Essah's Way

Episode 127. Essah Cozett discusses her recent publications, dissertation updates, and developing community archive projects. Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in migration, memory, storytelling, and African traditional healing practices. Díaz is currently a fellow of the Diaspora Solidarities Lab, a multi-institutional Black feminist digital humanities partnership. She was a 2022 Pathways intern with the Office of Digital Humanities at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Díaz served two terms as Chair of the Caribbean Without Borders Graduate Student Conference. In 2016, she founded Hermanas del Agua, the Puerto Rican chapter of the SisterCARE Alliance, to create a safe space for women and non-binary people to practice strategic self-care. Díaz is a co-editor of the collections Mothering, Community, and Friendship (Demeter Press, 2022) and Distancing as Infinite Entanglement: Healing, Intersectionality and Interstices in the Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Greater Caribbean and Beyond (University of Curaçao, 2021). She is also an alumnae of the Obsidian Foundation and the Young Scholars of Liberia. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications. Essah loves encouraging others to move forward with ease in pursuit of their dreams. https://www.essahcozett.com

Episode 126. Darian “Creative” Harris opens up about his experiences as an entrepreneur and his inspirations as a marketing expert. Darian “Creative” Harris is a Southern photographer, marketing and branding expert. He is also a skilled Digital Content Creator and Philanthropist. His goal is to turn ideas into reality. https://www.instagram.com/iamcreatve/

Episode 125. Effie Nkrumah celebrates her journey by reflecting on her faith, international experiences, and dedication to her dreams. Effie Nkrumah previously known as Benumah, is an energetic and charming performer, interdisciplinary artist, writer and lover of food brought up on Gadigal and Darug countries. She is the voice of Astra, the first Ghanaian Agent in Valorant by Riot Games, creators of League of Legends, a contributor in Maxine Beneba Clarke's Growing up African in Australia anthology, has played the role of Cleo as a cover in DTC's production of seven methods of k*lling kylie jenner and holds an MA in Arts Politics from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. As Benumah, her practice relies on memory and the archive and is driven by the concept of challenging the single story of Africa through stories of continental Africans in diaspora, creating work that is entertaining, aesthetically pleasing and discussion prompting. Her installation series See What I See has been performed in Sydney, New York and Accra. She is currently a swing in the Australian cast of the reimagined Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the roles of Hermione, the Trolley Witch and Madam Hooch. She is also the owner of Australian-Ghanaian clothing brand Keziah Jemima.

Episode 124. Elly Karamoh highlights various experiences that have defined his journey as a celebrity stylist while sharing insight on his passion and aspirations in the fashion industry. Elly Karamoh is a designer and fashion stylist with an eccentric love for art appliqué. Originally from Paris, France, but Karamoh has left his mark in Atlanta as a Custom Clothier and Creative Director at Hideoki Bespoke. Elly Karamoh is known for bringing class and high fashion in entertainment industry. Instagram: @Elly30

Episode 123. Essah Cozett returns to the mic to discuss the importance of community aid, incorporating rest, and pursuing your dreams. Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate specializing in Literature and Languages of the English-speaking Caribbean at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in migration, memory, storytelling, and African traditional healing practices. She is currently a Diaspora Solidarities Lab Fellow. Díaz is also an alumnae of the Obsidian Foundation and the Young Scholars of Liberia. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications. https://www.essahcozett.com

Episode 122. Corneal Vernice aka Chef Vee opens up about her food inspirations, hands-on traveling experiences, and hopes as emerging Liberian chef. Corneal Vernice is a Liberian culinary expert, traveling caterer, and a phenomenal mother based in Atlanta. Through her company, Flavors by Vernice she creates savory meals that reflect her African roots. Book her for your catering events below. https://www.honeybook.com/widget/flavors_by_vernice_181938/cf_id/6193dc1b22083c002d464a9c

