The Ethically Immoral Podcast

 In Volume Seven: Chapter Five, Brenda Cárdenas joins the Program for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, language, culture, visual art, and the experiences that shaped her voice as a writer and poet. A Milwaukee, Wisconsin born and based educator, essayist, and author, Brenda earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, her teaching certification from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. She is the author of the award-winning poetry collection Trace, which received the 2024 Society of Midland Authors Poetry Award and was the Silver Award winner of the 2023 Foreword INDIES Poetry Awards. She is also the author of three chapbooks, served as Milwaukee Poet Laureate from 2010–2012, and in 2025 was named Wisconsin Poet Laureate. Throughout the conversation, Brenda reflects on growing up surrounded by creativity in many forms—from family members who painted, crafted furniture, made saddles, and told stories—to discovering poetry as the medium that allowed her to fully explore culture, memory, and identity. We discuss her early love of visual art, arts and crafts with her aunt, and the impact storytelling had on her imagination as a child. Brenda also talks about beginning to write stories around the age of eight, being encouraged by teachers early on, and eventually discovering poetry in high school through an American Authors course. Our conversation explores the importance of representation in literature and how discovering Latin poetry and bilingual writing during undergrad changed her understanding of what poetry could do. Brenda speaks candidly about how encountering poets who reflected her own culture and experiences gave her permission to more openly write about identity, language, and heritage. The conversation also touches on what it is like sharing life with fellow poet and former Milwaukee Poet Laureate Roberto Harrison, the ways visual art continues to influence her writing process, and what it meant to receive the call informing her that she had been selected as Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate in 2025. Contact Brenda:Website: brendacardenas.net          Instagram: @brenda.cardenas.754     Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Ephraim Nehemiah – Inheritance of a Broken HomeInstagram: @ephariamnehemiah Khalil Saadiq – Somebody's Watching MeInstagram: @khalil_saadiq Alexandria Bennett – Color BlindInstagram: @caffeinatedliving Denice Frohman – AccentsInstagram: @denicefrohman          Website: denicefrohman.com Lionheart – Pretty HurtsInstagram: @lionheartfelt          Website: lionheartfeltonline.com Support the show

In Volume Seven: Chapter Three of the program, we welcome Bronx-born, New York City-based Writer, Performance Poet, Curator, and star of the one-woman show "The Long Way Home", Leah V. In our conversation, we trace her creative history—from writing poetry at seven, to studying musical theater, to finding her footing in New York’s spoken word scene.  We touch on her recent marriage and what it’s like balancing something deeply personal with a public life rooted in performance. We revisit "Virtual Voices", the virtual open mic space that introduced me to her work back in 2020, and her "partner in Creative crime" and co-host JRose.We spend time on a pivotal chapter—losing her father, the silence that followed, and what brought her back to writing during COVID. That return to the page becomes a turning point, not just creatively, but personally. At the center of the conversation is her one-woman show, The Long Way Home: A Spoken Word Journey—a piece built around her late father’s poems and journal entries. We talk about what it means to carry someone’s voice forward, what she discovered about him in the process, and how grief evolves when you’re forced to sit with it, shape it, and share it. We also get into the New York poetry community, the importance of creative spaces, her experience performing at the Apollo Theater, and how she thinks about the stage—as a place of discovery or revelation.Contact Leah V:Website: leahvspeaks.com          Instagram: @leahvspeaks     Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Just Ace – What If I Was HimInstagram: @iam_justace Arantza Garcia – Recipe BookInstagram: @arantza.cgf Kennie Sings – Like A LadyInstagram: @kennie_sings Leah V – 3amLeah V - YoursInstagram: @leahvspeaks          Website: leahvspeaks.comSupport the show

In Volume Seven: Chapter Three of the program, we welcomed Writer, Author, and Poet Irina Moga.  Her work has been nominated for the SFPA Rhysling Award and Best of the Net, and her collection Variations Without Palace was the 2022 winner of the Dina Sahyouni International Literary Prize. She’s the author of six collections, including her latest, Quantum, and is an active member of several literary organizations across Canada. In our conversation, Irina discusses her early creative beginnings—starting with a poetry group in high school that, in her words, “mercilessly” tore apart each other’s work. What could have discouraged a young writer instead became foundational, shaping her approach to revision, experimentation, and resilience. We talk about what it means to have your work challenged early, and how that kind of environment can either push you out—or pull you deeper in. We also spend time on one of the more fascinating parts of her journey: the transition from writing in Romanian to writing in English after immigrating to Canada. Rather than simply carrying over her voice, Irina made the intentional decision to rebuild it. We get into what that process looked like in real time—the frustrations, the disconnects, and what it took to stay committed to that evolution instead of retreating to what was familiar. Throughout the conversation, Irina shares how writing lives for her today—not just as a craft, but as a space. A space of silence, concentration, and layering, where language, culture, and personal experience intersect. We talk about poetry as both deconstruction and reconstruction—how it allows us to break reality apart and reassemble it into something that feels more true, more honest, and sometimes more bearable.  Contact Irina:Website: irinamoga.com          Instagram: @pictopoems       Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Taalam Acey – Affirmation for Black MenInstagram: @taalamacey          Website: taalamacey.com Brandon Alexander Williams – Black Woman StudiesInstagram: @brandonalexanderwilliams Anita D. – ColorsInstagram: @anitadpoetry Alyesha Wise – CannibalInstagram: @alyeshawise          Website: alyeshawise.comCiara Chantelle – Empty CupsInstagram: @ciarachantelle Support the show

In Volume Seven: Chapter Two of the podcast, we welcomed Vancouver-born, Quebec-based  Educator, Writer, Poet, and Author of the poetry collection Long Exposure, Stephanie Bolster.  Stephanie is Professor of Creative Writing at Concordia University, earned her BFA and MFA from the University of British Columbia, and is the author of five poetry collections. In our conversation we discuss her creative beginnings—starting with early storytelling, a childhood desire to become an author, and the writers who helped define her path. She speaks on discovering poetry through Emily Dickinson, and later finding something deeper and more urgent in the work of Sylvia Plath—an influence that helped shift poetry from something she enjoyed to something she needed. We also spend time unpacking identity—what it meant to call herself a poet early on, before expectations and career entered the picture, and how that relationship to the word “poet” has evolved over time. That idea opens into a broader conversation about imagination, the role poetry plays in making sense of the world, and whether those two instincts—creation and understanding—work together or pull in different directions.We discuss Long Exposure, a project more than a decade in the making, and what it means to finally bring that work into the world. Stephanie reflects on her relationship with the collection, the time it took to come together, and how living with a manuscript for that long shapes both the work and the writer behind it.  We close on process and balance: her writing routine, the importance of physical space and environment, and the ongoing challenge of making room for writing within the realities of teaching, family, and life. It’s a transparent look at the tension between knowing writing is essential and still having to negotiate time for it. Contact Stephanie:Website: stephaniebolster.com          Instagram: @stephaniebolster0110      Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Shanelle Gabriel – VanityInstagram: @shanellegabriel         Website: shanellegabriel.com Matt Capone – Learned with LoveInstagram: @matt__capone Gigi Bella – SlutInstagram: @ggbellag        Website: gigibellapoetry.com Anyrah Shaveh – We Must Not Die YoungInstagram: @iamshaveh       Website: anyrahshaveh.comMoody Black – Eight LettersInstagram: @iammoodyblack        Website: iammoodyblack.com   Support the show

