Liberation is Lit Podcast

Dr. Ebony Toussaint and Tayler Simon host a crossover episode between Ororo Comics Podcast and Liberation is Lit with Cebo Campbell, author of Sky Full of Elephants. We discuss Black Speculative Fiction Month, storytelling, and home within diaspora. Campbell describes writing at his mother’s busy Southern dinner table, his extensive travel to explore Black identity and diaspora, and reveals his upcoming sequel to Sky. You don’t want to miss this rich discussion, including whether red velvet cake beats pound cake and whether Cebo Campbell puts sugar in his grits!

Cebo Campbell Books

Sky Full of Elephants

Pre-order Wells Without Water

Timeline

00:00 Crossover Welcome

00:47 Meet Tayler Simon

01:58 Introducing Cebo Campbell

03:35 Birthday Banter

04:27 Sky Full Opening

05:57 Writing With Toni

07:40 Moms Table Process

13:08 Food Talk Debate

15:16 Travel Diaspora Arc

16:50 Part Two Reveal

22:16 Ending Signal Discourse

24:23 Being Meta in America

25:06 Melanin as Light

27:01 Marking Up the Book

27:29 Diaspora Energy and Connection

28:27 Why Mobile Alabama

30:48 Reverse Migration and Home

34:30 Four Books One Slate

35:18 Lightning Round Fun

38:08 Wells Without Water Tease

40:32 Tour and Final Thanks

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Shaquinta Richardson of Audre’s Den (a nonprofit mobile bookstore) and Nik Stephney of Voyage Farm and Tea Bar (a backyard farm turned pop-up tea bar) to discuss our trio’s collaboration in Columbia. We share how we connected through pop-ups, chose collaboration over competition, and navigated pivots while building community-centered events such as our upcoming November event featuring Ashante Reese’s Gather. We discuss rejecting competition, especially among Black businesses, and describe our shared vision for a future cultural hub with books, food, gathering, creativity, and care that centers Black people.

Books Mentioned in this Episode

Where is Home?: Lost, Found, Made published by Liberation is Lit Press (and features Dr. Shaquinta Richardson)

Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness by Ashanté M Reese

Praise Song for the Kitchen Ghost: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson

Writer in Residence by Rhonda McKnight

The Thing About Home by Rhonda McKnight

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:45 Meet Nik and Voyage Farms

01:26 How the Trio Connected

05:03 Meet Shaquinta and Audres Den

08:09 Collaboration Over Competition

11:51 Nik on Books and Hospitality

14:36 Upcoming Events and Shared Vision

15:26 Building a Cultural Hub

17:44 Feeding People and Pleasure Portal

22:36 Book Picks and Inspirations

26:13 Follow and Closing Thanks

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome artist and author Edward Dennis to discuss his children’s books celebrating Mexican and Latine culture and building empathy. Dennis shares how, while teaching special education at a mostly Hispanic school, current events and students’ questions led him to search for books explaining immigration experiences—only to find none—so he quit teaching to write them. We talk about how children’s literature can counter warped narratives, support critical thinking amid censorship debates, and help kids see intrinsic human value. Dennis also previews upcoming projects, including a middle-grade graphic novel, and advises listeners to persist despite rejection and hardship.

Edward’s Books

The Boy From Mexico

The Boy From Mexico Becomes a Farm Worker

The Boy From Mexico Becomes a U.S. Citizen

The Super Awesome Activity Book for Kids: Exploring Diversity with Bilingual Drawing, Coloring, Games and Literacy

Where to Find Edward

Instagram

https://www.artofedwarddennis.com/

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:36 Why He Writes

01:54 Building Cultural Pride

03:11 Activity Book Breakdown

04:32 Kids Books and Empathy

06:47 Staying Grounded

10:39 New Projects Ahead

13:25 Advice to Changemakers

16:55 What He’s Reading

18:25 Where to Find Him

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we talk with poet and author Riley Danvers about writing, identity, and Riley’s new poetry collection, Arborism of Branching: Sonnets for Post-Divorce Photosynthesis. Riley shares how reading and nature inspire their work, beginning with a childhood love of haiku, and explains how the book’s sonnets chronicle a year after leaving an abusive marriage, moving through seasons as metaphors for shedding, searching, and self-actualization. We discuss the vulnerability of writing trauma, the importance of grounding through reading and community, and poetry recommendations. Riley urges artists to create as an act of resistance, sharing work widely.

Riley’s Books

Arborism of Branching

Even the Air, Too Heavy

Other Books Mentioned

No Language is Neutral by Dionne Brand

Fierce Departures by Dionne Brand

Surge by Etel Adnan

Night by Etel Adnan

Revelated by Matt Hart

Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill

Hekate: The Witch by Nikita Gill

Styx: The River by Nikita Gill

Where to Find Riley

Instagram

Threads

www.writingasajourney.com

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:45 Riley’s Writing Origins

03:16 Arborism of Branching Overview

04:40 Seasons of Healing

06:24 Identity After Abuse

09:49 Staying Grounded as a Writer

12:22 Recent Reads and Poetry Recs

14:51 What’s Next Feminist Rage Manuscript

17:50 Advice Artists as Resistance

20:44 Where to Find Riley Closing

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome German graphic artist and writer Susanne Kulendahl to discuss her graphic adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando. Kulendahl shares her path from studying visual arts and illustrating calendars and children’s books to creating graphic novels. She explains how a publisher’s Virginia Woolf biography project led her to read Woolf’s work, with Orlando becoming her favorite, and describes translating the novel into images. We discuss how Orlando treats gender change as natural, Woolf’s ironic tone, and why the story remains relevant today. 