Episode 121. Tao Leigh Goffe and Tatiana Esh enlighten and empower us by reflecting on their artistic and academic journeys. This conversation honors ancestral remembrances of survival and explores the beauty of alignment.   Tao Leigh Goffe is a London-born award-winning writer, professor, and interdisciplinary artist. She specializes in colonial histories of race, debt, and technology. Based in New York City, her work negotiates Black diasporic intellectual and political life. She studied English literature at Princeton University before pursuing a PhD at Yale University. Dr. Goffe is also an assistant professor of literary theory and cultural history at Cornell University. Her research and curatorial work is rooted in literatures and theories of labor that center Black feminist engagements with Indigeneity and Asian diasporic racial formations. Much of her artistic and sound design practice explores colonial histories. https://www.taoleighgoffe.com   Tatiana Esh is an artist and poet who enjoys thinking about how different mediums can be used to convey story. Her art is inspired by dreamscapes, fantasy, and surrealism often exploring themes such as ecology and love. She has a B.A. in Africana Studies from Cornell University where she met her former professor Tao Leigh Goffe. Since graduating, she has worked with Dr. Goffe as the Lab Manager of Dark Laboratory and the Project Manager of the Diaspora Solidarities Lab. Along with managing the labs, she is a member of an art collective called Queerstar. https://tatianaesh.com https://www.darklaboratory.com https://www.dslprojects.org

Episode 120. Courtney Conrad opens up about her journey as a Jamaican poet in London, the importance of embracing faith, and gives advice on writing about vulnerable experiences.

Episode 119 | Phase of Patience by Essah Cozett

Episode 118. Ana Portnoy Brimmer returns to the mic to discuss community organizing, healing in Puerto Rico, and publishing her debut poetry collection, To Love an Island.   Ana Portnoy Brimmer is a poet and organizer from Puerto Rico. She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, and is an alumna of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Rutgers University-Newark. To Love an Island, her debut poetry collection, was originally the winner of YesYes Books' 2019 Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest. She is currently working on the Spanish edition, forthcoming from La Impresora. Ana is the winner of the 92Y Discovery Poetry Contest 2020, and was named one of Poets & Writers 2021 Debut Poets. Her work has been published in The Paris Review, Gulf Coast, Society and Space, Sixth Finch, Periódico de Poesía-UNAM, Foundry Journal, Sx Salon, The Breakbeat Poets Volume 4: LatiNEXT, Aftershocks of Disaster: Puerto Rico Before and After the Storm, Centro Journal, among others. Ana is the daughter of Mexican-Jewish immigrants, resides in Puerto Rico and lives for dance parties and revolution. https://anaportnoybrimmer.wixsite.com/mysite

Episode 117. The Repeat Beat Poet reflects on his poetic, personal, and sonic inspirations that shapes his work and his most recent pamphlet, A Testament To Life & Death. The Repeat Beat Poet is Peter deGraft-Johnson, a Hip Hop Poet and broadcaster fusing traditional poetics and Hip Hop culture to capture and extend moments of time, thought, and feeling. He has appeared across the UK and internationally while co-founding the Hip Hop open mic night Pen-Ting, being a house emcee with Hip Hop label and jam night Imaginary Millions, and hosting his Hip Hop/Spoken Word radio show #TheRepeatBeatBroadcast, and the multi-award nominated Lunar Poetry Podcast, which is archived in the British Library. The Repeat Beat Poet has been nominated for a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship, was a BBC 1Xtra WordsFirst poet, part of the Roundhouse Collective 2020, and the inaugural Obsidian Foundation.

Episode 116. Desree opens up about her evolution as a writer, memorable performances, and doing the work for her community. Desree is a spoken word artist, writer and facilitator based in London and Slough. She is currently an Artist in Residence for the poetry collective EMPOWORD, and an Ambassador for MQ; Mental Health Research Charity, Desree explores intersectionality, justice and social commentary. Desree was shortlisted for both the performance and film category in 2020 and recipient of the 2019's Highly Commended Out-Spoken Performance Prize. Also the finalist in 2018's Hammer & Tongue final and TEDx speaker, Desree has featured at events around the UK and internationally, including Glastonbury Festival 2019, Bowery Poetry Club New York, Royal Albert Hall and Sofar Sounds. A producer for a series of live events called WORD UP! based in the borough of Brent, and Word of Mouth London, a video team who integrate live performances with online videos to collective stories of UK culture; Desree curates both live events and visual media, booking acts from around the world. Also, a spoken word educator and facilitator, Desree uses her art to engage with young people and adults in schools, youth groups, offices and organisations – anywhere people have a story. https://www.iamdesree.co.uk/

Episode 115. Shanay Neusum-James opens up about the importance of embracing love and truth in her acting, writing, and her upcoming pamphlet surrender dorothy. Shanay Neusum-James is a poet, actress and theatre-maker based in London. Her work explores black British identity and mental health. She graduated from The BRIT School in 2018 after performing at The RSC, Brighton Fringe Festival and The Southwark Playhouse and is now a member of The Roundhouse Poetry Collective 19/20. Her pamphlet will be published in August 2022 with Bad Betty Press.