 In Volume Seven: Chapter One of the Program, we welcome Houston, Texas–born and based Educator, Playwright, Actress, Writer, Author, and Performance Poet Ebony Stewart. She is the 2017 Woman of the World Slam Champion, a three-time Austin Neo Soul Slam Champion, a B. Iden Payne Award recipient, and the David Mark Cohen New Play Award winner. She is also the author of four books, including her latest poetry collection Wash, which was recently named an Honors Award winner by the Texas Institute of Letters.  In our conversation, Ebony reflects on what that recognition for Wash actually means—not just as an acknowledgment of the work itself, but as an outside validation of her writing acumen. We talk about the evolution of her voice, the version of herself that shows up in this collection, and how periods of creative difficulty—graduate school where writing poetry became difficult—shaped the way she approaches the page now.  We also spend time sitting with something a lot of artists tend to move past too quickly: accomplishment. With a résumé as extensive as hers, Ebony discusses how often she truly pauses to take it in.Ebony opens up about the leap into becoming a full-time creative—what it looked like before that transition, the grind of balancing teaching with constant travel and performance, and the moment she decided to bet on herself. From there, we get into confidence: what it’s made of, how authenticity, self-awareness, and emotional honesty factor into it, and how she’s learned to carry heavy things like grief without letting them define every room she walks into. Contact Ebony:Website: ebpoetry.com          Instagram: @gullyprincess       Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Nayo Jones – We Will Not AskInstagram: @nayojones          Website: nayojones.comJay Ward – Gentrification Instagram: @jayward2030Alysia Harris – Controlled BurnInstagram: @poppyinthewheat         Website: alysiaharris.com Ebony Stewart: How We Forget (After Loyce Gayo)Ebony Stewart: SingleSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Twenty of the Program, we welcome Ontario-based Educator, Writer, Painter, Photographer, Author, and Poet Kathryn MacDonald. Our conversation explores the many ways creativity can intersect—through poetry, visual art, travel, and teaching—and how each discipline shapes the way an artist observes and responds to the world. Kathryn discusses her reputation as an ekphrastic writer, explaining how her poetry often emerges from an emotional dialogue with visual art and the details she encounters in everyday life. We talk about the role observation plays in her work, her writing process, and how reading and creative community continue to shape her development as a writer. We also explore her experiences as a sailor and traveler, how those journeys have influenced her imagination, and the relationship between her poetry, painting, and photography. The conversation concludes with a discussion of her forthcoming poetry collection, The Blue Gate, a lyrical exploration of love, grief, and the shifting emotional landscapes that follow loss. Contact Kathryn:Website: kathrynmacdonald.com        Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Jae Nichelle – Brown Skin GirlInstagram: @croptopassassin          Website: jaenichelle.com Emi Mahmoud – Window GamesInstagram: @emibattuta          Website: emi-mahmoud.com Crystal Valentine – I am Black before Woman in FebruaryInstagram: @crystalvalentine94          Website: iamcrystalvalentine.comNatasha Ria: ShineWebsite: natasharia.com        Instagram: @natashariaJavon Johnson: BuildingInstagram: @javonismSupport the show

 In Volume Six: Chapter Nineteen of the Program, we welcome Durango, Mexico-born, Toronto-based Poet, Author, Curator, and Writer Maria Giesbrecht. She is a graduate of the post-graduate Creative Writing program at Humber College and the winner of the Jack McCarthy Book Prize and the Lesley Strutt Poetry Prize. Her work has also been recognized as a finalist for the Narrative Poetry Prize, a Best of Net nominee, and the runner-up for the Eden Mills Poetry Contest. She is the author of the poetry collection Peeling Oranges, and her forthcoming collection A Little Feral is scheduled for release May 8 and is currently available for pre-order. In our conversation, Maria and I talk about how her love of language began early—reading a Nancy Drew book nightly as a kid—and how poetry first entered her life in eighth grade through a science teacher who introduced her to spoken word and rap.We explore how writing became both refuge and release during difficult years growing up, and how persona poems help her navigate creative blocks.Maria also reflects on her religious upbringing and the complicated relationship she has had with faith, doubt, obedience, and questioning—and how writing has helped her process that evolving spiritual conversation. We discuss the early-morning creative state she relies on for drafting poems, and the turning point when she left a career in corporate accounting to pursue writing full-time. Finally, we talk about her writing community Gather, the role it plays in supporting other writers, and the ideas behind both of her poetry collections.Contact Maria:Instagram: @theguelphpoet        Website: mariagiesbrecht.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Marie Foolchand – I am the People, the MobInstagram: @laframbuessaDua Saleh – FractionsInstagram: @doitlikedua          Website: duasaleh.comGabriel Ramiez – On Realizing Im BlackInstagram: @poetramirez          Website: ramirezpoet.com Andrea Gibson: Nutritionist Website: andreagibson.org        Instagram: @andreagibsonDani Cook: RecessInstagram: @thedanicook        Website: thisisdani.comSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Eighteen we welcome Educator, Poet, Writer and Author David Martin.He earned his BA in English from the University of Calgary and his MA in English from the University of Alberta. His work has been widely recognized across Canada’s literary landscape — including winning the CBC Poetry Prize, receiving the Silver Award for Poetry from the Alberta Magazine Awards, and being shortlisted for the W.O. Mitchell Book Prize, the Banff Mountain Book Competition, and FreeFall Magazine’s poetry contest. He is the author of two chapbooks and four full-length poetry collections, including his recently released book Night Stead. In addition to his poetry, he is the frontman and primary songwriter for the multi-genre band The Fragments, whose eight-album catalog spans indie-pop, alternative, jazz-inspired textures, and most recently, country. In our conversation, we explore the intersection of music and poetry — whether songwriting and verse come from the same creative space, and how genre shifts function in his artistic evolution. We trace his creative history back to a pivotal, life-changing poetry reading by multidisciplinary artist Kirk Miles — a moment that reframed how he understood poetry and ultimately led to his involvement with Calgary’s long-running Single Onion Poetry Series, where he now serves as an organizer. We also talk about his obsession with sound, his process of recording and listening back to drafts, and how grief — particularly the loss of his brother — reshaped both his writing practice and the emotional architecture of his work. Finally, we dive into Night Stead — a formally inventive and deeply personal collection that challenges conventional reading structures while exploring vulnerability, memory, and interior life. This is a conversation about discipline and experimentation, silence and return, structure and sound — and what it means to build a creative life across multiple mediums. Contact David:Instagram: @david_jamesmartin        Website: davidjamesmartyin.ca Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Alyssa Michelle – The Mis-Education of the IntrovertInstagram: @poetress_michelle         TikTok: @poetress_michelleKhalil Saadiq – Somebody's Watching MeInstagram: @khalil_saadiqShawn William – TiredInstagram: @iamshawnwilliamKelsey Bigelow: A Grandfathers HandsInstagram: @kelkaypoetry          Website: kelkaypoetry.comAnna Maria Morris: A Love Poem for MyselfInstagram: @annamariamorris        Website: annamariamorris.comSupport the show

Our guest this week is a Scotland, United Kingdom–based writer, poet, playwright, and author. Kestral Gaian, who is the author of four books, including their most recent poetry collection, Tubelines: The Poetry of Motion, available now via their website and wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we trace Kestral’s parallel paths through creativity and technology — including a lengthy career in software and tech — and how those two worlds increasingly collide. That collision leads us into a thoughtful discussion of artificial intelligence, creative labor, and authorship, sparked by Kestral’s project justsayno.ai. We talk candidly about over-reliance on AI, creative disruption, and the growing concern that AI may help people produce writing without necessarily helping them become writers. From there, we move into Kestral’s creative history: starting to write at the age of five, transitioning from storytelling into poetry, and grappling early on with questions of identity and representation. Growing up under the shadow of the UK’s Section 28 — legislation that erased queer stories from schools and libraries — profoundly shaped what felt possible to write. We talk about silence, visibility, and the long-term effects of being told certain stories shouldn’t exist. The conversation then turns to Tubelines, a poetry collection written over five years and inspired by fifty encounters on the London Underground. We talk about people-watching, movement, routine, and the quiet humanity that reveals itself in shared spaces.Contact Kestral:Instagram: @kes.tr.al        Website: kestr.al Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Toni Payne – Let the Headline ScreamInstagram: @tonipaynequotes          Website: tonipayneonline.com Meccamorphosis – Thrift ShopInstagram: @meccamorphosis          Website: meccamorphosis.comAsia Samson – As I AmInstagram: @theasiaproject       Website: theasiaproject.comChristopher Diaz: AgainInstagram: @lightbulbchris          Website: christopherdiazcreates.com Matthew Cuban: ShotgunInstagram: @matthewcuban         Website: matthewcuban.com  Support the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Sixteen of The Program, we welcome Poet, Actor, Producer, Playwright, and Author of the new book Hair Me, Leslie Saint Julien. Making her third appearance on the podcast, Leslie returns to discuss the evolution of her personal and powerful stage project Hair Me: A Journey Through the Rich Tapestry of Black Hair and the book of the same name. In this wide-ranging and honest conversation, Leslie shares how 2025 became a transformative year after a period of burnout and creative exhaustion, and what she’s learned about rest, resilience, and intention. We explore her journey from writing an award-winning poem to developing it into a one-woman stage play, complete with a companion book, script, and educational study guide designed for classrooms. She opens up about the pressures Black women face when it comes to hair — not just in terms of aesthetics, but as a matter of survival, self-expression, and social perception. We dig into the emotional and cultural weight of “code-switching” one’s hairstyle, the complexity of navigating critique, and the behind-the-scenes work required to bring a theatrical vision to life. Leslie is also the author of Brooklyn Stew and three poetry collections. A graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, she later studied acting at the New York Film Academy. Contact Leslie:Instagram: @lesliesainjulien        Website: lesliesaintjulien.com Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Destiny Birdsong – Killing WhiteInstagram: @bird_songoftheyear          Website: destintbirdsong.com Destiny Birdsong – MythiconaInstagram: @bird_songoftheyear          Website: destinybirdsong.com Ray Jane – SpoilsInstagram: @itsrayjane          Website: itsrayjane.com Summer Durant: SameInstagram: @summeraen Ghetto Jedi the Poet: Strap Up Support the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Fifteen of The Program, we welcome Educator, Community Activist, Poet, Performance Poet, and Author Barbara Fant, who is making her third appearance on the podcast. Born in Youngstown, Ohio and now based in Los Angeles, Barbara is the author of three poetry collections Paint, Inside Out, Mouths of Garden, and her newest collection, Joy in the Belly of a Riot. For over a decade, she has led poetry workshops for incarcerated youth and adults, people in recovery, and survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. In this conversation, we talk about the journey of releasing a new book, returning home for her Ohio book launch, and the creative relationships that have shaped her path — including long-standing friendships formed through performance poetry and slam. Barbara also shares what it means to be named a Recording Academy 2025 New Member, becoming a voting member for the Grammys, and how poetry, music, and performance continue to intersect in her life. We dive into her slam and performance history, finding joy on the other side of trauma, and how Joy in the Belly of a Riot helped her arrive at a clearer understanding of who she is — fully embracing faith, poetry, and purpose without compartmentalizing any part of herself. A thoughtful, honest, and wide-ranging conversation about art, healing, joy, and becoming. Contact Barbara:Instagram: @iambarbarafant         Website: barbarafant.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Sunshine Lombre – DaydreamInstagram: @ladylombre Tonya Ingram – MonsterInstagram: @tonyainstagram Theresa Davis – Why I Do ThisInstagram: @shepiratepoet          Website: artisttheresadavis.comBarbara Fant: Brown Bodies BendingInstagram: @iambarbarafant          Website: barbarafant.comBarbara Fant: MedicineInstagram: @iambarbarafant          Website: barbarafant.comSupport the show

