Black Her Stories

In this episode, we dip our baby toes into a conversation with Gwendolyn Wallace. Gwendolyn Wallace is a New York City-based researcher, storyteller, and children’s literature author. Her work for both children and adults centers Afrodiasporic voices to explore the unfolding relationship between the spatial logics of colonialism and our body-minds. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The emotional complexity of Black Childhood

• Nina Simone 

• The Light That She Feels Inside 

Ways to get in touch with King Sophia: 

• Website: https://kingsophiamusic.com/

• IG: kingsophiamusic
  
  

Ways to get in touch with Gwendolyn Wallace

• Website: https://www.gwendolynwallace.com/

• IG: g.m.wallace

Ways to get in touch with Black Her Stories

• https://nourish.community/contact

•  IG: @blackherstories

In this episode, we explore the lessons of leadership Jahmad Canley. Jahmad is a husband, father, community member, and the president of Potential Unleashed, business coaching company specializing in providing solutions to companies, teams, and individuals of every description through improved performance and increased human effectiveness. Together, we elevate the impact of his Grandma, Betty Jo Davis, and discuss her unique expressions of leadership.

In this episode, we explore the possibilities of the Black imagination with architect Donna Carter. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Donna D. Carter is the President of Carter Design Associates, an architectural, planning, and restoration firm in Austin, Texas. Her practice is focused on projects that combine revitalization, historic preservation, and new construction within a community context.

A shaper of physical spaces, Donna and her firm have received numerous awards including the Texas Society of Architecture’s Design Award and the Preservation Texas Award for the Restoration of the Texas and Pacific Terminal Waiting Room, which is Fort Worth’s largest and most extravagant example of Art Deco architecture. 

As a civic leader, Donna has held many volunteer and board positions that keep her active in her community. From participating in numerous Austin planning and development task force committees to being a Fellow of the Center for Heritage Conservation at Texas A&M University, Donna has dedicated her life to being of service. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Thinking creatively about spaces 

• How to nourish a creative spirit

Resources: 

• Donna Carter

• Carter Design Associates

• AIA Profiles - Donna Carter

• Places of Interest

• Austin Public Library Architecture

• Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project (VIDEO)

◉ Website: https://nourish.community/podcast

◉ Substack: https://blackherstories.substack.com/

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org 

In this episode, we explore the possibilities of the Black imagination with architect Donna Carter. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Donna D. Carter is the President of Carter Design Associates, an architectural, planning, and restoration firm in Austin, Texas. Her practice is focused on projects that combine revitalization, historic preservation, and new construction within a community context.

A shaper of physical spaces, Donna and her firm have received numerous awards including the Texas Society of Architecture’s Design Award and the Preservation Texas Award for the Restoration of the Texas and Pacific Terminal Waiting Room, which is Fort Worth’s largest and most extravagant example of Art Deco architecture. 

As a civic leader, Donna has held many volunteer and board positions that keep her active in her community. From participating in numerous Austin planning and development task force committees to being a Fellow of the Center for Heritage Conservation at Texas A&M University, Donna has dedicated her life to being of service. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Preservation Architecture in the context of the Black community 

• Reimagining Black History and reclaiming the Black Imagination

Resources: 

• Donna Carter

• Carter Design Associates

• AIA Profiles - Donna Carter

• Places of Interest

• Austin Public Library

• Texas and Pacific Terminal Waiting Room

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community/podcast

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org 

Hello, and Happy Black History Month!

In this mini-episode, BHS creator and host, Michaela Ayers, invites you to cozy up on the couch for a friendly catch up. This year Black Her Stories celebrates her 5th birthday so now is the perfect time to reflect on where we’ve been and share what is coming next in season three. 

 ◉ Substack: https://blackherstories.substack.com/

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Website: Nourish.community/podcast

In this episode, we stroll into a conversation with the artist formerly known as Michaela Ayers. With a BFA in Art History from the University of Kansas and a studio practice of collage, ceramics, and fiber arts, multi-disciplinary artist Mickey D is ready to be seen.

Facilitated by BHS co-producer Jassmine Parks, this interview dives into Mickey's early childhood curiosities and inspirations. We also chat about her creative routine and the distinction between her collage and ceramics practice. 

Our special guest in this episode is someone who knows Michaela’s creative impulses very well; her mom Virginia Ayers. Tune in to this family affair, y’all.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The inner child

• Mothers, Grandmothers

• Cultures of Hospitality 

• Malcolm X

Resources: 

• People of Interest

• • Malcolm X

 ◉ Newsletter: https://blackherstories.substack.com/

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Get in touch: hello@nourishevents.org 

In this episode, we’re floating through the conversations that we’ve had in this season. Tune in to hear a compilation of conversations that stitch together some of our favorite moments and give you a hint at where Black Her Stories is going next.

