Writing Black Joy

Tamara Gibson is the founder and artisan perfumer behind Native Caribbean— an artisan fragrance house handcrafted entirely in the Caribbean by women of the region. Based in Barbados, Tamara blends storytelling, ancestral knowledge with the sense of smell to archive the textures of Caribbean life—bush medicine, folklore, rituals, language, and cuisine. Her fragrances are rooted in heritage, layered with meaning, and reshaping how we experience culture and define luxury through scent.

I loved talking to Tamara about the power of scent, and we dove deep into:

• Her journey as an entrepreneur and why she doesn’t consider herself “creative”
• Her rich background that led her to being in the creative and cultural space
• How travel has inspired her to reflect on her identity
• How she became inspired by a trip to visit her grandmother
• How she developed the scents that evoke memories from her home and culture
• How identity feeds creativity - and her journey of showing up as an entrepreneur
• How we can tell our story in the Caribbean through our craftsmanship and culture
• What it means to be a Caribbean native.
• Some of the inspiration behind the scents in her Grandmother’s wisdom collection

And so much more! I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

You can follow Tamara's fun and informative IG account below, and check out her website.

https://www.instagram.com/nativecaribbeanscents/

www.nativecaribbean.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today in a recording of a blog post I wrote recently, I discuss whether my podcast can be considered art.

You can read the post, and posts around other questions I have been asking myself - as well as reflections from 8 years of blogging over on my website!

Link to the post is https://www.safiyarobinson.com/recent/can-my-podcast-be-art

Take a read and enjoy!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Kelly Morgan.

Kelly Morgan is an author, publisher, and the founder of Bright Headed Publishing — a platform dedicated to bold storytelling and underrepresented voices, especially from BIPOC communities. She’s the author of Weight For It and You Sound White, and the host of The Author’s Mic, a podcast that supports indie authors with real talk and practical tools. Kelly also created BTA Fridays™ (Breaking the Algorithm), a series that helps writers market their books without chasing trends or gimmicks. Her work centers truth, emotional depth, and building something powerful from the ground up — especially for storytellers who’ve been overlooked or underestimated.

Kelly and I discussed:

• Her journey from writing to publishing - and even diving into audiobooks and podcasting - after she got scammed
• Her desire to empower writers with information around publishing
• How she wrote her first book, and translated the “movie in her head” onto the page.
• How she chose to write her fiction from her own experiences - and how this helped her to heal
• The process of writing, publishing and marketing and some of the skills involved in these phases
• Her book club and the Author’s mic podcast
• How she used her experience of being scammed as fuel to create her current business
• Her journey of writing a children’s book, and translating the movie in her head over to an illustrator
• Her plans for the future of her publishing company

And so much more. You can find Kelly's links below, including her linktree. Take a listen to her show, and check our her book club if you love reading and discovering new authors!

Website - brighheadedpublishing.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrightHeadedPublishing

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhplcc

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightheadpublishing

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mJ9IIuhz4bjnKKtNf1oO0

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brightheadedpublishingllc7004

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bright-headed-publishing

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/BrightHeadedPublishing

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Aisha Shillingford. 

Aisha Shillingford is an anti-disciplinary artist, experiential futurist, and world builder originally from Trinidad & Tobago. She is an archivist of Black futures. She is the Artistic Director of Intelligent Mischief, a creative studio unleashing the power of Black radical imagination to shape the future. 

She is a former Fellow and Artist In Residence (Create Change Fellow ‘20 and AiR ‘23)  at the Laundromat Project, former mentor at the New Museum Incubator (New Inc.), and a former Project Fellow at NYU ITP. Her work has been commissioned by the Anchorage Museum, Earthseed, and Good Mirrors to name a few.. She has co-created experiential futurist installations at Carnegie Hall (Afrocosmicmelatopia, 2022), Tone Gallery in Memphis, TN ((Archipelago,2022) and a virtual 24 hour rave all based on collectively imagined future worlds in which Black people are thriving, sovereign, and free (Nation X). She has crafted several immersive sonic experiences to guide individuals and groups in creating palpable, irresistible visions of beautiful futures.

Aisha and I discussed:

• How her creative journey was impacted by growing up in Trinidad, by carnival, by her father who was an academic and by living with art students as a community organiser
• How making art led her to the intersection of art and social change
• Intelligent mischief - a cultural futures lab whose purpose is to unleash Black imagination to shape the future
• How she defines art and sees its potential for impact
• How art can be a space for communicating social issues
• How she became involved with organisations crafting narratives around reparations
• Connecting the imagining of new worlds to ideas around repair
• Bringing a big vision to life and creating team around it

And so much more! You can find links below to her work and to Intelligent Mischief, and go along and visit Futures of Repair! Links are below.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/10104573448120110

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@IntelligentMischiefStudios

Instagram: http://instagram.com/intelligentmischief

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0DBoxD59oqVQ0gNIpjBxL1?si=36550e274d8b43b1

Visit Futures of Repair: https://www.intelligentmischief.com/visit

Shop; https://www.intelligentmischief.com/buyart

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host Safiya Robinson celebrates 4 years of Writing Black Joy with the lessons she has learned along the way.

Learn about what lessons she has leared about creativity - and about herself - and hear from a listener!!

Check out the blog post mentioned - https://www.safiyarobinson.com/recent/can-my-podcast-be-art

and leave us a voicenote over on https://www.writingblackjoy.com/ letting us know - what is bringing you joy right now!

And come over to Instagram to follow us!! @writingblackjoy.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Corinne Walker.

Corinne is passionate about telling diverse, local stories with a political edge which shine a light on the South West and champion regional, underrepresented talent. She has also written for audio, animation and stage. Corinne recently completed the Channel 4 New Writers Scheme where she wrote her first full-length drama pilot. Her BFI NETWORK-funded film Homegrown  has screened at BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals including Encounters and Norwich and internationally at festivals in Canada and the U.S. She is an alumni of We are Parable’s Momentum scheme, BFI Network SW’s New Voices scheme, BFI Network’s  Script Development Lab and was commissioned by BBC New Creatives for her first short film, a comedy short which she wrote and directed. Her Arts Council funded play The Fight Well Project  premiered in September 2024 and toured to London, Bristol and Plymouth. It is now in further development.

I loved our conversation so much! Corinne and I talked about: 

• Her journey as an actor, eventually leaning into her writing for film and theater
• Her desire to bring a sense to play to more serious topics and how this led to the video game format of her fight well project
• Her process of translating the video game format to a stage show
• Bringing theater and well-being into community discussions around Black women’s health
• Performing Fight Well and the response from the public - as well as from educational institutions
• Bringing together creativity and learning in healthcare
• How she handled and balanced the roles of being writer, producer and the main actor in the performance
• The highs and lows of bringing a show together 
• The extra layer of joy that the audience can bring to a live performance

Follow Corinne on instagram over at https://www.instagram.com/corinneswalker 

And find out more about her projects at corinneswalker.co.uk

Also - head over to www.writingblackjoy.com and leave me a voicenote - letting me know what is bringing you joy right now.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Cher Terais

Cher Terais is an acclaimed author known for her captivating love stories set in exotic destinations worldwide. She beautifully explores the complexities of Black love, blending rich cultural experiences with heartfelt romance. Her debut novel, Bali Blue, immerses readers in Bali’s lush landscapes, while Mess on the Mara intertwines modern dating with Kenya’s breathtaking savannahs.

Originally from Warner Robins, Georgia, she has traveled across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe, crafting immersive, culturally rich narratives. As a proud mother and grandmother, she embraces adventure in both life and writing. A true voice in Wanderlust Romance, Cher’s stories celebrate love, self-discovery, and the transformative power of travel.

I loved chatting with Cher as we discussed -

• How the books she grew up reading inspired her writing of wanderlust romance
• How a solo trip inspired her first book
• What travel means to her
• A song she wrote for her latest book
• How she became inspired by other indie authors
• How her books became a brand that extended beyond the page
• How she builds her reader community
• Future projects that dig a bit into New Orleans Magic and tie in her love for history and design

And so much more.

Instagram- @cher_terais_author/

Facebook - @cherterais

TikTok- @cherterais

Website: cherterais.com/home

Link to order: Steel Horses Leather Roads

You can leave me a voicenote over on www.writingblackjoy.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Keshia Sakarah.

Keshia Sakarah is a food writer, recipe creator and former chef patron of Caribe' Caribbean Eating in Brixton. Raised in Leicester with Montserratian and Barbudan heritage, she developed a love of cooking from a young age.

Named one of CODE's 100 influential women in food in 2021 and 2022, Keshia has contributed to publications like Waitrose Weekend, Guardian Feast and Good Food. Keshia has appeared on BBC Radio Four's Woman's Hour, Good Food, Tastemade, Twisted and Masterchef: The Professionals. Caribe is her first book.

One of the things I love about this podcast is that every time I record a season, I find that themes emerge, and one that has come through loud and clear in this season is truth. And there is nothing truer than food. So I love the truths that Keshia and I discuss in this episode including - 

• Her inspiration to create the cookbook laced with history - to record the wisdom from her elders and begin to showcase her experience and the experiences of others through food
• How she built an unconventional cooking career 
• How ingredients can bring us more than just nourishment
• The connection between food and the stories of the people who cook and eat it
• The dishes she loves to cook
• How she defines home
• How ideas around creating that sense of home led to her creating the book,
• How she researched the recipes and the history from other islands
• Her process of creating and organising the book

I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Keshia’s website: https://www.keshiasakarah.com/

Link to purchase the book: https://geni.us/caribe

Social media links: 

• @sakarah_ 
• @caribe_uk 
• @quadrillebooks

And you can follow us over on @writingblackjoy.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's guest is Karla Marie Sweet

Karla Marie Sweet is a British-American actor, screenwriter, novelist, and dramaturg born and based in Manchester, UK. She’s written for radio, TV, and stage, and her reimagining of Othello was praised as a “remarkable” thriller-paced adaptation by The Guardian. Her speculative fiction debut Another Life was released as an Audible Original in 2024, and her print debut False Idols is a gripping psychological thriller exploring the dark side of wellness culture and charismatic leadership.

This conversation packed a punch as Karla and I discussed —

• Her early love of acting and the shift to writing after a disabling injury
• The spiritual, ego-free approach she brings to her creative practice
• How capitalism resists the autonomy and messiness of artists
• The false promise of mastery—and why she prefers to serve the craft
• How wellness culture can offer real healing and real harm
• The creation of Sadie, a messy, complex Black woman protagonist
• Why Black women deserve characters who aren’t always likable
• How her biggest rejection became the seed of her biggest breakthrough
• And how being an aunt, climbing walls, and reading James Baldwin bring her joy

You can preorder or order False Idols here: https://geni.us/FalseIdols

Follow Karla on Instagram: @karlamsweet

Read more of her work: https://karlamariesweet.substack.com

Learn about her publisher: @mountainleopardpress

Twitter: https://x.com/karlamsweet

And follow the podcast over on @writingblackjoy

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to season 6 of Writing Black Joy! We are back with amazing guests and today's guest is no exception.

Today’s guest is Bolu Babalola.

Bolu Babalola is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling and Waterstones Book of the year shortlisted collection, Love in Colour.

She is a London-based writer, and lover of love. In 2016, she was shortlisted in 4thEstate's B4ME competition for her short story 'Netflix & Chill', a hilarious teen romance and since then, she has worked as a writer for books and TV and as a cultural commentator, where she calls herself a 'romcomoisseur'.

This conversation packed a punch as Bolu and I discussed -

• How she ended up gaining a law degree before going into writing
• Beyonce (I almost want to have her back on a whole episode about that!)
• Her love for romance novels and how she sees romance as an expression of how we as people see ourselves.
• The importance of female friendships, and how they can be the love of our lives
• How Kiki and Malachi brought about their sequel
• The difficulty of writing a sequel
• How she approaches writing both books and short stories
• How she has worked to keep her writing personal
• How she knows what is next

And so much more.

You can find Bolu on the web at https://www.bolubabalola.com/

You can purchase her books on amazon, audible or from https://www.waterstones.com/book/sweet-heat/bolu-babalola/9781472286437

And you can follow her on instagram https://www.instagram.com/boluberry

And over on Substack - https://substack.com/@juicebybolubabalola

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.