Afronauts Podcast

Meet today's Hero: Britt Threatt Britt Threatt is a fantasy and speculative fiction writer committed to penning stories that explore the capacity and aliveness of Black youth. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Africana Studies, which informs much of her creative writing around themes of social life and death, intimacy, belonging, and trauma. Britt has a YouTube channel called Britt Writerly, whic...

Meet our next hero: Daniel Renjenko Daniel is a previously agented writer focused on crafting Black main-characters only, and Black-trauma-conscious stories of Afrofuturism and Afrofantasy with some steamy romance weaved in. His main goal is always to empower Black readers, while his personal mission is to change the normalized use of negative black connotations into positivity. Join us as we disc...

This episode is all about revisions! We discuss how many CPs we like to work with, our favorite revision books and articles, and our process for evaluating/incorporating feedback. You can follow us here: Twitter: @AfronautsPod Instagram: @AfronautsPod Pinterest: @AfronautsPod Sources mentioned: https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-revise-a-novel/ https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/write-charact...

Meet our next hero: Tracy Deonn Tracy Deonn is the  New York Times  bestselling, Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award-winning author of  Legendborn,  and a second-generation fangirl. She grew up in central North Carolina, where she devoured fantasy books and Southern food in equal measure. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication and performance studi...

Meet our next hero: Nick Brooks Nick is an award-winning filmmaker from DC. He is also the author of NOTHING INTERESTING EVER HAPPENS TO ETHAN FAIRMONT, the first book of his middle grade novel series (out October 4th) and PROMISE BOYS, his first YA novel (out January 2023).  Join us as we discuss Nick's novels, film writing, and music; his writing process; and how he navigates these differen...

With our first-ever guest co-host, Sierra Elmore, we discuss all things self-publishing. We talked about everything from working with book cover designers, to how you can see your book sales, to getting your books into indie stores! Sierra writes YA contemporary and thriller novels. Her debut novel, DEATH BY SOCIETY, is out now (links below!). You can find Sierra Elmore on Twitter, Instagram, and...

Meet our next hero: Karen Strong Karen is the author of middle grade novels JUST SOUTH OF HOME and EDEN’S EVERDARK. She is the editor of the forthcoming young adult anthology COOL. AWKWARD. BLACK. And she has also written short fiction for Star Wars and other award-winning anthologies. Join us as we discuss Karen's latest novel, Eden's Everdark (out September 6th!), anthologies, and finding balanc...

In this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we introduce The Naut-y Awards! The Naut-ys aren’t really an award show, there’s no single winner, just a chance to gush about our favorites in a handful of categories. Books/Short Stories/Novellas mentioned in this episode: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron Blook Like Magic by Liselle Sambury The Killing Moon by N.K. J...

In this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss writing fight scenes and other types of movement.  Resources/books mentioned in this episode: Essa Hansen thread: https://twitter.com/essahansen/status/1525525321557999616,  Body Beats to Build On by April W Gardner,  Nia Davenport’s THE BLOOD TRIALS,  Namina Forma’s THE GILDED ONES and THE MERCILESS ONES,  A.M. Ellis...

Meet our next hero: Liselle Sambury Liselle is a Trinidadian-Canadian YA fantasy author. In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through her YouTube channel. She is the author of Blood Like Magic , and its sequel Blood Like Fate , out August 9th.  Join us as we discuss Liselle's debut, food, family, worldbuilding, and what we can ex...

In this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: how accurate we want our stories to be, researching before drafting, using our own family history, and tips for keeping track of research. Resources mentioned in this episode:  https://www.archives.gov/research/census/online-resources https://www.wordhippo.com/ https://keep.google.com/u/0/ https://www.notion.so/ https://www.literaturean...

Meet our next hero: Nia Davenport Nia is the author of The Blood Gift duology, which starts with The Blood Trials (out now!). She’s an English and Biology teacher and a strong advocate for diverse perspectives and protagonists in literature. Recently, along with co-founder Traci-Anne Canada, she launched StorySpinner Entertainment, a book packager dedicated to amplifying the voices of the Black Di...

On this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: Our favorite black villains and antagonists, our least favorite, what makes a great villain/antagonist, and more!  Black Books mentioned in this episode: Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Check out our website at http://afronautspodcast.com/ for episodes, resources, and more! Show us a little...

Meet our next hero: Brittney Morris Brittney is the author of SLAY, The Cost of Knowing, Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Wings of Fury, and she’s also written for various video games. Most recently, she joined the team at Insomniac Games to write for the upcoming Spider-Man PS5 game. Join us as we discuss Brittney's experience writing novels AND video games, her advice to younger authors, and a new MG...

On this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: Picking the best mentorship for you, what to watch out for, our ideal mentorship programs, what to do if you don't get in, and more!  Some mentorship programs mentioned in this episode: We Need Diverse Books - Black Creatives Mentorship - https://diversebooks.org/programs/black-creatives-mentorship/ Author Mentor Match - https://authorm...

Meet our next hero: Kiah Danielle Norris Kiah is a Young Adult Speculative Fiction writer. She loves drinking bourbon, discussing books, and ruminating about life, imagination, and writing. Kiah earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University of Los Angeles and her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from California State University Bakersfield. Join us as we discuss MFAs, Kiah's writ...

Happy Valentine's Day! On this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: Black romance, black familial love, and black self love in speculative fiction  Black books mentioned in this episode: Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron,  Legendborn by Tracy Deonn,  Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen,  A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A Brown,  Children of Blood...

Meet our next hero: Sheena Williams Sheena is a YA science fiction writer and artist. She is a winner of the Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware award for Commentary and 2020 Honorable Mention for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.  Join us as we discuss Sheena's querying experience as a marginalized writer, how her background in psychology informs her writing, her book, THE OUTLIER, and m...

Thanks for joining us for Season 2: Dark Matter! On this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: #NaNegroWriMo, Our Winter Writing, Self Care, And our 2022 Writing Goals/Resolutions  Be sure to check out our NEW WEBSITE at http://afronautspodcast.com/. For more information on the horror anthology Death in the Mouth , visit https://deathinthemouth.com/.  Find out more about Black...

On this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: The Call - when an agent calls to offer representation Navigating the Industry  Feel free to use our template for questions to ask during "The Call" - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zFO9_pMuQs01j9fNTbNJ8JJRQ0-fp1K1Ri0aEru5Pvw/edit.  For a link to our Discord Community, follow us on social media and send us an email at afronaut...

Meet our next hero: Mike Lee Mike is a sci-fi, cyberpunk and fantasy writer who also does developmental and copy editing. Join us as we discuss: Mike's publishing journey so far, his experience working with critique partners, his favorite thing about editing, and more! You can find Mike on: Twitter - @mikewrites5, Instagram - @mikewrites, or his website at mikeleewrites.com For a link to our Disco...

On this episode of the Afronauts Podcast, we'll discuss: Twitter Pitch Contests   Hard and Soft Sci-Fi &   World Building  For a link to our Discord Community, follow us on social media and send us an email at afronautspodcast@gmail.com!

Meet our next hero: Tony Debajo Tony is a civil engineer, digital marketer, and the author of In The Shadow of Ruin which is book one in his The Fractured Kingdom series. Join us as we discuss: Tony's novel, his self-publishing journey, tips for writers interested in self-publishing, and more! You can find Tony Debajo on: Instagram @de_bajo_author, Twitter @tdebajo Check out his website and order...

Meet our next hero: Britney S. Lewis Britney writes YA contemporary and speculative fiction, does competitive West Coast swing dancing, and is documenting her traditional publishing journey on YouTube. Her YA debut, The Undead Truth of Us , will be available Summer 2022. Join us as we discuss: Britney's querying tips, imposture syndrome, her long-term writing goals, the part of the publishing jour...

Meet our next hero: Eve Williams Eve has been telling stories since she was 8 years old. She got serious about writing in her late teens and in college studied creative writing and English. She is working on her first fantasy novel and is currently in the beta reader stage. Eve is going to start her querying journey this year with hopes to be published within the next two years. Join us as we disc...