Nikesha Elise Williams Podcasts

What’s Good Black & Published Family… Yes, I’m still but I wanted to pop into your ears to tell you how you can win a copy of Cleyvis Natera’s Neruda on the Park which was recently released in paperback. All you have to do is follow Black & Published (@BLKandPublished) and Cleyvis Natera (@CleyvisNatera) on both Twitter and Instagram. And then of c…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Lori L. Tharps, an author and ghostwriter living abroad in Spain. Her work sits at the intersection of race and real life. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed nonfiction books including, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (St. Martin's) Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Lo…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Victoria Christopher Murray, author of Pride, A Seven Deadly Sins Novel. A native of Queens, New York, Victoria spent years in Corporate America and as an entrepreneur before embarking on her literary career in the late 90s. Dubbed a Christian Fiction writer because no one else was writing about…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Nicole Cuffy, author of Dances. Nicole is a D.C.-based writer with a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from The New School. She is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and American University. Her work can be found in Mason’s Road, The Master’s Review Volume VI (curated by Roxane Gay), …

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Rhonda McKnight, author of The Thing About Home. Rhonda is also the author of twenty-five traditional and indie-published award-winning bestsellers, including An Inconvenient Friend, What Kind of Fool, and Unbreak My Heart. She is a two-time winner of the Emma award in the categories of Inspirat…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Nikki May, author of Wahala. Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. At twenty, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, going on to run a successful agency. Her debut novel Wahala was inspired by a long boozy lunch with fri…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Caseen Gaines, author of When Broadway Was Black: The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical that Changed the World. Caseen Gaines is an author, director, educator, and pop culture historian. He is the author of We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy, A Christmas St…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Yessoh G.D. author of the African fantastical suspense thriller, Ta Lé Book One: Knowledge. Yessoh grew up in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, a country on the southern coast of West Africa. He believes that books have the power to change people for the betterment of the whole. When he is not day-…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Derrick Harriell author of the poetry collection, Come Kingdom. Derrick Harriell is the Ottilie Schillig Associate Professor of English and African American Studies at the University of Mississippi. His previous collections of poems include Stripper in Wonderland, Cotton, and Ropes, winner of th…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Dior J. Stephens author of the poetry collection, CRUEL/CRUEL. Dior J is the author of the chapbooks SCREAMS & lavender, 001, and CANNON!. They proudly serve as the Managing Poetry Editor of Foglifter Journal and Press and are a fellow of Cave Canem and Lambda Literary's Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fe…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Victor LaValle author of the novel Lone Women. As the writer behind six other works of fiction, Victor's novels have been included in best-of-the-year lists by The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Nation, and Publishers Weekly, among others…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Laura Warrell, author of the novel, Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm, which was named a ‘best’ or ‘must-read’ book by Vanity Fair, People, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and more. The novel was chosen as a Good Morning America Buzz Pick and Laura was named a “Writer to Watch” by Pub…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, author of the short story collection, Drinking from Graveyard Wells (University Press of Kentucky, Spring 2023) which was selected for the 2021 UPK New Poetry & Prose Series. Yvette is a Zimbabwean sarungano (storyteller). Her novel manuscript in progress was selected by Geor…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Sophronia Scott, author of the novel, Wild, Beautiful and Free. Sophfronia holds a BA in English from Harvard and an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She began her career as an award-winning magazine journalist for Time, and People. When her first novel, All I Need to Get By, wa…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Diane Marie Brown, author of the novel, Black Candle Women. A professor at Orange Coast College and a public health professional for the Long Beach Health Department, Diane has a BA and MPH from UCLA and a degree in fiction from USC’s Master of Professional Writing Program. She grew up in Stockt…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Destiny O. Birdsong, author of the triptych novel Nobody's Magic. She's also a poet and essayist, and her workhas either appeared or is forthcoming in the Paris Review Daily, Poets & Writers, African American Review, The Best American Poetry 2021, and elsewhere. Nobody’s Magic, was published by …

