Shows
Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Celebrates 15 Years of The Kweli Journal featuring Laura PegramSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Laura Pegram, founding editor of The Kweli Journal, to chat about Sing the Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection, an anthology published in celebration of their 15th anniversary, which was live-streamed on May 17, 2025. Hailed as “The Paris Review of BIPOC literature,” The Kweli Journal has been a launching pad for many of today’s most celebrated writers. Kweli—“truth” in Swahili—marks its fifteenth anniversary with this luminous collection edited by founder Laura Pegram. These vivid narratives explore the devastation...2025-07-311h 15
Bet On Yourself, Sis!Creating a Legacy Through Entrepreneurship and Community with Dr. Nicole Young-MartinMy podcasting bestie is here today and she has a lot to say! Dr. Nicole Young-Martin is a creative professional, writer, producer, podcaster and much more! And, in this episode of Bet On Yourself, Sis!, we discuss what it's like to create your own legacy through entrepreneurship and community.Have you ever thought about the legacy you're leaving behind? When you're working for a company or organization, your focus is on their community culture and goals. But as an entrepreneur, you get to choose your own. You get to decide what you want to be known for.2025-07-231h 02Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Eden RoyceSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Eden Royce (Southern Gothic.), which was live-streamed on May 3, 2025. Eden Royce is a writer from Charleston, South Carolina now living in Southeast England. She is a Shirley Jackson Award finalist and a Bram Stoker Award nominee for her adult short fiction, which has appeared in various print and online magazines. Her debut middle-grade novel, ROOT MAGIC is a Walter Award Honoree, a Nebula Award finalist, a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner, and an Ignyte award winner for outstanding children’s lit...2025-06-121h 23Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Essie ChambersSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Essie Chambers, which was live-streamed on April 22, 2025. Essie Chambers is an award-winning author and producer. Her debut novel, Swift River—a Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick—won the 2024 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, Elle, and others. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for an NAACP...2025-06-021h 12Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Brother's Keeper Poetry Theater EnsembleSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Brother’s Keeper Poetry Theater Ensemble, which was live-streamed on April 12, 2025. Since 2013, Brother’s Keeper Poetry Theater Ensemble has been a beacon of hope and transformation, weaving together words, emotions, and stories to create powerful theatrical performances that resonate deeply with their audiences. The group blends elements of poetry, spoken word, theatre and music to create a unique performance which is not only entertaining and educational, but also soulful.Passionate about fostering diversity and social change, Brother's Keeper has taken their craft...2025-05-151h 40Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Nzima HutchingsSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Nzima Hutchings (poetry. prose.), the 2023-2025 Poet Laureate for Enfield, Connecticut, which was livestreamed on April 7, 2025 to kick-off National Poetry Month.An award-winning author, editor, educator, and workshop facilitator, Nzima Hutchings has worked with various organizations including Trinity Health of New England, Saint Francis Hospital Family Advocacy Center, Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, Asnuntuck Community College, Long Wharf Theatre, Nuyorican Poets Café, Our Piece of the Pie, Massachusetts Women of Color, and Mount Holyoke College. Nzima serves on several boards o...2025-05-011h 26Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Reese RyanSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with contemporary romance author, Reese Ryan, which was live-streamed on March 23, 2025.Award-winning author Reese Ryan writes sexy, emotional, “grown folks” romantic fiction. Her characters find love while navigating career crises and family drama. The two-time recipient of the Donna Hill Breakout Author Award is an advocate for the romance genre and diversity in fiction. Reese’s books have been featured on Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, and BookRiot.Our chat centered around The Love & Music Suite which includes Spin the Block, 2025-04-171h 33Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: LaTanya OrrSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with nonfiction, business, and Christian Self-Help author, LaTanya Orr, which was live-streamed on March 15, 2025.Brand strategist, certified life coach and visual storyteller, LaTanya Orr, strategically equips entrepreneurs, corporate executives and ministry leaders with award-winning concepts that showcase their brand brilliance with intention and maximum impact. With over two decades in marketing, public relations, and design, LaTanya shapes brand identities through creative strategies and impactful design. As the author of Strike A Pose: 7 Red Carpet Strategies Every Entrepreneurial Woman Must Have...2025-04-1057 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Donna J. NicolSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Dr. Donna J. Nicol, which was live-streamed on March 8, 2025, the day nationally recognized as International Women’s Day. We talked about her book, Black Woman on Board: Claudia Hampton, the California State University, and the Fight to Save Affirmative Action (University of Rochester Press, 2024).Black Woman on Board: Claudia Hampton, the California State University, and the Fight to Save Affirmative Action examines the leadership strategies that Black women educators have employed as influential power brokers in pr...2025-03-271h 24Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Victoria Christopher MurraySend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Victoria Christopher Murray, which was live-streamed on March 1, 2025. Victoria Christopher Murray is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian, a Good Morning America book club pick, and The First Ladies, Target’s 2023 Book of the Year, both of which she coauthored with Marie Benedict. She is a NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work for her novel Stand Your Ground, which was also a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She hol...2025-03-071h 02Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Roya MarshSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Roya Marsh, which was live-streamed on February 3, 2025. Bronx, New York native, Roya Marsh is a poet, performer, educator and activist. She is the author of dayliGht, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry and SAVINGS TIME (MCDXFSG). Roya works feverishly toward Queer liberation and dismantling white supremacy. She is