NOEL W. ANDERSON

On our season 3 premiere, we talk to visual artist and Kentucky Native Noel W. Anderson about his solo exhibit HEAVY IS THE CROWN, now showing at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia until January 17th, 2020. Anderson’s manipulated images printed on large distressed tapestries, photos, and vintage Ebony magazines advertisements ask us to wrestle with where we stand at the intersection of race and access.

This exhibit is part of Telfair Museums’ Legacy of Slavery in Savannah Initiative, a multi-year project to consider how the legacies of slavery still manifest in the city of Savannah. 

MALINDA LO

Malinda Lo, author of Last Night At The Telegraph Club and newly-minted recipient of the 2021 National Book Award, joins us on today's episode. We talk about her highly celebrated novel and the necessity of seeing herself reflected in the books that she writes.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a story of a Queer teenage Chinese American girl in the mid-1950s who falls in love and must now come to terms with the truth about her sexuality, and what this revelation could mean for her relationships with family and friends.

JESSAMINE CHAN

In 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 Frida Liu had a very bad day. After receiving a phone call from the police that her child was in their custody, Frida must explain why she left her 18-month-old baby home alone for two hours. Finding herself in a fight for her child's life, Frida is court-ordered to spend one year in a highly guarded rehab facility to learn how to become a good mother.

We speak to New York Times Bestselling author Jessamine Chan about the inspiration behind this heart-wrenching novel as we explore the ethics and morality of motherhood in the next episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast.

ADAMMA & ADANNE EBO

Writer/Director Adamma Ebo & Producer Adanne Ebo debuted their film, 𝑯𝑶𝑵𝑲 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝑱𝑬𝑺𝑼𝑺. 𝑺𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑳. this year at the Sundance Film Festival. After a major scandal rocks the congregation at the Wander to Greater Paths Church, Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife Trinitie (Regina Hall) attempt to bring his flock back home.

The Ebo Sisters sit down with us talk about their journey to finding their way behind the camera lens, love for all things anime, and how pivotal growing up in Atlanta was to their storytelling and showing the vastness that is Blackness.

MANT¿S

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 is the newest poetry chapbook from writer Mant¿s (Tyra Jamison). This multifaceted work expands over themes of transformation and liberation, with the Black Femme at the center of each piece. This book comes from the publishing hands of author Deesha Philyaw and artist Vanessa German. In our interview with Mant¿s, we talk about the writers who have influenced their work, the mentors that guided them in helping to begin to define the craft of writing, and the power that they possess in this form of language that they call poetry.

IBI ZOBOI

In this episode, we speak to New York Times bestselling author and National Book award finalist Ibi Zoboi about her recently released biography 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹 𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑫: 𝑨 𝑩𝑰𝑶𝑳𝑶𝑮𝑰𝑪𝑨𝑳 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑶𝑭 𝑶𝑪𝑻𝑨𝑽𝑰𝑨 𝑩𝑼𝑻𝑳𝑬𝑹. This stunning and imaginative story tells the life of a young Octavia learning to dream beyond the stars to create stories where Black people live in futuristic worlds. Ibi Zoboi's book marries prose and poetry to tell of the extraordinary life of a writer whose gift for the written word was present at the young age of 10.

IMAKEMADBEATS

IMAKEMADBEATS is standing on the precipice of the dawning of a new day in Memphis, Tennessee. In one hand, he holds a beat machine, and in the other, he has the deed to the most sought-after property known as the Orange Mound Tower, worth $50 million. Music producer, film screenwriter, and community leader, James Dukes, joins us to talk about his award-winning short film THE DEVIL WILL RUN. He also talks about teaming up with fellow Memphian Victoria Jones to bring generational wealth back to Black communities in their city. 

MARTIKA RAMIREZ ESCOBAR

LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE took audiences by surprise this year at the Sundance Film Festival. This debut film came from the creative mind of Director and Screenwriter Martika Ramirez Escobar. Combining magical realism and action reminiscent of the 80s, we meet Leonor, a once-prominent name in the film industry, who now finds herself struggling to make ends meet. When attempting to work her way back into the film world, a tv falls on her head putting her in a coma, where she has a dream in which she is the star of her own movie.

