Saturday Mornings With Joy Keys

Regina Hartfield is CEO and president of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. Hartfield served on the association’s board of directors for three years, including as chair of the fundraising committee. Previously, she managed federal, state and commercial contracts for CVP, an information technology consulting firm in Virginia and Maryland. Hartfield was a community affairs professional in the nonprofit arena in New York for more than 25 years where she gained experience as a leader in nonprofit organizations. She graduated with honors from Lehman College of the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in community outreach. Servio Astacio was born in the Dominican Republic with sickle cell anemia and experienced symptoms from an early age. His condition prevented him from pursuing his dream of military service, but he remains driven to growing in other areas of his life. Now 25 years old, Astacio lives in Miami, owns a business and pursues interests in finance and technology. He advocat

***THIS IS A PRE-RECORDED INTERVEW.*** Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, IL where she currently resides. She graduated with both her Bachelors and Masters of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois - Urbana. Her work is published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, Better than Starbucks, Doors Ajar, 805 Lit + Art, The Helix Magazine, Lunch Ticket and Gay Magazine. ​Catherine's sophomore novel THE TWO LIVES OF SARA is slated for release September 6, 2022 (Park Row Books). Her debut novel SAVING RUBY KING was published June 2020 (Park Row Books). Her short story ORION'S STAR is featured in the body positive anthology EVERY BODY SHINES (Bloomsbury, May 2021). ​ ​In between writing and traveling, Catherine works as an editor.

***Pre-recorded interview*** Corey Gumbs, the owner of Black Label Media, LLC, has over 20 years of experience in recording as an independent music producer and artist. His experience in the music industry also includes working as an intern at Def Jam Records as a key member of their street promotions team in the mid-late 90s, as well as promotional tour support for Def Jam recording artist Foxy Brown, and Violator Records recording artists CRU during the 1997 Smoking Grooves Tour.  He is currently the founder of Black Label Media, LLC and chief recording engineer of its service imprint: Black Label Podcast Studio, as well as the chief Podcast Development Strategist.  In addition, Corey has a Bachelor of Science in Web Development and Design from Full Sail University. He is also the Founder of The Black Podcasters Association Powered By Afros & Audio, an online community dedicated to black podcast creatives and professionals. His mission is to create a space that offers support, collaboration, and can

Nasheeda Pollard is a wife and proud mother of two beautiful breastfed children! An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, author of Magical Milk, and owner of Lactation Goddess LLC. A brand focused on helping new and expecting families unapologetically define their breastfeeding journey so they can feel confident in their abilities to lactate in a way that fits their lifestyle.  Her passion for supporting lactating families of color and normalizing breastfeeding is the motivation behind Magical Milk. Working with breastfeeding families and hearing their stories along with her own experiences pushed her into purpose.  

In this much anticipated follow up to New York Times bestselling Beasts of Prey, Koffi’s powers grow stronger and Ekon’s secrets turn darker as they face the god of death. Koffi has saved her city and the boy she loves, but at a terrible price. Now a servant to the cunning god of death, she must use her newfound power to further his continental conquest, or risk the safety of her home and loved ones. As she reluctantly learns to survive amidst unexpected friends and foes, she will also have to choose between the life—and love—she once had, or the one she could have, if she truly embraces her dangerous gifts. ABOUT AYANA GRAY: Ayana Gray is a New York Times bestselling young adult fantasy author and a lover of all things monsters, mythos, and magic. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, she now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she reads avidly, follows Formula One racing, and worries over the varying moods of her adopted baby black rhino, Apollo, and her mini goldendoodle, Dolly. Her debut novel, Beasts o

MOROWA YEJIDÉ, a native of Washington, DC, is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Time of the Locust, which was a 2012 finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize, long-listed for the 2015 PEN/Bingham Prize, and a 2015 NAACP Image Award nominee; and Creatures of Passage, which was short-listed for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and was a 2021 Notable Book selection by NPR and the Washington Post. She lives in the DC area with her husband and three sons. NEPHTHYS KINWELL IS A TAXI DRIVER OF SORTS in Washington, DC, ferrying passengers in a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere with a ghost in the trunk. Endless rides and alcohol help her manage her grief over the death of her twin brother, Osiris, who was murdered and dumped in the Anacostia River. Unknown to Nephthys when the novel opens in 1977, her estranged great-nephew, ten-year-old Dash, is finding himself drawn to the banks of that very same river. It is there that Dash—reeling from having witnessed an act of molestation at his school, but st

Louis Chude-Sokei’s work includes the award-winning, The Last Darky: Bert Williams, Black on Black Minstrelsy and the African Diaspora, The Sound of Culture: Diaspora and Black Technopoetics as well as the acclaimed memoir, Floating in A Most Peculiar Way. He teaches at Boston University, directs the African American Studies Program and is Editor in Chief of the journal, The Black Scholar. He is also founder of the sonic art and archival project, Echolocution and was a curator of Carnegie Hall’s 2022 Festival of Afrofuturism.   