Susanne’s Books

Orlando: A Graphic Novel Adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Queer Classic

Death in Venice: According to Thomas Mann 

Where to Find Susanne

https://susanne-kuhlendahl.de/

Instagram

Timeline

00:00 Welcome to Liberation is Lit

00:20 Meet Susanne Kulendahl

00:56 Why Graphic Classics Work

01:24 Susanne’s Creator Journey

02:34 Finding Virginia Woolf

03:43 Adapting Orlando in Images

04:57 Reading as Inner Cinema

06:22 Storytelling and Social Change

08:52 Favorite Scenes to Draw

09:51 What She’s Reading Now

10:30 Staying Grounded as an Artist

11:50 Where to Find Susanne Online

12:24 Podcast Wrap Up and Farewell

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome author and publicist Traci Saulsberry to discuss her upcoming book, This Is How You Love Her. Saulsberry shares her long-held desire to write, her career in publicity including working at NBC, and how leaving corporate prompted questions of identity that led her back to writing. She describes a non-traditional publishing journey that began with a LinkedIn message to a publishing president and evolved into a book deal and a “meta” narrative that shows her finding herself while writing about self-love. The book releases in August, so pre-order today!

Traci’s Book

This is How You Love Her (out on 8/14)

Where to find Traci

Instagram

LinkedIn

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:34 Traci’s Path to Authorship

02:23 Landing a Book Deal

03:31 Why the Book Is Nonlinear

04:51 Finding the Title and Theme

06:40 Identity Beyond the Work

09:49 Surrender, Control, and Vulnerability

13:15 Journaling as a Map to Self

15:51 Upcoming Projects and Promotion

17:25 Advice, Preorders, and Farewell

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome debut novelist Charity Collier to discuss her journey to becoming an author, from journaling and overcoming dyslexia-related discouragement to gaining confidence with her writing. Charity shares the inspiration and symbolism behind her romance novel, Making It Over the Tobin Bridge, rooted in Boston’s North Shore/South Shore culture and the bridge’s meaning as a personal crossing. We explore how romance can be powerful and subversive, emphasizing self-love, empowerment, and platonic love alongside romantic relationships. 

Charity’s Book

Making It Over the Tobin Bridge

Other Books Mentioned

Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

Olivia and Jai by Rebecca Ryman

Where to Find Charity

Instagram

Timeline

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

01:10 Charity’s Writing Journey

04:00 Why Tobin Bridge

05:39 Reinventing Romance

09:37 Staying Grounded

10:59 Next Book Wolf Eyes

14:22 Books Inspiring Her

17:08 Community Impact Advice

19:45 Where to Find Charity

20:33 Final Thanks and Outro

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

On the Liberation is Lit podcast, host Tayler Simon talks with New Jersey author Kim Coleman Foote about her lifelong journey as a writer, the family storytelling that inspired her historical fiction, and how her novel Coleman Hill uses both tragedy and humor to humanize relatives and explore intergenerational trauma rooted in slavery. Foote discusses researching family history, using imagination when records are missing, and how writing helped her gain empathy without excusing harm, while challenging normalized cycles of violence. She shares grounding practices like taking breaks, prioritizing mental health, and accountability, and previews her upcoming book Saltwater Sister, which moves between the 18th century and 1999 to examine the Dutch role in the slave trade, repeating history, Ghana, and reparations. The episode closes with community-impact advice: start small by building respectful relationships with neighbors.

Kim’s book

Coleman Hill

Where to Find Kim

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:37 Kim’s Writing Journey

01:30 Why Historical Fiction

04:48 Trauma and Humor in Coleman Hill

07:52 Humanizing Family Through Backstory

09:05 Research and Character Childhoods

11:40 Writing as Healing and Breaking Cycles

13:56 Staying Grounded as a Writer

16:50 Saltwater Sister Preview

19:58 Making Impact Locally

21:12 Where to Follow and Closing

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome author and high school science teacher Channelle Desamours to discuss her new YA supernatural thriller mystery, They Call Her Regret. Channelle shares why she writes for teens, how the dystopian boom reignited her reading, and how science and problem-solving inform her approach to mysteries. 

Channelle’s Books

They Call Her Regret

Needy Little Things

Other Books Mentioned

When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Where to Find Channelle

channelledesamours.com

Instagram

TikTok

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:02 Why Write YA Mysteries

04:24 Regret Plot and Stakes

05:40 Themes of Consequences

08:54 Social Justice in Fiction

11:35 Staying Grounded as Author

13:13 Students Reading Her Books

15:29 Upcoming Releases and Writing

17:18 Recent Reads and Recs

19:02 Advice and Closing

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

In this episode, we welcome writer Dhayana Alejandrina to discuss storytelling, social change, and Dhayana’s concept “Creative Stillness,” a reframe of writer’s block as a needed pause to live life and spark creativity. Dhayana shares her origins as a writer, her focus on capturing humanness, and how social media pressures and hyper-capitalism can distort creative worth, emphasizing trusting your voice and what true support looks like beyond trends.

Dhayana’s Book

Creative Stillness

Agridulce

Where to find Dhayana

Substack 

https://dhayana-alejandrina.square.site/

Instagram

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

01:15 Dhayana Writing Origins

03:06 Creative Stillness Explained

06:21 Creating Under Pressure

11:42 Why Community Matters

16:26 Published Works and Workshops

18:53 Staying Grounded as a Writer

22:14 Advice for Community Impact

24:48 Where to Find Dhayana

25:37 Closing and Call to Action

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.