This season on Black & Published . . . It’s time to get real about what writing can do. Whether we write about love or compassion, broken systems or the parallels between the past and the present; writing is active! It is both a portal and an archive. And while publishing is a business, the work on the page is still pure.
This season the journeys continue with: Jodi M. Savage, Amber McBride, Jason Reynolds, Iris Mwanza, Tara Roberts, Aaliyah Bilal, Jamila Minnicks, Shanora Williams and many, many more.
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[00:00:01] We live in a world that often tells us our stories don't matter, that they are not universal enough. Our stories matter. Perhaps now more than ever. What's good? I'm Nikesha Elise Williams and this is Black & Published on the Mahogany Books Podcast Network. We are back for Season 5. Still bringing you the journeys of writers, poets, playwrights, and storytellers of all kinds.
[00:00:30] And this season, it's time to get real about what writing can do. Whether we write about love. Black love can do a lot. It can heal a lot and it can elevate a lot. Or compassion. Tenderness is a virtue. Broken systems. It's not just one person. It's the justice system, which includes the courts and the police. It's the executive, the government, the ruling elite. It is the church. Or the parallels between the past and the present.
[00:00:58] 2016 was a year when race, in particular, became a center in the national consciousness. And it was very apparent to see the fractures. Writing is active. Writing life should really just be about witnessing life. And writing well really is just an act of self-respect. It is both a portal and an archive. And it's every time an elder dies, the library burns.
[00:01:26] So when we lose her story, we lose that wealth of information. We lose those perspectives. And while publishing is a business. I was making six figures, but I only got $4,000 for that deal. And I told my agent at the time, I was like, this don't seem worth it. You know, and she was like, well, I think you just need to see the opportunities in the future. The work on the page is still pure.
[00:01:47] This season, the journeys continue with Jodi M. Savage, Amber McBride, Jason Reynolds, Iris Mwanza, Tara Roberts, Alia Bilal, Jamila Minnix, Shannora Williams, and many, many more. So I'll holler at y'all next week with Palestinian American poets, Thaddee Judah and Lina Halaf Tufaha, whose collections chronicle the toll of suffering and the loss of homeland in the midst of war.
[00:02:16] To speak of this in America, the place that genocides me, I have to compete in order to make my suffering illegible so that I have access to political translation. I have to walk into every room and approach every page with the certainty that my humanity is not up for debate. I'm not in the business of humanizing. I am a human being. Palestinians are human beings. That's next week on Black & Published. I'll talk to you then. Peace.
[00:02:57] What's going on, family? This is Derek Young. And Ramonda Young. Owners of both Mahogany Books and the Mahogany Books Podcast Network. We really want to thank each and every one of you for listening to this episode. And if you enjoyed what you just heard, drop us a review and rate us on whatever platform you download podcasts on. We truly appreciate each and every one of you for supporting us and making us your go-to for Black books. And we look forward to connecting with you all sometime in the future. Thank you again, fam. And always remember, Black Books Matter.