Special Guest:  Dr. Kyra S. O’Brien grew up in Northern Virginia and received her bachelor’s of science in biology from Yale University. She received her medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and stayed to complete her internal medicine internship and neurology residency training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focus during medical school and residency aimed to characterize the clinical syndrome of primary age-related tauopathy and identify its potential genetic risk factors. As a clinical fellow at the Penn Memory Center, she hopes to focus her research on improving access to and quality of care within community practices for patients with Alzheimer’s dementia. She is excited to gain more experience with clinical trials and looks forward to working with the staff, patients and caregivers at the Penn Memory Center.

LaSheena Riley-Duval, MSW, LSW, CCM, is a licensed social worker with more than 15 years of experience working in a variety of settings within diverse communities. LaSheena’s career started as a case manager working with children, youth, and families victimized by sexual abuse.  Additionally, she has worked extensively with adolescents and families in areas of behavioral health, parenting, and life skills training.  LaSheena currently works as a high school social worker in the City of Philadelphia. Her passion is working with teens and their families to combat barriers to success.  In the evenings LaSheena is a therapist working with adults, children, and families impacted by trauma.     Janelle S. Peifer, PhD, LCP is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond. She also leads Peifer Psychology (peiferpsychology.com) as a speaker and consultant for organizations committed to inclusive excellent and mental wellness. In addition, as a licensed clinical psychologist, she founded and lea

Alex Jennings is a writer/editor/teacher/poet living in New Orleans. He was born in Wiesbaden (Germany) and raised in Gaborone (Botswana), Tunis (Tunisia), Paramaribo (Surinam) and the United States. He constantly devours pop culture and writes mostly jokes on Twitter (@magicknegro). He loves music, film, comix, and even some TV. He’s going a little nuts shut up in his Central City apartment, but thankfully he has two of the best roommates on earth (one of whom is a beautiful beautiful dog named Karate Valentino. His debut novel, The Ballad of Perilous Graves is due out from Redhook in 2022. You can also find him goofing around on Instagram: (@magicknegro) Nola is a city full of wonders. A place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women help keep the order. To those from Away, Nola might seem strange. To Perilous Graves, it’s simply home. In a world of everyday miracles, Perry might not have a talent for magic, but he does know Nola’s rhythm as intimately as his own he

Namina Forna is the author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Gilded Ones, the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy. She has an MFA in film and TV production from USC School of Cinematic Arts and a BA from Spelman College. Originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, she moved to the US when she was nine and has been traveling back and forth ever since. She now works as a screenwriter in Los Angeles and loves building fantastical worlds and telling stories with fierce female leads. Visit her on twitter at @NaminaForna and on Instagram at @namina.forna. Discover the gripping sequel to Namina Forna's New York Times bestselling YA fantasy, THE GILDED ONES. Set in an ancient West African-inspired world, this series is perfect for fans of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and BLACK PANTHER. THE MERCILESS ONES is the second, thrilling instalment of the epic fantasy series in which a young heroine fights against a world that would dare tame her.  

Ladee Hubbard is the author of The Rib King and The Talented Ribkins, which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Her writing has appeared in Guernica, The Times Literary Supplement, Copper Nickel and Callaloo. Hubbard is a recipient of a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, a Berlin Prize Fellowship, and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award. She has also received fellowships from MacDowell, Art Omi, the Sacatar Foundation, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Hedgebrook, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Born in Massachusetts and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida, Ladee Hubbard currently lives in New Orleans.