 In Volume Six: Chapter Fourteen of The Program, we welcome Candace Marquez Green, a Chicago-born and Chicago-based community activist, entrepreneur, writer, poet, and author of the new poetry collection, "In Glimpses and Reminisces". Candace holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entertainment Business, a Master of Arts in Public Relations, and a Master of Business Administration. She is the recipient of the 2022 Chicago Defender Woman of Excellence Award, was named one of Crain’s Chicago Business and Black Women’s Professional League 40 Under 40, and currently serves on the board of the Chicago Poetry Center, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to poetry across diverse communities throughout Chicago. Our conversation explores the many layers of Candace’s creative identity, beginning with her long history in pageantry. She reflects on what pageantry taught her about discipline, confidence, access, and leadership, while also addressing the more complicated narratives often associated with the pageant world.From there, we transition into her creative history and examine the parallels between pageantry and poetry — performance and vulnerability, composure and truth — and how those worlds have shaped, rather than contradicted, one another. Candace speaks openly about growing up on Chicago’s South Side, witnessing addiction, loss, and trauma within her family, and how writing became her earliest and most honest form of self-expression through journaling and poetry.The conversation then turns to her newest poetry collection, a deeply personal work shaped by love, grief, resilience, and self-discovery. Candace shares the significance of writing much of the book during an intense creative period, and she also discusses the experience of self-publishing the collection and the pride she feels in releasing a book rooted in lived truth rather than polished performance.This episode is a thoughtful conversation about identity, growth, and the long journey from learning how to be seen to learning how to speak — honestly and on one’s own terms.Contact Candace:Instagram: @chosenpoetic         Website: candacegreen.netRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Porsha O – TriggerInstagram: @iamporsheolayiwola          Website: porshaolayiwolaWilliam Evans – For My Wife Who Fell In Love With A Ship Buried At SeaInstagram: @williamevanswrites          Website: williamthe3rd.comEphriam Nehemiah – Inheritance of a Broken HomeInstagram: @ephriamnehemiahAlyesha Wise: Untitled: To Black WomenInstagram: @alyeshawise          Website: alyeshawise.com    Kenneth Something: Rape PoemInstagram: @saysomethingpoetSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Thirteen we welcome Amsterdam-born, Kingston Ontario-based Writer, Poet, Author, and Essayist Sadiqa de Meijer. She is the author of two acclaimed poetry collections — Leaving Howe Island, finalist for both the Governor General’s Award for English-language Poetry and the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and The Outer Wards, a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award. She is also the author of two nonfiction collections: the Governor General’s Award–winning alfabet / alphabet: A Memoir of a First Language, and her newest book, In the Field, now available from Palimpsest Press. Sadiqa is also the current Poet Laureate for Kingston, Ontario. This is her first appearance on the program. In our conversation, Sadiqa traces her creative history back to childhood — from immigrating from the Netherlands to Canada at age twelve,  and how those early linguistic and cultural shifts shaped both her worldview and her writing. She reflects on experiencing marginalization as a person of color in Dutch society, the challenges of immigration, and the humility and attentiveness those experiences instilled in her as an artist. We talk about the deep imaginative life she had as a child: disappearing into books, being surrounded by storytelling, and how the desire to transform the private experience of reading into “conversation” was her earliest pull toward writing. She discusses discovering poetry in elementary school, becoming more intentional about her craft in high school and university, and the moment writing shifted from something she loved to something that felt essential — a part of her identity. We go deep into her award-winning nonfiction book alfabet / alphabet, where she examines losing — and later reclaiming — her mother tongue, Dutch. Sadiqa discusses how language shapes memory, how certain emotions exist differently in different languages, and why writing this book was personally necessary. She also speaks about the difference between the inward resonance she privileges in poetry and the slightly more outward-facing awareness she brings to her essays. Contact Sadiqa:Instagram: @sadiqademeijer          Website: sadiqademeijer.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Jasmine Mans – You Gon' Get This WorkInstagram: @poetjasminemans          Website: jasminemans.comBianca Phipps – Born To Embody ItInstagram: @biancaphippsLady Brion – I Talk BlackInstagram: @ladybspeaks          Website: ladybrion.comJavon Johnson – The ShotgunInstagram: @javonism    Rudy Francisco – HonestyInstagram: @rudyfrancisco          Website: iamrudyfranciscoSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Twelve of the Program, we welcome Melissa Powless Day — a London, Ontario–based educator, writer, poet, and author. She serves as Chair for Western University’s Indigenous Writers Circle, is a Visiting Cultural Teacher for the London District Catholic School Board, and is currently completing her PhD in Indigenous Education at Western University. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she’s the author of the 2023 chapbook Secondhand Moccasins — shortlisted for the bpNichol Chapbook Award — and her debut full-length poetry collection, A Bow Forged From Ash, released through Palimpsest Press. In our conversation, Melissa reflects on the past few months of sharing her new collection with readers and communities across Canada, and what this season has meant for her as a creative. We discuss her reclamation journey and the importance of lineage — from the influence of her mother and grandmother, to the deeper meaning of pride in being a proud Indigenous woman. She shares how her sense of heritage began to shape her voice as a writer, the role music played in her artistic growth, and how ’90s artists like Mary J. Blige, Brandy, and Tupac Shakur helped her see parallels between Indigenous and African-American experiences through art and storytelling. We also talk about community, identity, and transformation — from her experiences in gaming and creative technology to the deliberate and deeply personal process of creating A Bow Forged From Ash. Melissa opens up about her writing process, the emotional high of publication, and the lessons learned from navigating both the joy and the business of bringing her work into the world. Finally, she discusses the reclamation of her name, the legacy of the Sixties Scoop, and how her creative work continues to be a powerful act of rewriting, healing, and self-discovery. Contact Melissa:Instagram: @mel_schnarrRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Ajanae Dawkins – For the Blonde Girl and the Classroom of GhostsInstagram: @moonsatdusk          Website: ajanaedawkins.comEphraim Nehemiah – Afrofuturistic Fairy God BeingInstagram: @ephraimnehemiahAyana Albertson – Her RightsInstagram: @untouchableyannCrystal Valentine – Black PrivilegeInstagram: @crystalvalentine94          Website: iamcrystalvalentine.comMatt Capone – Learned with LoveInstagram: @matt__caponeSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Eleven of The Program, we welcome a Hamilton, Ontario–based educator, writer, poet, essayist, composer, and musician Gary Barwin. With a BFA and BA from York University and a PhD in Music Composition from SUNY Buffalo, Barwin has built a career that refuses to stay in one lane. He’s the author of more than thirty books and chapbooks—including Yiddish for Pirates, winner of the 2017 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Fiction, and shortlisted for both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award. His newest collaboration, Muttertongue—co-authored with Toronto Poet Laureate Lillian Allen and friend of the podcast Gregory Betts—is a bold fusion of both poetry and sound. In our conversation, Gary and I trace the through-lines of a life shaped by movement, music, and story. We talk about his family’s journey—from Lithuania to South Africa, through Northern Ireland, and finally to Canada—and how those histories reflects through his creative work. We discuss his grandfather’s influence, the man who first took him seriously as a writer, and the way family narratives—of exile, resilience, and humor—continue to surface in his art. We also explore Hamilton’s quiet but powerful role in his creative life, how writing and music speak the same emotional language, and why he believes creativity isn’t something that fades—it deepens. Gary discusses the leap from poetry to prose when writing Yiddish for Pirates, what that process taught him about discipline and discovery, and what it felt like to have that debut novel embraced so widely after decades of writing poetry and composing music. Finally, we dig into Muttertongue—how the collaboration with Allen and Betts came together, what it means to work at the intersection of sound, text, and visual poetry, and how they hope audiences experience the project as both a book and an album. Contact GaryWebsite: garybarwin.com          Instagram: @garybarwinRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: King Yaw – Poetry ServiceInstagram: @kingyaw_Terisa Siagatonu  – Note To SelfInstagram: @terisasiagatonu          Website: terisasiagatonu.comGabrielle Smith – Black BirdInstagram: @bygabriellesmith Nelle Divine – Dont Fall In Love With A HealerInstagram: @iamnelledivineAkeemJamaal Rollins – Suicide NoteInstagram: @keemyjamSupport the show

