Send us a text 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 ...
Mar 21, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Send us a text 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...
Feb 28, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Send us a text 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 Ba...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Send us a text This episode features our conversations with Tricia Elam Walker (adult fiction. children's books. plays. short stories. essays.) from Episode Four , Tara Betts (poetry) from Episode Five , and Toni Ann Johnson (literary fiction--novel. short story.) from Episode Eight - all from Season Three. 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 wri...
Feb 01, 2023•54 min
Send us a text 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-ch...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Send us a text 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 d...
Jan 11, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Send us a text A bonus episode, Nicole shares what she is reading during her holiday break. Check out her list and read along with her! Black Writers Read will return in early January of 2023. In the meantime, watch past livestreamed episodes on YouTube or listen to audio podcasts episodes . Thanks for your ongoing support. Happy Holidays and see you in the new year! Find us on Instagram: @blackwritersread Find Nicole on Instagram: @coco_penexplore Learn more about Nicole and her other work: nic...
Dec 20, 2022•8 min
Send us a text 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 ...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Send us a text 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 intimat...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Send us a text 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 conne...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Send us a text 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 ...
Nov 08, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Send us a text 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 . Joining me for this special event to co-host was horror writer, Tracy Cross . Black Writers Read supporters will remember her as she was our featured guest on Season Two, Episode ...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text 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 novel, Breathing Room , was published by Simon & Schuster/PocketBooks. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, Essence and other publications. She has pro...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Send us a text 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. Mardi Gras Indians explores how sacred and secular expressions of Carnival throughout the African diaspora came together in a gumbo-sized melting pot to birth one of the most unique traditions celebratin...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Send us a text 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. Rage Hezekiah is a Cave Canem, Ragdale, and MacDowell Fellow who earned her MFA from Emerson College. She is a recipient of the Saint Botolph Emerging Artist Award and sh...
Sep 27, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Send us a text 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 Detrick-Jules is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, author, activist, and public speaker. She captures personal stories and intimate moments centering Black liberation, immigrant justice, and women's rights. An Afro-Caribbean artist who remains ro...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Send us a text Hear insights on the planned lineup of guests for Season Three of Black Writers Read. Season Three of the audio podcast premieres on Tuesday, September 20. We'll be joined by filmmaker, photographer, author, activist, and public speaker St. Clair Detrick-Jules . Please subscribe to be sure to get each episode at its debut. For more information on Black Writers Read, please visit: https://nicolemyoung.com/projects/black-writers-read/ Find us on Instagram: @blackwritersread Support ...
Sep 13, 2022•8 min
Send us a text 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. With cultural origins and connections to Trinadad, Canada, and the United States, Natasha Marin’s people-centered projects have circled the globe since 2012. As a writer, Natasha is represented by Janklow & Nesbit. Natasha has been recognized and acknowledged by Art Forum, the New York Times, the Washington Post, ...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text Tracy Cross (horror fiction) was our guest on Episode 4 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on March 26, 2022. During the episode, Tracy read excerpts from her forthcoming debut novel, Rootwork , which is scheduled for release on November 15, 2022. A widely published author, her 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 ...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Send us a text 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. Dorsey Spencer Jr. is an educator, author and entrepreneur. He is the owner of See Us Fly LLC , an independent publishing company. Dorsey began to write as a way to uplift and highlight the experiences and voices of underrepresented communities. He hopes his work will contribute to the growing body of literature that por...
Aug 23, 2022•56 min
Send us a text 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 Jackso...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Send us a text 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. Labores (Laboring) is the latest poetry coll...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Send us a text 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. Shanta Lee Gander is a photographer, writer across genres and is a public intellectual whose work has been widely featured. She is the author of GHETTOCLAUSTROPHOBIA: Dreamin of Mama While Trying to Speak Woman in Woke Tongues , the winner of the 2020 Diode Press full-length book prize with a...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Send us a text 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 publ...
Jul 26, 2022•9 min
Send us a text 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. Previously a Salon Owner, Aprell May graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Bay Path University in 2021. She is a seventh generation storyteller coming from a proud lineage of family members and ancestors who could hold an audience with compelling words, prose, and narration. Her poe...
Jul 19, 2022•43 min
Send us a text 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 ...
Jul 05, 2022•54 min
Send us a text Memoirist and essayist Shannon Luders-Manuel joined us for Episode 7 of Season One of Black Writers Read. Shannon Luders-Manuel is a West Coast writer, editor, and sensitivity reader. She received her master's in English literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Real Simple, among others. She is currently represented by Chase Literary Agency for her memoir about growing up mixed ra...
Jun 21, 2022•58 min
Send us a text 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. Originally from Detroit, Nicole M. Young-Martin (she/her) is a performance poet, playwright, events curator, and nonprofit professional. Nicole has called New England "home" for over 15 years. As a performance poet, she has performed her work in over 20 venues in various states including Massachusetts, New Y...
Jun 14, 2022•9 min
Send us a text 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 nurse...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Send us a text 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. To learn more about Margo and her work, visit https://margoscreativelife.com/. Support the show...
Jun 07, 2022•56 min