LADEE HUBBARD

Set in a fictional suburb of New Orleans, THE LAST SUSPICIOUS HOLDOUT dissects the lives of African Americans during the 15 years between the Reagan era to the night before Obama is elected president. Each story finds itself connected by threads of recurring characters exploring the effects of the emergence of crack cocaine in the early 90s to neighborhoods ravaged by gentrification. In this episode, we speak with Ladee Hubbard about the creativity behind this gripping book, her relationship with examining the lives of those in the South, and what it was like to be guided by the hands of the magnificent Toni Morrison.

JASON MOTT

Jason Mott's award-winning novel HELL OF A BOOK is a bold and imaginative story that takes readers through a multidimensional universe where magical realism, humor, and breaking of the fourth wall, examine love and grief. Mott's protagonist embarks upon a book tour, but soon the unnamed author finds himself followed by a young Black boy who may or may not be imaginary.  On this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk with National Book Award winner Jason Mott about writing without constraints, his love of Streetfighter, and how an inside joke among friends about Nicolas Cage made its way into his novel.

AZAR NAFISI

After captivating readers with her debut memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi returns with her 5th book, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times. Nafisi implores the reader to look to the power of literature as America wrestles with censorship in the aftermath of the Trump presidency. In our conversation with Azar Nafisi, she makes her case for us to be diligent in our pursuit of defending our freedom to read books that challenge us, encourage our growth, and call us to play in the limitless waters of imagination.  

JALYSA LEVA

The PBS animated short, Jelly, Ben & Pogo, premiered in Oct. 2021. It made waves in television as the first cartoon to feature Filipinos as lead characters on a major children's network. The show centers around a sister and brother, who embark on spectacular adventures with their sea monster friend, Pogo. Creator & writer Jalysa Leva sits down with us to talk about answering the call to be daring and creative in her work, the inspiration behind her vibrant and hilarious characters, and what this series means to Filipinos in America.

XOCHITL GONZALEZ

In the New York Times bestselling novel Olga Dies Dreaming, we are brought into the world of champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Olga Acevedo is a wedding planner whose keen eye for detail and savviness fuels her superpower to curate the most beautiful weddings for New York's elite. While she spends her time helping others take a new step into love, Olga struggles to find footing. On this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk to the hilarious debut author Xochitl Gonzalez about her the creation of her novel and her undying love for Brooklyn. 

MINDA HONEY

We're joined by writer Minda Honey, founder, and creator of the digital alt-indie magazine TAUNT. We talk with her about her forthcoming memoir, AN ANTHOLOGY OF ASSHOLES, from Little A. Minda talks to us about what life was like navigating through her twenties, exploring the wonderfully messy world of dating and heartbreak, and how coming back to Kentucky allowed her to reconcile the restlessness of wanting to return home. Grab your charcuterie board and your favorite cocktail, and get ready to laugh away the next hour on this episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast. 

2nd Annual Vulgar Geniuses Awards

Live from Orlando, Florida, it is the 2nd Annual Vulgar Geniuses Awards! Join us as we honor this past year’s spectacular literary masters, emerging filmmakers, groundbreaking artists and musicians for their extraordinary works.

JEFF YANG & PHIL YU

We’re pulling out the heavy hitters for this exclusive episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast. Co-authored by Jeff Yang, Philip Wang, & Phill Yu comes the New York Times best-selling book RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now. Jeff & Phil join us in conversation to talk about their groundbreaking book that covers significant moments in Asian American History that are the cornerstone of the foundation of America and announces to the world that Asia is Rising! Let's get this month-long celebration started as we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month on this episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast!

CHEF LORDFER LALICON & JAMILYN BAILEY

The culinary scene is thriving in the City Beautiful, with Orlando destined to be the next stop on your foodie adventures. Co-owners Chef Lordfer Lalicon and Jamilyn Bailey chat about their restaurant KAYA. This new fine dining experience will bring Filipino cuisine to the center stage and will surely leave you wanting for more! Our conversation with Lordfer and Jamilyn focuses on the importance of bringing Filipino food within the epicurean landscape; and how their family was instrumental in helping to create a menu that will be electric to everyone's taste buds.

