Black & Published
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.
Our Editor's Take
The Black & Published podcast mentors BIPOC literary artists seeking publication. Host Nikesha Elise Williams is the award-winning author of Beyond Bourbon Street. She's an Emmy Award-winning producer and a JAX Today contributor. Williams has written for Essence, VOX, and The Washington Post. She cites a New York Times article indicating that people of color wrote just five percent of the fiction published since 1950. The host delivers the resources BIPOC writers need to change that.
The Black & Published podcast investigates muses. One author reveals how anger prompts writing. Another writer's empathy facilitates creativity. Williams' guests define how they averted publication barriers. She interviews writers who defied marginalization. Some guests include poet Roberto Carlos Garcia and author Liv Little.
Celestial Holmes, whose pseudonym is Mbinguni, joins one episode of the podcast. She says fear inhibited her. Mbinguni waited fourteen years to publish, fearing no one would want to hear what she had to say. Mouse, a character in Mbinguni's book, didn't let her quit. She says characters worth writing "talk to her" until she writes them.
Author Roy Glenn also joins Black & Published. He recounts how his grandmother told him he lied "like a rug" as a child. Glenn later realized it wasn't about dishonesty but rather his active imagination. Yet, Glenn didn't know he was a writer until he divorced his wife. After reading a book to understand women, Glenn felt inspired to write a book as a rebuttal. He has since completed over 70 works. Glenn offers practical tips. He got his books in Barnes & Noble in the 1990s. This was a time when Black authors received less representation.
The podcast also features interviews with writers of short stories, poetry, and memoirs. Rudy Francisco, author of several poetry collections, shares his perspective on his art. As a spoken word artist, Francisco believes that the strife between spoken word performers and writers is dissipating.
Black & Published provides the support BIPOC writers need to correct publishing inequities. The podcast releases new episodes weekly.
Episodes