Our mini season has come to a close. In this episode, we recognize Black Speculative Fiction Month and the contributions Black creatives have made to the speculative fiction genre. We get into how Black horror reflects our deepest fears and how sci-fi is both pessimistic and optimistic about Black futures.

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

RESOURCES

• "The Argument of 'Afropessimism': Frank B. Wilderson III sketches a map of the world in which Black people are everywhere integral but always excluded" by Vinson Cunningham. July 13, 2020.

Books

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due
• Let the Dead Bury Their Dead: And Other Stories by Randall Kenan
• Let's Play White by Chesya Burke
• The Black Girl Survives in this One: Horror Stories Edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennel
• The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
• The Kindred by Alechia Dow
• Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow
• "You Will Know Your Tribe by Their Joy" by Julia Mallory

Movies/TV

• Are You Afraid of the Dark? Amazon Prime
• Candyman [1992] Peacock
• Bones [2001] Tubi
• The Skeleton Key Tubi
• Sugar Hill [1974] Tubi
• Abby Plex
• Scream, Blacula, Scream Tubi
• Mr. Crocket Hulu
• Bite Sized Halloween Hulu
• The Blackening Starz
• Cuties Netflix
• They Cloned Tyrone Netflix
• "Space Traders" - Derrick Bell (1994) YouTube

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca.

What happens when divination leads you astray? In this episode, we discuss our relationship to divination tools, how Tarot is an ever changing forecast and how the Bible is not law. We also get into the life and work of Fannie Lou Hamer and how the discourse surrounding this year's election disrespects her legacy.

RESOURCES

• "Does Everyone Have a Soulmate? No." A Little Juju Podcast. 
• Tarot by Bronx YouTube
• The Songs My Mother Taught Me by Fannie Lou Hamer
• "On this day in 1963" by Jerry Mitchell. Mississippi Today. 9 June 2024.
• "Tell It On the Mountain: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Pastoral and Prophetic Styles of Leadership as Acts of Public Prayer" by Breanna K. Barber. 
• "Fannie Lou Hamer" Biography Edited by Debra Michals. National Women's History Musuem.
• "Martyrs and Matriarchs: Women in Early Christian Apocrypha" by Robert Wilf

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

bloom by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

About the Boy by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

CONTENT WARNING // STORIES OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT

In this episode, Dani and Leah discuss their journey of coming into their sensual selves. We talk about how traumatic puberty was for us as Black girls living in the Bible Belt, separating compulsory heterosexuality from desire, and having to stitch together our sexuality in our twenties. We highlight the life of Mather Catherine Seals, the Temple of Innocent Blood, and the inspiring work she accomplished in her short life.

RESOURCES

• African Goddess Rising Oracle: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook by Abiola Abrams
• "A Night at Fontaine's: A Spicy Romance Short" by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• Conjuring the Calabash: Empowering Women with Hoodoo Spells & Magick by  Mawiyah Kai El-Jamah Bomani 
• "Mother Catherine Seals And The Temple Of The Innocent Blood" by TriPod : New Orleans at 300
• "Mother Catherine" Short Story by Zora Neale Hurston

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

bloom by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

About the Boy by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

Hey y'all. We're back with our season 8 premiere. This season we're planning on dropping a new episode every week of Hoodoo Heritage Month discussing a theme and a historical Hoodoo that you may not know about. 

In this episode, we discuss the violent effects of colonialism on our bodies, imagination, and relationships. We touch on the current political climate before getting into the  life and work of Father Divine and the need to use Black mysticism to navigate through the destruction of colonialism. 

