Black & Published

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Danté Stewart , author of the memoir, Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle . Danté is a speaker and writer whose work in the areas of race, religion, and politics has been featured on CNN and in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, Comment, and elsewhere. He received...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Honorée Fannone Jeffers , author of the epic novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois . Honorée is also the author of five critically acclaimed books of poetry, including the award-winning collection, The Age of Phillis , based on the life and times of Phillis Wheatley Peters. Episode Notes _________________________ On this episode of Bl...

We're sharing a special preview of the new podcast, Well-Read Black Girl from Pushkin Industries. Well-Read Black Girl is the literary kickback you never knew you needed. Glory Edim, author and founder of the Well-Read Black Girl community, sits in deep, honest and close conversation with authors like Tarana Burke, Min Jin Lee, Anita Hill, Gabrielle Union, Elizabeth Acevedo and more. You’ll a...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts , author of the essay collection, Black Joy . Tracey, holds both an MBA and an MFA. She's come up through the indie author ranks, has served as a celebrity ghostwriter, and is the author of 15 other titles. Episode Notes _________________________ On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesh...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with author Chris Stuck , author of the short story collection, Give My Love to the Savages . Chris, holds an MFA from George Mason University and was also a fiction fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center. In his work, Chris was intentional about exploring race, sexuality, masculinity and the intersections therein.  Episode Notes _____________...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha speaks with poet Kelly Harris-DeBerry , author of the collection, Freedom Knows My Name . Kelly, originally from Cleveland but now living in New Orleans, said she wanted her collection to be one for her folks and her people. The Cave Canem fellow works as the New Orleans Literary Coordinator for Poets & Writers. She also freelances and owns a...

Welcome back to Black & Published. The weekly interview format podcast bringing you the journeys of BIPOC writers, poets, playwrights, and storytellers of all kinds. Hosted by two-time Emmy Award-winning producer and award-winning author Nikesha Elise Williams. Full Episodes return January 18, 2022. *** Keep Up with Us Follow Nikesha Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise Instagram: @nikesha_elise Follow Bla...

In this bonus episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is sharing her story about becoming a writer and finding her way in the publishing industry. From exploring and utilizing both traditional and independent avenues, Nikesha discusses when she knew she was a writer, the 7-year-long journey of publishing her debut novel, Four Women , founding her company, NEW Reads Publications , and how she ha...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with journalist and author, Dawnie Walton about her debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev . Dawnie is a Jacksonville native. She worked as an executive-level editor for magazine and multimedia brands including Essence, Entertainment Weekly, Getty Images, and LIFE before she decided to take a leap of faith and pursue her pass...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with M Shelly Conner about her debut novel, everyman . M Shelly is a Chicago native who spent her summers bouncing between her grandmother in Memphis and relatives in Los Angeles, reveling in the sprawl of the Great Migration. That sprawl informs the work in everyman which M Shelly began working on first in 2005 and seriously during he...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with Dantiel W. Moniz about her debut short story collection, Milk Blood Heat . Dantiel is a Jacksonville native who attended FSU for undergrad and received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work has appeared in the Paris Review , Harper’s Bazaar , Tin House , The Yale Review , McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern and else...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with Dr. Kim Mack about her book, Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White . Dr. Mack is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toledo where she specializes in African American literature and culture, twentieth- and twenty-first-century ethnic American literature, autobiographical narratives, and A...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author Robert Jones, Jr. His debut novel, The Prophets , was published in January by G.P. Putnam Sons, an imprint of Penguin RandomHouse. The Prophets has been hailed for its spellbinding mix of lyricism, rawness, and authenticity, that is immediately reminiscent of the late, great Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Robert is from N...

On this 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 latest 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 Univ...

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 episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with marketing maven Tina Wells and journalist and author of 300 Sandwiches: A Multi-Layered Love Story , Stephanie Smith . Tina and Stephanie have been friends and collaborators for 15 years. Their current project is the middle-grade fiction series The Zee Files published by West Margin Press and available at Target.  Episode Notes On...

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  poet, essayist, and journalist Jeneé Darden about her book, When a Purple Rose Blooms . An Oakland native and daughter of O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden, Jeneé holds a BA in ethnic studies from UC San Diego and a masters's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She has reported for NPR ,...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with  poet Carla M. Cherry   about her latest collection, Stardust & Skin . A Bronx native, an educator and academic, Carla is a graduate of Spelman College, NYU, Lehman College, and is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at the City College of New York. She says her goal is to make poetry accessible and help young girls...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author and poet Jessica Lynn   about her novel, Kissing Frogs: The Thirteenth . A proud graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and an educator for over 10 years, Jessica Lynn used her experiences, the experiences of friends, and others to craft a literary drama that takes readers to the ancestral realm, on th...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with author Candis McDow about her book, Half the Battle: A Memoir . In this deeply personal story, Candis takes the reader through her journey of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a family vacation. A writer from age six, Candis was first published in the anthology series, Chicken Soup for the Soul . She says her goal as a w...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with award-winning poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis about her new poetry collection, a more perfect Union . The collection explores the experiential intersection of the lives of Black women in the United States. A Cave Canem fellow with work published in dozens of journals and anthologies, Teri is a member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collect...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with actress, writer and poet Iman N. Milner about her new poetry collection, on breaking back together . The collection on faith, love, loss, and self-preservation is soul-shattering and brutally honest. The work helps fulfill Iman's mission to heal herself in her own work as well as inspire others to prioritize their  own healin...

On this episode of Black & Published , Nikesha is speaking with creative, critical writer, poet, and performer Rosamond S. King about her new poetry collection, All The Rage . The collection was inspired by the lack of indictments handed down in the death of Eric Garner who was killed by police officers in New York in 2014. From that singular incident she crafted a collection set in the fictio...

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...