the co-founder of the Bronx Poet Laureate, a PEN America Emerging Voices Mentor, Lambda Literary faculty and the awardee of the Lotos Foundation Prize for Poetry and 2024 B...2025-02-281h 08Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Justin HaynesSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Justin Haynes, which was live-streamed on January 18, 2025. Justin Haynes is a fiction writer originally from the Caribbean. His work has been supported by various residencies and fellowships, including from the Fine Arts Work Center and the Tin House Summer Workshop. His writing has been published in various literary magazines and journals, including Caribbean Quarterly and SX Salon|Small Axe Project. Haynes lives in Atlanta and teaches English and creative writing at Oglethorpe University.During this episode, we chatted about Ju...2025-02-211h 03Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: T'challa WilliamsSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with T’challa Williams, which was live-streamed on January 11, 2025. Through love, marriage, motherhood and loss, T’challa Williams' voice has matured and narrated her experiences in a way that produced seven collections of poetry over the last five years. In addition to poetry, she shares her most intimate life experiences in anthologies. The most recent contribution with A Queen’s Narrative for their anthology, Heavy is The Crown, where she remembers the recent loss of her grandmother. Many of you may remember T’chall...2025-02-131h 38Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Jennifer JanellSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Jennifer Janell (spicy women's fiction.), which was live-streamed on December 21, 2024. Jennifer Janell is a new women's fiction author who lives in San Antonio, Texas. She has a passion for writing spicy stories that resonate with readers, explore relationships, and offer an escape from everyday life. Her love for writing about flawed characters inspired her first book series. The Lee Series includes The Year of Lee (available as a free e-book), For the Love of Lee, a...2025-01-301h 07Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Crystal Senter-BrownSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Crystal Senter-Brown, which was live-streamed on December 14, 2024. Crystal Senter-Brown's life's purpose can be summed up in one sentence: Empowering Women and Children. And Crystal lives her purpose every single day, whether it is by publishing books that teach children the importance of being kind to others, leading writing workshops in the community, speaking at local schools or leading the career center at Bay Path University. She has authored 12 books to date and is currently working on her 13th. One o...2025-01-2348 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: DuEwa FrazierSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Dr. DuEwa Frazier, which was live-streamed on December 7, 2024. Dr. DuEwa Frazier is an award-winning author, poet, writer, editor, professor, creative entrepreneur, keynote speaker, arts and education leader, and digital creator. She is the editor of Introduction to Afrofuturism: A Mixtape in Black Literature & Arts (Routledge, 2024). DuEwa's writing focuses on contemporary education issues, arts and culture, hip - hop culture, women's interest, and opinion. Her TEDx Talk, “Word is Bond,” was given in 2019. She has produced work in multiple areas in co...2025-01-161h 29Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Sabin Prentis DuncanSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Sabin Prentis Duncan, which was live-streamed on December 7, 2024. Dr. Sabin Prentis Duncan is a husband, father, educator, and creator of Literary Soul Food. He holds an Executive Masters from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Doctorate and Specialist degrees from Eastern Michigan University, and Masters and Bachelor degrees from Hampton University. He writes fiction & Hip Hop essays as Sabin Prentis and non-fiction as Sabin Duncan.During our conversation, we took a deep dive into his award-winning nov...2025-01-021h 44Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Ebony AyaSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Ebony Aya, which was live-streamed on November 23, 2024. During our chat, we talked about her latest book, Reconsidering Eve: Towards a Deepened Consciousness.Ebony Aya works at Macalester College as a Program Manager for the Jan Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching. She is a recent doctoral graduate from the University of Minnesota in Curriculum and Instruction, with minors in Culture and Teaching and African American and African Studies. In her work, she focuses on the experience of Black women...2024-12-261h 34Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Brianna WheelerSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Brianna Wheeler, which was live-streamed on November 16, 2024. Brianna Wheeler covers cannabis, culture, food, film, parenting and local politics for print and web. She served as host, writer and producer of the Willamette Week news podcast, and is a frequent contributor to Portland City Cast. Her creative nonfiction work has appeared in The Nasiona, Midnight and Indigo, and has been featured in Medium’s Human Parts newsletter. Her first book, Altogether Different: A Memoir about Identity, Inheritance, and the Raid that St...2024-12-121h 26Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Nathan Alexander MooreSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Nathan Alexander Moore (Speculative Fiction. Poetry. Nonfiction. Critical Theory.), which was live-streamed on November 2, 2024. Nathan Alexander Moore (she, they) is a Black nonbinary transfemme writer, cultural theorist, and educator. Currently she is the Assistant Professor of Black Trans and Queer Studies in the Department of Women & Gender Studies at University of Colorado Boulder. Her research explores Black transfemininity, speculative fictions, and temporality. Their previous work has been published TransNarratives: Scholarly and Creative Works on Transgender Experience, Transgender Studies Q...2024-12-061h 20Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Adrian BurksSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Adrian Burks, which was live-streamed on October 20, 2024. Adrian Burks is a director, writer, actor and producer. An ex-collegiate athlete originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Adrian has been a filmmaker in Los Angeles for over a decade. He has appeared in movies such as the Academy Award winning WHIPLASH, and the comedic cult classic FIRST PERIOD. Adrian has also appeared in television shows such as CBS: CODE BLACK, and ALL ABOUT LIZZIE. He has written 5 produced short films, has directed t...2024-11-211h 24Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Adrian BurksSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with filmmaker Adrian Burks, which was live-streamed on October 20, 2024. Adrian Burks is a director, writer, actor and producer. An ex-collegiate athlete originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Adrian has been a filmmaker in Los Angeles for over a decade. He has appeared in movies such as the Academy Award winning WHIPLASH, and the comedic cult classic FIRST PERIOD. Adrian has also appeared in television shows such as CBS: CODE BLACK, and ALL ABOUT LIZZIE. He has written 5 produced short films, has directed t...2024-11-211h 33Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Khadijah Z. Ali-ColemanSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, which was live-streamed on October 19, 2024. We chatted about her recently released poetry collections, For the Girls Who Do Too Much and The Summoning of Black Joy.Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is founder of the 501(c)3 nonprofit, Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice, and the current Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland. Her creative work as a poet and playwright has been showcased on prestigious stages and platforms, including Washington, DC's John F...2024-11-141h 37Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Tracy Cross's A Gathering of WeaponsSend us a textOn this episode, we welcomed back Tracy Cross (who first joined us in Season Two) for our conversation on October 5, 2024 to talk about her recently released second book, A Gathering of Weapons. About A Gathering of WeaponsNearly four years have passed since the events of Rootwork (the first book of The Conjure Series) and the youngest Conway sister, Pee Wee, is now thirteen years old and on the cusp of magical greatness. Ever since the tragedy of 1889, she's worked tirelessly t...2024-10-241h 22Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Lori L. TharpsSend us a textThis episode features our conversation from September 28, 2024 with Lori L. Tharps, founder of the Reed, Write & Create platform.Lori is an award-winning author, journalist and educator. A self-described, storytelling evangelist, Tharps is a recognized voice in the areas of race, identity politics and African-American culture. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Glamour and Essence magazines, among others.In 2021, Tharps moved with her husband and children to the south of Spain, where she launched Reed, Write & Create, a...2024-10-101h 28Black Writers ReadBONUS: Nicole + Jasmine Chat about 'The Other Black Girl'Send us a textThis special bonus episode of Black Writers Read is the first episode of Season Eight of Podcasting is the New Kink! which features me as a guest co-host! I was invited by Jasmine Gary to join her on her platform to chat about the novel, The Other Black Girl (Atria, 2021) by Zakiya Delila Harris, and the subsequent television series adaptation (now available to stream on Hulu). Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, this thriller, Harris's debut novel, is about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet aga...2024-10-0359 min
The Elite Athlete PodcastFrom Player to Coach: Justin Martin’s Journey in Hockey and Elevating the Next Generation of AthletesIn this episode of the Elite Athlete Podcast, host Dr. Nicole Tatro welcomes lifelong hockey enthusiast Justin Martin. Justin shares his journey from being introduced to hockey at the age of two to his experiences playing youth hockey in Vermont, being drafted by the L.A. Kings, and his minor professional career. He reflects on the importance of sleep, nutrition, hydration, and multi-sport participation for young athletes. Justin also discusses his current endeavors, including coaching and running the Vermont Junior Cats, a tier one hockey program. The episode provides insights into the challenges and joys of both playing and...2024-09-1954 minBlack Writers ReadBonus: Isabel Wilkerson's Caste, a Conversation with Pink Lady Jasmine GarySend us a textThis episode features my conversation with guest host, fellow Black woman podcaster Jasmine Gary, about the book, Caste: The Origin of our Discontents (2020), by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, Isabel Wilkerson and its film adaptation, Origin, written and directed by Ava DuVernay (Array). Both the book and the film revisit some very dark moments in history, making important connections to today’s political climate. Both are vital to experience now as DuVernay has been cited as saying she specifically wanted to make and release this film ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Th...2024-09-191h 08Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Yael Valencia AldanaSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Yael Valencia Aldana, the recipient of the 2024 Pushcart Prize for Poetry. We chatted about her forthcoming poetry collection, BLACK MESTIZA, which is scheduled for release in January of 2025 .Yael Valencia Aldana is an award-winning poet and writer. She is the author of the poetry collection Black Mestiza (University of Kentucky Press, 2025) and the chapbook, Alien(s) (Bottlecap Press, 2023). She is a Pushcart Prize winner, and her work has been widely published, among others. She teaches creative writing at Florida...2024-09-121h 11Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Season Five TrailerSend us a textWelcome to Season Five of Black Writers Read!For this season, we're expanding the definition of “writer” to look at narrative construction. We start the season with a Pushcart Prize winning author and we’ll end Season Five with a documentary filmmaker. We're beyond excited to add the genre Afrofuturism to the platform as well as two countries. I’ll also be bringing back some past guests to talk about their newest work.Please be sure to subscribe as we'll be posting exclusive content to the audio podcast...2024-09-1103 minBlack Writers ReadA Conversation with Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin from A24's SING SINGSend us a textThis bonus episode features my recent conversation with Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin from the latest release from A24 Films, SING SING.About SING SINGDivine G (played by Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. In SING SING, Mr...2024-08-1620 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: On PoetrySend us a textToday, 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 questions about the experiences of African Americans, particularly issues pertaining to class, race, religion, masculinities, sexuality and social acceptance. Documenting the world and society as it was manifesting around him, Baldwin delivered the news to his readers as a way...2024-08-021h 14Black Writers ReadBonus: Nicole on Candice Carty-Williams' QueenieSend us a textIn 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 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herse...2024-07-2418 minBlack Writers ReadBonus: Insight into the Heavy is the Crown AnthologySend us a textI'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, Heavy is the Crown features essays and creative writing contributed by twenty-two women, femme-identified, and trans folx from across th...2024-07-191h 20Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Authors on MemoirSend us a textThis 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 effects of traumatic experiences, self-reflecting