122 episodes
Black & Published Nikesha Elise Williams
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- Arts
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4.7 • 28 Ratings
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Black & Published brings you the journeys of writers, poets, playwrights, and storytellers of all kinds to discuss what it means to be a writer, dissect the writing process, and demystify the steps between concept and publication.
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Deconstructing Color, Race & Caste with Roberto Carlos Garcia
This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Roberto Carlos Garcia, author of the poetry anthology, What Can I Tell You. Roberto is the author of three previous poetry collections Elegies, black / Maybe: An Afro Lyric, and Melancolía.
In our conversation, Roberto discusses unlearning the ways in which colonialism have infected the mind. How anti-Blackness begins at home in some Afro-Latin communities, and the reason he believes spoken word is poetry in its purest form.
Support the show
Follow the Show:
IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished
Follow Me:
IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com -
Women Will Resist with Tracey Rose Peyton
This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Tracey Rose Peyton, author of the novel, Night Wherever We Go. The novel follows the lives of six enslaved women on a struggling plantation in Texas. When their owners The Lucy's, nicknamed after Lucifer himself, come up with a plan to increase their prosperity through reproduction, the women refuse despite the consequences of such open rebellion.
In our conversation, Tracey discusses the years she spent researching the novel as well as developing her skill as a storyteller. The personal fears she had to face to break the book open and write honestly about the experiences of her characters. And the reason Tracey felt she had to hide her identity as a writer so much that work colleagues thought she was in rehab.
Support the show
Follow the Show:
IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished
Follow Me:
IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com -
Answering the Call with Kim Johnson
This week on Black & Published Nikesha speaks with Kim Johnson, author of the YA novel, Invisible Son. The book is set in Oregon during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. A setting Kim chose to bear witness to all that was happening while also balancing the trauma of that year with its triumphs as well.
In our conversation, Kim readily admits that she came to writing late in life. She explains the feeling of being woken up out of her sleep to pursue a dream she never knew she had. Plus, how she used the specificity of niceness in the Pacific Northwest to infuse a more sinister plot into her novel. And how she really feels about being an author whose book is banned.
Support the show
Follow the Show:
IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished
Follow Me:
IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com -
A Measure of Forgiveness with Jennifer Baker
This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Jennifer Baker, author of the YA novel, Forgive Me Not. The story centers the life, loves and struggles of a teenaged Black girl to explore the pitfalls and failures of mass incarceration and carceral systems.
In our conversation, Jennifer opens up about how she stayed motivated to continue writing while working for some twenty years in the publishing industry. Plus, the reality show that sparked the idea for her novel, and the reason she believes individual power is the first step toward dismantling the penal system as we know it.
Support the show
Follow the Show:
IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished
Follow Me:
IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com -
Anger is a Muse with Lamya H
This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Lamya H, author of the memoir, Hijab Butch Blues. The book is an in depth extension of the personal essays Lamya has penned for years. Their writing has appeared in Vice, Salon, Vox, Black Girl Dangerous, Autostraddle, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. They are a former Lambda Literary Fellow and currently live in New York with their partner.
In our conversation, Lamya explains how they've carved out a life that works for them despite the rigidity of systems of faith and gender expression. The reason they said forgetting was necessary for them to live and the two beliefs they hold about God that helps them get out of bed in the morning.
Support the show
Follow the Show:
IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished
Follow Me:
IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com -
The Peace of Truth with K E Garland
This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with K E Garland, author of the memoir, In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict. K E Garland is an award-winning creative nonfiction writer and blogger who uses personal essays and memoir to de-marginalize women's experiences with an intent to highlight and humanize contemporary issues including adoption and addiction.
In our conversation, K E discusses how she confronted the truth with her loved ones especially her husband, as well as how she learned to have compassion for herself and her family despite the many traumas she experienced. And the reason she says the rest of her life will be dedicated to writing instead of working hard.
Support the show
Follow the Show:
IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished
Follow Me:
IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com
Customer Reviews
The real conversations behind being Black and published!
Great show. Tons of insight into the process of writers and the difficulties of being published in a world that can still be very dismissive of our experiences. The guests are inspiring and the host asks all the right questions. If you’re a fan of prose, this show is for you.
Reinvigorating for Writers
I discovered this show a little under a month ago when I was in a sunken place with my writing. Black & Published is the equivalent of Oprah’s Super Soul, only for writers. Even when you feel like there’s nothing to learn from a guest, I am pleasantly surprised by how our journeys as writers of color are so different, yet somehow so the same. Each episode loans a teachable moment or take away from. As I listen I feel optimistic that my true literary tribe is out there, waiting on me to take my place in the Black & Published community. Each week Nikesha manages to motivate me to push forward so I can one day be on an episode, I’m already rehearsing my answers. Five stars isn’t enough!
What a great show!
This is a great show for readers and writers. Nikesha asks great questions and lets the guests tell their full stories. I always feel a little bit smarter after listening and a little bit more inspired to get my novel done already!