tamika explains why she believes consistency is the key to making it in publishing after self-publishing her first book in 2009 only to land a major deal through her hard work and tenacity. She also drops gems throughout the episode such as, "Your publisher is not your friend," when talking about the industry and, "I don't believe in monogamy, I believe in loyalty . . . or discipline," when waxing on dating and relationships. ***Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold. Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, performer, playwright, and educator Ebony Payne-English, about her journey as a literary artist that has led her to publish a poetry collection (Secrets of Ma'at), a graphic novel (The Random Happenings), and release six studio albums. Her latest offering, Kuongoza, dropped March 28, 2021 and is available on all streaming platforms. With 17 years of professional experience from Black on Black Rhyme to HBO's Brave New Voices, Ebony, is a nationally acclaimed spoken word artist whose performance credits include the renowned Nuyorican Café in New York and ESSENCE Fest. During the conversation, Ebony courageously discusses her devastating diagnosis with an illness that stifled her creativity for three years, how writing helped save her own life, and how Superman Returns inspired her forthcoming play The Goddess Experience. She also dishes on finding God in art and how she stands whole, complete & empowered in her gift as a spoken word artist and emcee. ***Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold. Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with multi-genre literary artist Khalisa Rae. An essayist, journalist, budding novelist, and poet, Khalisa is the author of the chapbook Real Girls Have Real Problems. Her debut full-length poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat is out now from Red Hen Press. Khalisa, who is based in Durham, NC is the founder of Think In Inkand the Women Speak Reading series and Writing Center Director at Shaw University. Episode NotesOn this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with multi-genre literary artist Khalisa Rae. An essayist, journalist, budding novelist, and poet, Khalisa is the author of the chapbook Real Girls Have Real Problems. Her debut full-length poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat is out now from Red Hen Press. Khalisa, who is based in Durham, NC is the founder of Think In Inkand the Women Speak Reading series and Writing Center Director at Shaw University. Khalisa, who speaks with fierce rebellion, says being a writer in the South and the only Black woman in many spaces has taught her many lessons along her publishing journey that she learned through trial and error. In this conversation, she opens up about childhood sexual trauma, the intense racism and oppression she experienced upon migrating from the Midwest to the South and how acknowledging her trauma informs her work and helps heal her pen to page. Khalisa also offers this pro-tip for other creatives, "Do 5 creative things that have nothing to do with making a coin," to keep your creative cup full. ***Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold. Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. Support the showSupport the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with writer, editor, and New York Times Bestselling author Morgan Jerkins. Jerkins, who previously wrote the essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing and the memoir Wandering in Strange Lands, marks her fiction debut with Caul Baby. The Senior Culture Editor for ESPN's The Undefeated and a visiting professor at Columbia University, Jerkins' work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, ELLE, Esquire and more. She is currently based in Harlem. During the interview Jerkins' opens up about how her memoir helped inspire parts of her novel and why she chose to examine Black motherhood with such intensity. She also discusses the undercurrent of displacement that drives the motivations of her characters, how women make an enterprise out of their bodies, and why when she's all written out, first and foremost, she wants to be remembered. ***Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold. Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. Support the showFollow the Show: IG: @blkandpublished Twitter: @BLKandPublished Follow Me:IG: @nikesha_elise Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Website: www.newwrites.com