Black & Published

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Robert Jones, Jr. His debut novel, The Prophets, was published in January by G.P. Putnam Sons, an imprint of Penguin RandomHouse. The Prophets has been hailed for its spellbinding mix of lyricism, rawness, and authenticity, that is immediately reminiscent of the late, great Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Robert is from New York City and has a BFA in creative writing and a MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Essence, and The Paris Review. He is also the creator of the social-justice, social-media community Son of Baldwin. 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Robert Jones, Jr. His debut novel, The Prophets, was published in January by G.P. Putnam Sons, an imprint of Penguin RandomHouse. The Prophets has been hailed for its spellbinding mix of lyricism, rawness, and authenticity, that is immediately reminiscent of the late, great Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Robert is from New York City and has a BFA in creative writing and a MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Essence, and The Paris Review. He is also the creator of the social-justice, social-media community Son of Baldwin.

During the interview, Robert talks about the first time he ever walked into a Black bookstore, bought a book by a Black author, and saw himself on the page. He also gets candid about the consequences of revolution, the so-called dangers of being a Black writer, and a recent health diagnosis that has him writing against a clock. 


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Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagramusing the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

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On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Angela Jackson-Brown. She is the author of the novel, Drinking From a Bitter Cup, and the award-winning poetry collection, House Repairs. Her latest novel, When Stars Rain Down, was published by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Harper Collins, on April 13, 2021. Angela teaches Creative Writing and English at Ball State University in Muncie, IN and has an MFA from the Spalding low-residency program in Creative Writing.  

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Angela Jackson-Brown. She is the author of the novel, Drinking From a Bitter Cup, and the award-winning poetry collection, House Repairs. Her latest novel, When Stars Rain Down, was published by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Harper Collins, on April 13, 2021. Angela teaches Creative Writing and English at Ball State University in Muncie, IN and has an MFA from the Spalding low-residency program in Creative Writing. 

Over the course of the conversation, Angela discusses first getting a degree in business and marketing before going for her MFA in her 40s. She also gets candid about her publishing process including not wanting an agent right away, the years long process of revision, and why she was more interested in having a rapport with her publisher than a big advance. 


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Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagramusing the hashtag #blackandpublis

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

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Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with writer, editor, and New York Times Bestselling author Morgan Jerkins. Jerkins, who previously wrote the essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing and the memoir Wandering in Strange Lands, marks her fiction debut with Caul Baby. The Senior Culture Editor for ESPN's The Undefeated and a visiting professor at Columbia University, Jerkins' work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, ELLE, Esquire and more. She is currently based in Harlem. 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with writer, editor, and New York Times Bestselling author Morgan Jerkins. Jerkins, who previously wrote the essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing and the memoir Wandering in Strange Lands, marks her fiction debut with Caul Baby. The Senior Culture Editor for ESPN's The Undefeated and a visiting professor at Columbia University, Jerkins' work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, ELLE, Esquire and more. She is currently based in Harlem.

During the interview Jerkins' opens up about how her memoir helped inspire parts of her novel and why she chose to examine Black motherhood with such intensity. She also discusses the undercurrent of displacement that drives the motivations of her characters, how women make an enterprise out of their bodies, and why when she's all written out, first and foremost, she wants to be remembered.


***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

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Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with marketing maven Tina Wells and journalist and author of 300 Sandwiches: A Multi-Layered Love Story, Stephanie Smith. Tina and Stephanie have been friends and collaborators for 15 years. Their current project is the middle-grade fiction series The Zee Files published by West Margin Press and available at Target. 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with marketing maven Tina Wells and journalist and author of 300 Sandwiches: A Multi-Layered Love Story, Stephanie Smith. Tina and Stephanie have been friends and collaborators for 15 years. Their current project is the middle-grade fiction series The Zee Files published by West Margin Press and available at Target.

The Zee Files is a spin-off of Tina's first middle-grade fiction series Mackenzie Blue which was published by Harper Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, starting in 2013. During the interview, Tina and Stephanie explain how Mackenzie Blue has been updated for a new generation in The Zee Files. They also discuss why the series is so important for the representation of young Black girls to see themselves reflected on the page.


***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

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

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with multi-genre literary artist Khalisa Rae. An essayist, journalist, budding novelist, and poet, Khalisa is the author of the chapbook Real Girls Have Real Problems. Her debut full-length poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat is out now from Red Hen Press. Khalisa, who is based in Durham, NC is the founder of Think In Ink and the Women Speak Reading series and Writing Center Director at Shaw University. 

 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with multi-genre literary artist Khalisa Rae. An essayist, journalist, budding novelist, and poet, Khalisa is the author of the chapbook Real Girls Have Real Problems. Her debut full-length poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat is out now from Red Hen Press. Khalisa, who is based in Durham, NC is the founder of Think In Ink and the Women Speak Reading series and Writing Center Director at Shaw University.

Khalisa, who speaks with fierce rebellion, says being a writer in the South and the only Black woman in many spaces has taught her many lessons along her publishing journey that she learned through trial and error. In this conversation, she opens up about childhood sexual trauma, the intense racism and oppression she experienced upon migrating from the Midwest to the South and how acknowledging her trauma informs her work and helps heal her pen to page. Khalisa also offers this pro-tip for other creatives, "Do 5 creative things that have nothing to do with making a coin," to keep your creative cup full.


