Black Writers Read

Send us Fan Mail Today, August 2, 2024, is African American essayist, novelist, poet, cultural critic, orator and activist James Baldwin’s (1924-1987) centennial birthday. In this retrospective, we take a look back at conversations with poets whose work performs the task of "bearing witness" ,  like that of Baldwin's writing. Baldwin's canon of work explored fundamental questio...

Send us Fan Mail In this bonus episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the book, Queenie (2019) by Candice Carty-Williams and its streaming television series adaptation. The novel Queenie, published in 2019. is about the life and loves of its lead character, Queenie Jenkins. A 25-year-old British-Jamaican woman living in the UK, we follow her journey through a year from hell.  Queenie Jenkins is a...

Send us Fan Mail I've been so excited to share insight on a project I've been working on for the past few months. Serving as editor on this project, I wanted to give the Black Writers Read community a preview of the anthology, Heavy is the Crown , which is scheduled for release in August of 2024. It is now available for pre-order . Produced under the auspices of A Queen’s Narrative , Hea...

Send us Fan Mail This bonus episode features excerpts from five interviews from Season Four - those that we had with authors who write memoir. Over the summer, we will be revisiting conversations that cover the nuisances of genre, form, and style - offering mini masterclasses filled with advice and insight from some of our guests. This retrospective offers insight on source material, exploring the...

Send us Fan Mail In celebration of Juneteenth, we revisit our conversations with fiction authors featured during Season Four to reflect on approaches to creating worlds for our characters and what informs this work.  Included in this bonus episode are: David Jackson Ambrose (S4 E17) writes on the intersections of race, sexuality and generational trauma.  During our conversation, which took place d...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Lisa Braxton about her recently released memoir, Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss , which was live-streamed on June 1, 2024. Lisa Braxton is the author of the award-winning Dancing Between the Raindrops: A Daughter’s Reflections on Love and Loss  (Sea Crow Press, April 2024). The memoir in essays i...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Wakisha Stewart , which was live-streamed on May 18, 2024 in recognition of Women’s Health Week (May 12th-18th) and National Share a Story Month .  Wakisha (Kisha) Stewart is a wife, mother of three, nurse, heart attack survivor, and a national advocate for heart health dedicated to improving the quality of cardiovascular health care for...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with David Jackson Ambrose , which was live-streamed on May 11, 2024 in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month . David Jackson Ambrose writes on the intersections of race, sexuality and generational trauma. Through fiction, his work explores various genres, topics, and themes including African American life, Black history, LGBT...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Lynne Thompson , which was live-streamed on April 14, 2024 closing out National Poetry Month. Lynne Thompson served as the 4th Poet Laureate of the City of Los Angeles. She's the author of four collections of poetry: Beg No Pardon (Perugia Press, 2007), Start With A Small Guitar (What Books Press, 2013), Fretwork (Marsh Hawk Press,...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with M. Nzadi Keita , which was live-streamed on April 14, 2024 during National Poetry Month . M. Nzadi Keita's new poetry collection, Migration Letters (Beacon Press, April 2, 2024), reflects on Black working-class identity and culture in Philadelphia.  Her second book, Brief Evidence of Heaven (Whirlwind Press, 2014), shed light on Ann...

