Your BIPOC Writing Coach

On episode 21 of the podcast, I’m taking you on a tour of The Sanctuary, the new private membership community we’re launching at Read, Write, and Create headquarters. The Sanctuary is a private community for BIPOC women writers who want to get their work out into the world and who want to get paid for doing it.    I’m going to share the origin story of The Sanctuary, but I’m also going to share wh...

On episode #20 of the Read, Write, and Create podcast, my guest is Dr. Tamara Pizzoli, who shares her unconventional success story as an independent children’s book author and publisher. Dr. Pizzoli is an African-American author, curator, producer and publisher. Originally from Texas, she is the mother of four children and has resided in Rome, Italy for over fifteen years. In 2013, she opened a bo...

On episode 19 of the podcast, I’m giving a pep-talk on the importance of writing retreats for your regular writing practice. Yes, I just ran my first writing retreat, so I’m still glowing from that amazing experience, but this pep talk isn’t about me. It’s about you and all the benefits  you will gain from adding writing retreats to your writing life.  Some of the benefits of attending writing ret...

On episode 18 of the podcast, the amazing Marita Golden is my guest.    Marita Golden is  an award-winning author of over twenty works of  fiction and nonfiction. Her books include the novels, The Wide Circumference of Love, and After and the memoirs Migrations of the Heart, Saving Our Sons, and Don’t Play in the Sun: One Woman’s Journey Through the Color Complex. Her most recent work of nonfictio...

On episode 18 of the podcast, I’m sharing a lively pep-talk using the life and times of the incredible Dr. Maya Angelou to inspire you to tap into your purpose and passions as BIPOC writers.    One little programming note, make sure you stick around all the way to the end of the episode because I’m launching a new segment of the show called, Read Like a Writer, where I will be sharing a  book reco...

On episode 16 of the podcast, I am joined by the incredible Denene Millner. Denene is truly a powerhouse in the publishing world. She is an author, editor, television and podcast host, and journalist. She has authored more than 30 books, including six New York Times best sellers. She is the creator and director of Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and MyBrownBaby.com, a cri...

It was Virginia Wolf who said, “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” And it’s true, when we write, particularly if we’re working on creative work, we need peace and quiet so we can sink into our imagination. But writers are human too. And that means we are social beings. We crave connections. We need our tribe. But not just any tribe, we writers need fellow wr...

On episode 14, I have another episode from my “Best of…Author Interviews.” This week I am sharing my 2021 interview with award-winning novelist, Kaitlyn Greenidge. Kaitlyn Greenidge's debut novel We Love You, Charlie Freeman (Algonquin Books), was one of the New York Times Critics' Top 10 Books of 2016. She is currently Features Director at Harper’s Bazaar as well as a contributing writer for The...

On episode 13, I have another episode from my “Best of…Author Interviews.” My guest is Dr. Yaba Blay, author of the groundbreaking book, One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race . On the show we talk about how One Drop went from being a self-published labor of love and resistance, to arriving on bookshelves with a major publisher seven years later. Dr. Blay talks about what she had to sacrifice to get...

On episode 12 of the podcast, I’m dipping into my podcast archives to bring you one of my favorite author interviews. My guest is novelist Lauren Francis-Sharma. Lauren is a child of Trinidadian immigrants, and is the author of Till the Well Runs Dry and Book of the Little Axe. Lauren’s most recent writings can be found in The Lily, Electric Literature, Barrelhouse, Salon, as well as Marita Golden...

On episode 11 of the podcast, our last episode of the season, I am giving you a pep talk that will leave you truly lit. Before signing off for the summer, I want to get you fired up and inspired to write, but also give you a source of inspiration you can always go back to when you need that little pick me up. So, I decided to share my secret source for writing inspiration and guidance. It’s the NB...

On episode 10 of the Read, Write, and Create podcast, award-winning journalist and author Ernest Owens joins me on the show to provide a masterclass on how to launch, market and sell your book. The author of the new book, The Case for Cancel Culture, Ernest brings his wit and wisdom to the topic of book marketing, and provides actionable advice for authors at all stages of their career. This is an...