In this episode, you hear from: 

• Judy Bowman (judybowmanartist)

• Takeisha Jefferson (takeishaart)

• Sydney James (sydneygjames)

• Sabrina Nelson (sabrinanelson67)

• Yvette Rock (yvetterockdetroit)

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community/podcast

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

In this episode, we’re following the creative energy of the city and talking to Detroiters about the art and impact of Sydney James. Murals play an important role in Motor City and this year happened to be the next installment of BLKOUT Walls, the biannual mural festival co-founded by Sydney James. So we popped up at the closing Block Party to chat with community members and the artists who participated in the festival.

In this episode, we spoke to: 

• Demien De Yonte (@deyonte6908)

• Khristyn Richardson (kris.goesrawr)

• Luis Bloom (@luis.bloom)

• Joe Cazino (@cashiesh)

Resources: 

• Sydney James

• Websites: 

• https://www.sydneygjames.com/

• https://www.blkoutwalls.com/

• FB: Sydney James Art

• IG: sydneygjames

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community/podcast

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org 

In this episode, we ride into a conversation with Sydney James. Fine arts painter and muralist Sydney G. James is a girl proudly raised in Detroit. With a BFA from the College for Creative Studies and a background in commercial art, James is a figurative artist whose bold brush strokes have humanized Detroit’s industrial skyline. 

Not limited to one dimension, Sydney’s artwork can be found in private collections, galleries, museums, or on a pair of shoes. Her visual narratives project the complex realities of Black women while interrogating the concepts of safe spaces and community care.

 A 2017 Kresge Arts Fellow and a dedicated mentor, Sydney is also the co-founder of BLKOUT Walls, a biannual street mural festival that elevates Black artists and stimulates the city’s creative economy.  

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Black Love

• Girl with the D Earring

• BLKOUT Walls Street Mural Festival

• Empowerment

Resources: 

• Sydney James

• https://www.sydneygjames.com/

• https://www.blkoutwalls.com/

• FB: Sydney James Art

• IG: sydneygjames

• Detroit References

• Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club

• Conant Gardens

• Highland Park

• People of Interest

• Linda Whitaker

• Jonni Page

• Halima Afi Cassells

• Jadakiss 

 ◉ Newsletter: https://blackherstories.substack.com/

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Get in touch: hello@nourishevents.org 

In this episode, we float weightlessly into a conversation with Sabrina Nelson. Nelson is a painter by degree from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Influenced by Yoruba Religion, as well as Eastern and African philosophies, Sabrina’s work is a combination of spirit, motion, and intimacy. Not limited by two dimensions, the scope of her work also includes sculpture, objects, performance and installations. 

With professional appointments at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the College for Creative Studies, Sabrina Nelson has served as an educator, lecturer, and professional artist for 37 years. Coaching her community on the business of being a professional artist through active studio practice and mentoring.  

A tenacious creator whose multi-dimensional art is truly out of this world, Sabrina Nelson is also a recipient of the 2022 Women’s Caucus for Arts Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2021 Kresge Arts Fellow. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Muses

• James Baldwin

• Artivism 

• The way Black women tell stories 

Learn more: 

• Sabrina Nelson

  • Professional Website

    • IG: sabrinanelson67

• Ashara Ekundayo 

  • Ashara Ekundayo Gallery

    • IG: asharaekundayogallery
        

     

• Detroit References

  • James Baldwin Hangout Spots

    • Bakers Keyboard Lounge

    • Cliff Bells 

    • Willis Show Bar

    • Detroit Institute of Arts

    • Rosie’s Diner

  • Gallery Camille 

    • Hermon Futrell

    • Kef Parker (IG: kefparker55)

    • Andrew Wilson (IG: drewberzzz)

      •  

       

In this episode, we’re following the joyful rhythm of the city and talking to Detroiters about their style and art of Judy Bowman. 

In this episode, we talk to: 

• Brianna L Jones, 

• Chanel Oldham

• Chuck Micheaux  

• Crystal Delahugh

• Crystal Marie

• Valencia Davis

Resources: 

• Judy Bowman 

• Websites: 

• https://www.judybowman.com/

• IG: judybowmanartist

• References

• Sugar Hill Historic District

• Krispy Addicts

• Tonico Brand

• Avenue of Fashion 

• Fox Theater 

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Judy Bowman. Bowman is a mixed-media collage artist whose figurative works celebrate the rhythm and beauty woven into the fabric of Black American culture. Born and raised on the Eastside of Detroit, Judy uses vibrant colors and textured paper to illustrate visual narratives of her family, friends, and the everyday elegance of her community. 

