Episodes

  • Volume Four: Chapter Sixteen - Our Conversation with Barbara Fant
    Jun 12 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter Sixteen, we welcome Teaching Artist, Poet, Spoken Word Artist and Author of the new book Mouths of Garden, friend of The Podcast Barbara Fant.

    Connect with Barbara:
    Twitter:
    @bloombarbfant
    Website: barbarafant.com
    IG: @bloombarbfant


    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Brandon Alexander Williams:
    Black Women Studies
    IG: @brandonalexanderwilliams
    Twitter: @moderndaygroit
    Website: moderndaygriot.net

    Rick Dove: A Poetic Conceit
    IG: @rickdove
    Website: rickdove.co.uk
    Twitter: @multistable

    RJ Wright: Soldiers Creed
    IG:
    therealrjwright

    Crystal Valentine: I am Black before woman in February
    Website: crystalvalentinepoetry.com
    IG: crystalvalentine94

    Anita D: And The Psych Ward Says
    Website: anitadpoetry.com
    IG: anitadpoetry
    Twitter: @anitadpoetry

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

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    1 hr and 51 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Fifteen - Our Conversation with Zulmie Da Poet
    May 2 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter Fifteen, we welcome Teaching Artist, Poet, Host of the podcast The Word Trap, Writer, and Author fr the poetry collection Rotten Soup, Zulmie Da Poet.  

    Zulmie was born in New York and completed her undergraduate degree at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in History Liberal Arts and completed graduate studies at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia with a Master’s in Practical Theology.

    She fell in love with poetry in middle school and started writing poetry in high school.

    She is the Author of “Rotten Soup”  and currently resides in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She is an Educator professionally and conducts poetry workshops and is an advocate of self-love. Zulmie also hosts an IG Live biweekly show,  Zulmie’s Poetic Family and Friends in which she interviews fellow poets and creatives.

    Connect with Zulmie:
    Twitter:
    @zulmiedapoet
    Website: zulmie.com
    IG: @zulmiedapoet


    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Andra Gibson:
    For the Days I Stop Wanting to Have a Body
    IG: @andrwgibby
    Twitter: @andreagibson
    Website: andreagibson.org

    Dasan Ahanu: Conversation with God
    IG: @dasanahanu
    Website: dasanahanu.com
    Twitter: @dasanahanu

    Barbara Fant: Brown Bodies Bending
    IG:
    @bloombarbfant
    Website: barbarafant.com
    Twitter: @bloombarbfant

    Ephraim Nehemiah: 5 Stages of Grief for the Living
    Twitter: @ephraimnehemiah
    Website: ephraimnehemiah.com
    IG: @ephraimnehemiah

    Moody Black: 8 Letters
    Website: iammoodyblack.com
    IG: iammoodyblack
    Twitter: @iammoodyblack

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

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    2 hrs and 12 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Fourteen - Our Conversation with Alyesha Wise
    Apr 24 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter Fourteen, we welcome Teaching Artist, Poet, Performance Poet, Writer, Advocate, Author of the poetry collection Carnival, and co-founder of the Spoken Lit Movement, a Los Angeles-based arts organization designed to uplift and support poets both in and out of  L.A. , Alyesha Wise.

    Alyesha is a published poet and TEDx speaker from Camden, N.J. Currently residing in LA, she is a teaching artist for Street Poets, Inc., an organization serving juvenile injustice-involved youth with mentorship and arts programming. Alyesha is a 2-time Women of the World Poetry Slam finalist with a stellar competing and coaching record. She has been featured on platforms and in publications such as Huffington Post, Bustle, Afropunk, PBS, POPSUGAR, Buzzfeed, and more. Other collabs include the ACLU of Southern California, Brave New Films, and  the Google Interstellar Project

    Connect with Alyesha:
    Twitter:
    @mswise
    Website: alyeshawise.com
    IG: @alyeshawise


    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Black Chakra:
    I Spit Fire
    IG: @blackchakra88
    Twitter: @blackchakra88

    YaYa: Ling Ling
    IG: @yayazhangpoet

    Oompa: Space-Time Continuum
    IG:
    @oompoutloud
    Website: oompoutloud.com
    Twitter: @oompoutloud

    Alyesha Wise: Trauma

    Alyesha Wise: Cannibal

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Thirteen - Our Conversation with Dr. Tara Betts
    Apr 4 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter Thirteen, we welcome teaching Artist, Poet, Performance Poet, Writer, Advocate, and Author of the upcoming poetry collection Refuse To Disappear, Dr Tara Betts.

