Black & Published

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Walela Nehanda, author of, Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir. As a Black, non-binary, disability justice advocate and stem-cell transplant survivor, Walela's book is an outgrowth of their time and work as a slam poet. 

In our conversation, Walela, explains why even though their publishing journey may seem like a Cinderella story, they definitely put in their 10,000 hours. The moment they fell in love with poetry. And why their therapist said their life was a documentary on “physical torture.”

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with the authors and illustrators of the children's picture book, The Last Stand. Written by Antwan Eady and illustrated by the brothers Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, The Last Stand  is a book that honors the legacy and sacrifices of Black farmers by focusing on the joy found in community. 

In our conversation,  Antwan, Jarrett, and Jerome discuss how they got out of their own way and made sure to write books they enjoy. Plus, why there was a 20 year gap between the Pumphrey brothers’ first and second picture book and how the publishing industry has changed in those two decades. And, the three layers Antwan, Jarrett, and Jerome make sure are present in their stories so that everyone can get something out of them no matter where or what age they are in life. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Avery Cunningham, author of the novel, The Mayor of Maxwell Street. Avery is a resident of Memphis, TN, and a 2016 graduate of DePaul University’s Master of Arts Writing & Publishing program. She has over a decade of editorial experience with various literary magazines, small presses, and best-selling authors. 

In our conversation, Avery discusses how writing about Chicago at the turn of the 20th century was really an opportunity to write about America. Why she says both the Windy City and the U.S.A, are more bento box than melting pot. And, the ultimatum Avery gave herself about writing that was steeped in her own fears and doubts.

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Donna Hemans, author of the novel, The House of Plain Truth. Born in Jamaica and currently residing in the DMV area, Donna is the author of the novels River Woman and Tea by the Sea. Works that all center the Caribbean experience. 

In our conversation, Donna discusses the book that made her want to be a writer. Plus, the lesson she learned about writing the story you want to tell no matter the pressures of the publishing industry. And why she’s still wrestling with how to define and hold on to home. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Crystal Wilkinson, author of the cookbook memoir, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts. A poet, a novelist, and an essayist, Wilkinson is a recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry and was recently named a 2024 Writing Freedom Fellow. 

In our conversation, we discuss why she says she’s never writing solely for publication. How she’s haunted by her own artistic impulses and how she squares being a radical feminist with her deep knowledge of the kitchen, foodways and the power that comes from feeding her family. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Maya Golden, author of the memoir, The Return Trip. Maya is the founder of the 1 in 3 foundation which provides recovery tools and support for survivors of sexual abuse. An organization she started after she went on her own road to healing through body based therapy that helped her overcome her trauma and sex addiction. 

In our conversation, we discuss how Maya initially planned to pen her memoir as a fictional story. How she’s learning to belong to herself. And, how she hid behind perfectionism as a wife, mother, and in her work and what she’s doing now to give her self grace and live free of shame. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dr. Jenn M. Jackson, author of the book, Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism. Dr. Jackson (they/them)  is a genderflux androgynous Black woman, a lesbian, an abolitionist, and a lover of all Black people, They are an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University in the Department of Political Science where their primary research is in Black Politics with a focus on racial threat and trauma, gender and sexuality, political behavior, and social movements. 

In our conversation, Dr. Jackson explains why she wove her own personal story with critical analysis to examine the lives of Black feminists through the ages from Harriet Jacobs and Ida B. Wells to Angela Davis and bell hooks . 

Jenn says this book allowed them to pay homage and give tribute to foremothers and ancestors who often go unacknowledged and unseen. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speak with Ashton Lattimore, author of the historical novel, All We Were Promised. The novel that follows three young Black women in 19th century Philadelphia. One is born free. One is enslaved. And the third is free-ish: she self-emancipated with her father who’s maintaining their liberation by passing for white. Ashton is the Editor-in-Chief of the non-profit news outlet, Prism. A position she came to after realizing she did not enjoy her career in law.  

In our conversation, Ashton discusses why she never doubted her ambitions to become a published author. Plus, how Les Miserable inspired the plot of the novel. And, the hidden pieces of history she hopes to uncover to help America rediscover its true self. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Vanessa Riley, author of the historical fiction romance novel, Queen of Exiles. An engineer and self-proclaimed math nerd, Vanessa applies her  inventive and analytical mindset to her creative writing. Her historical novels showcase the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and dazzling multicultural communities. 

In our conversation, Vanessa outlines the two engineering questions she always asks herself to guide her storytelling. Plus, why she believes money trumps race. And, why she refuses to run from or be ashamed of history in telling a story about the good, bad, and ugly of Haiti and how the first Black nation  was robbed, pillaged, and plundered. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Juliana Lamy, author of the short story collection, You Were Watching From the Sand. A Haitian writer, Juliana says her collection is preoccupied with what it means to be Haitian and the honesty of that lived experience. 

In our conversation, Juliana, who is a graduate of Harvard and the Iowa Writers Workshop, explains how she creates rhythm and lyricism that translates into English as well as Haitian Kreyol. Plus, the reason she says she isn't ready to commit to a literary agent despite having published a book. And, how she's correcting the record about the cultural and spiritual importance of Vodun. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com