SOON WILEY

WHEN WE FALL APART is the debut novel from author Soon Wiley. At first appearance, this story begins as a mystery when ex-pat Korean American Min-jin Ford launches an investigation to seek out the truth behind the death of his girlfriend. Was it a suicide, or was she murdered? This novel unfolds to be more as it brings its readers to the intersection of race, nationality, and duality of identity. Soon speaks with us about how his novel came to be and how his time spent teaching in Korea found its way into the book. 

NEEMA AVASHIA

From West Virginia University Press comes middle school teacher turned debut author Neema Avashia to talk about her memoir Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer & Indian in a Mountain Place. Neema takes readers on a journey to discover the family and community that raised her, as she discovered who she was as a Queer girl in the south. Join us for this laugh-out-loud conversation where we learn what actually goes inside of a pickle sandwich, the spice she cannot go without, and how Country Road is most likely the state anthem of West Virginia.

TRENESSA WILLIAMS

In 2020, The Vulgar Geniuses raised money to give Eccleston Elementary’s 5th-grade students a personal copy of Jason Reynolds’ Ghost, this was made possible by Orlando’s only Black-owned online bookstore, Kizzy’s Books & More. Trenessa Williams talks with us about how her parents pushed her to follow her dreams and fill a 20-year-old void by bringing Black books to the literary scene. She also shares with us the pushback she received when a local indie book store owner told her that there was not a market for a Black literature in Orlando.

CANDICE ILOH

Candice Iloh’s sophomore novel BREAK THIS HOUSE gifts, readers, with Yaminah, a teenager attempting to balance the life she has been rebuilding since she and her father moved from their hometown of Obsidian, MI., to Brooklyn, NY. In an attempt to maintain her close relationships, Yaminah is suddenly struck with news that leaves her blindsided and reeling from grief. Join us on this next episode as we talk with Candice about their craft of writing young adult fiction to embody the true essence and voice of teenagers, their desire to write characters that are imperfect, and approaches the issues of grief and addiction that gives space for readers to gain perspective about life's lessons.

ALYSSA SONGSIRIDEJ

Sex, desire, and autonomy drip from the pages of our guest author, Alyssa Songsiridej's debut novel, LITTLE RABBIT. We explore this body of work as she reveals to us how she longed to bring forth a novel where female characters allowed themselves to be pulled under by their desire without being damaged by their male love interest. 

A 30 year-old queer and burgeoning writer begins to unearth the many aspects of her sexuality when she becomes involved in a sexual relationship with a choreographer in his 50s. This awakening collides with resistance from her roommate's expectations and questions of loyalty and friendship with Rabbit's newly drawn boundaries. 

ALEJANDRO VARELA

We're channeling our inner Minnie Ripperton as we take a walk down memory lane in Alejandro Varela’s debut novel, The Town of Babylon. We talk to him about centering his story around Andrés, a Queer Latinx college professor who returns home to care for his sick father in the small suburban town of Babylon. On the heels of dealing with his husband’s infidelity, he attends his 20-year class reunion, where he reunites with his high school sweetheart Jeremy and reckons with his past.

BETHANY C. MORROW

In Bethany C. Morrow's newest novel CHERISH FARRAH the calls are coming from inside the house, and so are the screams. Our fiction pick for July will keep you cool for the rest of summer as it sends chills down your spine days after you've read the last sentence. Farrah Turner is a 17-year-old Black girl who plays a game of dominance as she manipulates her way into the home of Cherrish Whitman, best friend and adopted daughter of a wealthy, white family. But soon, everything she knew begins to unravel, and motives are soon revealed.

DAVID CROWNSON

Unable to make waves in his acting career, David Crownson took his mother's advice, boarded a plane, and headed to Ghana to press the reset button. Three months later, after binging on Crouching Tiger, Hidden, Dragon, and Buffy, HARRIET TUBMAN DEMON SLAYER was born. This series from Kingwood Comics fuses history and fantasy as Harriet Tubman frees enslaved black men and women from the clutches of demons, vampires, and slavery. David talks to us about teaming up with Insecure producer Prentice Penny to bring his story to life under Disney's Onyx Collective and the overwhelming power behind representation.