    Kankakee, IL born and Chicago-based Dr. Betts is the Author of two full length poetry collections Arc and Hue and Break the Habit, and has published a number of chapbooks including Switch, Can I hang, and Circling Unexpectedly. Dr. Betts received her BA in communications from Loyola University, her MFA in creative writing from New England College, and her PhD in English/Creative Writing from Binghamton University. Her newest full length poetry collection Refuse to Disappear will be released this June via Word Works Books



    Connect with Tara:
    Twitter:
    @tarabetts
    IG: @chitownbetts

    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Meccamorphosis:
    Penny Dreadfuls
    IG: @meccamorphosis
    Website: meccamorphosis.com
    Twitter: @meccaverdell

    Asis Sampson: 90's Love
    IG: @theasiaproject
    Twitter: @theasiaproject
    Website: theasiaproject.com

    Dua Saleh : Pins and Needles
    IG:
    @doitlikedua
    Website: duasaleh.com
    Twitter: @doitlikedua

    Javon Johnson: Black and happy
    IG: @javonism
    Twitter: @javonism

    Aman Batra: Ikea
    IG:
    @amankbatra
    Twitter: @amankbatra
    Website: amankbatra.com

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

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    2 hrs and 45 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Twelve - Our Conversation with Jolanda Malone
    Mar 27 2022

     In Volume Four: Chapter Twelve, we welcome North Carolina-based Poet, Writer, Life Coach, Animal Advocate, and Entrepreneur, Jolanda Malone.

     Jolanda's non-profit organization Beartha was founded in January 2001 and named in honor of her grandmother Bertha. She says of living with her grandmother " growing up in the South Bronx we lived in a house that felt like a mansion. She always welcomed her home to neighbors , friends, families, people that needed help, and furry friends. She helped so many people get on their feet, rescued stray cats, and provided a safe haven that made people feel welcomed. Bertha means "Bright One" and she surely did Brighten my life and inspired me to make a community that Humans, Animals, and Nature will be important and can come together. This Non-Profit Organization is in Honor of her and how to left the world a better place than she found it".

    She says that the core values of the organization is to L.I.V.E.:

    Love: To Live a Life where you leave the world a better place than you found it through moving in LOVE

    Inspire: We want to INSPIRE people to love their self and others 

    Visualize: To Visualize your dreams and goals and Know you are capable of leaving the world a better place than you found it.

    Educate: To Educate the community on how they can leave the world a better place.



    Connect with Jolanda:
    Website:
    beartha.org
    IG: @beartha919

    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Ashley Lumpkin:
    Inheritance
    IG: @lumplestiltizken
    Website: lumplestiltizken.com
    Twitter: @alump

    Gabriel Ramirez: Whenever I Look Over My Balcony
    IG: @ramirezpoet
    Twitter: @ramirezpoet
    Website: ramirezpoet.com

    Summer Durant : Future not Fetish
    IG:
    @summeraen
    Website: summeraen.com
    Twitter: @summera3n

    Steven Willis: How The Hood Loves You Back
    IG: @stevenantoinewillis
    Website: stevenwillispoetry.com
    Twitter: @stevenawillis

    Ifrah Hussein: Tell Us
    IG:
    @ifrahhussein
    Twitter: @ifrahhussein_

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

    Show more Show less
    2 hrs and 17 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Eleven - Our Conversation with Kelsey Bigelow
    Mar 14 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter Eleven, we welcome Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Author of the Chapbook Sprig of Lilac, Kelsey Bigelow. Her debut spoken word album Depression Holders and Secret Keepers is available now via all streaming platforms and via her website.

    Kelsey Bigelow is based in Des Moines. She aims to be the motivator and mentor people don't always get in life. In her work, she molds incredibly specific emotions into something human, digestible, and cathartic. She believes we grow in empathy by talking about our shared experiences, no matter how difficult. As a multi-slam champion, published poet, workshop leader, and more, Kelsey is on a mission to show others two things:

    ​1. You can live the life you dream.

    2. It does get better.

    Connect with Kelsey:
    Website:
    kelkaybpoetry.com
    IG: @kelkaybpoetry

    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Jus Marvin:
    My Depression
    IG: @jusmarvinpoetry

    Melissa Newman-Evans: 9 Things I Would Like to Tell Every Teenage Girl
    Website: melissanewmanevans.com

    Taalam Acey: Willie Lynch LLC
    IG:
    @taalamacey
    Website: taalamacey.com
    Twitter: @taalamacey

    Bella: Interpretation
    IG: @bella_soul

    Elizabeth Acevedo: Haor
    IG:
    @acevedowrites
    Website: acevedowrites.com
    Twitter: @acevedowrites.com

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

    Show more Show less
    2 hrs and 28 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Ten - Our Conversation with Ephraim Nehemiah
    Feb 21 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter Ten, we welcome Teaching Artist, Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Slam Poet, and Author of the book The Autobiography of Absence, Ephraim Nehemiah.