 In Volume Six, Chapter Ten we welcomed Hoboken, New Jersey–based educator, poet, writer, and author Isabella DeSendi. A 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, 2024 Ruth Lilly Fellowship finalist, 2024 Best New Poets selection, and 2025 New Jersey Fellowship finalist, Isabella earned her MFA from Columbia University. Her 2020 chapbook Through the New Body won the Poetry Society of America’s Chapbook Fellowship, and her debut full-length collection Someone Else’s Hunger was released September 15th via Four Way Books. In our conversation, Isabella talks about what it’s been like to live inside the excitement and vulnerability of releasing her first book while touring, and how she navigates the tension between Isabella the writer and Bella the person. We discuss how her understanding of voice, fear, and visibility evolved between Through the New Body and Someone Else’s Hunger, and how she has learned to “call a monster by his name” through the act of writing. Isabella shares how her family’s stories — her mother’s, her abuela’s — shaped her voice and sense of resilience, and how iconic figures like Eve, Mary, and Medusa stand beside those familial presences in her poems. We talk about the slow, deliberate process that shapes her work, how hunger became both the literal and spiritual thread uniting her collection, and what it means to transform pain into power — to turn the very wound that could have destroyed you into a source of strength. We also discuss anger’s rightful place in poetry and the complicated beauty of reclamation.Contact Isabella:Website: isabelladesendi.com          Instagram: @isabellamdesendiRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Ifrah Hussein – Tell UsInstagram: @ifrahhusseinLyrical Faith – Black Boy JoyInstagram: @lyricalfaithpoetryMasterpiece Poet – SlingshotInstagram: @masterpiecepoetry          Website: masterpiecepoetry.comRick Dove – A Poetic ConceitInstagram: @rickdove         Website: rickdove.co.ukLionheart– Pretty HurtsInstagram: @lionheartfelt          Website: lionheartonline.comSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Nine, we welcome Dr. Irène Mathieu — a Washington, D.C.–born, Virginia-based pediatrician, educator, researcher, and award-winning poet. She earned her BA in International Relations from the College of William & Mary, her MD from Vanderbilt University, and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. Today she serves as Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia, where she also helps lead programs in Health Humanities, and sits on the board of Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action.Dr. Mathieu is the author of four books of poetry — The Galaxy of Origins, Orogeny (winner of the Bob Kaufman Book Prize), Grand Marronage (Editor’s Choice for the Gatewood Prize and runner-up for the Cave Canem/Northwestern Book Prize), and her most recent, Milk Tongue (2023). Her work has earned Pushcart Prize nominations, national contest honors, and features in outlets including The Washington Post, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, and more.Contact Irène:Website: irenemathieu.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Alyesha Wise – TraumaInstagram: @alyeshawise          Website: alyeshawise.comJoseph Capehart – Bad HabitsInstagram: @oksolarisJavon Johnson – Black and HappyInstagram: @javonismDenice Frohman – AccentsInstagram: @denicefrohman         Website: denicefrohman.comJay Ward – GentrificationInstagram: @jward2030          Website: jwardpoetry.comSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Eight of The Program, we sit down with Shreveport-born Writer, Poet, Essayist, and Author Destiny Birdsong, In our conversation, we trace Destiny’s creative journey from her childhood love of storytelling to the spark that ignited her lifelong devotion to poetry. We talk about how her early awareness of difference shaped her imagination, and how writing became a way to transform both beauty and pain into art. Destiny reflects on her university years, when writing full-time felt impractical, and how she eventually committed fully to the literary path. We explore the influence of Cave Canem, a transformative community for Black poets, and the pivotal advice from writer Chris Abani that pushed her toward a deeper honesty in her work—an honesty that shaped her acclaimed poetry collection Negotiations. She opens up about the vulnerability of writing for others versus writing for herself, and the revelations that came with seeing her first book in print a decade after completing her MFA. We also dig into her award-winning debut novel Nobody’s Magic, a powerful triptych that follows the lives of three Black women with albinism in Shreveport, Louisiana. Destiny shares insights into character building, the emotional complexities of writing characters she loved—and even some she initially hated—and why she chose to tell three distinct but interconnected stories. This is a thoughtful, vulnerable, and inspiring conversation with a Creative which I really enjoyed.Contact Destiny:Instagram: @bird_songoftheyearWebsite: destinybirdsong.com Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include: Ephraim Nehemiah – Inheritance of a Broken HomeInstagram: @ephraimnehemiah         Website: ephraimnehemiah.comPorsha O. – TriggerInstagram: @porshaolayiwola  Website:  porshaolayiwola.com                                William Evans – For My Wife Who Fell In Love With a Ship Buried at SeaInstagram: @williamevanswrites         Website: williamthe3rd.com Destiny Birdsong – Killing White (working title)Destiny Birdsong  – MythicanaSupport the show

In Volume Six: Chapter Seven, we are joined by Vancouver-born poet, writer, educator, and editor Gregory Betts. A professor of English at Brock University and Literary Arts Residency Lead at the SETI Institute, Greg has authored or edited more than 25 books, including his most recent collaboration Muttertongue: What is Word In Utter Space, co-written with Lillian Allen and Gary Barwin. In our conversation, we trace Greg’s creative journey—from his earliest poems being published without his knowledge, to discovering the power of poetry in community through a George Bowering book and an Al Purdy reading that changed how he saw writing. We talk about his commitment to literary communities, his take on experimental versus avant-garde writing, and why he believes the difference between the two matters.Contact Gregory::Website: gregorybetts.wordpress.comPurchase Muttertongue: hereRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Ebony Stewart – Mental Health BarzInstagram: @gulleyprincess          Website: ebpoetry.comJus Marvin – My DepressionInstagram: @jusmarvinpoetry Natasha Miller – The Difference Between a Girlfriend and a WomanInstagram: @natashatmillerElizabeth Acevedo – Afro LatinaInstagram: @acevedowrites          Website: acevedowrites.comAsia Samson – As I AmInstagram: @theasiaproject          Website: theasiaproject.comSupport the show

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 hardest times in his life, to creating his own short fiction universe, to stepping away from social media and eventually returning with new projects. Drew shares his thoughts on the idea of therapy, seeking therapy, vulnerability, and masculinity—especially for Black men—and how those ideas have shaped his creativity.We also dive into his passions outside of writing, including professional wrestling and the state of the industry today.Contact Drew:Instagram: @drewbcarrollWebsite: theblogofdrew.com    Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Ajanae Dawkins –When Viola Davis WonInstagram: @moonsatduskWebsite: ajanaedawkins.comDarius Simpson – GenocideInstagram: @_dariussimpsonWebsite: dariussimpson.com                              Alysia Harris – In Situations Like ThisInstagram: @poppyinthewheatWebsite: alysiaharris.comTaalam Acey – Affirmation For Black MenInstagram: @taalamaceyWebsite: taalamacey.comPrentice Powell – True LoveInstagram: @prenticepowell1908Support the show