Considering herself a visual griot, she sees her job to tell stories that are reflective of her coming-of-age in Detroit’s Eastside and Black Bottom neighborhoods. Often compared to Romare Bearden, she too is committed to a Black aesthetic and her craft. Judy Bowman is the recipient of the 2023 Mack Alive Ambassador Fine Art Collection Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2022 Alain Locke Recognition Art Awardee, and a 2021 Kresge Artist Fellow. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Jazz and the Importance of Practice

• Detroit Style and Fashion in the Black Community 

• Pride, Dignity, and Respect

Resources: 

• Judy Bowman 

  • https://www.judybowman.com/

  • IG: judybowmanartist

• Websites: 

• References

• Detroit Uprising of 1967

• AfriCOBRA

• Romare Bearden

• Charles White

• Jacob Lawrence

Get in Touch: Nourish.community/podcast

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

In the spirit of constant experimentation and eternal expansion, we’re doing things a little differently this season.

As we continue to explore Detroit as a character through creative storytelling, we thought, what better way to uplift diverse narratives than to let Detroiter speak for themselves? 

So we’re hitting the streets, talking to strangers, and passing the microphone to members of the community to hear what they have to say. 

This very first Community Voice episode was a collaboration between Michaela Ayers and Jassmine Parks. We hope you enjoy.

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community/podcast

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Yvette Rock. Rock was born in Paramaribo, Suriname in 1975. She received a BFA in 1997 from Cooper Union in New York City and an MFA in Painting from the University of Michigan in 1999. Yvette is the co-founder of Detroit Connections at U of M, and founder and Executive Director of Live Coal - a non-profit organization in Detroit. She has been an artist-in-residence in Detroit schools since 1999, and an active member of her community as a professional artist for 24 years. 

Yvette exhibits widely throughout southeast Michigan. Her accolades include three Knight Arts Challenge awards and a Documenting Detroit Fellowship. As a visual artist, community development activist, wife, and mother of five children, Yvette brings a wealth of life experience and insight into her art practice. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The power of play and experimentation 

• Paramaribo, Suriname

• Memory & Motherhood

Resources: 

• Yvette Rock 

  • www.yvetterock.com

  • www.livecoal.org

• Websites: 

• Referenced Works

• In Cedars Loving Arms

• Detroit RePatched

• Awards

• Three-time Knight Arts Challenge Awardee.

• Documenting Detroit Fellowship
  

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community/podcast

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Takeisha Jefferson. Jefferson is a Michigan native and a seasoned portrait photographer passionate about art history. Her subjects frequently include her family, and her oeuvre also touches on Black womanhood and empowerment themes.

 Her photographic storytelling has earned her a feature on Google Arts and Culture and a spotlight in Aida Amoaka's book As We See It: Artists Reshaping Black Identity, which showcases 30 black artists from around the world. As a disabled veteran, wife, and mother of four, Takeisha brings a wealth of life experience and insight into her art practice.  

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The power of the image

• The gaze

• How to advocate for Black women artists

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Takeisha Jefferson. Jefferson is a Michigan native and a seasoned portrait photographer who has a passion for art history. Her subjects frequently include her family, and her oeuvre also touches on themes of Black womanhood and empowerment.

 Her photographic storytelling has earned her a feature on Google Arts and Culture and a spotlight in Aida Amoaka's book As We See It: Artists Reshaping Black Identity, which showcases 30 black artists from around the world. As a disabled veteran, wife, and mother of four, Takeisha brings a wealth of life experience and insight into her art practice. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The power of representation, advocacy, and the image

• The gaze

• How to advocate for Black women artists

Resources: 

• Takeisha Jefferson

  • Website: https://takeishas.com/

• Referenced Works

  • Google Arts and Culture

• Affiliations & Awards

  • • Nominated - Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2021 - Wetzlar, Germany

    • Committee Member - My Sisters and Me Women of Color Photographers

    • Member - Women of Color Unite

    • Member - Detriot Fine Arts Breakfast Club

    • Member - Women’s Caucus for Art

• Carrie Mae Weems
  

  • Website: http://carriemaeweems.net/

• Referenced Works
  • The Kitchen Table Series

• Jassmine Parks

  • Referenced Work
    • blk

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community

 ◉ IG: @blackherstories

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

Hello there!

It's been a minute, but Black Her Stories (BHS) is back! Catch up with BHS creator and host, Michaela Ayers, as she reflects on 2022 and looks ahead at what's on the horizon of a new year. 

In season two, we continue our quest of unearthing stories of Black women based in Detroit, Michigan with a focus on visual artists. Together, we'll explore the roles of community, creativity, and history as sources of individual and collective power. 

