— with Jason Reynolds

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with author and MacArthur genius Jason Reynolds about his YA romance novel, Twenty-four Seconds from Now: A Love Story. The novel explores the budding relationship between Neon and Aria. High school seniors who’ve been together for two years and are both ready to take their relationship to the next level of love and intimacy.

— with Victoria Christopher Murray

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with return guest, Victoria Christopher Murray about her latest novel, Harlem Rhapsody. The novel tells the story of Jesse Redmon Faucet. A complex and ambitious woman who moved to New York to be nearer to her lover W.E.B. DuBois, and also to run his magazine, The Crisis. Between the scandal she had to keep quiet and an opportunity she didn’t want to squander, Victoria details how Jesse Redmon Faucet birthed what we now know as the Harlem Renaissance.

— with Tomi Adeyemi

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with New York Times Bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi, author of The Children of Anguish and Anarchy, the final installment in the Legacy of Orisha series.

— with Crystal Wilkinson

This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Crystal Wilkinson, author of the cookbook memoir, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts. A poet, a novelist, and an essayist, Wilkinson is a recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry and was recently named a 2024 Writing Freedom Fellow.

— with Denene Millner

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Denene Millner the New York Times Bestselling author of the novel, One Blood. In addition to her long literary career including stints as a celebrity ghostwriter for titles including Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man from Steve Harve and Around the Way Girl from Taraji P. Henson just to name a few. Denene got her start as a beat reporter for the Associated Press and the New York Daily News. She now runs her own imprint in partnership with Simon & Schuster.

— with Tia Williams

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Tia Williams, author of the New York Times bestselling novel Seven Days in June. Tia had a fifteen-year career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, and Essence. She also wrote the bestselling novel, The Accidental Diva, and penned two YA novels: It Chicks, and Sixteen Candles. Her award-winning novel, The Perfect Find, will be adapted into a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union this year.

— with Honorée Fannone Jeffers

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Honorée Fannone Jeffers, author of the epic novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois. Honorée is also the author of five critically acclaimed books of poetry, including the award-winning collection, The Age of Phillis, based on the life and times of Phillis Wheatley Peters.

— with Robert Jones, Jr.

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author Robert Jones, Jr. His debut novel, The Prophets, was published in January by G.P. Putnam Sons, an imprint of Penguin RandomHouse. The Prophets has been hailed for its spellbinding mix of lyricism, rawness, and authenticity, that is immediately reminiscent of the late, great Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. Robert is from New York City and has a BFA in creative writing and a MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Essence, and The Paris Review. He is also the creator of the social-justice, social-media community Son of Baldwin.

— with Deeshaw Philya

In this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha is speaking with author, Deesha Philyaw, about her phenomenal journey with her short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, which was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award and the 2020/2021 Story Prize.