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:Sabrina Ali - I Want You Back (Appearance: Volume Three - Chapter Seventeen)Instagram: @sabrina_aliLive Performance: I Want You BackNicoli The Poet - Who Hurt You (Appearance: Volume One - Chapter Two)Instagram: @nicoli_the_poetTikTok: @nicoli_the_poet                              Kennie Sings - I'm Just Sayin' (Appearance: Volume Four - Chapter Two)Instagram: @kennie_singsMichael Phillips - Freedom (Appearance: Volume One - Chapter Nine)Instagram: @dbl.imgWebsite: apoetsplace.netDr. Tara Betts - Stay Lit (Appearance: Volume Four - Chapter Thirteen)Instagram: @tarabettschitownPurchase her book: Refuse To DisappearBashar Abou Hawili - Good For Me (Appearance: Volume Three - Chapter Nine)Purchase his book -  Words That Might Mean Something Someday to SomeoneSupport the show

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 voice to create spaces for connection, conversation, and care.In our conversation, we discuss his poetry origins in 2020 during the height of the virtual open mic era, how he discovered poetry as a form of emotional clarity, and why relatability—not just catharsis—is central to his work. Gordon opens up about his unique writing process, the discipline it takes to create with intention rather than emotion, and how performance, for him, is more about conversation than theatrics.We also explore FORM NYC, the community-centered nonprofit he founded in 2018. From campaigns like "Stop Street Harassment" to "My Brother is Calling" and "Safe Space", Gordon shares the motivations behind creating programs that support the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of young men—especially in a time where masculinity is being redefined and often misrepresented.Contact Story Teller Gordon:Instagram: @storytellergordonWebsite: storytellergordon.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Khalil Saaqiq – Who Am IInstagram: @khalil_saaqiqKelsey Bigelow – A Grandfather's HandsInstagram: @kelkaybpoetry  Website: kelkaybpoetry.com                                 Shanelle Gabriel – Daddy's GirlInstagram: @shanellegarbriel          Website: shanellegabriel.comStory Teller Gordon – New Year's ResolutionStory Teller Gordon  – ClosureSupport the show

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 to her performances. Contact Natasha:Instagram: @natashariaWebsite: natasharia.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Anita D – And the Psych Ward SaysInstagram: @anitadpoetryJae Nichelle – Friends With BenefitsInstagram: @croptopassassian  Website:jaenichelle.com                                  Rudy Francisco – Scars To The New BoyfriendInstagram: @rudyfrancisco          Website: rudyfrancisco.comNatasha Ria – ShineNatasha Ria  – The Secret Society of Black MothersSupport the show

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 discussion about introversion, energy, growth, and the personal work behind Alyssa’s creative evolution.We revisit her start as a young writer who turned to poetry for safe expression and trace how her writing has shifted from chronicling trauma to embodying confidence, healing, and self-empowerment. She opens up about the importance of honoring her past without staying bound to it — particularly in her performance work, where she now feels called to reflect joy, strength, and renewal on stage.We also discuss her latest book, Blooming Season, a personal collection of 22 poems that represents, essentially, both a closing of one chapter and the quiet beginning of another. Plus, Alyssa shares her experience participating in the LA Times Festival of Books and offers insight into her new role as a creative writing consultant, supporting writers across a wide range of genres.Alyssa brings honesty, warmth, and a quiet wisdom that makes this conversation both comforting and energizing, and is why she is one of our favorite guests to converse with.Contact Alyssa:Instagram: @poetress_alyssaTikTok: @poetress_alyssaRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Maya Mayor – PerfectInstegram: @mayamayorLyrical Faith – Lay My EdgesInstagram: @lyricalfaithpoetry  Website: lyricalfaithpoetry                                    Our Conversations with Lyrical Faith: First and SecondShawn William – TiredInstagram: @iamshawnwilliamAlyssa Michelle  – Solitude ThoughtsAlyssa Michelle  – Mis-Education of the IntrovertSupport the show

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 presence — and how she weaves these into both her creative and academic work.We begin with a fun round of word association that touches on everything from “Mad Blackness” to ‘90s R&B and Uno (yes, the card game), before diving into her creative history — from being the “young nerd” with a backpack full of books to her early dreams of publishing poetry. Dr. Pickens shares how she began seriously honing her craft as a poet in 2017, using poetic forms to guide and discipline her creativity. We discuss how her scholarly work in disability studies, particularly Black Disability Studies, informs her poetry — and how she challenges dominant frameworks like “mutual constitution” in understanding Blackness and disability. She offers insightful distinctions between impairment and disability, and how structural barriers—not bodies—create inaccessibility.Contact Dr. Pickens:Instagram: @tapphd2010Website: tpickens.orgRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Ariana Brown – SupremacyInstagram: @arianapbrown          Website: arianabrown.comYaw – Ancestral GhostsInstagram: @kingyaw_ Dasan Ahanu – Conversation With GodInstagram: @dasanahanu        Website: dasanahanu.comAyanna Florence – Boy Calls Me PrettyInstagram: @poetnextdoor Ifrah Hussein – Tell UsInstagram: @ifrahhussein Support the show

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 spiritual and creative turning point.We talk about the interplay between poetry and movement—how dance, especially fem-centered forms like burlesque and belly dancing, can carry memory and emotion in ways language sometimes can't. Sunshine opens up about how embracing her sensuality and femininity transformed not only her art but her relationship to herself.She also shares her passion for healing through art, both personally and in community. From her work with Poetry for Personal Power to teaching in libraries and arts councils, Sunshine is deeply invested in using creativity to empower others—especially those who might not see themselves as “artistic.”Toward the end of our conversation, we discuss her advocacy and activism, including the emotional weight and responsibility of poems like "For Gaza" and "Living in Portable Caskets". We explore what it means to create art that holds both sensuality and sorrow, joy and justice—and how those things can coexist.Contact Sunshine:Instagram:@ladylombreYoutube: @sunshinelombreRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Kyla Janee Lacey– Pulled Out A Knife On HimInstagram: @kylajlaceyZach Goldberg – BlackoutInstagram: @gach_zoldberg  Website: zach-goldberg.com  Book: I'd Rather Be DestroyedJavon Johnson – The ShotgunInstagram: @javonism          Book: Aint Never Not Been BlackSunshine Lombré  – For GazaSunshine Lombré  – DaydreamSupport the show

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 work has appeared in the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day, The Rumpus, Prairie Schooner, the Indiana Review, Frontier Poetry, The BreakBeat Poets Black Girl Magic Anthology and more. Her solo-exhibition, No One Teaches Us How To Be Daughters, debuted at Urban Arts Space in 2024. Her chapbook, BLOOD-FLEX, won the New Delta Review’s Chapbook prize and is forthcoming in Spring 2025. Contact Ajanae:Instagram: @moonsatdusk Website: ajanaedawkins.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:FreeQuency – The Seven Deadly American Sins Instagram: @freequencyspeaks        Website: freequencyspeaks.comYa Ya Poet– Ling LingInstagram: @yayazhangpoetBlack Chakra – PassInstagram: @blackchakra88Ajanaé Dawkins  – When Viola Davis WonAjanaé Dawkins  – For The Blonde Girl and the Classroom of Ghosts Support the show

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 performance artist and speaker since 2010, amassing over nine million views on YouTube. The author of the prize-winning chapbook How Much We Must Have Looked Like Stars to Stars (2016)  received her MFA in poetry from New York University in 2014 and her PhD in linguistics from Yale University in 2019. Alysia has written, performed, and taught workshops in twelve countries for organizations including but not limited to: U.S. Mission to Ukraine, U.S. Mission to South Africa, U.S. Mission to Jordan, NAACP,  Yale Center for Faith & Culture, Virginia Theological Seminary, City Seminary New York, The Disrespected Literatures Conference,  Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education, University of Birmingham, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, MoMA: PS1, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Nasher Sculpture Center, The Big Quiet, Button Poetry, and many schools and universities. She is currently working with members of a Texas community to restore a 108-year-old former CME church in Texas and transform it into an intergenerational space for community storytelling. Through this work she hopes to preserve Black places and celebrate Black stories in the U.S. South.  Contact Alysia:Instagram: @poppyinthewheat Website: alysiaharris.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Ebony Stewart – How We Forget (after Loyce Gayo) Instagram: @gullyprincess          Website: ebpoetry.comSabrina Ali – MisterOgynyInstagram: @sabsie_aliRoscoe Burnems – AgnosticInstagram: @roscoeburnemsAlysia Harris – Situations Like ThisAlysia Harris – This WomanSupport the show