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Danyel Smith, author of the Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Danyel is anaward-winning journalist, and producer. She’s the creator and host of the Black Girl Songbook podcast, a music and talk show that centers black women in music. Danyel has served as editor of Bill…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Tia Williams, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Seven Days in June. Tia had a fifteen-year career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, and Essence. She also wrote the bestselling novel, The Accidental Diva, and penned two YA novels: It Chicks, and Sixteen Candle…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Janay Harden, author of the novel Forty-Two Minutes. As a licensed clinical social worker, Janay works as a mental health therapist. She is the CEO of Restoring Your Destiny Counseling and Consulting and has over ten years of experience working in the mental health field with children, families,…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Ladee Hubbard, author of the short story collection, The Last Suspicious Holdout. Ladee is also the author of the novels The Talented Ribkins which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction and The Rib King. Her writing…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Mant¿s, author of the poetry collection, The Rootwork Stretched. Mant¿s writes from the intersections of Black, femme, queer, and artist. They are Pittsburgh born, and Hill District raised. They have performed their poetry at universities, open mics, launch parties, book tours, and featured show…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with C.M. Lockhart, author of the novel, We Are the Origin. C.M. (also known as Chelsea) is a Black writer of fantasy. She loves creating worlds, exploring relationships, and writing stories about Black girls who aren't all that nice. She is the founder of Written in Melanin LLC — which encompasses a…

In this debut episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Mbinguni, about her debut novel, Looking for Hope. Mbinguni is a natural storyteller with roots in West Africa and the Gullah-Geechee region of Georgia's barrier islands. Her novel, Looking for Hope, follows the life of young Hannah "Mouse" Maynard in this coming of age ta…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts, author of the essay collection, Black Joy. Tracey, holds both an MBA and an MFA. She's come up through the indie author ranks, has served as a celebrity ghostwriter, and is the author of 15 other titles. During the Conversation, Tracey opens up about the happe…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Cleyvis Natera, author of the novel, Neruda on the Park. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, Cleyvis has received honors from PEN America, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Voices of Our Nation Arts Founda…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Remica Bingham-Risher, author of the memoir, Soul Culture: Black Poets, Books and Questions that Grew Me Up. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Remica is a Cave Canem fellow and Affrilachian Poet. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Writer’s Chronicle, Callaloo and Essence. She has…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Shola Gbemi, author of the novel, They Were Chosen. A New York native of Nigerian descent, his novel focuses on the twin movements of social justice and sexual assault while following fictional characters on an HBCU campus. During our conversation, Shola explains why writing his novel was a seve…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Toni Ann Johnson, author of the short story collection, Light Skinned Gone to Waste. The collection won the 2021 Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction. Toni Ann's novella, Homegoing, won Accents Publishing's inaugural novella contest and was published in 2021. Toni Ann was also nominated for…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with George McCalman, author of the book, Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen. The work collects 145 of George's original portraits of Black pioneers alongside stirring profiles of why these individuals matter. A classically trained artist, his studio, McCalman.co creates lo…

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Tracy Cross, author of the horror novella Rootwork. Tracy has had several stories published in mass market anthologies and contributed to many horror podcasts. Her debut novella, Rootwork, is a folk horror homage to her late grandmother. She lives in Washington, DC and is a huge Prince fan. Duri…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of the novel, Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? Lizzie is a British-Nigerian writer who has been at the receiving end of the question in the title of her novel many times. Born and raised in London, she now lives with her husband in Milton Keynes, England. In ou…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Chinedu Achebe, author of the novel, The Miseducation of Obi Ifeanyi. Chinedu is Nigerian-American. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors degree in Economics. He published his first book, Blunted on Reality in 2012. Chinedu has also written articles in the Huffington P…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, author of the novel, Embers on the Wind. Becoming a novelist is Lisa's third career. Before writing, she was a professional ballet dancer with the Pennsylvania and Pacific Northwest Ballet Companies. She also has a Masters in Social Work and works as a psychotherap…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Mateo Askaripour, author of the novel, Black Buck. The New York Times bestseller takes on racism in corporate America with humor and wit. Askaripour was chosen as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “10 rising stars to make waves,” and Black Buck was a Read With Jenna Today Show book club pick. He…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Maisy Card, author of the novel, These Ghosts Are Family which won an American Book Award, the 2021 OCM Bocas Prize in fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, among others. Maisy's writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, The New York Times, and other p…

