Vulgar Geniuses

Unable to make waves in his acting career, David Crownson took his mother's advice, boarded a plane, and headed to Ghana to press the reset button. Three months later, after binging on Crouching Tiger, Hidden, Dragon, and Buffy, HARRIET TUBMAN DEMON SLAYER was born. This series from Kingwood Comics fuses history and fantasy as Harriet Tubman frees enslaved black men and women from the clutches of demons, vampires, and slavery. David talks to us about teaming up with Insecure producer Prentice Penny to bring his story to life under Disney's Onyx Collective and the overwhelming power behind representation.

In Bethany C. Morrow's newest novel CHERISH FARRAH the calls are coming from inside the house, and so are the screams. Our fiction pick for July will keep you cool for the rest of summer as it sends chills down your spine days after you've read the last sentence. Farrah Turner is a 17-year-old Black girl who plays a game of dominance as she manipulates her way into the home of Cherrish Whitman, best friend and adopted daughter of a wealthy, white family. But soon, everything she knew begins to unravel, and motives are soon revealed.

Sex, desire, and autonomy drip from the pages of our guest author, Alyssa Songsiridej's debut novel, LITTLE RABBIT. We explore this body of work as she reveals to us how she longed to bring forth a novel where female characters allowed themselves to be pulled under by their desire without being damaged by their male love interest. 

A 30 year-old queer and burgeoning writer begins to unearth the many aspects of her sexuality when she becomes involved in a sexual relationship with a choreographer in his 50s. This awakening collides with resistance from her roommate's expectations and questions of loyalty and friendship with Rabbit's newly drawn boundaries. 

Candice Iloh’s sophomore novel BREAK THIS HOUSE gifts, readers, with Yaminah, a teenager attempting to balance the life she has been rebuilding since she and her father moved from their hometown of Obsidian, MI., to Brooklyn, NY. In an attempt to maintain her close relationships, Yaminah is suddenly struck with news that leaves her blindsided and reeling from grief. Join us on this next episode as we talk with Candice about their craft of writing young adult fiction to embody the true essence and voice of teenagers, their desire to write characters that are imperfect, and approaches the issues of grief and addiction that gives space for readers to gain perspective about life's lessons. 

In 2020, The Vulgar Geniuses raised money to give Eccleston Elementary’s 5th-grade students a personal copy of Jason Reynolds’ Ghost, this was made possible by Orlando’s only Black-owned online bookstore, Kizzy’s Books & More. Trenessa Williams talks with us about how her parents pushed her to follow her dreams and fill a 20-year-old void by bringing Black books to the literary scene. She also shares with us the pushback she received when a local indie book store owner told her that there was not a market for a Black literature in Orlando. 

From West Virginia University Press comes middle school teacher turned debut author Neema Avashia to talk about her memoir Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer & Indian in a Mountain Place. Neema takes readers on a journey to discover the family and community that raised her, as she discovered who she was as a Queer girl in the south. Join us for this laugh-out-loud conversation where we learn what actually goes inside of a pickle sandwich, the spice she cannot go without, and how Country Road is most likely the state anthem of West Virginia. 

WHEN WE FALL APART is the debut novel from author Soon Wiley. At first appearance, this story begins as a mystery when ex-pat Korean American Min-jin Ford launches an investigation to seek out the truth behind the death of his girlfriend. Was it a suicide, or was she murdered? This novel unfolds to be more as it brings its readers to the intersection of race, nationality, and duality of identity. Soon speaks with us about how his novel came to be and how his time spent teaching in Korea found its way into the book. 

The culinary scene is thriving in the City Beautiful, with Orlando destined to be the next stop on your foodie adventures. Co-owners Chef Lordfer Lalicon and Jamilyn Bailey chat about their restaurant KAYA. This new fine dining experience will bring Filipino cuisine to the center stage and will surely leave you wanting for more! Our conversation with Lordfer and Jamilyn focuses on the importance of bringing Filipino food within the epicurean landscape; and how their family was instrumental in helping to create a menu that will be electric to everyone's taste buds. Stay tuned as we continue with our celebration of all things Asian for AAPI Heritage month on this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast.