This post contains affiliate links for Bookshop.org where possible. It's a great way support our work! Children of the 70s, 80s, and 90s will always shudder when the words "A Very Special Episode " are mentioned, because nothing fun typically followed when our favorite sitcom got serious for a week or two. Mention the name Gordon Jump, or Mr. Horton , to devoted fans of Diff'rent Strokes and you'll see what I mean. And so here we are, with our very own Very Special Episode. Because the 2024 elec...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 9
It's the final episode of season one of Black Romance Has A History, and thank goodness we've gotten to the definitive history and impact of 1994, The Summer of Black Love. Or have we??? This week, Steve and Nicole grapple with the questions of impact and legacy, and the ways in which history isn't that easy to encapsulate. Was 1994 a revolution for Black romance? Or was it just a moment that has passed? There isn't really a neat old HEA for this season, sad to say... Make sure to follow us on I...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 8
Our final interview for this season is with Nicole Falls, self-published author of more than twenty Black romance novels. Nicole is a Chicago native, podcaster, editor, and a staunch supporter of Black romance. Her most recent release is Excess Baggage and she’s recently soft-launched Black Romance University. In this episode, we talk to Nicole as a life-long reader of Black romance about her favorite authors, the important role of libraries and bookstores as a young reader, the African American...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This week’s guest is Piper G. Huguley . Piper is a professor of literature at Clark University Atlanta in addition to being an author of historical romance and historical fiction. Most recently she is the author of American Daughters . We invited Piper for her unique perspective as both a scholar of 19th and 20th century African American literature as well as an author who has tried to carry on the legacy of The Summer of Black Love. We talk about her experiences as a historical romance author, ...
Aug 05, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This week's guest is the one and only Beverly Jenkins . Ms. Bev, as she's known in romance circles, broke onto the scene in 1994 with her historical romance Night Song . She was Avon’s first Black romance author and the first mainstream published Black historical romance author. Her love of research and uncovering stories of Black history has earned her legions of readers, including us. We talk with Ms. Bev about her publishing journey, her fans, finding community with fellow authors, the struct...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 5
This week's guest is Margie Walker. Her second book, A Sweet Refrain , was part of the second month of the Arabesque line alongside Beguiled by Eboni Snoe. She talks with us about her early days as a writer, the community of Black romance authors that formed in the early 1990s, what projects she's been up to in the years since as a screenwriter, and much more. Thanks again to Margie Walker for joining us this week! You can find several of Margie’s books on Kindle Unlimited , and her Arabesque ti...
Jul 22, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Thanks again to Steven Zacharius for joining us for a great conversation about the history of Kensington Publishing Corp. and Arabesque in particular. The launch of Arabesque was greeted with fanfare by Romantic Times, including this great cover: The profile article inside includes interviews with launch authors Sandra Kitt , Francis Ray, and editor Monica Harris . Make sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an episode! Got an idea...
Jul 15, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 3
This week we're looking at the cultural context in which the Summer of Black Love happened, both within the romance genre and out in the real world. We get into race, class, the US economy and why Reagan is still to blame, colorist, respectability politics, and the classic 1994 film Jason's Lyric . We told you it was going to get nerdy! Make sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an episode! music by Purple Planet Follow the hosts ...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 2
For romance publishing, 1994 was The Summer of Black Love. 1994 was a banner year for Black romance, with more books with Black main characters published in a single year than in any year prior. This week we'll introduce ourselves and set the syllabus for the season. Your hosts for this wild ride are Nicole Jackson and Steve Ammidown, two friends, historians, and romance readers. Make sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an episo...
Jun 30, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 1