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 Writing at the University of British Columbia. In her volunteer work, she is the newsletter editor of Arc Poetry Magazine, the interim fiction editor of Untethered magazine, and a poetry selection jury member of Bywords.ca (www.bywords.ca). In 2019, she was the sole recipient of the Claudette Upton Scholarship, an annual, national award that recognizes a promising student editor from among Editors Canada’s student affiliates. She is a member of the poetry collective VII, also comprising Manahil Bandukwala, Ellen Chang-Richardson, Conyer Clayton, nina jane drystek, Chris Johnson, and Helen Robertson.  Contact Margo:Instagram: @margo_lapierre Website: margolapierreeditor.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Andrea Gibson – For The Days I Stop Wanting A Body Instagram: @andreagibson          Website: andreagibson.comAlyesha Wise – FlowersInstagram: @alyeshawise          Website: alyeshawise.comChristopher Diaz – AgainInstagram: @lightbulbchris          Website: christopherdiazcreates.comAsia Samson – EnoughInstagram: @theasiaproject          Website: theasiaproject.comAnia D – ColorsInstagram: @anitadpoetrySupport the show

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 from the Archivist (HarperCollins/Amistad, ), and Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere (HarperCollins/Amistad). Side Notes From The Archivist was selected as one of “NYPL Best Books of 2023,” and, The American Library Associations (RUSA) “Notable Books of 2024.” Anastacia-Reneé is a recipient of the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award and, she was selected by NBC News as part of the list of "Queer Artist of Color Dominate 2021's Must See LGBTQ Art Shows," for “(Don’t Be Absurd) Alice in Parts” an installation at the Frye Art Museum. Anastacia-Reneé served as Seattle Civic Poet (2017-1019) during Seattle’s inaugural year of UNESCO status. Contact Anastacia-Renee:Instagram: @anastaciarenee5 Website: anastacia-renee.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Nia Lewis – Closed Instagram: @nia.lewisEdwin Bodney – Good MorningInstagram: @edwinbodneyAleah Bradshaw – QuestionsInstagram: @nyfeGabrielle Smith – BlackbirdInstagram: @bygabriellesmithDasan Ahanu – Double Entendre Website: dasanahanu.com          Instagram: @dasanahanuSupport the show

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 the literary magazine Currents. His work was featured in the “Race in America” art exhibit. His senior film, “Solace”, won second place in the 2022 MBEA competition.Hill’s work is both individualist and collective, seemingly speaking for and to each reader respectively as well as to and for groups as a whole. His work is vivid, colorful, and animated in nature. There are heavy Afrocentric, and often supernatural or metaphysical themes, in his work. Often exploring the connections between some of life’s mundane experiences and the almost extraordinary ways in which black people engage and grapple with them.Contact Dre:Instagram: @drehillart          Website: drehillart.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Alysia Harris – Controlled BurnInstagram: @poppyinthewheat          Website: alysiaharris.com     Bianca Phipps – Born To Embody ItInstagram: @biancaphippsTaalam Acey – Seldom SeenInstagram: @taalamaceyWebsite: taalamacey.comBarbara Fant – Brown Bodies BurningInstagram: @iambarbarafant          Website: barbarafant.comDanez Smith – Dear White AmericaInstagram: @danez_smif          Website: danezsmithpoet.comSupport the show

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 Scott, DMX, Mos Def, Dead Prez and KRS-One.  Accompanying him on the guitar is his brother-in-law Jollan who uses music to create an atmosphere that brings poetry to emotional levels you would never expect. They have been featured on HBO Def Poetry, Button Poetry, TEDx, NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, SoFar Sounds, Story Conference, and Entrepreneur’s Organization. They have worked with companies such as the US Military, Nokia, Disney, To Write Love On Her Arms and AEvolve. They have broken college-booking records for the most booked poetry act in the college market garnering them the awards of APCA College Performer of the Year and thrice APCA Spoken Word Artist of the Year. Contact Asia:Instagram: @theasiaproject Website: theasiaproject.com         Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Sunni Patterson – Black Back Instagram: @sunnipattersonWebsite: sunnipatterson.comAshley Lumpkin – InheritanceInstagram: @lumplestiltzken               Website: ashleylumpkin.comEphriam Nehamiah – Teaching My Son How To Say NoInstagram: @ephraimnehemiahWebsite: ephraimnehemiah.comAsia Samson – As I Am Instagram: @theasiaprojectAsia Samson – EnoughWebsite: theasiaproject.comSupport the show

 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 conversation about art, presence, intentionality, and more. Contact Dream: Instagram: @dreamreallovec          Threads: @dreamreallovecRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Reagan Myers – Depression Is Funny Like That Instagram: @reagancmyersImani Cezanne – FlowersInstagram: @imanicezanneMarshall Davis Jones – TouchscreenInstagram: @marshalldavisjonesWebsite: tonalinfluence.comElizabeth Acevedo – A Love Letter To My Beloved Instagram: @acevedowrites          Website: acevedowrites.comKing Yaw – Ancestral GhostsInstagram: @kingyaw_Support the show

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's Ghost Press, 2022). Winner of the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize and Room Magazine’s 2020 Emerging Writer Award, her work has been published in Arc Poetry Magazine, Best Canadian Poetry 2020 and elsewhere. Contact Natalie:Instagram: @natalielimwrites          Threads: @natalielimwrites Website: natalielim.ca            Order Elegy For OpportunityRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Timothy DuWhite – The Story of How He Happened Instagram: @call.me.ugba Threads: @saber.my.champagneDenice Frohman – Accents             Instagram: @denicefrohman               Website: denicefrohman.comKenneth Something – Rape PoemInstagram: @kennethpoetryInstagram: @kennethsomethingMike Rosen – When God Happens Instagram: @heymikerosenJavon Johnson – Black and HappyInstagram: @javonismSupport the show

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 the Arts, and the New York Council on the Arts. She is the author of three books, and her fourth “I Hope This Helps” is scheduled to be released May 13th.Contact Samiya: Instagram: @scryptcreeper          Threads: @samiyabashir Website: samiyabashir.com            Order I Hope This HelpsRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Melissa Newman-Evans – Nine Things I Would Like To Tell Every Teenage Girl Instagram: @saber.my.champagne Threads: @saber.my.champagneL3thal Po3t – Superhero               First Appearance: HereInstagram: @poetic.dreamcatcher               Second Appearance: HereTucker Bryant – Facts About MyselfInstagram: @iamtucks Website: tuckerbryantspeaks.comMeccamorphosis – Thriftshop Instagram: @meccamorphosisWebsite: meccamorphosis.comNatasha Hooper – A Letter To Whomever Is NextInstagram: @natashadeepoetrySupport the show

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, Poetry Brothel Denver, Kallisto Gaia Press, Poetix University, Progenitor Literary & Art Journal and more. Currently, she teaches with Lighthouse Writers as a youth instructor, hosts Poetry Breakfast with Hoffman Library, and is a board member for Soul Stories, and commits to delivering poetry-focused lessons at various schools and public places.  Contact Ray Jane:Instagram: @aefoxx          Threads: @aefoxxWebsite: dangerspoetics.wordpress.comRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Lyrical Faith – BilingualInstagram: @lyricalfaithpoetryThreads: @lyricalfaithpoetryRudy Francisco – Scars To The New BoyfriendInstagram: @rudyfrancisco Website: iamrudyfrancisco.comSteven Willis – The Hustle SpeaksInstagram: @stevenwillispoetry Website: stevenwillispoetry.comAshley Davis – Lesson In HealingInstagram: @ashleydavis_artThreads: @ashleydavis_artSonya Renee Taylor – The Body Is Not An ApologyInstagram: @sonyareneetaylor Website: sonyareneetaylor.comSupport the show