***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

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

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with  poet, essayist, and journalist Jeneé Darden about her book, When a Purple Rose Blooms. An Oakland native and daughter of O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden, Jeneé holds a BA in ethnic studies from UC San Diego and a masters's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She has reported for NPR, Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Ebony and more. The National Book Foundation awarded Jeneé a summer writing fellowship in 2003 and her award-winning short documentary, Where is East Oakland?  was screened at the Oakland International Film Festival. 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with  poet, essayist, and journalist Jeneé Darden about her book, When a Purple Rose Blooms. An Oakland native, Jeneé holds a BA in ethnic studies from UC San Diego and a masters's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She has reported for NPR, Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Ebony and more. The National Book Foundation awarded Jeneé a summer writing fellowship in 2003 and her award-winning short documentary, Where is East Oakland?  was screened at the Oakland International Film Festival.

Jeneé is passionate about African-American erotic art and mental health awareness. In this conversation she discusses growing up with insecurities, her struggle to love herself, honoring the power in the feminine, and the trauma she endured during and after the O.J. Simpson trial and how it all fuels her work today.



***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
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Follow Me:

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On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with  poet Carla M. Cherry about her latest collection, Stardust & Skin. A Bronx native, an educator and academic, Carla is a graduate of Spelman College, NYU, Lehman College, and is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at the City College of New York. She says her goal is to make poetry accessible and help young girls of color give voice to their insecurities and vulnerabilities. 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with  poet Carla M. Cherry about her latest collection, Stardust & Skin. A Bronx native, an educator,  and academic, Carla is a graduate of Spelman College, NYU, Lehman College, and is currently an MFA candidate in Creative Writing at the City College of New York. She says her goal is to make poetry accessible and help young girls of color give voice to their insecurities and vulnerabilities.

During the conversation, Carla opens up about how famed poet Nikki Giovanni inspired her with her classic piece "Ego Trippin'." She also discusses the challenges of self-publishing from formatting to marketing and what she sees for the future of her poetry career after independently releasing four poetry collections starting in 2008. She also waxes on creating safe spaces for her students, writing truthfully but making sure to leave her loved ones unharmed, and why the biggest investment she makes in her work is her own time.



***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the Show.

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

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Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author and poet Jessica Lynn about her novel, Kissing Frogs: The Thirteenth. A proud graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and an educator for over 10 years, Jessica Lynn used her experiences, the experiences of friends, and others to craft a literary drama that takes readers to the ancestral realm, on thrilling adventures, and sexy exploits to interrogate what it means to love, lose, and love all over again. 

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author and poet Jessica Lynn about her novel, Kissing Frogs: The Thirteenth. A proud graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and an educator for over 10 years, Jessica Lynn used her experiences, the experiences of friends, and others to craft a literary drama that takes readers to the ancestral realm, on thrilling adventures, and sexy exploits to interrogate what it means to love, lose, and love all over again.

During the conversation, Jessica discusses how she wrote a happy ending for her characters even though she was experiencing devastating lows in life. She also explains why she grounds the good and bad decisions of her characters in the reality that as people we may know better, but we don't always do better when it comes to matters of the heart, forging friendships, and fixing familial bonds. 



***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

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Website: www.newwrites.com

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Candis McDow about her book, Half the Battle: A Memoir. In this deeply personal story, Candis takes the reader through her journey of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a family vacation. A writer from age six, Candis was first published in the anthology series, Chicken Soup for the Soul. She says her goal as a writer is to break the stigma surrounding mental illness and to show others that they can live their dreams too.  

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Candis McDow about her book, Half the Battle: A Memoir. In this deeply personal story, Candis takes the reader through her journey of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a family vacation. A writer from age six, Candis was first published in the anthology series, Chicken Soup for the Soul. She says her goal as a writer is to break the stigma surrounding mental illness and to show others that they can live their dreams too. 

During the conversation, Candis shares what happened during a family vacation that led to her being pumped with steroids and later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She also details how her faith in God has helped save her and why even though she initially wanted to be traditionally published, she ultimately decided to go the independent route.



***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

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On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with award-winning poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis about her new poetry collection, a more perfect Union. The collection explores the experiential intersection of the lives of Black women in the United States. A Cave Canem fellow with work published in dozens of journals and anthologies, Teri is a member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collective and currently serves as the Poetry Coordinator for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.  

Episode Notes

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with award-winning poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis about her new poetry collection, a more perfect Union. The collection explores the experiential intersection of the lives of Black women in the United States. A Cave Canem fellow with work published in dozens of journals and anthologies, Teri is a member of the Black Ladies Brunch Collective and currently serves as the Poetry Coordinator for the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. 

During the conversation, Teri opens up about how writing poetry helps keep her whole, using her own journey from infertility to motherhood to speak up for others, and why through her work she's here to sing the song for Black women who haven't had a chorus. 



***
Follow @Nikesha_Elise on Twitter and Instagram and check out her latest novel Beyond Bourbon Street available everywhere books are sold.

Don't forget to subscribe to Black & Published on your podcast platform of choice as well as rate and review. If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions about the episode, hit us up at @blkandpublished on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #blackandpublished. 

Support the show

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

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