Episode 114. Sierra King encourages us to document, preserve, and study Black women as she curates in real time. Sierra King is an Atlanta-based artist, photographer and archivist. Her creative and arts administration work is dedicated to documenting, preserving and archiving the work of Black women artists. She worked as the Lead Photo Archivist for the Kathleen Cleaver Papers before it was acquired by Emory University and is currently building and preserving the archives of printmaker Jasmine Nicole Williams and director Ebony Blanding. Sierra was awarded the Billops-Hatch Fellowship Award to continue research for Build Your Archive, an interactive assessment plan to help Black women artists build their archives in real time. As of February 2021, she is a Hambidge Cross Pollination Art Lab Studio Resident and National Black Arts Festival Micro-Grant Recipient. She served as the community manager for TILA Studios in Atlanta from December 2016 - August 2021. https://www.buildyourarchive.com

Episode 113. Essah Cozett talks about the importance of self-love and ways to practice daily rituals that bring us closer to our desires. Please consider donating to support the Essah's Way podcast. https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/essahsway Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate specializing in Literature and Language of the English-speaking Caribbean at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in storytelling, migration, and African tradition healing practices. Currently, she is serving her second term as Chair of the Caribbean Without Borders Graduate Student Conference. In 2016, she founded Hermanas Del Agua to create a safe space for women to practice strategic self-care in Puerto Rico. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications. She loves encouraging others to move forward with ease in pursuit of their dreams.  Listen to the full episode here: https://www.essahcozett.com/podcast

Episode 112. Khalliah Bryant opens up about mental health, balancing life as a new mompreneur, and embracing changes towards a holistic lifestyle. Khalliah G. Bryant is a Marriage & Family Therapist serving BIPOC adults and teens in the Florida region. She is a new mom navigating parenthood during a pandemic, as well as a new business owner of her private practice: More Life Wellness, LLC. Her platform advocates for holistic wellbeing, including the promotion of a plant-based and sustainable lifestyle. Her mission is to help others in her community to live more and be well! www.morelifewellnessllc.com

Episode 111. Jewel Tolbert reveals the importance of embracing art while providing progressive tools that sustain art education for youth in Africa. At her core, Jewel is an artist and aesthete who sees the world through a unique lens and has an innate sensitivity toward the beauty in detail. In her spare time, she loves exploring new countries, cities, and cultures and is the founder of a non-profit organization, ART of Hearts, that leverages the power of arts education to help primary school students in rural parts of Sub-Saharan Africa reach their full potential. Jewel holds a Bachelor of Arts in business communication and graphic communication with a minor in social sciences and French from Baruch College in New York City, and a Master of Arts in design management and cultures from the University of the Arts London, London College of Communication. www.artofhearts.org

Episode 110. Essah Cozett returns to the mic to discuss her life updates, 2022 aspirations, and reads a poem by Yrsa Daley-Ward. Please consider donating to support the Essah's Way podcast. https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/essahsway Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate specializing in Literature and Language of the English-speaking Caribbean at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in storytelling, migration, and African tradition healing practices. Currently, she is serving her second term as Chair of the Caribbean Without Borders Graduate Student Conference. In 2016, she founded Hermanas Del Agua to create a safe space for women to practice strategic self-care in Puerto Rico. Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications. She loves encouraging others to move forward with ease in pursuit of their dreams.  https://www.essahcozett.com

Episode 109. Wayétu Moore discusses her journey as a writer, influences as a mother, and new discoveries in her writing process. Wayétu Moore is the author of She Would Be King, released by Graywolf Press in September, 2018. Her memoir, The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was also released with Graywolf on June 2, 2020. She is the recipient of the 2019 Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction.   She Would Be King was named a best book of 2018 by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Entertainment Weekly & BuzzFeed. The novel was a Sarah Jessica Parker Book Club selection, a BEA Buzz Panel Book, a #1 Indie Next Pick and a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award. The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was a 2020 New York Times Notable Book, Time Magazine 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020, Publishers Weekly Top 5 Nonfiction Books of 2020, was longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie medal for excellence in nonfiction, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.   She's a graduate of Howard University, University of Southern California and Columbia University. She lives in New York. https://www.wayetu.com/

