This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Maura Cheecks, author of Acts of Forgiveness. The book is an outgrowth of her 2019 article, for the Atlantic, “American Wealth is Broken” which explores the necessity of reparations for Black families.  Maura was awarded the 2019 Masthead Reporting Residency for The Atlantic’s first residency program where she worked on that article.

In our conversation Maura explains why she turned to fiction to address the very real critics of the long-stalled federal reparations program. Plus, why she’s not ready to take the journey of her character and dig into her own family history. And, why she believes when it comes to writing and publishing a book… authors are both the client and the customer.

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Melissa Mogollon, author of the novel, OYE. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Melissa is originally from Colombia and was raised in Florida. She now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog.

In our conversation, Melissa explains the feedback she received for her experimental form and why she refused to change it. Plus, how an obsession with beauty is really a fight for autonomy and power. And, how writing the novel gave Melissa a way to hang out with her grandmother for years after she passed. 

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with New York Times Bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi, author of The Children of Anguish and Anarchy, the final installment in the Legacy of Orisha series. 

As a Nigerian American who came of age in a mostly white community, Tomi says her writing grew out of reckoning with her own internalized self-hatred. In our conversation, she explains how writing herself seen is an act of rebellion and revenge to Hunger Games haters. Plus, how she’s helped shift the publishing landscape around Science Fiction and Fantasy in the six years since her debut. And, how the overwhelming sense of her own mortality has fueled her creativity.

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Riss M. Neilson, author of the romance novel,  A Love Like The Sun. A graduate of the Rhode Island College, Riss won the English department’s Jean Garrigue Award, which was judged by novelist, Nick White. Her debut young adult novel, Deep in Providence, was a 2022 finalist for the New England Book Awards. 

In our conversation, Riss explains how she healed herself by writing her own characters. The reason she refuses to stick to one genre in her novels. And, how she persevered in her writing career despite divorce, being a single mom, and being diagnosed with a chronic illness.

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This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Shenequa Golding, author of the essay collection A Black Girl in the Middle: Essays on (Allegedly) Figuring it All Out. Shenequa’s collection is the culmination of what happened after her essay about being Black in the workplace after George Floyd’s murder went viral. So viral, Amazon founder and billionaire, Jeff Bezos, reposted it. 

In our conversation, Shenequa explains why she never thought a book deal was within her reach even though she'd been writing for years. Plus, how she’s overcoming her own insecurities. And, why she wants the twenty-somethings coming behind her to remember that grace and anger are not mutually exclusive. 

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This week on Black & Published we're introducing you to a new show that we love, Reckon True Stories hosted by acclaimed authors Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon.

Guests for Season One include writers Roxane Gay, Imani Perry, Alexander Chee, Minda Honey, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Samantha Irby.

Reckon True Stories is a celebration of new and classic nonfiction – the essays, journalism, and memoirs that inspire us, that change the world, and help us connect with each other.



Show credits:
Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon 
Show producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong
Associate producer: Marina Leigh
Episode editor: Kelly Araja

Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon News. 
Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave
Ursa Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong

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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.”

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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