The Ethically Immoral Podcast

In Volume Six: Chapter Six of The Program, we welcome back Chicago-based writer, poet, and blogger Drew Carroll. It’s been over five years since our last conversation, and a lot has changed. Drew has traded powerlifting for building worlds—through poetry, short fiction, and most recently his new digital platform, The Blog of Drew, launched in June.

In our conversation, we discuss his journey from writing poetry during some of the ha...

No guest this week — instead, it's our Chapter Break episode. For this one, We’ve pulled together six of our favorite live readings and spoken word performances from past guests on the program. Think of it as a chance to pause, revisit, and really sit with the words that have stayed with us — and hopefully with you too. We’ll be back next week with a brand-new conversation. 

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Sa...

In Volume Six: Chapter Five of The Program, we welcomed Story Teller Gordon —a New York-based Community Activist, Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Author of the poetry collection "Don't Speak For Me", and founder of FORM NYC, a nonprofit that blends poetry, public health, and community healing. With a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management, Gordon is a multidisciplinary creative who uses his art and ...

In Volume Six: Chapter Four of the podcast, we welcome Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and Author Natasha Ria.

Natasha Ria has been writing and performing poetry for three decades. Whether it is performing with live musicians in Jazz, R&B, or Hip Hop or sharing her quieter literary work, her signature voice soothes audiences and brings them closer to themselves. Personal, political, intersectional, Natasha Ria brings her entire self t...

In Volume Six: Chapter Three of the podcast, we welcome Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and Author Alyssa Michelle for her third appearance on the program. Alyssa, based in Albany, New York, is a mother, motivational speaker, and creative writing consultant who has authored three poetry collections: Growing Pains, The Awakening, and Blooming Season.

In our conversation, we ease in with her road trip R&B playlist, then dive into a disc...

This week on the program, we welcomed Poet, Scholar, Educator, and Author of the poetry collection "What Had Happened Was" -  Dr. Therí Pickens . Dr. Pickens is a Professor of English at Bates College, where she teaches courses in African American and Arab American literature, disability studies, philosophy, and literary theory. In our conversation, we explore the intersections of Blackness, disability, poetry, and presen...

In the premiere Chapter of Volume Six, we welcomed Chicago-born and based Educator, Poet, Writer, Spoken Word Artist, and Dancer, Sunshine  Lombré . 

From her early start in ballet at the age of three to her decision to pursue dance and poetry professionally, Sunshine walks us through her artistic evolution—how physics gave way to poetry, how Craigslist led to one of her first choreography gigs, and how an unexpected injury became a...

In Volume Five: Chapter Twenty, we welcomed Ajanae Dawkins.

Ajanaé is a poet, conceptual artist and theologian. She works through poetry, visual art, performance, and audio to explore the politics of faith, grief, and intimate relationships between Black women. As a theologian, she blends cultural criticism, memoir, and theology as autotheory to consider the relationship between Black church history, spirituality, and creation. Her ...

In Volume Five: Chapter Nineteen, we welcomed Educator, Poet, Writer, Spoken Word Artist, host of the Chasing After Wind podcast, and Author of the chapbook How Much We Must Have Looked Like Stars To Stars, Dr. Alysia Nicole Harris.

Alysia has dedicated her life to studying words in their spiritual, social, linguistic and creative capacities. Renowned internationally as a spoken word artist, Alysia has had a professional career as a...

In Volume Five: Chapter Eighteen, we welcomed Writer, Poet, Editor, and Author of the forthcoming poetry collection "Ajar", Margo LaPierre.

Margo edits fiction and creative non-fiction. She completed an undergraduate degree in philosophy at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, and graduated from the Toronto Metropolitan Chang School’s Publishing Program. She is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative ...

In Volume Five: Chapter Seventeen, we welcomed Educator, Writer, Poet, Playwright, and Author of the poetry collection "Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere", Anastacia-Reneé.

(From anastacia-renee.com):

Anastacia-Reneé (She/They) is a queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, playwright, former radio host, TEDX speaker, and podcaster. She is the author of (v.) (Gramma/Black Ocean), Forget It (Black Radish); Sidenotes fr...

In Volume Five, Chapter Sixteen, we welcomed Poet, Artist, Writer, and Author Dre Hill.

Dre is a Black literary and visual artist. Hill tags himself as an artist, writer, and storyteller. He is a published fiction writer, poet, photographer, painter, and more.

He graduated from Trimble Tech High School in 2017, then earned his B.A. in Animation and Writing from Drury University in 2021. While at Drury, he had two pieces published in ...

In Volume Five: Chapter Fifteen, we welcome Poet, Writer, and Spoke Word Artist Asia Samson.

(From theasiaproject.com):

 Since 2009, The Asia Project has toured over 2000 colleges with an acoustic music poetry act that has amazed audiences all over the country. On the microphone is Asia Samson: writer, poet and part-time ninja. He has been seen on HBO Def Poetry Jam and has shared the stage with such artists as Janelle Monae, Jill Sc...

 In Volume Five, Chapter Fourteen, we sit down with Baltimore-based artist Dream—an educator, poet, writer, photographer, and meditation guide. In our conversation, Dream discusses her creative journey, releasing her spoken word pieces on streaming platforms, and talks about the influence that her family’s creativity has had on her. We dive into poetry, writing, the benefits of meditation, and the beauty of helping others. A conver...

In Volume Five: Chapter Thirteen, we welcome Poet, Writer, and Author of the poetry collection, “Elegy For Opportunity”, Natalie Lim.

Natalie Lim (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian poet living on the unceded, traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples (Vancouver, BC). She is the author of a full-length book of poetry, Elegy for Opportunity (Wolsak & Wynn, 2025) and a chapbook, arrhythmia (Rahila&ap...

In Volume Five: Chapter Twelve, we welcome Poet, Writer, Playwright, and Author of the forthcoming poetry collection, "I Hope This  Helps", Samiya Bashir.

Samiya Bashir’s honors include the Rome Prize in Literature, the Pushcart Prize, Oregon’s Arts & Culture Council Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature, plus numerous other awards, grants, fellowships, and residencies including MacDowell, the Atlantic Center for ...

n Volume Five: Chapter Eleven, we welcome Poet, Writer, Performance Poet, and Poet Laureate of Aurora Colorado, Ahja Fox.

Ahja is a mother, educator, freelancer, and the current Poet Laureate of Aurora, Colorado for a four-year term which ends Spring of 2026. She has editorial, hosting, unique performance and teaching experience through working with or for the City of Aurora, Art of Storytelling, Poetix University, Copper Nickel, Po...

In Volume Five: Chapter Ten, we welcome Poet, Writer, and Author of the new book "Root of the Matter" Sharnnell Spivey.

From her Bio:

"Sharnnell Spivey was born and raised in Detroit, MI where she first realized her passion for writing. She started at a young age by keeping journals. Sharnnell wrote in her journal about her daily life and feelings that she felt as if she could not express to others. As a preteen, she t...

In Volume Five: Chapter Nine, we welcome Activist, Poet, and Author of the forthcoming poetry collection "antibody".

Rebecca (she/they) is a queer, racialized Latinx writer, editor, and community organizer. Published works include sulphurtongue (McClelland & Stewart), the knife you need to justify the wound (Rahila’s Ghost) and Guzzle (Anstruther). 

Rebecca edits poetry for The Fiddlehead and Plenitude magazines, is a c...