Episode 108. Agnes Sastre Rivera discusses her creative writing process, desires of development, and love for contemporary Puerto Rican poetry. Agnes (she/they) is currently a Ph.D. student at Emory University's Comparative Literature program. They majored in English Literature and have a minor in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Agnes is one of the founders of Fractal Puerto Rico, an educational and artistic project. They have organized creative writing workshops in public schools, literary festivals, and online groups. Their poetry book 'pequeñas catastrofes' was published in March 2021 by La Impresora. In their free time, Agnes enjoys listening to podcasts, playing with their Nintendo Switch, and watching Netflix. http://agnessastrerivera.com/

Episode 107. Merrie Joy Williams uncovers the beauty of her writing process and the importance of embracing multiple experiences that influence storytelling. Merrie Joy Williams is a poet, novelist, editor, and writing tutor, with an MA in Creative Writing from the Manchester Writing School. She was shortlisted for the 2020 Bridport Poetry Prize, and is a winner of The Poetry Archive's ‘Wordview 2020', featured permanently on their website. She is also the recipient of a London Writers Award, and Arts Council England awards for both poetry and fiction.    She is an Obsidian Fellow, a Hawthornden Fellow and was a poet-in-residence with Manchester Poetry Library, where she first explored being fostered as a baby. Much of her work currently explores how the places where we come from influence our lives; including Manchester, a commission by Historic England rresearching Woolwich High Street, and parental roots in Jamaica – a place she hasn't been to since a child.   Her debut collection is ‘Open Windows' (Waterloo Press, 2019). Magma has described the collection as 'assured, driven by sonorous language and a strong autobiographical narrative'. merriejoywilliams.com

Episode 106. Isaiah Smart reveals the power of love and community while making space for creatives to evolve in Atlanta. Isaiah Smart is a writer, project manager, and A&R at Dreamr Digital. Dreamr Digital is dedicated to artist development and career enhancement. Their efforts are rooted with the art and artist in mind first. https://dreamr.digital

Episode 105. Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa reveals the importance of honoring her ancestors by writing about African roots and realities of Puerto Ricans. Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City. She is a product of the Puerto Rican communities on the island and in the South Bronx. She attended the New York City public school system and received her academic degrees from SUNY at Buffalo and CUNY Queens College. As a child she was sent to live with her grandparents in Puerto Rico where she was introduced to the culture of rural Puerto Rico, including the storytelling that came naturally to the women in her family, especially the older women. Much of her work is based on her experiences during this time. The trade paperback edition of Daughters of the Stone was released in March 2019. The hardcover edition was shortlisted as a 2010 Finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. In 2020 the self-published paperback edition won the 16th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards for Multicultural Fiction. Awarded the 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Fiction, Dahlma's short stories have appeared in various anthologies and literary journals throughout the United States, Africa, and Brazil. The English and Spanish language editions of Dahlma's second novel, A Woman of Endurance will be released in March 2022. Since her retirement, Dahlma continues to dedicate herself to her writing, speaking engagements, and workshops. She resides in the Bronx with her husband, photographer Jonathan Lessuck. www.DahlmaLlanosFigueroa.com  Please consider donating to support the Essah's Way podcast. https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/essahsway

Episode 104. Essah Cozett celebrates her 30th birthday by reflecting on her journey and encouraging others to live the life of their dreams. Please consider donating to support the Essah's Way podcast. https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/essahsway Essah Cozett Diaz is a Liberian-American poet, podcaster, and PhD candidate specializing in Literature and Language of the English-speaking Caribbean at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Her research is rooted in storytelling, migration, and African tradition healing practices. Currently, she is serving her second term as Chair of the Caribbean Without Borders Graduate Student Conference. In 2016, she founded Hermanas Del Agua to create a safe space for women to practice strategic self-care in Puerto Rico. Cozett is also a co-editor of the forthcoming collection Mothering, Community, and Friendship (Demeter Press, 2022). Her writing has appeared in several international print and online publications. She loves encouraging others to move forward with ease in pursuit of their dreams.  https://www.essahcozett.com

