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: @sharnnells
Threads: @sharnnells
TikTok: @nell2267

Recorded Spoken Word Performances featured in this Chapter Included:

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

Sherrika Mitchell – Crescent Love
IG: @legs_almighty

Roscoe Burnems – Metaphysics for White Privilege
IG: @roscoeburnems Website: roscoeburnems.com

Alex Dang – What Kind of Asian Are You
IG: @alexdangpoetry Website: alexdangpoetry.com

Thea Monyee – For Little Girls
IG: @theamonyee Website: theamonyee.com Podcast: Shaping The Shift

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.com

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
AkeemJamal Rollins – Suicide Note
Instagram: @keemyjam

Jasmine Combs – Monster
Instagram: @jasminelcombs
Website: jasminelcombs.com

Darius Simpson – Genocide
Instagram: @_dariussimpson
Website: daruissimpson.com

Christopher Michael – Purse Clutchers
Instagram: @mrmichael310 Website: mrmichael310.com

GiGi Bella – Slut
Instagram: @gigibellag Website: gigibellapoetry.com

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: @itsrayjane
Website: itsrayjane.com

Purchase Black Like That: Poems for a Conduit here and here

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Jared Singer – Just Take a Shower
Facebook: @jaredsingerwriter
Purchase Jared's book Forgive Yourself

Jahman Hill – White Heaven
Instagram: @jahman_rondo
Website: jahmanhill.com

Loyce Gayo – How We Forget
Instagram: @loycegayo
Website: loyceg.github.io

Ray Jane – Sobering
Ray Jane - Spoils

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: @thelaloleon
Website: thelaloleon.com

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
Sarah Kay – Unreliable
Instagram: @kaysarahsera Website: kaysarahsera.com

Anna Maria Morris – A Love Poem For Myself
Instagram: @annamariamorris
Website: annmariamorris.com

Danez Smith – Waiting On You To Die So I Can Be Myself
Instagram: @danez_smif
X: danez_smif

Jasmine Mans – You Gon'Get This Work
Instagram: @poetjasminemans Website: jasminemans.com

Jay Ward – Gentrification
Instagram: @jward2030

Website: jwardpoetry.com

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: @misterlashley

Recorded Spoken Word Performances Featured Include:

Brandon Alexander Williams – Black Woman Studies
Instagram: brandonalexanderwilliams
Threads: brandonalexanderwilliams

Muna Abdulahi – Pronounce Us Correctly
Instagram: munaabdulahi_
Threads: munaabdulahi_
Website: munaabdulahi.com

Anyrah Shaveh – If We Must Die Young
Instagram: iamshaveh
Website: anyrahshaveh.com

Moody Black – Eight Letters
Instagram: iammoodyblack
Website: iammoodyblack.com

Gayle Danley – Rough
Instagram: gayledanley

Let us know what you thought of this chapter.

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: @tarikaholland
Instagram: bec0mingtheartist

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
Ariana Brown – We Never Did This to Be Beautiful
Instagram: @arianathepoet Website: arianabrown.com

Crystal Valentine – Black Privilege
Instagram: crystalvalentine94
Website: iamcrystalvalentine.com

Ebony Stewart – Mental Health Barz
Instagram: gullyprincess
Website: ebpoetry.com

Matthew Cuban Hernandez – Challenger
Instagram: matthewcuban Website: matthewcuban.com

Edwin Bodney – Good Morning
Instagram: edwinbodney

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: @kelkaybpoetry
Website: kelkaybpoetry.com

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
Wayne Henry – Theophobia
Instagram: dreadful_poet

Jae Nichelle – Afro So Big
Instagram: @croptopassassian
Website: jaenichelle.com

Emi Mahmoud – Window Games
Instagram: @emibattua
Website: emi-mahmoud.com

God's Ink – Pennies
Instagram: @gods_ink_spokenword

Alexandria Bennett – Sapiosexual
Instagram: @caffeinatedliving
Website: alexandriabennett.com

Let us know what you thought of this chapter.

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.com

Instagram: @meghanbmal

Spoken Word Recording featured this Week:

Farah Habad - 2am in Marshall, TX

X: @habadfarah

Lady Brion - I Talk Black

Instagram: @ladybspeaks

Website: ladybrion.com

X: @ladybspeaks

Dasan Ahanu - I Love You

Instagram: @dasanahanu

Website: dasanahanu.com

Our Conversation with Dasan

Ephraim Nehemiah - 5 Stages of Grief for the Living

Instagram: @ephraimnehemiah

Our Conversation with Ephraim

Alysia Harris - Death Poem

Instagram: poppyinthewheat

Website: alysiaharris.com

Let us know what you thought of this chapter.