Black Writers Read

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Decoteau J. Irby , which was live-streamed on September 28, 2026. Dr. Decoteau J. Irby has spent his career fighting for educational justice for Black and Brown students. He began as an educator in Philadelphia, supporting first-generation high school students and their families in pursuing four-year college admission while designing and...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Johnisha Matthews Levi , which was live-streamed on September 27, 2026. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Johnisha Matthews Levi brings a critical eye to her writing based on her experiences as a development professional for social impact nonprofits, a former litigation attorney, and a culinarian. She graduated from Harvard University,...

Send us Fan Mail A companion podcast to our award-winning series, Black Writers Read, Recasting the Culture highlights the work of BIPOC innovators and other co-conspirators, offering an inside look into the practice and process of writers, musicians, visual artists, curators, community leaders, and educators whose work challenges conventions, re/defines culture, and promotes social transformation...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Desiree Cooper, which was live-streamed on September 8, 2026. Desiree Cooper is a 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow, Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist, former attorney, and editor of the groundbreaking 2026 anthology, Black Summers: Growing up in the Urban Outdoors . Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, MSNBC Daily, Flash...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season Seven! Check out this trailer to get a sneak peek of the upcoming season. Black Writers Read showcases, celebrates, and elevates the words, work, and traditions of the African Diaspora. Launched on Juneteenth in 2020, we've hosted over 100 authors representing over 20 genres from six countries and 28 states. Lucky #7! This season, we're focusing on the...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Dr. Rachel Laryea , which was live-streamed on June 26, 2026. Dr. Rachel Laryea is a thought leader who specializes in race and money, ethical entrepreneurship, and social good. After cutting her teeth on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs, she went on to receive her dual Ph. D. in African American Studies and Sociocultural Anthropology at Yal...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Nikesha Elise Williams , which was live-streamed on June 22, 2026. Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy Award-winning producer, an award-winning author, and the producer and host of the Black and Published podcast. A narrative strategist by day and journalist always, her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Bitter Southe...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Jordan Clark, which was live-streamed on May 17, 2026. Jordan Clark has been writing comics for over a decade, with work most recently being published by Ahoy Comics, DC Comics and past stories at IDW, Image Comics and Dynamite Comics. He was also selected as an inaugural member of the Milestone Initiative at DC Comics, which is geared t...

Send us Fan Mail Meet a very special person and power behind Black Writers Read, our Associate Producer, Candace DeLeon! Candace DeLeon is an artist from Detroit based in New York City. She brings her talents and background in theater and administration to The Black Writers Read podcast as Associate Producer.  Candace is an avid reader and has been writing since age 10. She has written plays, poet...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Michelle McGill-Vargas , which was live-streamed on May 2, 2026. Michelle McGill-Vargas writes speculative historical fiction, short stories, and flash fiction. Her work has appeared in Splickety Magazine, The Copperfield Review, and Typehouse Literary. She is a board member of the Midwest Writers Workshop and Historical Novel Society-No...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Johnzelle Anderson , which was live-streamed on April 19, 2026. Johnzelle is a licensed therapist by trade, and believes in the power of storytelling to heal, imagine, disrupt, and inspire. His writing focuses on mental health, race, relationships, and identity. He’s an avid reader and reads approximately 100 books annually. He lives in...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Amiya Phillips, which was live-streamed on April 13, 2026 during National Poetry Month. Amiya Phillips is the author of the recently self-published poetry book "The Heart of the Mat", which showcases her wrestle with anxiety and how God's divine presence steps in. She has also had other pieces of her work included in the 2...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with our 100th guest, children’s book author Nikki McPhetridge, which was live-streamed on March 21, 2026. Nikki McPhetridge is a first-time author, storyteller, and creator of Maya's Birthday Wish (Bookfox Press, August 2025). As a mother, dreamer, and believer in the power of play. Nikki brings heartfelt stories to life that celebrate...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Rosemary Esehagu , which was live-streamed on March 14, 2026. Rosemary Esehagu is a Nigerian-American writer and poet. Her poems have appeared in different journals, including Cool Beans Lit, Genre: Urban Arts, a little poetry, Plum Recruit, African Writer Magazine, and Elephant Journal. Her award-winning novel, The Looming Fog, was publ...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Dr. Latoya Bosworth , which was live-streamed on March 8, 2026 in honor of International Women’s Day. Dr. Latoya Bosworth , who honors her paternal great-grandfather with the shortened “Dr. Boz,”  is an author, forever educator, and "your favorite life coach" who holistically helps others connect more deeply with themselves so...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Vince Hudson , which was live-streamed on February 28, 2026. Vince Hudson is a marketing executive, author, and proud HBCU graduate who serves on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, Dillard University. Raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Vince was blessed to grow up witnessing Black love modeled daily by his parents, a marriage grounde...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Toni Ann Johnson , which was live-streamed on February 15, 2026. Toni Ann Johnson won the Flannery O’Connor Award for her linked story collection, Light Skin Gone to Waste . Selected for the prize and edited by Roxane Gay, the collection was also shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize and nominated for a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Theresa Okokon , which was hosted live and in-person on November 1, 2025 at The LAVA Center in Greenfield, MA. Special thanks to Straw Dog Writers Guild and The LAVA Center for co-hosting this event. Theresa Okokon is an award-winning writer, storyteller, and teacher. A Wisconsinite living in New England, she is the co-host of Stories Fr...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Charmaine Letitcia Wilcox , which was live-streamed on February 10, 2026. Charmaine Leticia Wilcox is an author, independent publisher, and the creative engine behind Triangles Publishing. Based in Las Vegas, she specializes in multi-genre narratives that bridge the gap between gritty reality and vivid imagination. From the high-stakes e...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Dr. Jenn M. Jackson , which was live-streamed on January 23, 2026. Jenn M. Jackson (they/them) is a queer, androgynous Black woman, an abolitionist, a lover of all Black people, and an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University in the Department of Political Science. Jackson’s research is in Black Politics with a focus on Black Feminist...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Cedric Muhikira , which was live-streamed on January 18, 2026. Cedric Muhikira is a self-taught writer and storyteller with roots in migration, cultural fusion, and identity. Raised on stories that bridged continents and generations, Cedric has long been fascinated by the in-between spaces of belonging. He immigrated to the United States...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with author, actress, and activist Denise Nicholas , which was live-streamed on January 17, 2026. Nicholas's memoir, Finding Home (Agate Bolden, 2025), chronicles her time growing up in Detroit, her trailblazing acting and writing career, her personal journey, and familial loss. With eloquence, vulnerability, and resolve, Nicholas mines...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Cher Terais , which was live-streamed on December 21, 2025.   Cher Terais is a bestselling Wanderlust Romance author, cultural storyteller, and the creative force behind As Written by Cher Terais. Known for crafting love stories that travel the world while centering bold, accomplished Black women, Cher’s work blends romance, culture, and...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Emely Rumble, LICSW , which was live-streamed on December 2, 2025.   Emely Rumble, LICSW is a distinguished licensed clinical social worker, school social worker, and seasoned biblio/psychotherapist with over 15 years of professional experience. Committed to making mental health services more accessible, Emely specializes in the transfor...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Jodi-Ann Burey , which was live-streamed on November 18, 2025.   Jodi-Ann Burey (she/her) is a writer and critic who works at the intersections of race, culture, and health equity. She is the author of Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work (Flatiron Books, 2025), which we discussed during this episode. Beyond the written...