VS

During this episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae are joined by poet and advocate Daad Sharfi. In this episode, they discuss the reconstruction of memory, boundary setting, real and imagined borders, and the absurdity of the legal system.  Until Next Time:  Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again! Family whats...

During this episode of VS, poet and multidisciplinary artist Farah Chamma joins Brittany and Ajanae. Listen in as they discuss the importance of trusting your intuition, the nuances of language, suffering and passion, as well as the necessity of defining oneself as an artist and a person.  Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prom...

On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae spend time in conversation with Bettina Judd, who is an amazing poet, scholar, and Professor of African American Studies at Emory University. Join them as they discuss the validity of symbols, living out the tarot, how interior concerns shape research and experimentation, and the importance of Black, queer women seeing themselves reflected in theoretical pra...

During this episode of VS, Brittany and Ajanae interview poet and novelist Phillip B. Williams. Join them as they talk about the process of writing an epic novel, embracing character’s autonomy, Morrisonian poems, and the responsibility of freedom.  Until Next Time:  Nina Simone: To Be Free Gabriel García Márquez: What To Know About The Master Of Magical Realism & Nobel Prize Winner | TIME Love So...

For this episode, Ajanae and Brittany interview poet Jubi Arriola-Headley ; join them as they discuss the role of humor and play in their poetics, the straightforwardness of erotic writing and kink, and navigating their tensions with masculinity. Until Next Time:  Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again! Pr...

Season 8 kicks off with Brittany and Ajanae talking with Sarah Lubala, Congolese poet, and author of A History of Disappearance . In this interview, the trio discuss navigating political history and conflict, the role of matriarchal figures in her work, hope as an exercise, and writing about love without leaning into sentimentality.  Edit: In our conversation, Safia Elhillo was said to be Somali;...

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In today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of interviewing Safiya Sinclair. Join them as they discuss the craft of switching to memoir, maintaining self-confidence while navigating academia, what their teenage selves would think of them, and the influence Jamaica has on Safiya’s writing. Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a...

On today’s episode of VS , Brittany and Ajanae interview Courtney Faye Taylor about their award winning collection Concentrate . Listen in as they discuss writing with an ethic of care, studying oneself as a writer, the nuances of Black girlhood, and the construction of Concentrate. Until Next Time :  Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to...

Today Brittany and Ajanae interview Willie Lee Kinard III, author of Orders of Service . During this episode, they discuss Willie’s history with music, doublespeak as maximalism, queerness as a foundation for craft choices, and developing a love for the land.  Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we m...

For this episode, Brittany and Ajanae interview Samiya Bashir. During this conversation, they discuss Samiya’s role as Executive Director of Lambda Literary, Black opera, opening the door for queer writers, and writing the poem that unlocks the project. Until Next Time:  Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet ag...

On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae speak with 2023 Ruth Lily fellow and author of Black Pastoral , Ariana Benson. Join them for this episode as they discuss nature, artistic influences, sensuality, and soap operas.  Until Next Time : Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again! Gwendolyn Brooks: We Real Co...

For their second episode of season 7, Brittany and Ajanae interview Victoria Chang. During this conversation, they discuss following your imagination and creative impulses, trusting your reader to fill in the gaps in a collection, and hidden talents! Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again!...

For this first episode of Season 7, Brittany and Ajanae decided to answer audience questions generated via social media. Join them as they tackle hot topics, their writing process, how they navigate friendship and business, and much more! Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt to tide you over until we meet again! The City G...

Ladan Osman steps into the studio with a knowledge of her journey and a commitment to share. The poet and filmmaker talks about how she has traversed the complex and scarring world of the poetry industry, the ways that she pushed herself toward making different media, what she hopes for the poets emerging in her wake, and much more. Plus, some quality shoutouts to the bees and important postcoloni...

To close out season six, Brittany and Ajanae record LIVE in Detroit with guests Aricka Foreman and Tommye Blount. Join them as they discuss the history of the Detroit School of poets, building authentic community, knowing when a project is done, and creating alternate spaces for Black Queer folks to thrive. Until Next Time Here’s some content for you to engage with and 2 writing prompts to keep yo...

Tune in this week as Brittany and Ajanaé interview Jacqui Germain about her debut collection, Bittering the Wound . In this episode, they discuss cartoons as a space of enjoyment, St. Louis as a persona, the intimacy of specificity, and the necessary role of contradictions in everyday life.  Until Next Time: Here’s some content for you to engage with and a writing prompt to keep you entertained un...

On this week’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae sit down with Alexis Pauline Gumbs; during this interview, they discuss the gift of literary inheritance, unlearning the colonial lens, and allowing curiosity and awe to guide one’s research practice. Alexis also discusses the process of writing a biography on Audre Lorde, a longtime teacher and guide. Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to ac...

On today’s episode, Brittany and Ajanae have the pleasure of interviewing Jos Charles. Over the course of this interview, they discuss finding beauty and healing and revisiting younger versions of ourselves, the ways that neurodivergence shapes our writing practice, and the way that devotion has shifted their poetics over time. We also get a surprise pop in from Jos’ cat, Faye! Until Next Time Edo...

In this episode, Ajanae and Brittany spend time in conversation with their guest, Golden; listen as they discuss creating a living archive, their space in the lineage of Black Formalist poets, and the ways that self-portraits have shaped their writing practice. Golden also discusses the process of placing their second collection, and leaning into the vulnerability of writing about the self.  Until...

This week, Ajanae and Brittany have the honor of interviewing Toi Derricotte. The trio speak candidly about preparing for death, the complexity of being a Black women poet, and the origin story of Cave Canem. They also explore the importance of community, trust, and intimacy as tools for survival.  Until Next Time:  Ruth Stone: Ruth Stone's Vast Library of The Female Mind Galway Kinnell : Wait Luc...

Brittany and Ajanae conclude their mini-tour of the South by interviewing Jericho Brown; in this conversation, the trio discuss breaking bad writing habits, navigating career longevity, and the things that bring them delight (spoiler alert: friendship, r&b and Beyoncé are on the list)!  Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your experience of the episode, and a writing prompt...

On this weeks episode, Brittany and Ajanae continue their mini-tour of Atlanta with an interview with Mia. S. Willis. During this conversation, they discuss learning to slow down, avoiding the “full length” book pressure, and language as a material culture; they also think fondly on friendship, connection, and Black colloquialisms.  Until Next Time: Here are some pieces of media to accompany your...

Join us this week in Atlanta, where Brittany and Ajanae sit down with Maya Marshall to discuss Maya’s debut collection,  All the Blood Involved in Love  (Haymarket Press). This conversation centers around choice, obligation and priorities, both on and off the page. Listen as they navigate falling in love, managing illness, choosing between work and family, and much more! Until Next Time:  Here are...

This week, Brittany and Ajanae talk with guest Naomi Shihab Nye about the joy and wonder of youth, poets as vessels, editing as an act of devotion, and the complexity of becoming multiple selves over the course of a lifetime. Join them as they process the possibilities that can emerge over a lifetime of being immersed in poetry. Until Next Time Here are some pieces of media to accompany your exper...