RESOURCES

• "Nikki Giovanni on the importance of self love | Generational Anxiety" ALLARTSTV. YouTube.
• "Ep 47: Dreaming a New Dream with Austen Smith" Hoodoo Plant Mamas.
• Loving Corrections by adrienne maree brown
• September Patreon Minisode: Loving Corrections
• Father's Kingdom documentary

Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

bloom by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

About the Boy by Leah Nicole Whitcomb

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

For this very special season finale, Dani interviews Leah about her latest book, Apocalypse Still. We discuss themes, inspiration, and her writing process. We also get into the myth of the Black superhero, the difficult decisions we make to survive, and how Black folks deserve alternate endings. 

Leah Nicole Whitcomb is a community storyteller from Mississippi who writes about Black folks, love, and magic. She co-hosts the Hoodoo Plant Mamas podcast. Her writing has been featured in Sistories, Samjoko Magazine, and the young adult anthology, All the Ways a Heart Burns. A Courage to Write Grant recipient, Leah’s work has been supported by The deGroot Foundation, Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, The Bereket Writing Community, Women of Color Writers Podcast, and the Women’s National Book Association. She is the author of Apocalypse Still.

RESOURCES

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• bloom by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories Ed by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell
• "New Analysis Reveals Many Excess Deaths Attributed to Natural Causes are Actually Uncounted COVID-19 Deaths" by Jillian McKoy. Boston University School of Health. 
• "Black People Hysterically Await Superhuman Abilities During 'Negro Solstice'" by Jon Greig. Blavity. 
• "A Jamaican Love Story: Lover's Leap in St. Elizabeth" by Bailey Huebner. TheHub.News.
• Soul Talk: The New Spirituality of African American Women by Akasha Gloria Hull
• Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal
• When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narration Collection Ed by Norman R. Yetman
• The Dead Don't Need Reminding: In Search of Fugitives, Mississippi, and Black TV Nerd Shit by Julian Randall
• "SAD FACE" by Dani Bee. Home & Other Obsessions.
• "Ep 14: Writing the Spirit" Hoodoo Plant Mamas
• "Ep 36: Writing as Conjure Work" Hoodoo Plant Mamas
• "Ep 47: Dreaming a New Dream with Austen Smith" Hoodoo Plant Mamas

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

In this episode we're joined by Austen Smith of ImaginationDoulas. We discuss the imagination as a colonial construct as well as the need to integrate dreaming into our spiritual and liberation practices. We go over the principles of their project, ImaginationDoulas, and talk about how to work with the Spirit of Creativity. This is a must-listen for all creatives!

Austen Smith is a spirit-forward visionary artist, writer, social researcher, and founder of Our Lunar Intelligence (OLi), a black-centered organization focusing on spatial justice and spiritual creativity. The ImaginationDoulas, an OLi project, uses ancestral reverence and dreaming as a methodology to restore the imaginations of systemically disempowered peoples. Learn more about Austen's work at www.ourlunarintelligence.org.

RESOURCES

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• "The God in Me" Hoodoo Plant Mamas Podcast
• "The Chinese doctor who tried to warn others about coronavirus" by Stephanie Hegarty. BBC. 
• "Austen Smith on the role of daydreaming in your creative practice." by Danielle Buckingham. Black Joy x Reckon
• ImaginationDoulas Instagram

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

Is your spirituality rooted in a genuine desire to connect with the Divine or is it rooted in a sense of superiority over other spiritual traditions? In this episode we answer this as well as discuss spiritual insecurity, performing spirituality for others, and seeing ourselves as divine beings. 

RESOURCES

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• Jeida K. Storey's Threads Post (storeytellingtarot)
• "Astrology Influencer MysticxLipstick Dead in Alleged Murder-Suicide After Troubling Social Media Posts" by DeMicia Inman. Yahoo!News.
• "Ep 45: When Your Soul Gets Weary" Hoodoo Plant Mamas Podcast
• "Finding Healing in Gospel Music" by Leah Nicole Whitcomb. The Rumpus.

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca.

In this episode, we discuss what happens when your spiritual practice changes. We get into struggling with your purpose when the world has gone to shit, integrating Hoodoo in all aspects of our lives, and the need to tap into local plant medicine. 