On this BONUS episode of Black & Published, Nikesha talks about the release of her new book, Mardi Gras Indians, coming out from LSU Press on October 5, 2022. She details the journey since her last bonus episode detailing her own Black & Published story about how the book started with an essay about food, evolved through a global pandemic and pregn…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Katerina Canyon, author of the poetry collection, Surviving Home. Katerina is a 2020 and 2019 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Her stories have been published in New York Times and Huffington Post. She also served as the Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga from 2000 - 2003. She has published multiple ch…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Dawn Turner, author of the memoir, Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood. An award-winning author and journalist who's reported all over the world, Dawn is a former columnist for the Chicago Tribune where she spent 15 years writing about race,…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks Marita Golden, author of the novel, A Woman's Place, which was first published in 1986 and is now being re-released by McSweeney's. Marita is the author of six novels as wells as memoirs and other non-fiction works. She's also the co-founder of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and works with writers…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Natasha Marin, curator of the Black Powerful anthology; the latest installment in her Black Imagination artist series. A conceptual artist whose people-centered projects have circled the globe, Natasha's focus is on amplifying, centering, and holding sacred space for a diverse sample of voic…

Black & Published podcast is coming back with fresh episodes for all of your literary needs. We're of course talking writing and publishing, but it's all dipped in the Black experience. Our stories and the lessons we learned from our families, even the crazy ones, and what it means to live a life where your legacy is words. New episodes drop every …

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Georgia Dawkins, about her memoir, Everybody Knows: The Power of Being in Position. Georgia is The Purpose Producer. From ABC’s Good Morning America to Will Packer’s Central Ave, Georgia has worked within a multitude of television genres including local news, network news, talk …

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with poet, essayist, and journalist Jeneé Darden about her book, When a Purple Rose Blooms. An Oakland native, Jeneé holds a BA in ethnic studies from UC San Diego and a masters's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. She has reported for NPR, Time magazine, the Lo…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author and poet Jessica Lynn about her novel, Kissing Frogs: The Thirteenth. A proud graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and an educator for over 10 years, Jessica Lynn used her experiences, the experiences of friends, and others to craft a literary drama that takes…

In this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Tamika Newhouse, about how she went from teen mom to CEO by the age of twenty. The author of 17 novels, including her latest romance collection, Suga Hill, Tamika Newhouse opens up about the pros and cons of the publishing industry, her battle with mental illness and depression …

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, performer, playwright, and educator Ebony Payne-English, about her journey as a literary artist that has led her to publish a poetry collection (Secrets of Ma'at), a graphic novel (The Random Happenings), and release six studio albums. Her latest offering, Kuongoza, dropped Marc…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with multi-genre literary artist Khalisa Rae. An essayist, journalist, budding novelist, and poet, Khalisa is the author of the chapbook Real Girls Have Real Problems. Her debut full-length poetry collection, Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat is out now from Red Hen Press. Khalisa, who is based…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with writer, editor, and New York Times Bestselling author Morgan Jerkins. Jerkins, who previously wrote the essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing and the memoir Wandering in Strange Lands, marks her fiction debut with Caul Baby. The Senior Culture Editor for ESPN's The Undefeated and a …

On this throwback episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Angela Jackson-Brown. She is the author of the novel, Drinking From a Bitter Cup, and the award-winning poetry collection, House Repairs. Her novel, When Stars Rain Down, was published by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Harper Collins, on April 13, 2021. Angela teaches Cre…

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of the novel, The Other Black Girl. Zakiya spent nearly three years in editorial at Knopf/Doubleday before leaving to write her debut novel. Prior to working in publishing, Zakiya received her MFA in creative writing from The New School. Her essays and book revie…