Black & Published

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 sur...

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 al...

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...

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 Univer...

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 U...

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,...

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...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Carlos Allende , author of the novel, Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love . Carlos is  is a media psychology scholar and a writer of fiction. He has written two previous novels: Cuadrillas y Contradanzas, a historical melodrama set during the War of Reform, in Mexico, and Love, or the Witches of Windward Circle, a horror farce set in Venice...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Asantewaa Boykin , author of the poetry collection, Love, Lyric & Liberation . Asantewaa Boykin is a proud San Diego native who found her voice in Oakland, CA. Her poetry and art combines her love of words, storytelling, and resistance. Exploring topics like; space-travel, black-femme militancy, & motherhood.  During the conver...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Brian Broome , author of the award winning memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods . Brian is a poet and screenwriter. He has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University’s Martin Luther King Writing Awards. He also won a VANN Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation for jou...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Chicago area sisters Chyrel Jackson and Lyris Wallace , who wrote the poetry collections Different Sides of the Same Coin and Mirrored Images . The sisters said they came to their love of writing from their love of reading authors and poets like Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Terri McMillan and more.  Episode Notes ____________________...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Kristen R. Lee author of the YA novel, Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman .  A novel she began as a way to process her undergraduate experience at MTSU. The novel focuses on systemic racism and Black culture. As a Memphis native, Kristen writes stories that reflect her upbringing.  Episode Notes _________________________...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Marc Curtis Little , author of the award-winning novel, The Bootlegger's Mistress .  Among being a popular independent writer, Marc Curtis Little also worked as a radio broadcaster for fifteen years in a career that was highlighted with seven Billboard Magazine awards for on-air performance and programming. Little also owned and m...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Preston Clark , author of the novel Vinnie: A Love Letter .  Preston is a screenwriter and poet who also works full time as a high school  Humanities teacher at Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men in Chicago. He was a 2021 Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Voices of Color Fellow and his first novel, Vinnie: a love le...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Adiba Nelson , author of the motherhood memoir, Ain't That a Mother: Postpartum, palsy, and Everything in Between .  Adiba Nelson is an author, screenwriter, retired burlesque performer, disability rights advocate, and most recently, the subject of the Emmy winning documentary, The Full Nelson . She wrote and self-published her fi...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Lola Akinmade Åkerström , author of the novel, In Every Mirror She's Black .  Lola has lived on three different continents — Africa, North America, and now Europe — for extended periods of time. As a Nigerian-American author who is now based in Sweden Lọlá  is the author of the 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book,...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Lawrence Jackson, author of the memoir, Shelter: A Black Tale of Homeland, Baltimore .  Jackson is a biographer and critic whose work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine , n+1 , and Best American Essays . He teaches English and history at Johns Hopkins and founded the Billie Holiday Project for Liberation Arts. Episode Notes ____________...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha continues National Poetry Month highlighting Ashanti Anderson , whose debut chapbook Black Under was the winner of the Spring 2020 Black River Chapbook Competition hosted by Black Lawrence Press. Ashanti is a Black Queer Disabled poet. Her poems have appeared in World Literature Today, POETRY magazine, and elsewhere in print and on the web.  Episo...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha kicks off National Poetry month with Andres "Andy" Rojas , author of the poetry collection, Third Winter in our Second Country . Andy was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. at age 13. He holds an MFA from the University of Florida and currently edits for Poetry Is Currency. By day he's a lawyer who works for the IRS. Episode Notes __...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Nana Nkweti , author of the short story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells . Nana is a Caine Prize finalist and alumna of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Kimbilio, Ucross, and the Wurlitzer Foundation, among others. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama. Episode Notes...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Rahman Johnson , author of the poetry collection, Living, Loving, Letting Go . Rahman is a Jacksonville native. A trained journalist and news anchor, Rahman is also an actor. Currently, he's a professor at Edward Waters University. His poetry collection earned the 2021 Poetry eBook Literary Award from the Black Caucus of the Ameri...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin , author of the book, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature .  Dr. Griffin is the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. She is also the author of five books, the most recent being one that intermixes critical literary a...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Vanessa Miller , author of the Christian fiction novel, Something Good . Vanessa is a best-selling author of 51 books, an entrepreneur, playwright, and motivational speaker. She started writing as a child, spending countless hours either reading or writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels. Vanessa’s creative endeavors took...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Maurice Carlos Ruffin , author of the short story collection, The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You . Maurice, is a New Orleans Native, an attorney by trade turned writer who holds an MFA and is a professor of Creative Writing at Louisiana State University. His 2019 debut novel, We Cast a Shadow was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Jayne Allen , author of the Tabitha Walker novel series, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted and Black Girls Must be Magic . Originally from Detroit, Jayne writes fiction from her life experiences. Her desire is to bring both multiculturalism and multidimensionality to contemporary women’s fiction with dynamic female protagonists who also h...