Through conversations with the city's eminent and emerging artists, we will find meaning in colors, shapes, symbols, and textures. We really hope you'll join us! 

Season two of Black Her Stories will launch in March. Like, follow, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 

In this episode, we wander into a conversation with Nandi Comer. Comer is the author of American Family: A Syndrome (Finishing Line Press) and Tapping Out (Northwestern University Press). She also serves as a poetry editor for Obsidian Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora and as the Director of the Allied Media Projects Seeds Program.  

Together, we celebrate the work of Vievee Francis. Vievee Francis is a poet, award-winning author, and editor, and currently teaches English and creative writing as an Associate Professor at Dartmouth College. Of her own poetry, Francis said, “I’m very much saying that how African-American women are defined is inhuman in its narrowness and that I, for one, am not going to allow it.”

We investigate the power of the persona as a tool for deep empathy, and how Francis’s practice of telling stories that break the silence connects to the collective memories of the Juneteenth holiday. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The practice of persona in poetry and in community 
• Creativity is a collective practice
• Anticipating contradictions within our personal and collective narratives

Resources: 

• Nandi Comer 
• Website: https://www.nandicomer.com/
• Referenced Works
• American Family: A Syndrome
• Tapping Out

• Vievee Francis
• About: Vievee Francis
• Referenced Works
• Forest Primeval

• Detroit References
• Hart Plaza
• The Ambassador Bridge
• Belle Isle

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community

 ◉ IG: @nourish____

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org 

Together, we celebrate the work of Ida B. Wells-Barnette. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Over the course of a lifetime dedicated to combating prejudice and violence, and the fight for African-American equality, especially that of women, Wells arguably became the most famous Black woman in the United States. As a skilled writer, Wells-Barnett also used her skills as a journalist to shed light on the conditions of African Americans throughout the South.

We explore how Wells-Barnette’s practice of courageous truth-telling connects to Elster’s role as a writer of young adult fiction. Jean also shares how we might better take care of our inner child and take much-needed time to process. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How people and community reinforce our sense of self
• The importance of life lessons and overcoming obstacles
• How to take care and protect our inner child

Resources: 

• Jean Alicia Elster -
  • Website: http://jeanaliciaelster.com
  • Referenced Works
    • Joe, Joe in the City Series
    • The Colored Car 
    • How It Happens 

• Ida B. Wells-Barnette
  
  • About: Black Past: Ida Wells-Barnette
  • Referenced Works
    • On Lynching 

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community

 ◉ IG: @nourish____

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

In this episode, we dig into a conversation with Marsha Music. Marsha is the daughter of pre-Motown record producer Joe Von Battle. She’s also an acclaimed writer of essays, poems, and narratives on life in Detroit.

Together, we celebrate the work of Betty DeRamus. Betty DeRamus is a veteran and award-winning journalist, DeRamus was the jury’s pick and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993. She has been awarded a Michigan Press Association Award, as well as a Deems Taylor award for a profile of Roberta Flack published in Essence. A passion for the troubles and triumphs of ordinary people, Betty DeRamus wrote two nonfiction books, Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad and Freedom by Any Means: True Stories of Cunning and Courage on the Underground Railroad.

We explore how DeRamus’s practice of creative storytelling connects to Music’s role as a griot in the Black community. Marsha also discusses how the history of Detroit informs her identity as a writer. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The history of Detroit and the Black Bottom Neighborhood
• The importance and validity of oral history 
• How to find inspiration in the place where you live 

Resources: 

• Marsha Music -
• Website: https://marshamusic.wordpress.com/
• Referenced Works
• The Detroitist

• Betty DeRamus 
• About: https://mijournalismhalloffame.org/betty-deramus/
• Referenced Works
• Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad
• Freedom by Any Means: True Stories of Cunning and Courage on the Underground Railroad.

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community

 ◉ IG: @nourish____

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org

We also discuss the contributions of Natasha T Miller through her book Butcher. Natasha, is a Detroit native, performance poet, LGBTQ activist, film producer, founder of the “Artists Inn Detroit” and so much more. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Vulnerability.  
• Multiplicity
• Motherhood

Resources: 

• La Shaun Phoenix Moore -
•  IG: Detroit Phoenix 
• Youtube: La Shaun Phoenix Moore  
• The Motherwound 
• Natasha T Miller 
• IG : natashatmiller
• Facebook @tmillerpoetry 
• Twitter @tmillerpoetry
• Butcher

 ◉ Get in Touch: Nourish.community

 ◉ IG: @nourish____

 ◉ Support this podcast at — https://nourish.community/donate/

 ◉ Advertising Inquiries: hello@nourishevents.org