on formative moments in life, and honoring the past. Memoir, which is considered creative nonfiction, offers writers a space to tackle difficult situations with grace and humility...2024-07-0353 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Fiction Authors on Craft, Inspiration & ImpactSend us a textIn 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 during National Mental Health Awareness Month, we had a chance to talk about David’s three books, State of the Nation, A Blind Eye, and Unlawful DISorder. Keri...2024-06-191h 17Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Lisa BraxtonSend us a textThis 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 is a powerful meditation on grief, a deeply personal mosaic of a daughter’s remembrances of beautiful, challenging and heartbreaking moments of life with her family. It speaks to anyone who has los...2024-06-1356 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Wakisha StewartSend us a textThis 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 everyone. Since her heart attack in 2011 at age 31, she has conducted extensive research about the specific health risks that women, particularly Black women, face.A dynamic, nationally recognized speaker on way...2024-05-301h 12Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: David Jackson AmbroseSend us a textThis 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, LGBTQ issues and life, prison industrial complex, mental health, and generational trauma. David has an MFA in Creative Writing from Temple University, an MA in Writing Studies from Saint Joseph’s University, and a BA in Af...2024-05-1658 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Lynne ThompsonSend us a textThis 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, 2019) and, most recently, Blue On A Blue Palette (BOA Editions, 2024). In 2022, Thompson was awarded a Laureate Fellowship by the Academy of American Poets and in 2023, she received the...2024-05-031h 17Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: M. Nzadi KeitaSend us a textThis 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 Anna Murray Douglass, Frederick Douglass’ first wife and was cited in David Blight ‘s prize-winning biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, Her writing appears in anthologies and journals such as A Face to Meet the Faces: A Perso...2024-04-251h 24Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Nandi ComerSend us a textHappy 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 Comer is the Poet Laureate of Michigan. She is the author of American Family: A Syndrome (Finishing Line Press, 2018) and Tapping Out (Triquarterly, 2020), w...2024-04-181h 26Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Chana ShinegbaSend us a textThis 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 backdrop of societal expectations and personal fears.From a tender age, Chana’s artistic prowess manifested in various forms. While her first haiku, penned at age fiv...2024-04-111h 07Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Angie ChatmanSend us a textThis 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 elsewhere. Her literary work has appeared in Brevity, TaintTaintTaint Magazine, Literary Landscapes, Pangyrus, The Rumpus, Blood Orange Review, Hippocampus Magazine. She was a 2020 Pushcart Prize nominee. Chatman has appeared on The Moth R...2024-03-281h 09Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Janine FondonSend us a textThis 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 world of change. As Assistant Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Communications at Bay Path University for ten years, she founded the college's inaugural multimedia digital newsroom for students and continues...2024-03-141h 08Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Donna HemansSend us a textThis 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 Literature, Ms. Magazine, The Rumpus, Crab Orchard Review, among others. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Media Studies from Fordham University and an MFA from American...2024-02-2939 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: T.H. MooreSend us a textThis 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 of Science degree from Morgan State University. His career as an Information Technology Consultant and Real-Estate investor has afforded him the opportunity to travel to ma...2024-02-151h 10Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: K E GarlandSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with K E Garland, which was live streamed on Saturday, January 6, 2024. We chatted about her debut memoir, In 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 issues. She has published essays with Midnight & Indigo, Raising Mothers, and For Harriet. Other works have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, I'm...2024-01-231h 26Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Presents Writers Across the Margins: Nada Samih-RotondoSend us a textThis 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 MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. When she is not befriending trees or attuning to hidden stories, she is leading transformational educational experiences and addressing the social-emotional needs of historically underserved and multilingual youth. He...2023-12-1951 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Minda HoneySend us a textThis 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: Women Writing About Anger”, “A Measure of Belonging: Writers of Color on the New American South”, and “Sex and the Single Woman: 24 Writers Reimagine Helen Gurley Brown's Cult Classic...2023-11-281h 14Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Kerika FieldsSend us a textThis 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 Your Bad Self is a coming-of-age love story set in an economically challenged Brooklyn on the precipice of WWII where 'Love Conquers All' may not be true this time. Her debut...2023-10-3157 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Presents Writers Across the Margins: Jason MontgomerySend us a textWelcome 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 published by Arteidolia Press.Jason R. Montgomery (he/they), or JRM, is a Chicano/Indigenous Californian writer, painter, community artist and engagement artist from El Centro, California. In 2016, along with...2023-10-241h 07Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Aina HunterSend us a textThis 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 and Japanese having studied at Columbia University, New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and University of California Berkeley. She has written award-winning features for The Village Voice, Essence, Mother Jone...2023-10-101h 19Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Aaron DworkinSend us a textThis 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, Aaron P. Dworkin is former dean and current Professor of Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Aaron is a best-selling writer and poetjournalist having...2023-09-2851 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Sami