Episode 103. Ariana Benson reveals the importance of storytelling through poetry, memory, and nature while giving thanks to Black institutions that have developed her voice. Ariana Benson is a poet-storyteller from Chesapeake, Virginia. She holds a BA in Psychology from Spelman College, where she graduated as Valedictorian, and an MA in Poetic Practice from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she studied as a 2019 Marshall Scholar. She was a finalist in the 2019 Auburn Witness Poetry Prize and received the 2021 Graybeal-Gowen Poetry Prize. Her poems can be found in ANOMALY, Lunch Ticket, Southern Humanities Review and Auburn Avenue, where she serves as Nonfiction Editor, and are forthcoming in Shenandoah and an upcoming Diode Editions Anthology. Through her poems, she strives to fashion a tapestry of Blackness that stitches together histories and memories across space and time, speaking to the infinite richness and depth of our existence.

Episode 102. Luk Gama speaks about his artistic practice of blending ancient traditions with current cultural forms in Guadeloupe. C'est moi is a bilingual episode in English and French. Graphiste-auteur, je vis et travaille en Guadeloupe. Je m'intéresse aux arts-graphiques sous toutes leurs formes. Graphic - author , I live and work in Guadeloupe. I'm interested in graphic arts in all their forms. https://www.patreon.com/lukgama

Episode 101. Vanessa Riley discusses the importance of storytelling, archives, and Black women's empowerment which inspired her recent novel Island Queen.

Episode 100. Shemeeka Johnson shares how her transformation started by preparing her mind and training her body which changed her life. Meeka is a fitness enthusiast who began her own personal weight-loss journey at 326lbs. After two years of eating clean and working out consistently, she lost more than 140lbs naturally and is now dedicated to helping others tap in to their potential and embark on a fitness journey of their own. Book title: Inner Animal, a Riveting Story of Internal Motivation and Natural Weightloss Realbodyfitclub.com

Episode 099. Jeremiah Wiggins enlightens us to make conscious decisions, establish healthy relationships, and embrace life's transformations. Jeremiah was born and raised in the small town of Waynesboro, Georgia. Being the oldest of six siblings, he was one of the first in his family to attend university. He attended Valdosta State University where he received his B.S. degree in Psychology and African American Studies. After graduating, Jeremiah moved to Atlanta and works in the technology industry as a HR Generalist. Jeremiah's focuses are lifestyle, spirituality, politics, sociology, and psychology.

Episode 098. Essah Cozett returns to the mic recharged and ready for a new season. She reflects on her summer in Georgia and fellowship with Cornell University's Migration Institute.

Episode 097. Cindy Park Jun reveals the importance of meaningful education and how travel has encouraged her to evolve her tutoring company. Cindy Park Jun is a traveling teacherpreneur planning for her next big adventure. In 2019, she founded C & C Education, a private tutoring service for individual or group of students.

Episode 096. Lenis Mariana discute sobre su evolución en la maternidad y cómo las mujeres de su tribu la han inspirado para ser una trabajadora comunitaria. Lenis Mariana, es una mujer afrotaína que vive en Nueva York. Nació en Carolina, Puerto Rico y creció en Loíza. Es trabajadora comunitaria, tejedora y artesana. Ha colaborado con varios proyectos y organizaciones en Puerto Rico, incluyendo el #TurbanteoConsciente. Actualmente trabaja con el componente de enlace comunitario en un programa llamado “Power of Two”, donde se brinda apoyo a las familias con niñxs de 6-24 meses que residen en los lugares más empobrecidos de la ciudad de Nueva York. También es “parent coach” con especialidad en “toddlers” para continuar trabajando en el mismo programa. Es una madre joven y soñadora a quien le encanta danzar sus alegrías y penas; así deja la vida volar.

