Black Writers Read: Nikesha Elise Williams

Send us Fan MailThis episode features Fiction, Poetry, Narrative Non-Fiction author Nikesha Else Williams, originally live-streamed on October 1, 2022. We met to chat about her new book, Mardi Gras Indians, which was released on October 5, 2022 and published by Louisiana State University Press.Mardi Gras Indians explores how sacred and secular expressions of Carnival throughout the African diaspora came together in a gumbo-sized melting pot to birth one of the most unique traditions celebrating African culture, Indigenous peoples, and Black Americans. Williams ties together the fragments of the ancient traditions with the expressed experiences of the contemporary. From the sangamentos of the Kongolese and the calumets of the various tribes of the lowerMississippi River valley to one-on-one interviews with today’s Black maskingtribe members, this book highlights the spirit of resistance and rebellion uponwhich this culture was built.Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy award winning producer, anaward-winning author, and producer and host of the Black & Published podcast.Nikesha’s latest novel, Beyond Bourbon Street, was awarded Best Fiction by theBlack Caucus of African-American Librarians in the 2021 Self-Published eBookLiterary Awards. It also received the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from theNational Association of Black Journalists. A Chicago native, Nikesha is anEditor at Narrative Initiative and a columnist with JAX Today. Her work hasalso appeared in The Washington Post, ESSENCE, and VOX. She lives in Floridawith her family where she is working on her next novel.Learn more about Nikesha and her expansive body of work by visiting: www.newwrites.com.Listen to the Black & Published bonus episode which chronicles Nikesha's journey to Mardi Gras Indians: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Find Nikesha on Instagram: @nikesha_eliseFind Black & Published on Instagram: @blkandpublishedFind Black & Published on Twitter: @BLKandPublishedSupport the show