Today we’re talking with Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey, an author, performer, and producer. He’s the author of two books: Look, Black Boy and Heart Notes. In 2020 he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City. He co-founded the literary magazine Black Art; Real Stories, was published in Iowa's Best Emerging Poets - 2019, the Little Village Magazine, and wrote a monthly column for The Real Mainstream.

As a performer he is the winner of the Des Moines Poetry Slam, the Iowa City Poetry Slam, a two-time winner of the Fire & Ice Poetry Slam, and a finalist for the UNESCO City of Literature Global Poetry Slam – Iowa City. When he is not writing and performing he is actively curating a community of spoken word poets in Iowa City through his creation of a high school program, IC Speaks, and producing local events like Poetry & Motion.

The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw.

Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming.

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Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria

Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane

Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

For our first episode, we talked with Akwi Nji. Akwi, a multidisciplinary artist and writer, is a Cameroonian American artist creating in words, performance, and visual art. Her work explores the intersectionality of race, gender, and concepts of geographical and spiritual home.

She is founder of an arts organization called The Hook, a member of the Iowa Arts Council Board, the creator of a nationwide audio and visual storytelling arts initiative called The Remoir Project, a 2016 Iowa Arts Council Fellow, and a champion of the artist and the arts through her role as producer of multi-media arts events in the Midwest.

The music for this podcast is "Ira" by Blake Shaw.

Ongoing support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Iowa Arts Council, and from the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. Phase 1 is an initiative of Arts Midwest and its peer United States Regional Arts Organizations made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Writers of Color Reading Series is produced by the Englert in Iowa City, Iowa, and is supported by Friends of the Englert. Visit www.englert.org/friends to support our programming.

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Host: Jesus “Chuy” Renteria

Line Producer & Audio Engineer: Savannah Lane

Executive Producers: John Schickedanz & Andre Perry

Welcome to a brand new podcast from The Englert Theatre: The Writers of Color Reading Series.

Seeking to create a dedicated space for Iowa-based Black, Indigineous, and other writers of color who were undergraduates, MFAs, or long-term residents, The Englert Theatre is excited to transition the Writers of Color Reading Series to a podcast format. Join us to hear from writers of color who will share a reading of their work and an interview about their personal history and creative process.

Jesus “Chuy” Renteria will host the first season of the podcast. Chuy is a writer and arts worker living in Iowa City. He is currently finishing a book and also serves as the Public Engagement Coordinator at Hancher Auditorium.