Episode 095. Anana Johari Harris enlightens us about the revolutionary benefits of strategic self-care. Anana Johari Harris is the founder and CEO of the Self Care Agency, LLC where she operates as the lead Strategic Business & Self Care Consultant Program Designer as well as the founder of the SisterCARE Alliance. She is also the founder of non-profit initiatives like the AfriSalsa Cultural Organization and the Self Care Day Campaign.   https://www.selfcareagency.com

Episode 094. Opal Palmer Adisa illuminates the experiences that allow her to find her voice, embrace her gifts, and raise awareness about gender and development. Opal Palmer Adisa is an award-winning poet and prose writer with over sixteen titles to her credit, including the novel, It Begins With Tears (1997), which Rick Ayers proclaimed as one of the most motivational works for young adults. Following in the tradition of the African “griot” Opal Palmer Adisa, an accomplished storyteller, commands the mastery and extraordinary talent of storytelling, exemplary of her predecessors. Through her imaginative characterizations of people, places and things, she is able to transport her listeners to the very wonderlands she creates. www.opalpalmeradisa.com

Episode 093. Essah Cozett celebrates her recent accomplishments, reflects on her journey, and reads a poem by Aracelis Girmay.

Episode 092. Robert Gibbons opens up about his journey from a small town in Florida to life in New York where he has evolved into an amazing poet, educator, and creative. Robert Gibbons, a native Floridian, came to New York City in 2007 in search of his muse Langston Hughes and found a vibrant contemporary poetry community at the Cornelia Street Cafe, the Green Pavilion, Nomad's Choir, Brownstone Poets, Hydrogen Juke Box, Saturn Series, and Phoenix among other venues. His first book, Close to the Tree, was published by the New York-based Three Rooms Press in 2012. Robert currently worked as a Literature Professor at the City College of New York. He is a Cave Canem Fellow (2019-2021) and has received residencies from the Norman Mailer Foundation (2017) and the DISQUIET International Literary Program (2018). In 2018 he completed his MFA at City College. Robert has been published in over thirty literary magazines and in several notable anthologies. Recent publication credits include Expound, Promethean, Turtle Island Quarterly, Killer Whale, and Suisun Valley Review, and the forthcoming Bronx Memoir Project: Vol. 2 published by the Bronx Council of the Arts. Robert lives in Brooklyn and continues to be active in the New York poetry scene. Flight is his second poetry collection.

Episode 091. Aaron El Sabrout acknowledges his diverse upbringing which has enlightened him to be an outstanding poet, illustrator, and activist. Aaron El Sabrout is a transgender alien living on unceded Stz'uminus territory. He is a writer, artist, activist, and permaculture gardener. He is an Obsidian Fellow, and his work has been published or is forthcoming in Mud Season Review, Texas Poetry Review, and the Malahat Review, among others. His work has also appeared in the We Want It All: A Radical Anthology of Trans Poetics and BreakBeat Poets vol. 3: Halal If you Hear Me. Check out his socials below: https://aaronelsabrout.myportfolio.com https://instagram.com/toreachpoise https://mastodon.art/@toreachpoise https://eldritch.cafe/@sayyid_qishta https://bit.ly/lunar-phase

Episode 090. Len Lawson discusses the value of Afrofuturism, community, and finding your voice as a poet. Len Lawson is the author of Chime (Get Fresh Books, 2019) and the chapbook Before the Night Wakes You (Finishing Line Press, 2017). He is also co-editor of Hand in Hand: Poets Respond to Race (Muddy Ford Press, 2017) and The Future of Black: Afrofuturism and Black Comics Poetry (Blair Press, 2021). His poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He has received fellowships from Callaloo, Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Obsidian Foundation, and others. His poetry appears in African American Review, Callaloo, Mississippi Review, Ninth Letter, Verse Daily, Yemassee, and elsewhere. Len is also a Ph.D. candidate in English Literature and Criticism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, earning the 2020 IUP Outstanding Doctoral Student Award. He has taught English in South Carolina higher education for over ten years. http://www.lenlawson.co

Episode 089. Essah Cozett reveals the importance of embracing her journey and not the final destination. Essah Cozett is a Liberian-American poet from Georgia. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras. Her poems have been published in several print and online publications, including Obsidian Lit, Jalada Africa, Penumbra Online, BIM, Peepal Tree Press, PREE Lit, Moko Magazine, and Odradek.