On episode nine of the podcast, I’m sharing a pep talk meant  to encourage you to seize your moment to write. You must get your stories out into the world, so that you can leave a legacy of your words, your wisdom, and your dreams behind. Writing is such a powerful tool to leave a lasting legacy for our loved ones and for the world. Just look at the work our literary ancestors have left behind for...

On episode # 8 of the podcast, I’m giving you a quick pep talk about the perfect age to become a literary star. Spoiler alert: There isn’t one. The truth is, age is completely irrelevant in the writing game. You never know when your big literary break is going to come, you’re never too old to pick up the pen, and it’s never too late to tell your story. Rather than worrying about your age, you shou...

On today’s episode of the podcast, award-winning author, journalist, professor, and poet, Jabari Asim,  joins me on the show, to share his advice and experiences maintaining a productive, prolific, and eclectic literary career for more than thirty years.  Jabari Asim is the Distinguished Professor of Multi-Disciplinary Letters at Emerson College, where he also directs the MFA Program in Creative W...

On today’s episode of the podcast, I’m giving you a pep talk on the power and the potential of the written word to change the world. Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword, and I want all of my BIPOC writers to wield this powerful weapon with intention and agency. And because you know I like to give you role models to emulate, I’ll be sharing the inspiring story of how Ida B. Wells weaponized her...

On episode 5 of the Read, Write and Create podcast, get ready for an epic battle between two literary lions, Mark Twain and Toni Morrison. The battle is over whether writers should write what they know, or write what fascinates them. Mark Twain said, “write what you know.” Toni Morrison said, “please do NOT write what you know.” So who was right? And what useful writing advice can all storytellers...

On today’s episode of the podcast, I’m sharing a pep talk about perseverance.  The truth is, perseverance is the most important habit, or superpower, a writer must have, even more than talent. You can be the most talented writer in the room, but if you can’t figure out how to keep writing in the face of hardship and adversity, then you’re not going to succeed in this game.    To help explain the i...

On episode #3 of the podcast, the incredible Tracey Lewis-Giggetts joins me to talk about her literary life and experiences as an African-American writer and author of over 20 books!  Tracey writes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenplays.  Her two most recent books are Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration and Then They Came For Mine: Healing from the Trauma of Racial V...

On episode number two of the Read, Write and Create Podcast,  I give BIPOC writers their marching orders for their literary lives I explain why the world needs writers of BIPOC heritage to pick up their pens and write their stories; why we have to write like our lives depend on it; and why we have to write for ourselves.  For inspiration and edification, I’m using the literary life and times of Zo...

This is the very first episode of the Read, Write, and Create podcast!  Each episode of the show will include a pep-talk for BIPOC creative writers, inspired by the lives of our literary foremothers and forefathers of color. These pep talks will be short, sweet, and to the point, so you can get off the couch and back to your desk, writing the masterpiece you were meant to write.    On this first e...

It's been a while since a new episode of the MAMP podcast dropped, and sadly there won't be anymore new episodes. However, I am launching a brand new, bimonthly podcast called Read, Write & Create and on this short little episode, I'm going to tell you all about it. Think bite-sized creative pep talks for BIPOC writers. The new podcast officially launches in January 2023 and I hope if it sounds li...

This is the final episode of season six of the podcast and it’s going to be a short one. I have a few important announcements about the future of the show to share, some personal updates, and of course, some multicultural book news. One of the big announcements I'll be sharing is that I am launching a new podcast called, Meltingpot Stories. Yes, the podcast that will be all about multicultural boo...

On episode 68 of the podcast, author Kaitlyn Greenidge joins me to talk about freedom and Libertie. Kaitlyn’s debut novel was the critically acclaimed, We Love You, Charlie Freeman . Her writing has also appeared in Vogue, Glamour, the Wall Street Journal, Elle.com, Buzzfeed, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. She was a contributing editor for LENNY Letter, is currently a contributing writer for T...

On episode 67 we’re going back into the Meltingpot archives to listen to an interview with award-winning children’s book author and indie publisher, Zetta Elliott.    Zetta has written over 30 books for children, teens and young adults and is committed to telling stories featuring Black characters in the most unexpected places. From sci-fi, to fantasy, to haunted historical fiction, Zetta has writ...