On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author Robert Jones, Jr. His debut novel, The Prophets , was published in January by G.P. Putnam Sons, an imprint of Penguin RandomHouse. The Prophets has been hailed for its spellbinding mix of lyricism, rawness, and authenticity, that is immediately reminiscent of the late, great Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Robert is from New York City and has a BFA in creative writing and a MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. His work ...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 23
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author Angela Jackson-Brown . She is the author of the novel, Drinking From a Bitter Cup , and the award-winning poetry collection, House Repairs . Her latest novel, When Stars Rain Down , was published by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Harper Collins, on April 13, 2021. Angela teaches Creative Writing and English at Ball State University in Muncie, IN and has an MFA from the Spalding low-residency program in Creative Writing. Epi...
Jun 22, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 22
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,...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 21
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with marketing maven Tina Wells and journalist and author of 300 Sandwiches: A Multi-Layered Love Story , Stephanie Smith . Tina and Stephanie have been friends and collaborators for 15 years. Their current project is the middle-grade fiction series The Zee Files published by West Margin Press and available at Target. Episode Notes On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with marketing maven Tina Wells and jour...
Jun 08, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 20
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 Ink and the Women Speak Reading series and Writing Center Director at Shaw University. Episode Notes ...
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 19
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 and daughter of O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden, 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 summe...
May 25, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 18
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with poet Carla M. Cherry about her latest collection, Stardust & Skin . A Bronx native, an educator and academic, Carla is a graduate of Spelman College, NYU, Lehman College, and is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at the City College of New York. She says her goal is to make poetry accessible and help young girls of color give voice to their insecurities and vulnerabilities. Episode Notes On this episode of Black ...
May 18, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 17
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 ag...
May 11, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 16
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author Candis McDow about her book, Half the Battle: A Memoir . In this deeply personal story, Candis takes the reader through her journey of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a family vacation. A writer from age six, Candis was first published in the anthology series, Chicken Soup for the Soul . She says her goal as a writer is to break the stigma surrounding mental illness and to show others that they can live their ...
May 04, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with award-winning poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis about her new poetry collection, a more perfect Union . The collection explores the experiential intersection of the lives of Black women in the United States. A Cave Canem fellow with work published in dozens of journals and anthologies, Teri is a member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collective and currently serves as the Poetry Coordinator for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington,...
Apr 27, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 14
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with actress, writer and poet Iman N. Milner about her new poetry collection, on breaking back together . The collection on faith, love, loss, and self-preservation is soul-shattering and brutally honest. The work helps fulfill Iman's mission to heal herself in her own work as well as inspire others to prioritize their own healing. An actress from the age of 8, she sees her work on stage, TV, film, and in print--be it articles she's ...
Apr 20, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 13
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with creative, critical writer, poet, and performer Rosamond S. King about her new poetry collection, All The Rage . The collection was inspired by the lack of indictments handed down in the death of Eric Garner who was killed by police officers in New York in 2014. From that singular incident she crafted a collection set in the fictional world of the abattoir to discuss Black joy and Black pain living in tandem. She sees the collect...
Apr 13, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 12
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 N...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 11
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, TaRessa Stovall , about her memoir, Swirl Girl: Coming of Race in the USA . TaRessa was born a jazz baby in Seattle, Washington and is a self-proclaimed Black Power Flower Child. (All Power to the People). TaRessa identified herself as an author from the age of seven and got her start in the industry by self-publishing her poetry as a young adult. She has gone on to publish independently and traditionally writing a child...
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 10
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...
Mar 23, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 9
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Wandeka Gayle , about her short story collection, Motherland and Other Stories . Wandeka is an artist in every since of the word. A Jamaican writer, visual artist, pianist, and Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Spelman College, she has received numerous fellowships including from Kimbilio Fiction, Callaloo, and the Hurston/Wright Foundation. She has a Ph.D. in English/Creative Writing. Her work has appeared in P...
Mar 16, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 8
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Monica M. Brown , about her book, Only One: How to Be a Bad Ass Boss in Corporate America . Monica is a deeply-accomplished and results driven senior executive with 20+ years of experience in tech and has worked for several Fortune 500 companies including AT&T, Comcast NBCUniversal, and SiriusXM Pandora. Episode Notes On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Monica M. Brown , about ...
Mar 09, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 7
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Naima Coster , about the release of her second novel, What's Mine and Yours . (SPOILER ALERT) Naima's stories and essays have appeared in the New York Times, The Sunday Times, The Paris Review Daily and more. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree for 2020 and her debut novel, Halsey Street , was a finalist for the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. Episode Notes On this episode of Black & Published , Nikes...
Mar 02, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 6
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Enitan Bereola, II , about how he got the words out of his head and onto the page to turn his lifestyle into brand that took him from social media influencer to global storyteller. Enitan is the author of three bestselling books that the Obama's, Oprah, and the Zuckerburgs own including 2009's Bereolaesque: The Contemporary Gentleman & Etiquette Book for the Urban Sophisticate , 2013's Gentlewoman: Etiquette for a La...
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 5
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, ...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Deesha Philyaw , about her phenomenal journey with her short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies , which was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award and the 2020/2021 Story Prize. Episode Notes In this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Deesha Philyaw , about her phenomenal journey with her short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies , which was a finalis...
Feb 09, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Roy Glenn , about his long career that started when he self-published his debut novel, Is it a Crime , in 1994 in part as a response to Waiting to Exhale . Glenn, who is a multi-genre author and is known as the master of suspense, has published more than 70 novels both independently and traditionally. Episode Notes In this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author, Roy Glenn , about his long care...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 2
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. Episode Notes In this debut episode of Black & Publishe...
Jan 26, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Black & Published will bring you the untold stories of BIPOC authors, poets, playwrights, and storytellers of all kinds, hosted by two-time Emmy award winning producer and award winning author Nikesha Elise Williams . Conversations will center on what it means to be a writer, the writing process, and how exactly you get published. Black & Published Host: Nikesha Elise Williams ( @Nikesha_Elise ) Logo Design: Gisette Gomez ( @zodiacstudiosco ) Theme Music: DJ EnerJi ( @iamenerji ) Follow ...
Jan 11, 2021•5 min
