Black & Published

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Laura Pegram, the editor of Sing The Truth: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection. The anthology comes 15 years after Kweli debuted as the premier online literary journal focused on nuturing the voices of emerging writers who identify as Black, indigenous, or as other people of color. 

In our conversation, Laura explains how she got the idea to start the journal when sh...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Nancy Johnson, author of People of Means. It's a dual timeline historical fiction novel about the choices a mother and daughter make as they pursue excellence in a time of intense activism. 

In our conversation, Nancy discusses what triggered her to start telling stories of her own. Plus, the hidden history she learned on a phone call with the late great Nikki Giovanni tha...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with James Stewart, III, the author of the novel, Defiant Acts. It’s a non linear story about an interracial family that couples the mundanity of everyday life with the incendiary explosiveness of racial reckoning out in the world. 

In our conversation, James discusses how he recreated his life from what was expected of him as a working class man. Plus, how he allowed his ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Honorée Fannone Jeffers, the author of Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays and Writings. The book blends, history, cultural criticism and memoir seamlessly to weave a story about Black women in America, their worth, their value, and their inherent humanity and equality. 

In our conversation, Honorée explained how she found peace and a place of healing for herself after h...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Kristina Forest the author of The Love Lyric. It’s the final installment of Kristina’s romance trilogy about three sisters who are named after flowers. 

In our conversation, Kristina’s discusses how working on both sides of the aisle in the publishing industry gives her a unique advantage even if she still has questions. The reason she’s concerned about YA as a whole ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Nikkolas Smith about his new picture book The History of We. It's a book he says shows the lineage for every human on Earth beginning with Black people in Africa.

In our conversation, Nikkolas discusses why he's grateful for the winding path that led him to his full time role as an illustrator. Plus the Jim Crow era story that was one inspiration point for the book. And t...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Mahogany L. Browne, the author of the new YA novel A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe. The story is a real time exploration of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York told through a chorus of young voices and borne out of Mahogany’s own battle with the virus. 

In our conversation, Mahogany explains how poetry saved her when journalism became unsafe. Plus, what she...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Kiese Laymon and Alexis Franklin about their new picture book, City Summer, Country Summer. It's a story about an up north city kid who goes down south to visit his country cousins for the summer. 

In our conversation, Kiese & Alexis discuss how they were able to explore in their own ways what intimacy looks like between young Black boys. Plus, how this story puts...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dwight Thompson, author of the novel, My Own Dear People. It’s a story about a young man reflecting on the harm he and his friends caused a young teacher while they were in high school and why even as a spectator the protagonist was still a perpetrator. 

In our conversation, Dwight explains how his own reflection of his boyhood informed the creation of his character. ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Denne Michele Norris author of the novel, When the Harvest Comes. The story is one Denne has been working on for 14 years but couldn’t unlock until she freed herself first. 

In our conversation, Denne discusses how she worked through her issues of gender, race, and sexuality using her characters and craft. Plus, the reason she believes it’s her duty to walk readers th...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with W.J. Lofton, author of the poetry collection, boy, maybe. The collection explores William’s difficult and at times traumatic childhood, how he survived, and how he’s living now as young, Black queer man in America. 

In our conversation, Williams explains the reason he says that even though he crosses many identity intersections it’s not his life that is fractured.&nbs...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with, Arriel Vinson, author of the YA romance novel, Under the Neon Lights. It’s a story that sets the budding love between Jaelyn and Trey against a backdrop of their shifting community landscape and Jaelyn’s fight to maintain her safe place.

In our conversation, Arriel explains the reason she grounded this book in her own good memories as a way to explore the harm of encroach...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Cher Terais, author of the wanderlust romance novel, Tempest in Tulum. In crafting her novels, Cher says while her settings may be exotic and lush for love, what the characters go through will always be grounded in reality. 

In our conversation she explains why she was never a fan of Prince Charming, the reason it took her twenty years to return to the page after she first...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Hana Baba the storyteller on the new podcast Folk Tales from Sudan. The first season will feature 10 stories Hana grew up hearing from her uncle,  but was uncertain if she should or could step into his role behind the mic. 

A radio journalist by trade, Hana fell in love with voice, how it could emote, and its expressiveness at an early age though she grapples wit...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dolen Perkins-Valdez, about her new historical fiction novel, Happy Land. The books is based on the true story of how a group of Black people founded their own Kingdom on more than 200 acres of mountain land that straddled North and South Carolina. 

In writing Happy Land, Dolen is correcting the historical record about the origins of the Happy Land settlers that has stood ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Myah Ariel, author of the novel, No Ordinary Love. Myah, who is a journalist, film enthusiast, and lover of all things pop culture said she decided to try her hand at writing after spending the pandemic reconnecting with her love of reading romance novels. 

In our conversation she discusses how she managed to write, sell and publish two books in the four years from when sh...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Esme Addison, author of the novel An Intrigue of Witches. The historical mystery novel takes the reader on a treasure hunt with the main character to discover the hidden history of unruly women. 

In our conversation, Esme discusses who prophesied her writing and publishing career over her life. Plus, the difficulty she faced in securing an agent and publisher willing to ta...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Jacqueline Crooks, author of the novel, Fire Rush. It's a book that took her 16 years to bring into the world after getting a late start in writing even though it was something she knew she always wanted to do. 

In our conversation, Jacqueline explains why she considers her upbringing as an outsider because of her identity as a Caribbean immigrant in the UK a privilege on ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Jill Tew, author of the YA dystopian romance novel, The Dividing Sky. It's a book Jill says she hopes disrupts old norms for her young audience

In our conversation, Jill explains how she fell into the productivity trap in corporate America and the two major life changes that brought her back to the page. Plus, how rejection of her first novel prepared her to write her...