Essah's Way

Episode 127. Essah Cozett discusses her recent publications, dissertation updates, and developing community archive projects.

Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in migration, memory, storytelling, and African traditional healing practices. Díaz is currently a fellow of the Diaspora Solidarities Lab, a multi-institutional Black feminist digital humanities partnership. She was a 2022 Pathways intern with the Office of Digital Humanities at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Díaz served two terms as Chair of the Caribbean Without Borders Graduate Student Conference. In 2016, she founded Hermanas del Agua, the Puerto Rican chapter of the SisterCARE Alliance, to create a safe space for women and non-binary people to practice strategic self-care. Díaz is a co-editor of the collections Mothering, Community, and Friendship (Demeter Press, 2022) and Distancing as Infinite Entanglement: Healing, Intersectionality and Interstices in the Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Greater Caribbean and Beyond (University of Curaçao, 2021). She is also an alumnae of the Obsidian Foundation and the Young Scholars of Liberia. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications. Essah loves encouraging others to move forward with ease in pursuit of their dreams.

https://www.essahcozett.com

Episode 126. Darian “Creative” Harris opens up about his experiences as an entrepreneur and his inspirations as a marketing expert.

Darian “Creative” Harris is a Southern photographer, marketing and branding expert. He is also a skilled Digital Content Creator and Philanthropist. His goal is to turn ideas into reality.

https://www.instagram.com/iamcreatve/

Episode 125. Effie Nkrumah celebrates her journey by reflecting on her faith, international experiences, and dedication to her dreams.

Effie Nkrumah previously known as Benumah, is an energetic and charming performer, interdisciplinary artist, writer and lover of food brought up on Gadigal and Darug countries. She is the voice of Astra, the first Ghanaian Agent in Valorant by Riot Games, creators of League of Legends, a contributor in Maxine Beneba Clarke’s Growing up African in Australia anthology, has played the role of Cleo as a cover in DTC’s production of seven methods of k*lling kylie jenner and holds an MA in Arts Politics from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As Benumah, her practice relies on memory and the archive and is driven by the concept of challenging the single story of Africa through stories of continental Africans in diaspora, creating work that is entertaining, aesthetically pleasing and discussion prompting. Her installation series See What I See has been performed in Sydney, New York and Accra. She is currently a swing in the Australian cast of the reimagined Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the roles of Hermione, the Trolley Witch and Madam Hooch. She is also the owner of Australian-Ghanaian clothing brand Keziah Jemima.

Episode 124. Elly Karamoh highlights various experiences that have defined his journey as a celebrity stylist while sharing insight on his passion and aspirations in the fashion industry.

Elly Karamoh is a designer and fashion stylist with an eccentric love for art appliqué. Originally from Paris, France, but Karamoh has left his mark in Atlanta as a Custom Clothier and Creative Director at Hideoki Bespoke. Elly Karamoh is known for bringing class and high fashion in entertainment industry.

Instagram: @Elly30

Episode 123. Essah Cozett returns to the mic to discuss the importance of community aid, incorporating rest, and pursuing your dreams.

Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate specializing in Literature and Languages of the English-speaking Caribbean at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in migration, memory, storytelling, and African traditional healing practices. She is currently a Diaspora Solidarities Lab Fellow. Díaz is also an alumnae of the Obsidian Foundation and the Young Scholars of Liberia. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications.

https://www.essahcozett.com

Episode 122. Corneal Vernice aka Chef Vee opens up about her food inspirations, hands-on traveling experiences, and hopes as emerging Liberian chef.

Corneal Vernice is a Liberian culinary expert, traveling caterer, and a phenomenal mother based in Atlanta. Through her company, Flavors by Vernice she creates savory meals that reflect her African roots. Book her for your catering events below.

https://www.honeybook.com/widget/flavors_by_vernice_181938/cf_id/6193dc1b22083c002d464a9c

Episode 121. Tao Leigh Goffe and Tatiana Esh enlighten and empower us by reflecting on their artistic and academic journeys. This conversation honors ancestral remembrances of survival and explores the beauty of alignment.

 

Tao Leigh Goffe is a London-born award-winning writer, professor, and interdisciplinary artist. She specializes in colonial histories of race, debt, and technology. Based in New York City, her work negotiates Black diasporic intellectual and political life. She studied English literature at Princeton University before pursuing a PhD at Yale University. Dr. Goffe is also an assistant professor of literary theory and cultural history at Cornell University. Her research and curatorial work is rooted in literatures and theories of labor that center Black feminist engagements with Indigeneity and Asian diasporic racial formations. Much of her artistic and sound design practice explores colonial histories.

https://www.taoleighgoffe.com

 

Tatiana Esh is an artist and poet who enjoys thinking about how different mediums can be used to convey story. Her art is inspired by dreamscapes, fantasy, and surrealism often exploring themes such as ecology and love. She has a B.A. in Africana Studies from Cornell University where she met her former professor Tao Leigh Goffe. Since graduating, she has worked with Dr. Goffe as the Lab Manager of Dark Laboratory and the Project Manager of the Diaspora Solidarities Lab. Along with managing the labs, she is a member of an art collective called Queerstar.

https://tatianaesh.com

https://www.darklaboratory.com

https://www.dslprojects.org

Episode 120. Courtney Conrad opens up about her journey as a Jamaican poet in London, the importance of embracing faith, and gives advice on writing about vulnerable experiences.

Episode 119. Essah Cozett comes back after a hiatus to reflect on her adventures outside of Puerto Rico and insight on the 2022 Women of Color Survey in Georgia.

Please complete the survey by August 31, 2022: https://www.womenofcolorinitiative.org/ediaz

Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate specializing in Literature and Languages of the English-speaking Caribbean at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in migration, memory, storytelling, and African traditional healing practices. She is currently a Pathways intern with the Office of Digital Humanities at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Díaz served two terms as Chair of the Caribbean Without Borders Graduate Student Conference. In 2016, she founded Hermanas del Agua, the Puerto Rican chapter of the SisterCARE Alliance, to create a safe space for women and non-binary people to practice strategic self-care. Díaz is a co-editor of the collections Mothering, Community, and Friendship (Demeter Press, 2022) and Distancing as Infinite Entanglement: Healing, Intersectionality and Interstices in the Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Greater Caribbean and Beyond (University of Curaçao, 2021). She is also an alumnae of the Obsidian Foundation and the Young Scholars of Liberia. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications.

https://www.essahcozett.com/podcast

Episode 118. Ana Portnoy Brimmer returns to the mic to discuss community organizing, healing in Puerto Rico, and publishing her debut poetry collection, To Love an Island.  

Ana Portnoy Brimmer is a poet and organizer from Puerto Rico. She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, and is an alumna of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Rutgers University-Newark. To Love an Island, her debut poetry collection, was originally the winner of YesYes Books’ 2019 Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest. She is currently working on the Spanish edition, forthcoming from La Impresora. Ana is the winner of the 92Y Discovery Poetry Contest 2020, and was named one of Poets & Writers 2021 Debut Poets. Her work has been published in The Paris Review, Gulf Coast, Society and Space, Sixth Finch, Periódico de Poesía-UNAM, Foundry Journal, Sx Salon, The Breakbeat Poets Volume 4: LatiNEXT, Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm, Centro Journal, among others. Ana is the daughter of Mexican-Jewish immigrants, resides in Puerto Rico and lives for dance parties and revolution.

https://anaportnoybrimmer.wixsite.com/mysite