The PBS animated short, Jelly, Ben & Pogo, premiered in Oct. 2021. It made waves in television as the first cartoon to feature Filipinos as lead characters on a major children's network. The show centers around a sister and brother, who embark on spectacular adventures with their sea monster friend, Pogo. Creator & writer Jalysa Leva sits down with us to talk about answering the call to be daring and creative in her work, the inspiration behind her vibrant and hilarious characters, and what this series means to Filipinos in America. 

It's the most wonderful time of the year! April is right around the corner, and we're are gearing up to celebrate a major milestone. That's right! The Vulgar Geniuses will be crossing the threshold of a new year, as we are turning two years old!  On today's special episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we fill you in on our plans for a month-long celebration. We're having a party, and you are all invited! There will be giveaways, special podcast episodes, and more! 

After captivating readers with her debut memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi returns with her fifth book, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. Nafisi implores the reader to look to the power of literature as America wrestles with censorship in the aftermath of the Trump presidency. In our conversation with Azar Nafisi, she makes her case for us to be diligent in our pursuit of defending our freedom to read books that challenge us, encourage our growth, and call us to play in the limitless waters of imagination.  

Jason Mott's award-winning novel HELL OF A BOOK is a bold and imaginative story that takes readers through a multidimensional universe where magical realism, humor, and breaking of the fourth wall, examine love and grief. Mott's protagonist embarks upon a book tour, but soon the unnamed author finds himself followed by a young Black boy who may or may not be imaginary.  On this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk with National Book Award winner Jason Mott about writing without constraints, his love of Streetfighter, and how an inside joke among friends about Nicolas Cage made its way into his novel.

Set in a fictional suburb of New Orleans, THE LAST SUSPICIOUS HOLDOUT dissects the lives of African Americans during the 15 years between the Reagan era to the night before Obama is elected president. Each story finds itself connected by threads of recurring characters exploring the effects of the emergence of crack cocaine in the early 90s to neighborhoods ravaged by gentrification. In this episode, we speak with Ladee Hubbard about the creativity behind this gripping book, her relationship with examining the lives of those in the South, and what it was like to be guided by the hands of the magnificent Toni Morrison. 

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE took audiences by surprise this year at the Sundance Film Festival. This debut film came from the creative mind of Director and Screenwriter Martika Ramirez Escobar. Combining magical realism and action reminiscent of the 80s, we meet Leonor, a once-prominent name in the film industry, who now finds herself struggling to make ends meet. When attempting to work her way back into the film world, a tv falls on her head putting her in a coma, where she has a dream in which she is the star of her own movie.

IMAKEMADBEATS is standing on the precipice of the dawning of a new day in Memphis, Tennessee. In one hand, he holds a beat machine, and in the other, he has the deed to the most sought-after property known as the Orange Mound Tower, worth $50 million. 

Music producer, film screenwriter, and community leader, James Dukes, joins us to talk about his award-winning short film THE DEVIL WILL RUN. He also talks about teaming up with fellow Memphian Victoria Jones to bring generational wealth back to Black communities in their city. 

In this episode, we speak to New York Times bestselling author and National Book award finalist Ibi Zoboi about her recently released biography 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹 𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑫: 𝑨 𝑩𝑰𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑮𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑳 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑶𝑭 𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑨 𝑩𝑼𝑻𝑳𝑬𝑹. This stunning and imaginative story tells the life of a young Octavia learning to dream beyond the stars to create stories where Black people live in futuristic worlds. Ibi Zoboi's book marries prose and poetry to tell of the extraordinary life of a writer whose gift for the written word was present at the young age of 10. 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 is the newest poetry chapbook from writer Mant¿s (Tyra Jamison). This multifaceted work expands over themes of transformation and liberation, with the Black Femme at the center of each piece. This book comes from the publishing hands of author Deesha Philyaw and artist Vanessa German. In our interview with Mant¿s, we talk about the writers who have influenced their work, the mentors that guided them in helping to begin to define the craft of writing, and the power that they possess in this form of language that they call poetry. 

Writer/Director Adamma Ebo & Producer Adanne Ebo debuted their film, Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. this year at the Sundance Film Festival. After a major scandal rocks the congregation at the Wander to Greater Paths Church, Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife Trinitie (Regina Hall) attempt to bring his flock back home. The Ebo Sisters sit down with us talk about their journey to finding their way behind the camera lens, love for all things anime, and how pivotal growing up in Atlanta was to their storytelling and showing the vastness that is Blackness.