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 repriev...
Jan 10, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 16
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 i...
Jan 03, 2023•37 min
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 cre...
Dec 27, 2022•46 min
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 Bac...
Dec 20, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 15
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 ...
Dec 13, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 14
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 an...
Dec 06, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 13
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...
Nov 29, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 12
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 Ar...
Nov 22, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 11
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 ge...
Nov 15, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 10
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 ...
Nov 08, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 9
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 even...
Nov 01, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 8
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 Revi...
Oct 25, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 7
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 alw...
Oct 18, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 6
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...
Oct 11, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 5
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 show Follow the ...
Oct 04, 2022•31 min
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 commit...
Sep 27, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 4
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 Schol...
Sep 20, 2022•45 min•Season 3Ep. 3
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 h...
Sep 13, 2022•47 min•Season 3Ep. 2
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 pay...
Sep 06, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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 @BLKand...
Aug 30, 2022•4 min
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...
Aug 23, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 32
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 do...
Aug 16, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 31
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...
Aug 09, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 30
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, ...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 29
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...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 28
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 ...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 27
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,...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 26
On this throwback 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 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. ...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 25
On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Zakiya Dalila Harris , author of the novel, The Other Black Girl . Zakiya spent nearly three years in editorial at Knopf/Doubleday before leaving to write her debut novel. Prior to working in publishing, Zakiya received her MFA in creative writing from The New School. Her essays and book reviews have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Guernica, and The Rumpus. During the conversation, Zakiya discusses how the main setting of her novel is real...
Jun 28, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Hey Black and Published family. I’m Checking in with you today to introduce you to a new podcast. The Ursa short fiction podcast hosted by Black & Published season 1 alums Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton. They’re also from Jacksonville, which is where I live so, you know, they get the extra hometown Duval love. Join Deesha (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Dawnie (The Final Revival of Opal & Nev) for author interviews, book club discussions, and immersive short stories — all celeb...
Jun 23, 2022•30 min