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 took an interest in Maya Angelou and her writings. She looked at a woman that was so bold and used emotions and turned them into art; Sharnnell wanted to do the same. She began writing poetry and realized she had a heart for it. She later published her first book of poetry at the age of 15 entitled, “So Many Emotions by One Little Girl”. She wrote her second poetry book “Keeping it Real” however she stopped writing for 6 years after experiencing a domestic violence situation. After coming out of her writers block, she spent 3 months writing about her experience in her nonfictional book entitled, “Domestic Drama: Her Truth”. It was hard to express the things that she experienced at that time however, she wanted to get her story out, hoping others come forward and remove themselves from such situations."Contact Sharnnell: IG: @sharnnellsThreads: @sharnnellsTikTok: @nell2267Recorded Spoken Word Performances featured in this Chapter Included:Taalam Acey – Willie Lynch LLC IG: @taalamacey          Website: taalamacey.comSherrika Mitchell – Crescent LoveIG: @legs_almighty Roscoe Burnems – Metaphysics for White PrivilegeIG: @roscoeburnems          Website: roscoeburnems.comAlex Dang – What Kind of Asian Are YouIG: @alexdangpoetry          Website: alexdangpoetry.comThea Monyee – For Little Girls IG: @theamonyee          Website: theamonyee.com     Podcast: Shaping The ShiftSupport the show

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 co-founder of BIPOC Pride Fredericton, and works as a graduate researcher for the Cymbeline in the Anthropocene research project. Rebecca is currently completing a PhD on trauma, queerness, and ecopoetics, while living on the unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik people.Contact Rebecca:Bluesky: @rsalazar Website: rebeccasalazarca.wordpress.comFeatured Performance Poets in This Chapter:AkeemJamal Rollins – Suicide NoteInstagram: @keemyjamJasmine Combs – MonsterInstagram: @jasminelcombs Website: jasminelcombs.comDarius Simpson – GenocideInstagram: @_dariussimpsonWebsite: daruissimpson.comChristopher Michael – Purse ClutchersInstagram: @mrmichael310   Website: mrmichael310.comGiGi Bella – SlutInstagram: @gigibellag   Website: gigibellapoetry.comSupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Eight, we welcome back to the program Educator, Advocate, Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and Author of the book "Black Like That: Poems from a Conduit" Ray Jane.Ray is a Brooklyn-born poet raised in Far Rockaway, Queens. She uses her poetry to lift herself and other women of color. Always aiming to strengthen her voice, Ray Jane was also the winner of the Verb Benders slam poetry team’s inaugural poetry slam. Some of her feature performances include: “Digital Verse,” sponsored by The Nuyorican Poets Café and The Green Space. You can find her expressing her perspective as a Black female artist on several podcasts, including We Be Imagining/Black Siren Radio and Sound Minds Podcast’s “Potent Women Wordsmiths.” She has moderated her own workshops with ¡Oyé Group! Poet’s Corner (2021- 2023) and Art Defined, and hosted The Nuyorican Poets Cafe Thursday Night Online Open mic (2022-2023) and “Freestyle Friday” for The Word Is Write. Contact Ray Jane:Instagram: @itsrayjaneWebsite: itsrayjane.comPurchase Black Like That: Poems for a Conduit here and hereRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Jared Singer – Just Take a ShowerFacebook: @jaredsingerwriterPurchase Jared's book Forgive YourselfJahman Hill – White HeavenInstagram: @jahman_rondoWebsite: jahmanhill.comLoyce Gayo – How We ForgetInstagram: @loycegayo Website: loyceg.github.ioRay Jane – SoberingRay Jane - SpoilsSupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Seven, we welcome the Author of the book "Las Bugambilias: A Bilingual Queer Novel" Lalo León.Lalo was born and raised in Southern New Mexico near the U.S. Border with Mexico. He holds a structural engineering degree from New Mexico State University, a Master's Degree in architecture from Arizona State University, and is a retired Mariachi. “Las Bugambilias" is a work which reflects on his experience of being a conversion therapy survivor and how the interplay of Latino and American cultures have an impact on immigrant stories.Contact Lalo:Instagram: @thelaloleonWebsite: thelaloleon.comFeatured Performance Poets in This Chapter:Sarah Kay – UnreliableInstagram: @kaysarahsera                                                                                                  Website: kaysarahsera.comAnna Maria Morris – A Love Poem For MyselfInstagram: @annamariamorris Website: annmariamorris.comDanez Smith – Waiting On You To Die So I Can Be MyselfInstagram: @danez_smifX: danez_smifJasmine Mans – You Gon'Get This WorkInstagram: @poetjasminemans                                                                                            Website: jasminemans.comJay Ward – GentrificationInstagram: @jward2030Website: jwardpoetry.comSupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Six, we welcome Poet, Essayist, Freelance Writer, Critic, and Author of the forthcoming novel "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer", friend of the Podcast Robert Lashley.Robert is a 2016 Jack Straw Fellow, a nominee for a Stronger Genius Award, and an Artist Trust Fellow. This was his second appearance on the program.Contact Robert: Instagram: @misterlashley Threads: @misterlashleyRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Brandon Alexander Williams – Black Woman Studies Instagram: brandonalexanderwilliamsThreads:  brandonalexanderwilliamsMuna Abdulahi – Pronounce Us CorrectlyInstagram: munaabdulahi_Threads: munaabdulahi_ Website: munaabdulahi.comAnyrah Shaveh – If We Must Die YoungInstagram: iamshaveh Website: anyrahshaveh.comMoody Black – Eight LettersInstagram: iammoodyblack Website: iammoodyblack.comGayle Danley – RoughInstagram:  gayledanleySupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Five, we welcome Teaching Artists, Poet, Dancer, Spoken Word Artist, and Author of the book Becoming The Artist Volume One, Tarika Holland.Contact Tarika:Instagram: @tarikahollandInstagram: bec0mingtheartistFeatured Performance Poets in This Chapter:Ariana Brown – We Never Did This to Be BeautifulInstagram: @arianathepoet                                                                                                  Website: arianabrown.comCrystal Valentine – Black Privilege Instagram: crystalvalentine94Website:iamcrystalvalentine.comEbony Stewart – Mental Health BarzInstagram: gullyprincessWebsite: ebpoetry.comMatthew Cuban Hernandez – ChallengerInstagram: matthewcuban                                                                                                    Website: matthewcuban.comEdwin Bodney – Good MorningInstagram: edwinbodneySupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Four we welcome back to the Program Page Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and Author of the book Far From Broken, Kelsey Bigelow.From Her Website:Kelsey Bigelow is a poet and speaker based in Des Moines. She spends her time working as a mental health poet sharing this therapeutic tool with audiences of all ages across the world. She is the author of four poetry projects, including her latest book "Far From Broken." Her work is published with several small presses and journals. Kelsey is a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, a 2023 Button Poetry Video Contest Finalist, and a 2023 Central Avenue Poetry Prize finalist. As a performer, Kelsey has worked with organizations such as The Mayo Clinic, NAMI, Planned Parenthood, and more. Videos of her work can be found on YouTube, Button Poetry, Ghost Poetry Show, and elsewhere. ​She's the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, the chair for the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam, a teaching artist in the Des Moines community, the director for the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and a founding member of the 2025 io-what poetry slam team.Contact Kelsey:Instagram: @kelkaybpoetryWebsite: kelkaybpoetry.comFeatured Performance Poets in This Chapter:Wayne Henry – TheophobiaInstagram: dreadful_poetJae Nichelle – Afro So BigInstagram: @croptopassassian Website: jaenichelle.comEmi Mahmoud – Window GamesInstagram: @emibattua Website: emi-mahmoud.com God's Ink – PenniesInstagram: @gods_ink_spokenwordAlexandria Bennett – SapiosexualInstagram: @caffeinatedliving Website: alexandriabennett.comSupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Three of the Program, we welcome Educator, Poet, and author of the chapbook The Autodidact, Meghan Malachi.From Meghan's Website:Meghan is the first-place winner of the Spoon River Poetry Review 2022 Editor's Prize Contest and a 2022 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Her work is published or forthcoming in Milly Magazine, Rabid Oak, NECTAR Poetry, Pages Penned in Pandemic, giallo lit, and Writers With Attitude. Her first chapbook, The Autodidact, was published by Ethel Zine and Micro Press. She lives in Chicago, Illinois. ​Meghan received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Providence College in 2016 and a Masters of Science in Mathematics from the University of Iowa in 2019.  She has an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing from DePaul University, where she also works as a Graduate Assistant and Peer Writing Tutor. Meghan is the Creative Director of Indigo Sessions, an artistic series highlighting the works of Black women musicians and poets. She is an Associate Editor at RHINO magazine and a Programs Coordinator at the Guild Literary Complex.Contact Meghan:Website: meghanmalachiwrites.comInstagram: @meghanbmalSpoken Word Recording featured this Week:Farah Habad - 2am in Marshall, TXX: @habadfarahLady Brion -  I Talk BlackInstagram: @ladybspeaksWebsite: ladybrion.comX: @ladybspeaksDasan Ahanu - I Love YouInstagram: @dasanahanuWebsite: dasanahanu.comOur Conversation with DasanEphraim Nehemiah - 5 Stages of Grief for the LivingInstagram: @ephraimnehemiahOur Conversation with EphraimAlysia Harris - Death PoemInstagram: poppyinthewheatWebsite: alysiaharris.comSupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter Two we welcomed Writer and Author of the books How Much Can I See and Love Can't Be Measured, M.L. FerrellFrom M.L.'s bio:M.L. Farrell is a cancer survivor, a faith-driven storyteller, and a firm believer in embracing every moment life has to offer. After facing some of life’s toughest battles, she emerged with a renewed perspective and a passion for finding joy in the small things—whether that’s indulging in tacos on a Tuesday, blasting Taylor Swift while cleaning, or getting lost in a smutty romance or an epic fantasy adventure.With a heart rooted in gratitude and a deep love for God, M.L. Farrell writes stories that inspire, uplift, and encourage readers to embrace their own journey. She knows life isn’t about striving for perfection but about finding those moments of light and laughter, even when things get messy. Her books reflect that spirit—a mix of hope, humor, faith, and the courage to live authentically.Contact M.L.:Instagram: @authorml_farrellFacebook: @authormlfarrellPurchase How Much Can I See and Love Can't Be Measured Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured This Chapter:Elizabeth Acevedo - Afro-LatinaInstagram: @acevedowritesWebsite - acevedowrites.comDamien McClendon - On Surviving a LynchingInstagram: @covrd_n_epicBella Soul - InterpretationInstagram: @bella_soul_Jus Marvin - My DepressionInstagram - @jusmarvinpoetryThreads - @jusmarvinpoetryDani The Poet - Wide OpenInstagram - @thedanicookWebsite - thisisdani.comSupport the show