Send us Fan Mail Happy National Poetry Month ! Launched in April of 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month celebrates the literary traditions sustained by this mode of storytelling. Thank you so very much to every single poet who has joined me on this platform. This episode features our conversation with Nandi Comer (poetry.), which was live-streamed on April 7, 2024. Nandi C...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Chana Shinegba , which was live-streamed on March 30, 2024.  Chana Shinegba, a gifted storyteller, embodies the spirit of resilience and creativity that defines her generation. Coming of age as a young Black girl in the vibrant but complex landscape of the 1980s and 1990s, Chana grappled with acknowledging her innate talents amidst the b...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Angie Chatman , which was live-streamed on March 16, 2024. For long-time Black Writers Read supporters you may remember Angie from our Black History Month Virtual Event in 2021.  Angie Chatman is a writer and storyteller. She's written for Insider Personal Finance, MIT Tech Review, the National Science Foundation, Yahoo News and els...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Janine Fondon , which was recorded during our live event held in person on March 4, 2024 at Holyoke Media . Janine Fondon , MFA, is an award-winning writer, digital media producer, and educator/historian who uses the art and science of communication and inclusion to elevate voices, engage audiences, and inspire creative thinking in a wor...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Donna Hemans , which was live streamed on Saturday, February 17, 2024. We chatted about her recently released novel, The House of Plain Truth , and her writing career. Donna Hemans is the author of three novels, River Woman , Tea by the Sea , and The House of Plain Truth . Her short fiction and essays have appeared in Slice, Electric Lit...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with T.H. Moore , which was live streamed on Saturday, February 10, 2024. We chatted about his forthcoming memoir, Ghetto Bastard , and his expansive body of work. T.H. Moore is a Southwest Philadelphia native who relocated to Camden, New Jersey at the age of ten. He’s an active member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and earned a Bachelor...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with K E Garland , which was live streamed on Saturday, January 6, 2024. We chatted about her debut memoir, I n Search of a Salve . K E Garland is a creative nonfiction writer and blogger based in Florida. She uses personal essays and memoir to de-marginalize women's experiences with an intent to highlight and humanize contemporary issue...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Nada Samih-Rotondo (nonfiction. fiction.), which was live-streamed on Saturday, December 16, 2023.  This episode is presented in collaboration with Levee Break Lit.  Nada Samih-Rotondo is a multi-genre Palestinian American writer, educator, and mother. A graduate of Rhode Island College, she earned degrees in English and Education and an...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Minda Honey , which was live streamed on Saturday, November 18, 2023, about her memoir, THE HEARTBREAK YEARS . Minda Honey’s essays on politics and relationships have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Oxford American, Teen Vogue, and Longreads.  Her work is featured in “Burn It Down: Wome...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our latest conversation with Kerika Fields , which was live- streamed on Saturday, October 28, 2023. We chatted about her latest book, With Your Bad Self .  ​​Kerika Fields is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and photographer whose work has been published and exhibited widely. She is the author of With Your Bad Self (Jacaranda Books, November 29, 2022). With...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to our special series, Black Writers Read Presents Writers Across the Margins , our opportunity to chat with writers from other Diasporas! This episode features our conversation with Jason Montgomery which was live streamed on Saturday, October 7, 2023. During our chat, Jason shared an excerpt from his latest poetry collection, These Latest Apocalypses which was recently p...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our latest conversation with Aina Hunter (science fiction.), which was live-streamed on Sunday, September 24, 2023. We chatted about her debut novel, Charlotte and the Chickenman: the Inevitable Nigrescence of Charlotte-Noa Tibbit (Whiskey Tit Books, 2022) Based in Western Massachusetts, Aina Hunter is an artist with a background in journalism, Food Studies ...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our latest conversation with Aaron Dworkin , which was live-streamed on Sunday, September 17, 2023. We chatted about his latest poetry collection, The Poetjournalist , and his evolving work as a writer. Named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts and member of President Biden’s Arts Policy Committee,...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to our first episode of Season Four of Black Writers Read ! This episode featu4res our latest conversation with Sami Miranda , which was live-streamed on Saturday, September 9, 2023. We chatted about his latest poetry collection, Protection from Erasure , and his body of work. Samuel "Sami" Miranda grew up in the South Bronx and resides in Washington, DC. He is a...

Send us Fan Mail We are super excited to kick off Season Four of Black Writers Read ! Learn more about our upcoming lineup of guests and an upcoming project, Writers from the Margins . We're also thrilled to share with you our new online home: www.blackwritersread.com . We launched our website earlier this summer. On it, you'll have access to past episodes and information on upcoming eve...