Ayana Gray’s debut novel 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒚 is a splendid and masterfully written story that has sealed its place in our fantasy canon. This pan-African tale takes us to the mythical city of Lkossa, where we meet Koffi, a young indentured woman who is on the brink of learning of the magical gift she possesses.

We talk with Ayana about the birth of an idea that became a New York Times best-selling novel. And we speak about the search for identity in fiction as African Americans must reckon with the erasure of history and mythology due to slavery.

Dante Stewart's debut memoir 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒏' 𝑰𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒆: 𝑨𝒏 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆 is a story of a young man's transformation as he grapples with the intersectionality of race, the sins of America, and the possibility of radical and necessary change within the Christian church. 

Stewart's willingness to expose his inner conflict with anti-blackness from his past set him on a metamorphic pilgrimage. Diving into works from James Baldwin, bell hooks, and June Jordan gave him the clarity and language to write this timely and poignant piece. 

Tis’ the season for things to go bump in the night, and during this witching hour of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk to author Isabel Yap about her debut short story collection 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑰 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓. These scary stories intertwine Filipino mythology with the present-day, sure to make readers ask themselves if everything is what it seems.

Isabel shares her publishing story, how she chose to integrate topics such as queerness, immigration, and trauma, and how the stories she heard growing up in Manila served as the backdrop for her anthology.

We head back down south to Bogalusa, Louisiana, in our interview with middle grade author Leslie C. Youngblood to talk about her sophomore novel 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓. This story is a follow-up to her critically acclaimed 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑺𝒌𝒚, which tells of two young girls wrestling with a loved one's illness and uncovering secrets that will rock both of their worlds. 

Leslie C. Youngblood reveals how an encounter with James Baldwin changed her life forever, why she chose to write novels for young children, and how she pulled memories from her childhood to help build this compelling and remarkable story.

It's National Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month, and we jump off this year's celebration with a special interview with YA author Daniel Aleman. His debut novel 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 follows Mateo, a gay teenager in New York City who must keep his sister safe after his parents, undocumented Mexican immigrants, are detained by ICE.

We talked to Daniel about how he drew upon the stories from his community to help build the moments he created in his novel,  the necessity for more narratives to have LGBTQ+ as lead characters in fiction, and his love for the musical Wicked. 

Threaded between the Spanish moss trees and buried on the shores of beaches, Dantiel W. Moniz wants the world to know that there are stories in the South. In her debut short story collection 𝑴𝒊𝒍𝒌 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒕, Moniz injects a new way of storytelling by rearranging the preconceived points of view of the human condition.

Dantiel joins us on the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast to talk about growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, and how it shaped the stories she wanted to tell. We also delve into her calling as an author and a unique sisterhood with fellow Floridian writers Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton. 

Khalisa Rae brings us to the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality in her poetry collection 𝑮𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑨 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍’𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒕.  Rae’s work dissects her journey from the Midwest to the south as she is confronted with the collective pain inflicted upon those who preyed upon Black bodies. 

We talk with Rae about the power of language within poetry, her criticism of black girl magic and its ties to the strong black woman archetype, how she came to accept her queerness, and the lessons she learned from the women in her family and connections to the south. 

For the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, you should know that we will always choose the blackest option, and in this episode, we're joined by the authority of Black culture and Queerness. Storyteller and filmmaker Amber J. Phillips sits down with us to talk about her debut short film 𝑨𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑨𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 is a three-part short film exploring the limitations and radical possibilities of identity from the perspective of a jaded politico, Black storyteller, and pop culture enthusiast with Black, queer, feminist intentions. 𝑨𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 is a love letter to dark-skinned Black, fat, and Queer women all over the world. Stay with us as we explore this space with Amber J. Phillips. 

Gabriela Garcia’s debut novel 𝑶𝒇 𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒕 chronicles the lives of a Cuban matriarchal family line that spans over five generations bringing their story to present-day Miami, Florida. Garcia masterfully examines the mother/daughter relationship through Carmen and her daughter Jeanette, a recovering drug addict. Jeanette takes in a neighbor’s child after witnessing the child’s mother being taken away by ICE.

Gabriela Garcia joins us on the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast to talk about how this novel’s origin story found its way through a series of short stories to become one of 2021’s most celebrated works.

Months before its release, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍 was on the tips of everyone's tongues. The thriller debut novel from Zakiya Dalila Harris gripped readers this year and snatched all of our edges.

Set in the white-dominated world of publishing, we are introduced to editorial assistant Nella Rogers. Everything changes when Nella meets Hazel-May McCall, the newest employee at Wagner Books. What appears to be a great addition to the workspace becomes a suspenseful trek in microaggressions and gaslighting.

Zakiya Dalila Harris talks to us about her book, her hair journey, and how her time in publishing served as the inspiration for this year's most talked-about book.