In Volume Five: Chapter One, we welcome Educator, Poet, Author of the poetry collections Only Believe and Traveling Mercy, and Poet Laureate of Columbia South Carolina Jennifer Bartell Boykin.Bio From Jennifer's Website:Jennifer Bartell Boykin is the Poet Laureate of the City of Columbia, South Carolina. She was born and raised in Bluefield, a community of Johnsonville, SC. She received the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a Poetry Concentration (2014) and the Master of Library and Information Science (2024) from the University of South Carolina.She is the author of her debut book of poetry Traveling Mercy (Finishing Line Press, 2023) and her second book of poetry Only Believe (The Word Works, 2024) is a 2023 winner of The Hilary Tham Capital Collection. Both are published under the name Jennifer Bartell. Her poetry has been published in Obsidian, Callaloo, pluck!, The Raleigh Review, kinfolks, Jasper Magazine, the museum americana, Scalawag, and Kakalak, among others.She is a 2023 Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow and organized the Inaugural Soda City Poetry Festival in June 2024. An alumna of Agnes Scott College, Jennifer has additional fellowships from Callaloo and The Watering Hole. She is an award-winning English educator who has taught English for 16 years and was the 2019-2020 Teacher of the Year at Spring Valley High School. She is currently a school librarian at Muller Road Middle School in Blythewood, SC.Contact Jennifer:Instagram: @jennibb55 @columbiapoetWebsite:jenniferbartellpoet.comFeatured Performance Poets in This Chapter:Kira J - BitterInstagram: @allthingskirajGabriel Ramirez - Whenever I Look Over My BalconyInstagram: @ramirezpoetWebsite: ramirezpoet.comAndrea Gibson - The NutritionistInstagram: @andreagibsonWebsite: andreagibson.orgX:   @andreagibsonAnita D - Family MattersInstagram: @anitadpoetryAsia Samson - Desks Are Not BulletproofInstagram: @theasiaprojectWebsite: theasiaproject.comSupport the show

From her bio:Shanet OB is the author of three poetry books and a children’s book. Journey into 666 is Shanet’s first erotica poetry book. She started writing lyrics at the age of eight which transitioned into poetry. In 2005 Shanet won the National Fine Arts Exhibit sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for her artwork “Vogue of Colors.” She placed first in her age category at the 2005 Burlington County 4-H Youth Development farm exhibit for her color photo entitled “Snowflakes.” She was published in the Creative Communications poetry book Fall 2007 and Spring 2009. As well as contributing to Farmingdale Senior High School Labyrinth Volume One Spring 2009 and Volume Two Spring 2010 with three poems published. Shanet is published on the July 2017 edition cover of UBAWA magazine. A Brooklyn, NY native now residing in the Central Texas area with her husband and kids. Contact Shanet OB:Instagram: @authorshanetThreads: @authorshanetSupport her Cairo Brown Foundation:IG: @thecairobrownfoundationThreads: @thecairobrownfoundationPurchase Shanets books hereRecorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Andria All Smiles – Dear Pastors KidInstagram: @andria_allsmilesWebsite:  allsmilesalways.comX: @andria_516Shanelle Gabriel – Just ShineInstagram: @shanellegabrielX: @shanellegWebsite: shanellegabriel.comSteven Willis – How the Hood Loves You BackInstagram: @stevenwillispoetryWebsite: stevenwillispoetry.comFanta Ballo – Broken HeartsInstagram: @fantarattyWebsite: fantaballo.comMasterpiece Poet – Truffle SauceInstagram:  @masterpiecepoetWebsite: masterpiecepoetry.comSupport the show

No guest this week as we celebrate the holidays with family, however we have produced a Chapter Break (a pause between Chapter numbers) that includes a collection of spoken word performances by a number of our favorite Performance Poets.Happy holidays!Featured Spoken Word Performances this week include:Candace Nicholas-Lippman - TenIG: @candace.nicholas.lippmanX: @candacethepoetJoshua Bennett - Transatlantic Love ManifestoIG: @sirjoshbennettX: @sirjoshbennettWebsite: drjoshuabennett.comCarvans Lissaint - Tell ThemIG: @carvenslissaintWebsite: carvensliaasint.comDua Selah - FractionsIG: @doitlikeduaWebsite: duasaleh.comGhetto Jedi the Poet - I am MetaphorJasmine Mans - I Know You Didnt Mean To Kill HimIG: @poetjasminemansWebsite: jasminemans.comMecca Morphosis - Penny DreadfulsIG: @meccamorphosisWebsite: meccamorphosis.comPropaganda - Twenty YearsIG: @prophiphopWebsite: prophiphop.comSupport the show

In Volume Four Chapter Nineteen, we welcome Poet, Actress, performance Poet, and Author of the books "More Than Me" and "A Cup of Me", Leslie Saint-Julien. Leslie also stars as Janae McRae in the movie "Men Dont Cheat" currently available on YouTube and Amazon Prime.From Leslie's "About Me" page:"Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland. She has studied Acting for Film at the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts. Additionally, she has studied theater crafting, acting fundamentals & playwriting under the tutelage of Drs. Vivian G. Spencer, Gregory Wm. Branch and Baltimore actor, director & playwright Derrell G. Owens.Leslie is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Also a member of The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), her streaming work and poetry books can be found on all major streaming platforms and everywhere popular books are sold."Contact Leslie:Instagram: @lesliesaintjulienWatch "Men Dont Cheat"Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:Summer Durant - Future Not FetishInstagram: @summeraenLyrical Faith - Black Boy JoyInstagram - @lyricalfaithpoetryX - @bylyricalfaithFacebook - @lyricalfaithpoetryBlack Chakra - I Spit FireInstagram - @blackchakra88X - @blackchakra88Barbara Fant - Brown Body BendingInstagram - @iambarbarafantWebsite -barbarafant.comX - @iambarbarafantJesse Parent - To The Boys Who May One Day Date My DaughterInstagram - @jesseparentSupport the show

In Volume Four: Chapter Eighteen we welcome Teaching Artist, Poet, Actress, and Author of the award-winning book "Still Laughin", Dara Kalima.Contact Dara:IG: @darakalimaWebsite: darakalima.comX: @kaliskornerDara's Podcast: On Behalf Of Purchase Dara's Book: Still Laughin'Recorded Spoken Word Performances featured in this Chapter Included:Alyeshia Wise - The InterviewIG: @alyeshiawiseX: @mswiseWebsite: alyeshiawise.comEbony Stewart - Mental Health BarzWebsite: ebpoetry.comIG: @gullyprincessX: @ebpoetryEphriam Nehemiah - Afrofuturistic Fairy God BeingIG: @ephriamnehemiahCiara Chantelle - Empty EyesIG: @ciarachantelleWebsite: ciarachantelle.comNelle Divine - Dont Fall in Love with a GiverIG: @iamnelledivineSupport the show