Episode 088. Isabelle Baafi reveals poetic echoes and how intricate experiences allow her to explore expression in various ways. Isabelle Baafi is a writer and poet from London. She was the winner of the 2019 Vincent Cooper Literary Prize, and was shortlisted for the 2020 Bridport Prize and the 2019 Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition. Her work has been published in Poetry Review, Magma, Anthropocene, Finished Creatures, Lammergeier, petrichor, Tentacular, harana poetry, and elsewhere. She is an Editor at Magma. Her debut pamphlet Ripe (2020) was recently published by ignitionpress.

Episode 087. Samatar Elmi opens up about Somali culture, his role as poet, and how the pandemic changed his view of life.

Episode 086. Saddiq Dzukogi discusses grief, fathering, and migration through poetry. Saddiq Dzukogi is the author of Your Crib, My Qibla. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Oxford Review of Books, Kenyon Review, Oxford Poetry, Salamander, Southeast Review, and Obsidian, among others. His chapbook Inside the Flower Room was selected by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani for the APBF New-Generation African Poets Series. He was a finalist for the 2017 Brunel International African Poetry Prize. Saddiq is currently a PhD student in English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Order Your Crib, My Qibla here: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496225771/

Episode 085. Yunielis Clemente Ortiz habla de su experiencia de emprendimiento y crecimiento de ser eco-consciente en Puerto Rico. Yunielis Clemente Ortiz graduó con un bachillerato en ciencias ambientales de la UPRRP y trabajó con Servicio Forestal en El Yunque. Ahora es dueña de su propio negocio GRANOSPR desde 2019, con una misión a educar sobre problemas ambientales y proveer alternativas para disminuir huella de carbono. Ella es viajera, feminista, liberal, lectora y ambientalista. Compra sus productos aqui: www.granospr.com

Episode 084. Adam Lowe celebrates life by discussing his abundant evolution as a writer, performer, and publisher. Adam Lowe is an award-winning writer, publisher, and creative producer from Leeds, who now lives in Manchester. He is UK LGBT+ History Month Poet Laureate and was the Olympic poet for Yorkshire in 2012. He has taught at the University of Leeds, UCLAN, and English PEN. His life writing encompasses prose memoir, theatre, and poetry, and his performances are often intimate, confessional and playful. He often incorporates queer and Caribbean performance elements (spoken word, drag, jazz, song) into his work. https://adam-lowe.com

Episode 083. Essah Cozett encourages everyone to find their light by looking within.

Episode 082. Roger Robinson reflects on the power of prayer which allows him to be present in his art. Roger Robinson is a writer who has performed worldwide. He is the winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize 2019, RSL Ondaatje Prize 2020 and RSL Fellow. He was chosen by Decibel as one of 50 writers who have influenced the Black-British writing canon. His latest collection ‘A Portable Paradise’ was a New Statesman book of the year. He is an alumnus of The Complete Works and was shortlisted for The OCM Bocas Poetry Prize, The Oxford Brookes Poetry Prize, commended by the Forward Poetry Prize and is currently shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry 2020. He is co-founder of both Spoke Lab and the international writing collective Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for King Midas Sound and has also recorded solo albums with Jahtari Records.

Episode 081. Raina León honors her journey by reflecting on her roots while actively encouraging others to make space for joy. The deadline for her new workshop is February 15, 2021. Sign up here: https://www.thespeakeasyproject.net/overview-workshops Raina J. León, PhD is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia. She is a mother, daughter, sister, madrina, comadre, partner, poet, writer, and teacher educator. She believes in collective action and community work, the profound power of holding space for the telling of our stories, and the liberatory practice of humanizing education. She is the author of three collections of poetry, Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn, and sombra: dis(locate) and the chapbooks, profeta without refuge and Areyto to Atabey: Essays on the Mother(ing) Self. She is passionate about Afro-futurism, genealogy and walking in relationship with our ancestors, ecopoetics, writing for change, writing for healing and health, and mothering.

Episode 080. Assumpta Vitcu reveals how she created a thriving career by pursuing her passions.

Episode 079. Nick Makoha shares how his life experiences inspired him to establish the Obsidian Foundation to celebrate Black poets around the world. If you are a Black poet interested in participating in the next retreat, please join the mailing list here: www.obsidianfoundation.co.uk

Episode 078. Essah Cozett discusses her mission for this year and encourages listeners to hold her accountable.

Episode 077. Essah Cozett encourages everyone to let their light shine so that others can move forward unafraid.