MirandaSend us a textWelcome 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 visual artist, poet, and teacher who uses his craft to highlight the value of everyday people and places. His work is heavily influenced...2023-09-191h 07Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Season Four TrailerSend us a textWe 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 events including live-streamed interviews and book discussions with our authors. Be sure to visit our website and sign up for our newsletter.Thank...2023-09-1503 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: On Heritage, Our History, & Our Future(s)Send us a textThis episode features excerpts from four conversations we’ve had with guests that reflect on topics relevant to the Juneteenth holiday including family, ancestral influences, food, culture, and honoring our pasts.Included on this bonus episode are the following conversations:Saida Agostini (S2 E6 of the livestream series/Retrospective Episode on the audio podcast) read excerpts from let the dead in. let the dead in is an exploration of the mythologies that seek to subjugate Black bodies, and the counter-stories that reject such subjugation. Audacious, sensual, and gr...2023-06-1949 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Kimberly MackSend us a textThis episode features our latest livestream from Saturday, June 10, 2023 with our guest, Kimberly Mack to discuss her latest book, Time’s Up, which is on the band, Living Colour’s sophomore album.Kimberly Mack will begin her time as the Associate Professor of English at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this coming fall. Her book, Living Colour’s Time’s Up, part of Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 book series, was published in May 2023. She is also the author of Fictional Blues: Narrative Self Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White (University...2023-06-151h 20Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Itua UdueboSend us a textThis episode features our latest livestreamed from Sunday, June 4, 2023 with our guest, Itua Uduebo to discuss his debut novel, Parade of Streetlights.Itua was born in Lagos, Nigeria and currently resides in New York, NY. He graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in International Politics and works in the financial technology industry. Itua's writing journey began in 2016 and to date, he has several essays, articles, freeform poems, and short stories published online and in print. His work explores multiple genres including new adult fiction, urban literature...2023-06-081h 03
The Natural MedThe Natural Med with Andrea Martin owner of 4ever Young Anti Aging Solutions in Flower Mound
On this episode of The Natural Med Podcast, we interview Andrea Martin, owner of 4ever Young Anti Aging Solutions in Flower Mound. 4ever Young offers a variety of services for anti-aging, wellness and aesthetics. They strive to help each client not only look their best, but feel their best as well. Andrea shares about how her own health journey inspired her to open up this clinic in Flower Mound. Hormonal depletion, vitamin deficiency and a high stress career led Andrea to look for ways to improve her overall health. A holistic approach to hormone replacement therapy, nutrition, vitamins and...2023-05-2638 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Shirley A. Jones LukeSend us a textThis episode features our latest livestreamed from Saturday, May 13, 2023 in honor of Mother’s Day weekend. We chatted with poet and nonfiction writer, Shirley A. Jones Luke who read for our 2021 Black History Month virtual event.Shirley A. Jones Luke is a poet and writer. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Ms. Luke has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Her poems focus on culture, family, and society. Ms. Luke is working on her first collection entitled Traumaland, a manuscript in progress. When preparing for Black Writers Read, we ask...2023-05-161h 33Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Lisbeth WhiteSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Lisbeth White (poetry. prose.), which was livestreamed on Saturday, April 29, 2023. Lisbeth is the author of the 2022 Perugia Prize winning poetry collection, AMERICAN SYCAMORE. From the bayou, to Belgium, to Barbados, AMERICAN SYCAMORE examines the Black diaspora, ancestral reparation, and the sacred feminine. In pursuit of understanding the nuances of belonging and displacement in a Black mixed-race feminine body, Lisbeth White travels through mythic, biological, and geological landscapes, attending to the body and its beautiful and terrifying questions.2023-05-021h 54Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Danielle JerniganSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with certified doula, writer, book coach, and host of the Write to Heal Podcast, Danielle Jernigan, which was livestreamed on Saturday, April 15, 2023 during Black Maternal Health Week. During our conversation, we talked about Daniellle's writing for popular audiences, how her past work experience in medical research pairs nicely with her current writing endeavors, and briefly about her current manuscript in development, Healing Mother Wounds.Danielle's work in maternal health focuses on helping doulas leverage their expertise and creative aspirations so...2023-04-1855 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Enzo Silon SurinSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Enzo Silon Surin, which was livestreamed on Saturday, April 8, 2023. We talked about their most recent books including When My Body was a Clinched Fist and the forthcoming poetry collection, American Scapegoat.Enzo Silon Surin is a Haitian-born, award-winning poet, educator, librettist, publisher and social advocate. He is the author of three previous collections of poetry, including When My Body Was A Clinched Fist (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), winner of the 21st Annual Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry and the forthcoming collection, American Scapegoat which...2023-04-111h 27Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Raina J. LeónSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Philadelphia’s Dr. Raina J. León, which was livestreamed on Saturday, March 25, 2023 to talk about her expansive body of work.Dr. Raina J. León is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia (Lenni Lenape ancestral lands). She is a mother, daughter, sister, madrina, comadre, partner, poet, writer, artist, digital archivist, podcaster, and teacher educator. She believes in collective action and community work. She is the author of black god mother this body, Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn, sombra : (dis)locate, and the chapbooks, profe...2023-03-281h 13Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: La'Vista JonesSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with self-help and business author, La’Vista Jones, which was livestreamed on Saturday, March 18, 2023 to talk about her latest book, The BOSS™ Shift.La’Vista Jones is the founder and CEO of 31 Marketplace, an