HANNA ALKAF

If you have a shared love for murder mystery podcasts and word games, then this episode is just the one you've been waiting for. We travel across the world for our conversation with author Hanna Alkaf to discuss her novel QUEEN OF TILES. Hanna drops us into the city of Kuala Lumpur a year after the mysterious death of Najwa's best friend and Scrabble Champ, Trina Lowe. Najwa is ready to resume her life, but as secrets are revealed and lies are told, she must solve the mystery of her friend's death or face being blamed for it. 

ELAINE HSIEH CHOU

Elaine Hsieh Chou joins us to talk about her debut novel DISORIENTATION an interwoven satire that grapples with the ever-present danger Asian Americans face when racism rears its ugly head in the world of academia. Ph.D. hopeful Ingrid Yang is beginning to unravel as she struggles with writing her dissertation on the late Chinese poet Xiao-Wen Chou. A clue from the library's archive helps her to uncover that Xiao-Wen Chou is not dead, nor is he Asian, but rather a white man living his days in retirement after using yellowface as a tool to gain literary success for 35 years. 

SONORA REYES

We jump off National Hispanic Heritage Month with debut author Sonora Reyes. They join us to chat about their bestselling young adult novel, The Lesbiana's Guide To Catholic School, which has recently found its way on the 2022 National Book Award Longlist for Young Readers. Sonora Reyes' novel brings readers into the life of 17-year-old Yamilet Flores. After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend, Yami transfers to a private Catholic school where she vows never to fall in love and keep her mother from finding out the truth.

CARLOS ALLENDE

Carlos Allende's newest novel, Coffee, Shopping, Murder, Love, is a comedic thriller from Red Hen Press full of scams and shenanigans. Jignesh is an overweight gay Indian man involved in embezzling money from his job. Everything seems to be going as planned until he accidentally murders a coworker. He hides the body in a deep freezer purchased from Charlie, a man he met on a dating site. But things go haywire when Charlie finds out his secret, and more bodies begin to drop. Carlos talks to us about the real-life inspiration behind this story, creating characters that are messy, dislikable, and loveable.

JULIE TIEU

There is no denying that Julie Tieu loves writing about love, and it definitely shows in her sophomore novel CIRCLING BACK TO YOU. Julie joins us on the podcast to talk about how she found her way in the world of all things rom-com. Julie introduces us to Candice and Matt, the ultimate "will they/won't they" couple working in the real estate business. Their friendship blooms into an office romance, but when climbing the professional ladder proves to be a roadblock from love, they must figure out what they are willing to sacrifice and keep.

TOMÁS Q. MORÍN

Tomas Q. Morin's LET ME COUNT THE WAYS is a memoir that will sit with readers long after they close the book. Morin dives deep down into his childhood to bring to the surface key moments of retrospection into the life he lived as he watched his family wrestle with his father's drug addiction and the beginnings of Morin's obsessive-compulsive disorder. We talk with Morin about stepping into a space of vulnerability and sharing family memories with the public, a glimpse into fatherhood, and he gets real about his feelings about Batman, wrestling, and the best time to have Frito pie. 

ELISA A. BONNIN

Elisa A. Bonnin masterfully builds worlds where fantasy and Filipino culture coexist in her debut novel Dauntless.  We follow Seri as she vows to help protect her people from the Beasts that hide in the trees that Seri calls home.  Seri soon discovers that her people are not the only ones to exist in the world, as she meets Tsana. They team up to help keep their nations from entering into a deadly war. We speak with Elisa about the importance of pulling away from the European perspective and centering stories through a Filipino lens featuring queer characters, how her love of fantasy began, and how she unwinds after a long hard day with Japanese sword-fighting.

JOCELYN NICOLE JOHNSON

My Monticello is an ingenious and vividly written novella from debut author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson. She brings all our fears and anxieties to the reading table and asks that we hold them and look at them from all angles. Such as in her story "Buying A House Ahead of the Apocalypse," where a mother makes a list of things she will need when she considers what will be lost during the end of the world. Jocelyn joins us on the show to discuss how the violent Unite the Right white supremacist rally inspired her titled story. We also chat about how her opening story Control Negro made it into the hands of Roxane Gay and read from the lips of the Lit King himself, Levar Burton. 

