Black & Published

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Arionne Nettles, author of the book, We Are The Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything. A university lecturer at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism as well as a  culture reporter, Arionne's book is as much a love letter to her city as it is putting the world on notice… that Chicago is the epicenter for all things culture and cool… wi...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Julian Randall author of the essay collection The Dead Don't Need Reminding: In Search of Fugitives, Mississippi and Black TV Nerd Shit. Julian, who is also the author of the Cave Canem poetry prize winning collection, Refuse, got their start as a slam poet. In making the transition from the stage to the page they say talking to themselves instead of an audience was diffi...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Maura Cheecks, author of Acts of Forgiveness. The book is an outgrowth of her 2019 article, for the Atlantic, “American Wealth is Broken” which explores the necessity of reparations for Black families.  Maura was awarded the 2019 Masthead Reporting Residency for The Atlantic’s first residency program where she worked on that article.

In our conversation Maura explains...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Melissa Mogollon, author of the novel, OYE. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Melissa is originally from Colombia and was raised in Florida. She now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog.

In our conversation, Melissa explains the feedback she received for her experimental form and why she refused to change it. P...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with New York Times Bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi, author of The Children of Anguish and Anarchy, the final installment in the Legacy of Orisha series. 

As a Nigerian American who came of age in a mostly white community, Tomi says her writing grew out of reckoning with her own internalized self-hatred. In our conversation, she explains how writing herself seen is an act ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Riss M. Neilson, author of the romance novel,  A Love Like The Sun. A graduate of the Rhode Island College, Riss won the English department’s Jean Garrigue Award, which was judged by novelist, Nick White. Her debut young adult novel, Deep in Providence, was a 2022 finalist for the New England Book Awards. 

In our conversation, Riss explains how she healed herself by w...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Shenequa Golding, author of the essay collection A Black Girl in the Middle: Essays on (Allegedly) Figuring it All Out. Shenequa’s collection is the culmination of what happened after her essay about being Black in the workplace after George Floyd’s murder went viral. So viral, Amazon founder and billionaire, Jeff Bezos, reposted it. 

In our conversation, Shenequa exp...

This week on Black & Published we're introducing you to a new show that we love, Reckon True Stories hosted by acclaimed authors Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon.

Guests for Season One include writers Roxane Gay, Imani Perry, Alexander Chee, Minda Honey, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Samantha Irby.

Reckon True Stories is a celebration of new and classic nonfiction – the essays, journalism, and memoirs that inspi...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Walela Nehanda, author of, Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir. As a Black, non-binary, disability justice advocate and stem-cell transplant survivor, Walela's book is an outgrowth of their time and work as a slam poet. 

In our conversation, Walela, explains why even though their publishing journey may seem like a Cinderella story, they definitely put in their 10,00...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with the authors and illustrators of the children's picture book, The Last Stand. Written by Antwan Eady and illustrated by the brothers Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, The Last Stand  is a book that honors the legacy and sacrifices of Black farmers by focusing on the joy found in community. 

In our conversation,  Antwan, Jarrett, and Jerome discuss how they got out of their ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Avery Cunningham, author of the novel, The Mayor of Maxwell Street. Avery is a resident of Memphis, TN, and a 2016 graduate of DePaul University’s Master of Arts Writing & Publishing program. She has over a decade of editorial experience with various literary magazines, small presses, and best-selling authors. 

In our conversation, Avery discusses how writing abou...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Donna Hemans, author of the novel, The House of Plain Truth. Born in Jamaica and currently residing in the DMV area, Donna is the author of the novels River Woman and Tea by the Sea. Works that all center the Caribbean experience. 

In our conversation, Donna discusses the book that made her want to be a writer. Plus, the lesson she learned about writing the story you ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Crystal Wilkinson, author of the cookbook memoir, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts. A poet, a novelist, and an essayist, Wilkinson is a recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry and was recently named a 2024 Writing Freedom Fellow. 

In our conversation, we discuss why she says she’s never writing solely for publication. How she’s haunted by her own art...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Maya Golden, author of the memoir, The Return Trip. Maya is the founder of the 1 in 3 foundation which provides recovery tools and support for survivors of sexual abuse. An organization she started after she went on her own road to healing through body based therapy that helped her overcome her trauma and sex addiction. 

In our conversation, we discuss how Maya initia...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dr. Jenn M. Jackson, author of the book, Black Women Taught Us: An Intimate History of Black Feminism. Dr. Jackson (they/them)  is a genderflux androgynous Black woman, a lesbian, an abolitionist, and a lover of all Black people, They are an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University in the Department of Political Science where their primary research is in Black Politics with ...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speak with Ashton Lattimore, author of the historical novel, All We Were Promised. The novel that follows three young Black women in 19th century Philadelphia. One is born free. One is enslaved. And the third is free-ish: she self-emancipated with her father who’s maintaining their liberation by passing for white. Ashton is the Editor-in-Chief of the non-profit news outlet, Prism. A posit...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Vanessa Riley, author of the historical fiction romance novel, Queen of Exiles. An engineer and self-proclaimed math nerd, Vanessa applies her  inventive and analytical mindset to her creative writing. Her historical novels showcase the hidden histories of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods and dazzling multicultural communities. 

In our co...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Juliana Lamy, author of the short story collection, You Were Watching From the Sand. A Haitian writer, Juliana says her collection is preoccupied with what it means to be Haitian and the honesty of that lived experience. 

In our conversation, Juliana, who is a graduate of Harvard and the Iowa Writers Workshop, explains how she creates rhythm and lyricism that translat...

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Shannon Sanders, author of the short story collection, Company. A lawyer by trade, Shannon came to crafting her award-winning collection after attending several writing workshops and having to produce on a deadline. 

In our conversation, Shannon explains why she thinks about what's enjoyable for her reader as she's creating new work. Plus, what she believes ...