'Queen of Glory' is the story of Sarah Obeng, the brilliant child of Ghanaian immigrants, who is quitting her Ivy League PhD program to follow her married lover to Ohio. When her mother dies suddenly, she bequeaths her daughter a Christian bookstore in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx where Sarah was raised. A follow-up on the classic immigrant's tale, Queen of Glory provokes laughter and empathy, as its heroine is reborn through her inheritance. Nana Mensah – Director / Writer / “Sarah Obeng” Nana Mensah is a Ghanaian-American writer, director, producer, and actress. Upcoming, Mensah will star in Queen of Glory, which she also wrote, produced, and directed. Queen of Glory will premiere in the U.S. Narrative Competition lineup at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 15, 2021 as a part of their Juneteenth programming. This film also marks Mensah's directorial feature debut. On August 20, 2021, Mensah will appear in a series regular role opposite Sandra Oh and Bob Balaban in Netflix’s upcoming six-epi

Kevin McGruder is Associate Professor of History at Antioch College. His interest in community formation led to a career in community development, with positions that included Program Director at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Director of Real Estate Development with the Abyssinian Development Corporation (Harlem), and Executive Director of Gay Men of African Descent (New York City).  Now as an academic, his research interests include African American institutions, urban history, and LGBTQ history. He has a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University, an M.B.A. in Real Estate Finance from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the Graduate Center of City University of New York.  He is the author of Race and Real Estate: Conflict and Cooperation in Harlem, 1890-1920 and Philip Payton: The Father of Black Harlem.   

JaimeSanders is the author of the award-winning blog The Migraine Diva. She is a participant with the Coalition for Headache and Migraine Patients, with whom she worked to create an Issue Brief on Disparities in Headache and is a part of the leadership of the Disparities in Headache Advisory Council (DiHAC). Jaime is a stakeholder with the Headache and Migraine Policy Forum, works with the Society for Women’s Health Research Interdisciplinary Migraine Network, sits on the Patient Leadership Council with the National Headache Foundation, and serves on HealthyWomen’s Chronic Pain Advisory Council. She has lived with migraine since the age of two and has been chronic and intractable for the last fifteen years. Through her advocacy work and blog, Jaime’s mission is to make a very invisible disease visible to the rest of the world and validate the real pain of millions. The Migraine Diva – http://www.themigrainediva.com

Eric K. Washington is an independent historian and a Bundles Community Scholar of Columbia University. Hismost recent book is Boss of the Grips: The Life of James H. Williams and the Red Caps of Grand Central Terminal (Liveright, 2019), the biography of aonce influential Black railway labor figure and his Harlem-based workforce. The book won the Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in New York History(New York Academy of History), the GANYC Apple Award(Guides Association of New York City) and special recognition as a finalist for the Brendan Gill Prize(Municipal Art Society of New York). Washington is a board member of the Biographers International Organization (BIO), for which he spearheads the Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship, an annual award for African American biography,.  

A native of Durham, North Carolina, April Parker Jones first came to prominence through the role of Darcy on the cult sci-fi series Jericho (CBS 2006-2008).  Born in Durham, North Carolina, Parker Jones attended North Carolina Central University.  She received two Audelco Award nominations for her original portrayal in the role of Christina in the Off Broadway World Premiere of Plenty of Time, in which she costarred with her now husband, Joseph Jay Jones.  She landed her first major TV appearance in 2006 on CSI: Miami. April’s Theater training has paved her way to numerous and exciting recurring roles on CBS’s S.W.A.T., TNT’s The Last Ship, Fox’s The Resident, ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder, Lifetime’s Devious Maids, Freeform’s The Foster’s and the CW’s rebooted teen soap 90210.  In 2016, Parker Jones returned to her roots to originate the role of ‘Genie Ann Parker’ in the stage production of Love Soul Deep written and directed by Patricia Cuffie-Jones, in which she was nominated for a NAACP Theatre A

Bethany C. Morrow is a national bestselling author writing for adult and young adult audiences. She is the author of the novels Mem, A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises, So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix, and Cherish Farrah. She is the editor/contributor to the young adult anthology TAKE THE MIC, which won the 2020 ILA Social Justice in Literature award. Her work has been featured in The LA Times, Forbes, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. She is included on USA TODAY's list of 100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.

C. J. Washington is a data scientist and writer. He has a master’s degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and daughter. The Intangible is his first novel.

Aishah Shahidah Simmons (she/her) is an award-winning Black feminist lesbian cultural worker who has examined the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and sexual violence for over 25-years. A survivor of childhood and adult sexual violence committed to healing and non-carceral accountability, Aishah is the editor of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology, love WITH accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse (A.K. Press), and the producer/director of the 2006- released, Ford Foundation-funded film, NO! The Rape Documentary. Aishah has received numerous awards and fellowships, including selection for the 2022 Changemakers Authors Cohort and a 2020 Soros Media Fellowship. She is a 20-year Buddhist student and practitioner, formerly in the S.N. Goenka tradition for 17-years and presently in the Insight tradition.