agency committed to helping women do the work they love, without sacrificing themselves to do it. As a corporate dropout, turned entrepreneur she is on a mission to challenge women to cultivate their own definition of success and to live life on their own terms. La’Vista is...2023-03-2159 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Regine JacksonSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Regine Jackson, which was hosted live at The Artist Cafe in Downtown Springfield, Massachusetts on February 12, 2023.Regine Jackson is a writer who was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. Born in 1997, Jackson has been an avid reader since she was a child. She always wished to write, specifically stories where the main characters looked like her and the people she interacted with on a daily basis. Jackson’s mother worked as a clerk and a page across different libraries in the city and would bring he...2023-02-2842 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Shanita HubbardSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Shanita Hubbard, which was livestreamed on Sunday, January 29, 2023.Shanita Hubbard is the author of the book, Ride-Or-Die: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women. Her writing has also appeared in numerous outlets, including the New York Times, Huffington Post, Essence Magazine, The Guardian, and more She is also a journalism instructor at the University of Toronto, a Soros Fellow, and the recipient of the La Maison Baldwin Fellowship. Her book, Ride-Or-Die, was published by Legacy Lit Books and released thi...2023-02-141h 06Black Writers ReadBonus: Black Authors on Craft and Imagining (Our) WorldsSend us a textThis episode features our conversations with Tricia Elam Walker (adult fiction. children's books. plays. short stories. essays.) from Episode Four, Tara Betts (poetry) from Episode Five, and Toni Ann Johnson (literary fiction--novel. short story.) from Episode Eight - all from Season Three.We wanted an opportunity to examine how some of our guests approach craft and constructing worlds within specific literary genres. Tricia, Tara, and Toni Ann are not only writers who have written for various platforms and diverse...2023-02-0153 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Lisa PegramSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Lisa Pegram (poetry. nonfiction.), which was livestreamed on Saturday, January 21, 2023.Lisa Pegram is a writer, arts integration specialist and publishing professional who hails from Washington, DC. She has over 20 years of experience in high-level program design for such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute, Corcoran Gallery of Art and National Geographic. She served as DC WritersCorps program director for a decade, and as co-chair of United Nations affiliate international women’s conferences in the US, India and Bali. Her...2023-01-241h 25Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: MbinguniSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Mbinguni (historical fiction. women’s fiction. literary fiction), which was livestreamed on Saturday, January 7, 2023, opening up the Spring portion of Season Three. Mbinguni is a natural storyteller. Born and raised on the barrier island of Fernandina Beach, FL, she's had dreams of writing professionally for as long as she can remember. An avid reader, she began composing her own narratives as a small child in grade school. Mbinguni’s debut novel, Looking for Hope was released in January of 2021 and published by NE...2023-01-1146 minBlack Writers ReadBonus: CoCo's Holiday Reading ListSend us a textA bonus episode, Nicole shares what she is reading during her holiday break. Check out her list and read along with her!Black Writers Read will return in early January of 2023. In the meantime, watch past livestreamed episodes on YouTube or listen to audio podcasts episodes.Thanks for your ongoing support. Happy Holidays and see you in the new year!Find us on Instagram: @blackwritersreadFind Nicole on Instagram: @coco_penexploreLearn more about Nicole and her other work: nicolemyoung.com S...2022-12-2008 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Toni Ann JohnsonSend us a textThis episode features our conversation with Toni Ann Johnson, which was livestreamed on Saturday, December 3, 2022. We talked about her award-winning short story collection, LIGHT SKIN GONE TO WASTE which was published in October. It’s received praise from Publishers Weekly, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Washington Post. Toni Ann Johnson won the Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction with her linked story collection LIGHT SKIN GONE TO WASTE, selected for the prize and edited by Roxane Gay. A novella, HOMEGOING, was published in...2022-12-061h 10Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Natasha Gordon-ChipembereSend us a textThis episode features Dr. Natasha Gordon-Chipembere who joined us for the live-streamed episode on November 12, 2022. We talked about her debut historical fiction novel, Finding La Negrita, which was released in September.Published by Jaded Ibis Press, Finding La Negrita is a captivating retelling of the Black Madonna narrative, which has driven Costa Rica's national and spiritual identity since the 1700s. In powerful prose, Natasha Gordon-Chipembere delivers a vivid and intimate living portrait of slavery in this nation, which was radically different from plantation bondage in other parts...2022-11-221h 19Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Desiree CooperSend us a textThis episode features award-winning flash fiction, essay, children's literature author Desiree Cooper, originally live-streamed on November 6, 2022 to kick off Children’s Book Week. During the episode we chatted about her first children’s picture book, Nothing Special, which was released in October.Published by Wayne State University Press and illustrated by Bec Stone, Nothing Special is a buddy story that spans generations. But it's also a love letter to the black family connections that survived the Great Migration. Between 1910 and 1970, more than six million African Amer...2022-11-091h 17Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Tara BettsSend us a textThis episode features poet Dr. Tara Betts, originally live-streamed on October 22, 2022. During the episode we chatted about her newest poetry collection, Refuse to Disappear, which was released in July of 2022.Refuse to Disappear is a declaration that there are some people who resist by merely existing. In these poems, Tara Betts renders celebrations and tributes to Black women, but also pieces together an anthem that we have survived so much, even if the world pretends to be blind. These poems are a bound collection of love letters...2022-11-0858 minBlack Writers ReadBonus: Celebrating the Launch of Addie Tsai's Unwieldy CreaturesSend us a textThis bonus episode features the virtual book launch of author Addie Tsai’s book, Unwieldy Creatures. This special event was livestreamed on August 30, 2022, Mary Shelley’s 225th Birthday as Unwieldy Creatures is a biracial, queer, gender-swapped retelling of Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein. Joining me for this special event to co-host was horror writer, Tracy Cross. Black Writers Read supporters will remember her as she was our featured guest on Season Two, Episode Four.Tracy’s forthcoming debut novel, Rootwork, is scheduled for releas...2022-10-311h 14Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Tricia Elam WalkerSend us a textThis episode features award-winning author, educator and recovered lawyer, Tricia Elam Walker, originally live-streamed on October 9 2022. Tricia read excerpts from her children's books, Dream Street and Nana Akua Goes to School. Following her reading, we chatted about her prolific career.Tricia's novel, Breathing Room, was published by Simon & Schuster/PocketBooks. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, Essence and other publications. She has provided commentary for NPR, CNN, the BBC and more.Tricia’s short stories are included in the O.Henry Prize Stories, New Sto...2022-10-251h 01Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Nikesha Elise WilliamsSend us a textThis episode features Fiction, Poetry, Narrative Non-Fiction author Nikesha Else Williams, originally live-streamed on October 1, 2022. We met to chat about her new book, Mardi Gras Indians, which was released on October 5, 2022 and published by Louisiana State University Press.Mardi Gras Indians explores how sacred and secular expressions of Carnival throughout the African diaspora came together in a gumbo-sized melting pot to birth one of the most unique traditions celebrating African culture, Indigenous peoples, and Black Americans. Williams ties together the fragments of the ancient traditions...2022-10-111h 01Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Rage HezekiahSend us a textThis episode features poet Rage Hezekiah. Black Writers Read hosted Rage in person on June 18, 2022 at The LAVA Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts in honor of Juneteenth. We met to chat about her recently released collection of poetry, Yearn, which was a recipient of the 2021 Diode Editions Book Contest Award. Rage Hezekiah is a Cave Canem, Ragdale, and MacDowell Fellow who earned her MFA from Emerson College. She is a recipient of the Saint Botolph Emerging Artist Award and she serves as Interviews Editor at The Common. She is the author o...2022-09-2758 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: St. Clair Detrick-JulesSend us a textEpisode 1 of Season Three features St. Clair Detrick-Jules. We met to chat about and celebrate the one-year anniversary of the release of her book, My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood.St. Clair Detrick-Jules is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, author, activist, and public speaker. She captures personal stories and intimate moments centering Black liberation, immigrant justice, and women's rights. An Afro-Caribbean artist who remains rooted in her community, St. Clair grounds her work in radical love, joy and the knowledge that a more just world is possible.2022-09-201h 07Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read: Season Three TrailerSend us a textHear insights on the planned lineup of guests for Season Three of Black Writers Read.Season Three of the audio podcast premieres on Tuesday, September 20. We'll be joined by filmmaker, photographer, author, activist, and public speaker St. Clair Detrick-Jules.Please subscribe to be sure to get each episode at its debut.For more information on Black Writers Read, please visit: https://nicolemyoung.com/projects/black-writers-read/Find us on Instagram: @blackwritersreadSupport the show2022-09-1308 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Natasha MarinSend us a textNatasha Marin (non-fiction and conceptual artist) was our guest on Episode 7 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on Juneteenth ~ June 19, 2022.With cultural origins and connections to Trinadad, Canada, and the United States, Natasha Marin’s people-centered projects have circled the globe since 2012. As a writer, Natasha is represented by Janklow & Nesbit. Natasha has been recognized and acknowledged by Art Forum, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, NBC, Al Jazeera, Vice, PBS and others. She is the curator of BLACK IMAGINATION whi...2022-09-061h 14Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Tracy CrossSend us a textTracy Cross (horror fiction) was our guest on Episode 4 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on March 26, 2022. During the episode, Tracy read excerpts from her forthcoming debut novel, Rootwork, which is scheduled for release on November 15, 2022. A widely published author, her works have appeared in Don’t Break the Oath by Kandisha Press, 99 Tiny Terrors, and anthologies and magazines including Big Book of Bootleg Horror, Things That Go Bump, D’Evolution Z Horror Magazine, Tales of the Lost Vol. 2, and websites midnight & indigo and New American Legend...2022-08-301h 10Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Dorsey Spencer Jr.Send us a textDorsey Spencer Jr. (fiction - children's picture books) was our guest on Episode 4 of Season 1 of Black Writers Read, which was livestreamed on November 14, 2020. Dorsey Spencer Jr. is an educator, author and entrepreneur. He is the owner of See Us Fly LLC, an independent publishing company. Dorsey began to write as a way to uplift and highlight the experiences and voices of underrepresented communities. He hopes his work will contribute to the growing body of literature that portrays Black men and boys positively, especially in father-son relationships. Dorsey grew up in L...2022-08-2355 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Saida AgostiniSend us a textSaida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet whose work explores the ways Black folks harness mythology to enter the fantastic. Her work is featured in Plume, Hobart Pulp, Barrelhouse, Auburn Avenue, amongst others. Saida’s work can be found in several anthologies, including Not Without Our Laughter: Poems of Humor, Sexuality and Joy, The Future of Black, and Plume Poetry 9. She is the author of STUNT (Neon Hemlock, October 2020), a chapbook reimagining the life of Nellie Jackson, a Black madam and FBI spy from Natchez, Mississippi. Her first full-length collection, let the dead in...2022-08-161h 01Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Saida AgostiniSaida Agostini (poetry) was our guest on Episode 6 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which was live-streamed on May 21, 2022.Saida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet whose work explores the ways Black folks harness mythology to enter the fantastic. Her work is featured in Plume, Hobart Pulp, Barrelhouse, Auburn Avenue, amongst others. Saida’s work can be found in several anthologies, including Not Without Our Laughter: Poems of Humor, Sexuality and Joy, The Future of Black, and Plume Poetry 9. She is the author of STUNT (Neon Hemlock, October 2020), a chapbook reimagining the life of Nellie Jackson, a B...2022-08-161h 01Black Writers ReadBonus: A Conversation with Miguel Bacho and Ramón J. Stern, the authors of LaboresSend us a textOn July 