BELINDA HUIJUAN TANG

Belinda Huijuan Tang's A Map for the Missing is a story that centers around the possibilities of what could have been as it converges with the limitations of a family and country in turmoil during the Cultural Revolution in China. Family secrets, unrequited love, and a father's sudden disappearance are ingredients that make this debut novel an unforgettable tale.

We speak with Belinda about what is lost when discussing the immigration story and the gaps formed when children are not raised in the country of their parent's birth. She reveals the advice given that was instrumental to the formation of her novel, and how a night of drinking and confession making pushed her into writing this epic story.

KACEN CALLENDER

LARK & KASIM START A REVOLUTION is the recent release from bestselling author Kacen Callender. Lark is a Black, queer, nonbinary, and neurodivergent teen who hopes to snag thousands of Twitter followers and a book deal for an unfinished novel. Kasim accidentally uses Lark's phone to send tweets from their account confessing unrequited love. When they go viral, Lark takes credit for the tweets and uses them to their advantage to get a date with their crush. However, the tweets Kasim made were all about his love for Lark.

Stay with us as we speak with Kacen speaks about why they write books for the young and marginalized, their love for art, and the peace found in detaching themselves from social media.

CELESTE NG

We are celebrating a monumental milestone with a special episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast. For our 100th show, we sit down with New York Times bestselling novelist Celeste Ng as we talk about her recent book, Our Missing Hearts. 

Bird Gardner is a 12-year-old boy who lives alone with his father after having their lives suddenly interrupted years prior when his mother, Margaret, a Chinese-American poet, is snatched away from their home. Book banning and kidnapping children from the homes of dissidents is the norm as America has shifted into a time of dystopian restlessness to maintain "American Culture" after economic peril and violence befall the nation. 

We speak with Ng about the similarities in her novel to the outside world, her hobby that helps her to unwind, and an item she was able to take from the set of Little Fires Everywhere. 

SJ SINDU

Marriage of a Thousand Lies author SJ Sindu returns to the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast with their sophomore novel, Blue-Skinned Gods. In India, people make pilgrimages to an ashram to visit Kalki, a Tamil child born with blue skin believed to be the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. His parents make money from the blessings and miracles Kalki grants to the believers, but he soon doubts his divinity as he watches his relationships fall apart. 

Sindu shares with us the dynamics of intertwining religious history with gender and sexuality, their newfound adventure after being in lockdown during the start of the pandemic, and whatever became of their beer-making aspirations.

REGINA N. BRADLEY

In 1995 OutKast won the Source Award for Best New Group. This win prompted boos from the crowd, but it also signaled to the world that Big Boi and André3000 had just ushered in a wave of music that would change the musical landscape for years to come. Dr. Regina N. Bradley's Chronicling Stankonia: The Rise of the Hip-Hop South details how music, literature, and film takes a critical eye to the post-civil-rights movement rule book and the expectations for those raised in the 80s and 90s.  

Dr. Bradley talks to us about the song that ultimately pulled her into the OutKast universe, her refusal to place whiteness in conversation with Black Southern literature, and how a Google hangout with her friends sparked the beginnings of this brilliant book. 

ALBERT SAMAHA

Journalist, and author, Albert Samaha talks to us about his book Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family's Fate. Samaha takes his family's immigration stories and intertwines them with the fraught history of colonization in the Phillippines. His conversations with family members reveal the oppressive and violent chokehold on a nation that began with Spain and continued to flourish in the hands of the United States. 

Samaha spoke to us in September prior to the paperback release of Concepcion and discussed the depth in which colonization has done everything in its power to erase the history of a people and his mission to gather up the stories of his family and ancestors so that the world may know the truth. 

MORGAN TALTY

Morgan Talty's debut, Night of the Living Rez, is a short story collection set in Maine within the community of the Panawahpskek (Penobscot) Nation. The stories focus on David as a young boy adjusting to living on the reservation to him as an adult figuring out life in a community reeling with the aftermath of drug addiction. Talty flawlessly uses time and death to tell a story about family, relationships, and what is lost and found while aging. 

We talked to Talty about how he had no interest in reading in his youth, only to become a best-selling author, writing stories that don't center on the white gaze, and his favorite show to binge to help him unwind after a long day of work.