RESOURCES

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• "Get your spirit right with podcast host and Osun Priestess Juju Bae" by Danielle Buckingham. BlackJoy x Reckon
• Banning Black Gods: Law and Religions of the African Diaspora by Danielle N. Boaz.
• "The magical science of Hoodoo with Hess Love" by Danielle Buckingham. BlackJoy x Reckon.
• Tatianna Tarot YouTube.
• "Magical Transitions" by Leah Nicole Whitcomb. Little Sunday Sermons.
• "'African American Herbalism' is both history and healing" by Danielle Buckingham. BlackJoy x Reckon. 
• African American Herbalism: A Practical Guide to Healing Plants and Folk Traditions by Lucretia Vandyke

BOOKSHOP

https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

BE A PATRON!

https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter: @hoodooplants

Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE

Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas

Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca

In this episode, we tackle US propaganda and how it's causing spiritual warfare. We get into the illusion of choice, media censorship, increased militarism, and how all of our oppression is interconnected.

RESOURCES

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• "Meta is limiting how much political content users see. Here's how to opt out of that" by Rachel Treisman. npr.
• "Obama Administration Defends Israeli Airstrikes but Cautions Against Ground War." by Michael R. Gordon. The New York Times.
• "Countries bombed by the U.S. under the Obama administration." by Kevin Liptak. CNN.
• "We're In a Major COVID-19 surge. It's Our New Normal." by Jamie Ducharme. TIME. 
• "Biden Says the Pandemic is Over. Is It?" by Doug Most. BU today.
• "CDC Drops Five Day Covid-19 Isolation Despite Controversy." by Judy Stone. Forbes. 
• "The Biden administration once again bypasses Congress on an emergency weapons sale to Israel." by Matthew Lee. APNews. 
• "Majority in U.S. Now Disapprove of Israeli Action in Gaza." by Jeffrey M. Jones. Gallup. 
• Dayna Lynn Nuckolls (@PeoplesOracle) Tweet. March 18 2024. 
• Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. 2024
• Ninja Grill Social Media Exploitation TikTok (@naturally_nakeyta)
• "Ep 10: Celebrity Activism: Liberation or Profit?" Hoodoo Plant Mamas. April 2021
• "Democracy in animals: the evolution of shared group decisions." L. Condradt and T.J. Roper. 2007 Sep 22
• "House votes to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her Israel-Hamas rhetoric in a stunning rebuke." by Farnoush Amiri. AP

BOOKSHOP
https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

BE A PATRON!
https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @hoodooplants
Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE
Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas
Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

In this episode, we're joined by Ghrey Mbenza, a neurodivergent occupational therapist who works with marginalized communities. Ghrey talks with us about neurodiversity, what it means to be Black and neurodivergent, as well as the trauma and necessary healing work from growing up as undiagnosed Black neurodivergent kids.

Tasha “Ghrey” Mbenza (they/she/he), more recently known simply as Ghrey, is a black, queer, and autistic occupational therapist who is passionate about helping people of all ages reach their highest potential by identifying and building on their strengths. Ghrey is especially passionate about self-advocacy work with individuals from queer, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and/or physically disabled communities. His special interests include cooking with a focus on creative plating, recreating their favorite songs, and calculating service tips in their head. Her career related special interests include mental health, emotional regulation, sensory processing, and self-advocacy.

RESOURCES

• Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb
• "Country Black" Hoodoo Plant Mamas Patreon
• "Ep 12: Children are Divine" Hoodoo Plant Mamas Podcast
• "It's all fun and games for Seattle occupational therapist liberating Black clients through Play" by Jonece Starr Dunigan. Black Joy Reckon

BOOKSHOP
https://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamas

BE A PATRON!
https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamas

SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @hoodooplants
Instagram: @hoodooplantmamas

DONATE
Paypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamas
Cashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamas

This podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.

Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca.