Welcome to writing Black Joy!!! A new season is here. It has been 3 years of this project and I am celebrating!! I have had amazing guests over the past 3 years! It continues to be an incredible ride, and this upcoming season is no exception.

One of the guests that you will hear in a few weeks time is Dionne Draper and we had so much fun recording, that when she kindly offered to interview ME for the podcast, I said yes!! First - a bit about Dionne. Dionne Draper is the executive producer and host of DAWTA The Podcast, founder of Sing With Soul, and a professional writer, actor and singer who combines academia, racial justice and music, to empower diverse voices. You will hear an in depth conversation with Dionne soon, and you’ll learn a bit about her in our conversation today.

But also - I am the guest today - which is weird. Do I read a bio for myself and pretend like I am a proper guest? Maybe not, but I am also aware that I have some new listeners, and so here is a little bit about me!

So - I am Safiya Robinson - and I am the creator, host and producer behind this podcast. I am also a writer, and a creative, a sister and aunt and niece, a friend (and perhaps a mortal enemy to someone) and I am a reader and lover of the arts. When I am not podcasting, or writing, or starting crochet projects that I struggle to finish, or singing in a choir, I teach at the university of plymouth, and I still maintain my clinical practice. And I am also a writing coach and editor. 

I am so happy to have you here!

In this episode, Dionne and I talked about 

and so much more! 

Sign up to my Substack over on https://substack.com/@writingblackjoy

And you can read my blog post about being an everyday storyteller over on my blog!

And follow me over on instagram https://www.instagram.com/writingblackjoy/

On facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Writing-Black-Joy/61557171365533/

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Today we wrap this season up with Mikita Smith who is a fellow podcaster and the voice behind the "Thym 4 Tea with Mikita Podcast," where she invites us all to embrace the beautifully messy aspects of life.

As a nurse, motivational speaker, and certified meditation instructor, she's not just talking the talk; she's walking the walk, daring others to live a beautifully unbalanced life.

Her approach to self-care is refreshingly real, advocating for a life that finds beauty in the chaos and to dance in the rain. Mikita's down-to-earth conversations and insights challenge us to break free from the conventional, celebrate our imperfections, and discover our true selves in the beautiful imbalance.

We had a great conversation about:

Her journaling journey

How she encourages herself through her journaling

Her first solo writing retreat - the gift she gave to herself

Her meditation journey 

The impact that meditation has on her journaling, and how these both impact her life

How this also contributes to her fiction writing, and to episodes for her podcast

Tips for starting a journaling practice

Take a listen to her guided meditation here (and check out her entire podcast - it's amazing!)

And follow Mikita over on IG

And follow Writing Black Joy over on IG!

Hopefully this conversation will give you some new ideas, and or ways to think about your own journals and journaling practice. 

And if you want your own shiny new journalt then grab mine! It is a blank canvas for your creativity with a combination of blank pages for sketching, lined pages for note taking, and dotted bullet grid when you are ready to mix things up! Go check it out at the links below if you crave that new notebook smell, and love that multimedia life.

Click here if you use US based Amazon.

Click here if you use UK based Amazon.

Or search for Safiya Robinson in your own territory.

And definitely sign up to my substack so that you can also enjoy the new Writing Black Joy newsletter!

And subscribe to the podcast in your favourite player!

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Today I talk with Ayesis Clay who is (among other things) an extraordinary playwright, poet and theatre professional as well as an educator and founder of Sculpted Clay Productions, where she uses innovative theatre-infused residencies and professional development workshops to help schools create trauma-sensitive, social-emotional focused learning environments for teachers and students.

Ayesis and I talk about using memoir to connect with your inner world - and we also talked about performing and how that has impacted her view of memoir.

Definition of memoir and the different ways of writing your story and moments from your life

How Ayesis's memoir turned into a solo show

The book of dopeness and how it helped with imposter syndrome

The importance of taking time for yourself

Going from writing something personal for yourself to sharing with others

The importance of mindfulness when she takes people through the process of writing memoir

Using rituals and other forms of creativity such as doodling to get into your writing practice.

You can find my previous episode with Ayesis here, as well as my episode with Kerra Bolton. 

And head over to Sculpted Clay Productions if you are an educator who wants to join the waitlist for Write to Create.

And if you want your own shiny new journalt then grab mine! It is a blank canvas for your creativity with a combination of blank pages for sketching, lined pages for note taking, and dotted bullet grid when you are ready to mix things up! Go check it out at the links below if you crave that new notebook smell, and love that multimedia life.

Click here if you use US based Amazon.

Click here if you use UK based Amazon.

Or search for Safiya Robinson in your own territory.

And definitely sign up to my substack so that you can also enjoy the new Writing Black Joy newsletter!

And subscribe to the podcast in your favourite player!

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Today might be my favourite guest of the season so far - it’s my favourite little sister Talibah!

Talibah is first and foremostly my sister, she is also a teacher, mom, wife, and an artist. She is also a lifelong journaler, collector of lovely journals and stationery, and a bibliophile who is fascinated by minimalism. 

This series, I have enjoyed the opportunity to have some of my favourite people on the show to talk about the things that light them up! For my younger sister Talibah, journaling is one of those things. It is an integral part of her life, so we had a fun conversation! It was like one of our - over the dinner table conversations (with coasters of course!!) so come sit with us, and hear all about:

Her definition of journaling and why she finds it so useful 

Stationary ❤️❤️❤️

Why she has different journals for different topics

Her different journaling and how she incorporates her art, as well as how this spilled into other forms of creativity

How her journaling practice has grown over the years

The power of writing to impact how you remember the past

What she does with ALL THOSE JOURNALS

How discovering minimalism and simple living changed how she thought about her filled journals

How motherhood has influenced her thinking about her journals

And so much more! 

My favourite thing about these conversations is the idea of creating your own journaling practice, and I hope that by listening, you walk away with something new to try to incorporate for your own journaling routine.

Hopefully this conversation will give you some new ideas, and or ways to think about your own journals and journaling practice. 

And if you want your own shiny new journalt then grab mine! It is a blank canvas for your creativity with a combination of blank pages for sketching, lined pages for note taking, and dotted bullet grid when you are ready to mix things up! Go check it out at the links below if you crave that new notebook smell, and love that multimedia life.

Click here if you use US based Amazon.

Click here if you use UK based Amazon.

Or search for Safiya Robinson in your own territory.

And definitely sign up to my substack so that you can also enjoy the new Writing Black Joy newsletter!

And subscribe to the podcast in your favourite player!

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

Today I have with me Ally Rose, and Javacia Harris Bowser.

Ally Rose is a Writer, Rapid Transformational Therapy Practitioner, Certified Hypnotherapist, and Coach who brings more than a decade of experience to her work with a diverse range of clients worldwide. She has helped individuals from all walks of life overcome their obstacles and reach their goals.

Javacia Harris Bowser is an award-winning freelance journalist and the author of the essay collection Find Your Way Back: How to Write Your Way Through Anything. She's also the founder of See Jane Write -- a website, community, and coaching service for women who write -- and the host of The Writeous Babe Podcast, which she calls the grown woman's guide to journaling. 

Together, we discuss:

How they define journaling 

Their current journaling routines 

Using journaling as a creative sandbox to help with their own writing

Different types of journaling that they both use

The practice of future castings/scripting

Journaling and hope

Writing fiction and your inner world

Starting a journaling practice

And Ally and Javacia's journaling opportunities for self love in February!

Also check out their previous episodes - I have linked below, as well as links for both guests. You can find links to my Writing Black Joy journal over on www.writingblackjoy.com

Find your way back (book) - https://www.amazon.com/Find-Your-Way-Back-Anything/dp/0578365286

The Writeous Babe podcast https://writeousbabepodcast.podbean.com/

The Self Love workshop - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqcu-srDoiE9MpMxKebRph087ZvKVZIF8a

And Javacia's community See Jane Write - website: https://seejanewritebham.com/

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Welcome to my new mini series Writing your inner world.

This is for you if you:

Use writing to tap into your inner world!

Journal! Sketch! Write down your gratitudes! Make lists! Mind maps!

Simply collect beautiful journals and pens but are reluctant to write in them (or is THAT one just me?)

I wanted to explore ideas around how writing can connect you to your inner world and so for the month of February we will be doing just that.

I have often found writing to be a very powerful tool for connection - both with others and with ourselves, and I wanted to explore how we use writing to connect to ourselves. I have some incredible guests which include one of my sisters, as well as past Writing Black Joy guests and a couple of fellow podcasters and we are talking all things journaling. I also talk a bit about how I tap into my own inner world (since I am not much of a journaler), and how you can get started with your own journaling practice.

I am also taking the opportunity to release my first journal - which you can find on Amazon! It is a blank canvas for your creativity with a combination of blank pages for sketching, lined pages for note taking, and dotted bullet grid when you are ready to mix things up! Go check it out at the links below if you crave that new notebook smell, and love that multimedia life.

Click here if you use US based Amazon.

Click here if you use UK based Amazon.

Or search for Safiya Robinson in your own territory.

And definitely sign up to my substack so that you can also enjoy the new Writing Black Joy newsletter!

And subscribe to the podcast in your favourite player!

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Nacala Ayele was born and raised in Seattle Washington. She comes to coaching from a background of art, healing, service and community organizing.​

Nacala and I discuss:

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

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Today's guest is Kiedra Taylor, and she and I had such a fun and deep conversation about her work and the magazine she curates. Let me tell you a bit about her.

Kiedra Burston Taylor is a PhD candidate in the department of English. Her research focuses on depictions of Black girl protagonists in contemporary young adult literature. She is the founder and editor of Write On, Black Girl! Taylor is a Phi Kappa Phi John Tanaka Fellowship recipient. She is also a recent winner of the Outstanding Graduate Teaching  Award for the University of Connecticut.

Kiedra and I talk about

Kiedra and I went deep, but had a wonderful conversation which I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

The call for submissions: http://bit.ly/3uHoKll

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WrtOnBlkGrlUConn

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Olivia is a USA Today Best Selling, Emma Award, and multiple award-winning author who loves a good laugh coupled with some steam, mixed in with a man and woman finding their way past the words of "I love you." An author of contemporary romances, she writes heartwarming stories of blossoming relationships filled with heart and humor. The Technicians, The Blakemore Files, and the Modern Mail Order Brides, are one clicks for thousands of readers.

When Olivia is not writing, she enjoys quilting, playing Scrabble online against other word lovers and spending time with her family. She is an avid world traveler who writes many of the locations into her stories. Most of the time she can be found sitting quietly with pen and paper plotting more adventures in love.

Olivia lives in Hephzibah, Georgia with her husband, son, grandson and snotty evil cat, Katness Evermean.

Olivia and I talk about:

Learn more about her books, upcoming releases and join her bibliophile nation at www.ogaines.com

Subscribe to her email list at http://sendfox.com/ogaines

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliviagaines

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

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Today we are joined by another dream guest of mine - Mirna Valerio. Let me tell you a bit about her!

Mirna Valerio is a native of Brooklyn, NY, a former educator and XC coach, ultramarathoner, cyclist and skier, DEI facilitator, and author of the memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress. 

She began running in high school, recommitted to the sport after a health scare in 2008 and started her blog Fatgirlrunning—about her experiences as a larger woman in a world of thinner endurance athletes— while training for her first marathon. 

Mirna's athletic story has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Runner’s World, on NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in the viral documentary short, REI Presents The Mirnavator.

Her writing has been featured in Women’s Running, Self, Outside, and Runner's World. In 2018 she was chosen as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year; in 2019 was featured on GMA, and has since then appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Access Daily, and The Today Show.

Her partners include LLBean, Ford Bronco, Lululemon, Salsa Cycles, Darn Tough Vermont, Hydro Flask, and Garmin.  She currently lives and trains in Vermont and is wholeheartedly enamored and obsessed with downhill skiing. 

Mirna and I talk about:

And so much more. We laugh a LOT in this one, and my sound definitely goes in and out so I'm sorry, but it was a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

You can find Mirna on IG @themirnavator

Or head over to her website:  www.themirnavator.com

And you can learn more about me at https://www.safiyarobinson.com/

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