30, 2022, Black Writers Read, Attack Bear Press, and Radioplasma hosted the virtual book launch of Miguel Bacho's latest poetry collection, Labores. Written in Spanish by Miguel and translated into English by Ramón J. Stern, it was an honor to collaborate on this livestreamed event. This bonus episode features the audio from that event, which includes Miguel and Ramón reading excerpts from the book and my conversation with them.Labores (Laboring) is the latest poetry collection written by Miguel Bacho. Situated in a period of forced silence, Bacho explores le...2022-08-091h 07Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Shanta Lee GanderSend us a textShanta Lee Gander (poetry, prose, journalism, photography) was our guest on Episode 5 of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which originally aired on April 10, 2022 during National Poetry Month.Shanta Lee Gander is a photographer, writer across genres and is a public intellectual whose work has been widely featured. She is the author of GHETTOCLAUSTROPHOBIA: Dreamin of Mama While Trying to Speak Woman in Woke Tongues, the winner of the 2020 Diode Press full-length book prize with an honorable mention from the Sheila Margaret Motton prize, and reviews featured in the Poetry Foundation’s Ha...2022-08-021h 07Black Writers ReadBonus: A Work in ProgressSend us a textIn this bonus episode of Black Writers Read, Nicole M. Young-Martin (our founder, producer, and host) shares a short story she's been working on. This work doesn't have a title yet and Nicole would deeply appreciate some ideas and feedback on both the title and this piece of writing. Initially a poet and playwright, Nicole enjoys exploring other literary genres. She is a fan of young adult fiction and takes her pen to explore the genre in this work. She hopes to submit it for publication in the near future.Find...2022-07-2609 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Aprell MaySend us a textAprell May (urban creative non fiction. journalism) was our guest on the first episode of Season 2 of Black Writers Read, which originally aired on November 14, 2021.Previously a Salon Owner, Aprell May graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Bay Path University in 2021. She is a seventh generation storyteller coming from a proud lineage of family members and ancestors who could hold an audience with compelling words, prose, and narration. Her poetry collection, Expose Such a Life, which was published in 2017, is available on Amazon. On this...2022-07-1942 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Kaija LangleySend us a textPoet, fiction, and nonfiction writer Kaija Langley was our very first guest on Black Writers Read, which was originally livestreamed in September of 2020. Born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Kaija Langley has been writing since she fell in love with words at age seven. She knew she was onto something when she wrote her first poem and her grade school classmates thought she'd copied it from a book! A proud alumna of Morgan State University, a Historically Black College and University in Baltimore, MD, she received her MFA in Fiction from S...2022-07-0554 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Shannon Luders-ManuelSend us a textMemoirist and essayist Shannon Luders-Manuel joined us for Episode 7 of Season One of Black Writers Read. Shannon Luders-Manuel is a West Coast writer, editor, and sensitivity reader. She received her master's in English literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Real Simple, among others. She is currently represented by Chase Literary Agency for her memoir about growing up mixed race, coming in and out of conservative Christianity, and her complicated relationship with her absent, alcoholic father. D...2022-06-2158 minBlack Writers ReadBonus: About NicoleSend us a textIn this bonus episode of Black Writers Read, hear from Nicole M. Young-Martin, the person behind the scenes about herself, career, and the reason(s) behind Black Writers Read.Originally from Detroit, Nicole M. Young-Martin (she/her) is a performance poet, playwright, events curator, and nonprofit professional. Nicole has called New England "home" for over 15 years. As a performance poet, she has performed her work in over 20 venues in various states including Massachusetts, New York, and Michigan opening for musicians and other spoken word artists. Her award-winning play, get (t)his! h...2022-06-1408 minBlack Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Khary Oronde PolkSend us a textHistorian, essayist, and nonfiction writer, Dr. Khary Oronde Polk joined us for Episode 3 of Season Two of Black Writers Read. An Associate Professor of Black Studies & Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies at Amherst College, Dr. Polk is the author of Contagions of Empire: Scientific Racism, Sexuality, and Black Military Workers Abroad, 1898-1948 published by University of North Carolina Press in 2020. Contagions of Empire examines how the movement of Black soldiers and nurses around the world in the early-to-mid twentieth century challenged U.S. military ideals of race, nation, sexuality and honor. P...2022-06-071h 06Black Writers ReadBlack Writers Read Retrospective: Margo GabrielSend us a textMargo Gabriel (food, travel, culture, wine, music, art, lifestyle, self-care) joined us for Episode Two of Season Two (December 4, 2021) of the livestreamed series of Black Writers Read. She read the opening essay, Where Food, Culture and People Meet, from her debut cookbook, The Expat Kitchen. We also chatted about her expansive writing career.To learn more about Margo and her work, visit https://margoscreativelife.com/. Support the show2022-06-0756 minBlack Writers ReadIntroducing Black Writers Read ~ The Audio PodcastSend us a textLaunched during the fall of 2020 as a livestreamed series, Black Writers Read was created as a platform to showcase, celebrate, and honor the words, work and traditions of Black writers from across the country, across genres, across experiences and across the African Diaspora. The livestreamed series is now wrapping up Season Two. Beginning with Season Three, Black Writers Read will be presented as both a livestreamed series and audio podcast, first airing the livestreamed episode online. After the episode has aired, supporters will be able to listen to Black Writers Read from their p...2022-06-0403 min
The Martin Bailey Photography PodcastIn Conversation with Nicole S Young and Brian MatiashFor my 600th episode, I'm thrilled to bring you a great conversation with photographers Nicole S. Young and Brian Matiash, in which we talk about their trip to Tokyo, the business of photography and how important the gear can be.
Details on blog: https://mbp.ac/600
Music by Martin Bailey2017-12-181h 06
The Martin Bailey Photography PodcastIn Conversation with Nicole S Young and Brian MatiashFor my 600th episode, I'm thrilled to bring you a great conversation with photographers Nicole S. Young and Brian Matiash, in which we talk about their trip to Tokyo, the business of photography and how important the gear can be.
Details on blog: https://mbp.ac/600
Music by Martin Bailey2017-12-181h 06