     A published writer, educator and nationally touring performer. Their work sits comfortably in the Black cultural lineage of griots who are dedicated to using truth to document and critique the world around them. Ephraim holds a B.A. in Pan-African Studies from Kent State University where they were awarded the Undergraduate Poetry Prize and Maggie Anderson Scholarship. Ephraim is also the co-founder and former coach of Kent State’s award-winning collegiate poetry team that competed annually at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational from 2015-2018. Ephraim is the recipient of grants from PEN America, Gabrielle Bouliane Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, and received fellowships from The Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre, Baldwin House Urban Writing Residency, and The Watering Hole Winter Retreat. Ephraim’s poems appear in various journals and publications such as Anxy Magazine, Flypaper, Lake Effect Anthology, UHURU Magazine, and Knights Library Magazine, where the poem "Jesus Christ Tries Talking to His Father Again" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Their performances have been featured on TEDx Talks, Button Poetry, AfroPunk, Season 1 of Free Tuition, and various other channels. They are a 2021 National Poetry Slam Champion, Baltimore’s 2020 Grand Slam Champion, 2019 Rustbelt Poetry Slam Finalist, and a 2018 Individual World Poetry Slam final stage performer.

    Connect with Ephraim:
    Website:
    ephraimnehemiah.com
    IG: @ephraimnehemiah

    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Shanelle Gabriel:
    Vanity
    IG: @shanellegabriel
    Website: shanellegabriel.com

    Gayle Danley: Tough
    IG: @gaylednaley
    Twitter: @poetgayledanley
    Website: gayledanleypoet.com

    God's Ink of Spoken Word: Pennies
    IG:
    @gods_ink_spokenword
    Website: theinkmag.com

    Ephriam Nehemiah: 5 Stages of Grief for The Living
    IG: @ephriamnehemiah
    Website: ephriamnehemiah.com

    Ephriam Nehemiah: Afrofuturistic Fairy God Being
    IG:
    @ephriamnehemiah
    Website: ephriamnehemiah.com

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

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    2 hrs and 15 mins
  • Volume Four: Chapter Nine - Our Conversation with Vanessa Verse
    Jan 31 2022

    In Volume Four: Chapter nine, we welcome Vanessa Verse. Vanessa was born and raised in South Seattle, Washington. Both of her parents are from the Philippines and immigrated to the states. Coming from a Filipino family, talking about feelings and emotions was uncommon in the household. Turning to poetry was an outlet when she felt that no one would listen or understand.

    She's most recognized for her work as a Volunteer Victim Advocate and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) outreach performances. As an airman, she has been highlighted as a #KnowYourMil artist. 

    In the middle of 2021, she received her third assignment and moved back to the states. Vanessa is excited by opportunities to grow, learn, network, and create.  Whether performing at open mics, competing in poetry slams, or facilitating and attending writing workshops, Vanessa has connected with supporters and other artists globally. Her audience responds with their own stories, energy, and hearts that connect with her words and style of storytelling.

    Connect with Vanessa:
    Website:
    thevanessaverse.com
    IG: @thevanessaverse

    Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:

    Anita D:
    Run
    IG: @anitadpoetry
    Website: anitadpoetry.com

    Lyrical Faith: Pinterest Wedding
    IG: @lyricalfaithpoetry
    Twitter: @bylyricalfaith

    Christopher Michael: Black Feels Like
    IG:
    @mrmichael310
    Website: 310brownstreet.com
    Twitter: @mrmichael310

    Nia Calloway: Do Not Put Me In a Vase
    IG: @niacalloway
    Website: niacalloway.com

    Damien McClendon: On Surviving a Lynching
    IG:
    @blackpenmagic

    Connect with, then listen and subscribe to the following podcasts we recommend:

    The Words I Never Said podcast
    IG: @gods_ink_spokenword

    Life as We Grow It podcast
    IG: @lifeaswegrowit
    Twitter:
    @lifeaswegrowit

    The Spoken World podcast
    Twitter: @spokenpodcast
    Website: thespokenwordpodcast
    IG: @thespokenworld

    Unspoken Words podcast
    IG: @unspokenwordspodcast
    Twitter: @beckythepoet
    YouTube:  Unspoken Words
    Website: beckythepoet.com

    Journey with Mpho podcast
    IG: @journeywithmpho
    Website: journeywithmpho.com

    Show more Show less
    2 hrs and 9 mins