Caroline Cheung is a PhD Candidate in English, working at the intersections of women of color feminisms, theories of state violence, transformative justice and prison abolitionism. As an educator, her pedagogy focuses on creating radical community in the

Micah Ariel James is a playwright (Four Stories, How We Bury the War Dead, Better Weather, The Honey War), poet, producer, dramaturg, and teaching artist with particular interests in aging and memory studies, oral history, and restorative justice. She is

Sarah Elgatian is a first generation writer with a lot of questions. She works in the arts hoping to make story telling and literature more accessible. For this episode, she is joined by Ryan Collins, a writer and the Executive Director of the Midwest Wri

Kartika Budhwar is a writer, educator and editor based out of Ames, Iowa. She is an online writing instructor at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, and teaches composition and literature at the Iowa Western Community College. She serv

Xochitl (So-Chee) Gonzalez is a writer and screenwriter, whose debut novel OLGA DIES DREAMING is forthcoming from Flatiron Books. (Jan '22) A native Brooklynite, she is currently an Iowa Arts fellow at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop where she is

Nichole Shaw is currently a senior studying journalism and English on the publishing track at the University of Iowa. She is the Editorial Lead and Editor at Off-Kilter Media, an inclusive arts and culture company that houses several publications: Off-Kil

Gyasi Hall is an essayist, poet, and general Writer of Stuff™ from Columbus, Ohio. Their work is forthcoming, published, or otherwise featured in Black Warrior Review, The 68to05 Project, Thoughtcrime Press, and Get Lit, among others. Their debut poetry c

Nick Mendoza is a writer, dancer, and musician from Iowa City. He works at United Action for Youth as their Community Engagement AmeriCorps. He has worn many hats; from leading support groups with Teen Parents and Transitional Living programs, assisting w

Today we’re talking with Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey, an author, performer, and producer. He’s the author of two books: Look, Black Boy and Heart Notes. In 2020 he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City. He co-founde

For our first episode, we talked with Akwi Nji. Akwi, a multidisciplinary artist and writer, is a Cameroonian American artist creating in words, performance, and visual art. Her work explores the intersectionality of race, gender, and concepts of geograph