The Creative Hour

It’s been two years since the release of my memoir, When They Tell You To Be Good, and the journey has been transformative. In this video, I reflect on what writing this book has taught me about masculinity, Black mortality, and personal growth as a queer Black man. Through confronting grief, toxic masculinity, and abandonment, I’ve come to realize that the answers we seek often lie within us, and...

Imagine a novel that combines the magical realism of a children’s literary classic like Bridge to Terabithia with the emotional complexity of coming of age through grief, similar to The Fault in Our Stars . This is the tonality found throughout Cassandra J. Kelly’s debut novel, The Clearing , released in the spring of 2024. In this episode of THE CREATIVE HOUR, host Prince Shakur sits down with Ca...

It's finally season three of The Creative Hour and I'm so happy to bring this podcast back in a new form. In season three I'll be breaking down the many different aspects of my life as an author and writer, whether it be getting published, navigating book tour, working on fiction after publishing, a memoir and much more. If there any particular writing questions, you want to see explor...

We chat with WILLIAM O'NEAL II, a playwright, and artist born and raised in South Georgia. O'Neal II is currently based in NYC and writes stories centered around coming-of-age narratives, queerness, and social transgressions through desire, cannibalism, surrealism, and beyond. To find WILLIAM O'NEAL II, find them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/willthesecond_/) In this episode,...

ABOUT THE GUEST: RASHEED NEWSON is an author, a television drama writer, an executive producer, and a showrunner. My Government Means to Kill Me (in stores August 23, 2022) is his debut novel. Rasheed – along with his television writing partner, T.J. Brady – is also the showrunner of the drama series Bel-Air (premieres Feb. 2022 on Peacock). ABOUT "MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME" : A fierce and ri...

I talk to Aaron H. Aceves about the process of writing his debut YA book, THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US. We tackle drafting, revision, exploring biphobia through your work, and what this book means to him. SHOW NOTES: THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/This-Is-Why-They-Hate-Us/Aaron-H-Aceves/9781534485655 AARON'S WEBSITE: https://aaronhaceves.com/

ABOUT THE SHOW In this episode, I talk to Ashunda Norris , a visionary filmmaker from Georgia. Her work spans numerous short films that delve in black gender and relationships, as well as an impressive poetry and open mic career. WORKS MENTIONED Ashunda Norris Website: https://ashunda.com/ JOSE OLIVAREZ, poem: https://poets.org/poem/i-walk-every-room-and-yell-where-mexicans JAMILLA WOODS, “My Afro...

I spent a whole month in St Paul de Vence, France in June and had to sit down to talk about major emotions as an artist and soon-to-be debut author! #ArtistResidency #France #TheCreativeHour Music by Sam Holman Smith and Sonic Music Loops | Broadcast by Verge. FM . Hosted by Prince Shakur . The Creative Hour Podcast Website . | To support The Creative Hour and Prince Shakur, support on Patreon (ht...

ABOUT THE GUEST | Mercedes Wallace is from Ohio in a town affectionately named “grit city”. She studied communications at the University of Toledo and currently resides in Columbus, Ohio with her dog. Mercedes has done work in the spaces of advocacy, social justice issues, and currently works as an Assistant Director for a leadership program called Buckeye Leadership Fellows for The Ohio State Uni...

In this episode, we chat to EDGAR GOMEZ, the author of High-Risk Homosexual, about the process of writing a memoir through many periods of queer joy and trauma. I had so much fun chatting with Gomez, a fellow memoir writer, and hope you all enjoy this episode. To buy HIGH-RISK HOMOSEXUAL : https://softskull.com/dd-product/high-risk-homosexual/ SHOW NOTES ABOUT THE GUEST | Edgar Gomez (he/she/they)...

ABOUT THE GUEST | Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman ( http://khadijahali-coleman.com/ ), is a cultural curator, community organizer, nationally recognized speaker, and writer. Her work centers the social and political life experiences, history, and culture of the people of the African diaspora. A playwright, she has had more than a dozen of her plays presented publicly in venues throughout the coun...

ABOUT THE GUEST | Madeline Ffitch writes and organizes in Appalachian Ohio. She was a founding member of the punk theater company, The Missoula Oblongata, and is the author of the story collection, Valparaiso, Round the Horn. Madeline has been awarded residencies at Yaddo and at the MacDowell Colony. She is the author of Stay and Fight from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.  SHOW NOT...

ABOUT THE GUEST | Madeline Ffitch writes and organizes in Appalachian Ohio. She was a founding member of the punk theater company, The Missoula Oblongata, and is the author of the story collection, Valparaiso, Round the Horn. Madeline has been awarded residencies at Yaddo and at the MacDowell Colony. She is the author of Stay and Fight from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. | HER WEBSITE:...

About The Guest | Imani Mixon was born and raised at the magnetic center of the world’s cultural compass — Detroit, Michigan. She is a long-form storyteller who is inspired by everyday griots who bear witness to their surroundings and report it back out. Equal parts urgent and essential, her multimedia work centers the experiences of Black women and independent artists. HER WORK  IMANI MIXON:...

Season 2 of The Creative Hour is coming in late February. Hello, everyone. I am the host of The Creative Hour, a podcast of meaningful conversations between artists. In S1, I interviewed artists across mediums and in S2, I’m excited to only be interviewing writers. As a writer, I have a special love for other writers, and I definitely ready to dive in. Just to name a few guests. We will have: Iman...

So wild to think it's the end of S1 of The Creative Hour, but I'm glad to have learned so much and to share the amazing news that I have a book coming out! My debut memoir, WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO BE GOOD , will be out in October 2022 with Tin House Books. I TO PREORDER NOW: https://bookshop.org/a/23229/9781953534422

On this episode, we talk to Davi Sol, an upcoming songwriter, vocalist, and producer based in Miami , and Jayare, a contemporary rap artist. Davi and Jayare are friends, part of the same creative crew, and generally good people. We talk about growing up with artist parents, getting more serious about making music, Davi’s recent album “Alone In A Crowd” , and their plans for the future. ABOUT MY BO...

We talk to Natalie Dupille. Natalie Dupille is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator based in Seattle, WA. Her cartoons and narrative comics have appeared in The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, WIRED, and Playboy, among others, and generally reflect on social issues, sexuality, and current events. Logo artwork by Natalie Dupille.   SHOW NOTES:  "In Spite Of Ourselves", comic...

On this episode of the podcast, I talk with Manan Kapoor, a writer that I met while attending Sangam House in Bengaluru, India. Manan's work ranges from journalism, creative non-fiction, and fiction, including his first published novel, The Lamentations of A Sombre Sky . To check out his most recent biography, A Map of Longings .  SHOW NOTES MANAN KAPOOR: https://manankapoor.in/ "The Lamentat...

In episode four, our guest is Cierra Boyd, a Cleveland-born and raised, black fashion designer. Cierra has made a huge name for herself by starting FRISKMEGOOD , a sustainable and futuristic fashion brand, in 2017. Clip of praise for Cierra features Jazzmine Hardges (aka Razzi J) , model and artist. | Broadcast by Verge. FM . Hosted by Prince Shakur. The Creative Hour Podcast Website. ABOUT THE GU...

It's my birthday and the last day of Pride Month, so as a Cancer, I get vulnerable and talk about myself! I made this special episode. Please enjoy | Music by Sam Holman Smith and Sonic Music Loops | Broadcast by Verge. FM . Hosted by Prince Shakur . The Creative Hour Podcast Website . | To support The Creative Hour and Prince Shakur, support on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/prshakur) ABOUT MY...

In this episode, we hear from the host, Prince Shakur | INCLUDED MEDIA: Conversation with a Native Son: Maya Angelou and James Baldwin, Interview with Hannah Long Higgins | Music by Sonic Music Loops | Broadcast by Verge. FM . Hosted by Prince Shakur . The Creative Hour Podcast Website . | To support The Creative Hour and Prince Shakur, support on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/prshakur) ABOUT M...

 Eli Hiller is a Filipino American documentary filmmaker and photojournalist that is a Pulitzer Center Grant recipient. His video and photo work spans from Ohio to the west coast of the United States to Central America to the thick stack of work he did while living in the Philippines for three years. This is part 1 of Episode 3. Music by Sam Holman Smith and Sonic Music Loops | Broadcast...

For the second part of episode 3, the guest, Eli Hiller , interviews The Creative Hour host, Prince Shakur! We talk about getting into freelance journalism, our philosophies on travel, and what we hope is next. This is part 2 of Episode 3. Music by Sam Holman Smith | Broadcast by Verge. FM . Hosted by Prince Shakur . The Creative Hour Podcast Website . | To support The Creative Hour and Prince Sha...

Mario Slagle is a local musician in Hydrone and the founder of Clean Demon Records. We talk about artist imposter syndrome, how the DIY community helped me through questioning God, and accountability in music spaces. Songs/music in the episode by Hydrone: Phantom Piss, Step on Me, Death Perception, Toadlicker. Find out more about Hydrone at their website | Broadcast by Verge. FM . Hosted by Prince...