This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dolen Perkins-Valdez, about her new historical fiction novel, Happy Land. The books is based on the true story of how a group of Black people founded their own Kingdom on more than 200 acres of mountain land that straddled North and South Carolina. 

In writing Happy Land, Dolen is correcting the historical record about the origins of the Happy Land settlers that has stood as the final word 75 years. How she learned about this intentional Black settlement and the research she says is still required. Plus, the reason Dolen believes land ownership represents the possibility of Black imagination. And, how the kingdom of the happy land may provide a Blueprint for Black people today living in this time of crisis. Mahogany Books

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Myah Ariel, author of the novel, No Ordinary Love. Myah, who is a journalist, film enthusiast, and lover of all things pop culture said she decided to try her hand at writing after spending the pandemic reconnecting with her love of reading romance novels. 

In our conversation she discusses how she managed to write, sell and publish two books in the four years from when she first approached the page. What intimidated her the most about novels after spending years reading screenplays and art criticism. And why she keeps coming back to the toxicity of the entertainment industry as a setting for her stories about love, hope, and reclaiming your name and life in the midst of fame. 

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Esme Addison, author of the novel An Intrigue of Witches. The historical mystery novel takes the reader on a treasure hunt with the main character to discover the hidden history of unruly women. 

In our conversation, Esme discusses who prophesied her writing and publishing career over her life. Plus, the difficulty she faced in securing an agent and publisher willing to take a chance on her books that don’t fit snugly into one genre. And as a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist, why she says everybody, but especially Black people should be a little more skeptical when it comes to technology and our favorite apps. 

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Jacqueline Crooks, author of the novel, Fire Rush. It's a book that took her 16 years to bring into the world after getting a late start in writing even though it was something she knew she always wanted to do. 

In our conversation, Jacqueline explains why she considers her upbringing as an outsider because of her identity as a Caribbean immigrant in the UK a privilege on the page. Plus, how she brought to life the two battles women are always fighting against-- racial oppression and for gender equality--in her story about an underground subculture. And in taking control of a male dominated world, why Jacqueline says women, just like her character, need to beware of the charismatic man. 

Jacqueline's Dub Reggae Spotify playlist

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Jill Tew, author of the YA dystopian romance novel, The Dividing Sky. It's a book Jill says she hopes disrupts old norms for her young audience

In our conversation, Jill explains how she fell into the productivity trap in corporate America and the two major life changes that brought her back to the page. Plus, how rejection of her first novel prepared her to write her second and how the YA sci-fi space helped her redefine what’s most valuable in life. 

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Olufunke Grace Bankole, author of The Edge of Water. The book began as a short story and Olufunke has been working to bring it to fruition as a novel for the last twenty years. 

In our conversation she discusses, how she received the gift of patience from an industry insider that relieved the pressure of publishing. Plus, how her love of social justice and her career as a lawyer put her on the path to becoming a writer. And, how her story of a first generation, African woman, with dreams bigger than herself is really a manifestation of her own name and path through life as a writer. 

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Jodi M. Savage, author of the essay collection, Death of a Jaybird: Essays on Mothers and Daughters and the Things They Leave Behind.

It’s a collection that reckons with Jodi’s grief before and after the deaths of her mother and grandmother and how she found comfort in the space a blank page provided. In our conversation, she discusses how she processed her life in real time and turned it into a book. Why she believes forgiveness and grief go hand in hand and how she let go of the concern about not having enough social media followers… and why those numbers really don’t matter. 

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This week, Nikesha speaks with Donna Hill, the newly named executive director of The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, right in the heart of Brooklyn. 

Today, as in Thursday March 27, 2025, kicks off the center’s signature event, the National Black Writer’s Conference. This year is their two-day biennial symposium highlighting middle grade and young adult fiction. Tickets are free for seniors and for anyone else the cost is $30 or less.

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Aaliyah Bilal, author of the short-story collection Temple Folk. The collection is made up of ten short stories about Black Americans who identify as Muslim and who were at one time members of the Nation of Islam. 

In our conversation, Aaliyah explains why "normalcy" is the main message she wants readers to take away from her collection. Plus, the reason she believes borrowing details from her personal life is beneath the craft of fiction. And how she taught herself to write in an ultimate period of autodidactic self-study that lasted 15 years.

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Jamila Minnicks, author of the novel, Moonrise Over New Jessup. It's a book written about a small, Black, Alabama enclave in the 1950s facing pressure to integrate despite resistance from the town’s male leaders and the women who make their work possible. 

A native of Alabama, Jamila says she sees her writing as an extension of her work as an advocate. The reason she believes her novel is a way to jumpstart the conversation on what community and fellowship really mean. Plus, the pushback she gets from some readers who bought into the belief of white supremacy or the failed sales pitch of integration. 

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