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This episode features our conversation with Yael Valencia Aldana, the recipient of the 2024 Pushcart Prize for Poetry. We chatted about her forthcoming poetry collection, BLACK MESTIZA, which is scheduled for release in January of 2025 .

Yael Valencia Aldana is an award-winning poet and writer. She is the author of the poetry collection Black Mestiza (University of Kentucky Press, 2025) and the chapbook, Alien(s) (Bottlecap Press, 2023). She is a Pushcart Prize winner, and her work has been widely published, among others. She teaches creative writing at Florida International University and is the managing editor of Purple Ink Press. She lives in Florida near the ocean with her son and too many pets.

In Black Mestiza, Yael reckons with her identity as a Caribbean Afro-Latinx woman with Indigenous, Black, and white roots and pays homage to the legacy, resilience, and fortitude of her ancestors. These stunning poems paint a vivid picture of everyday life and Aldana's experiences as a mixed-race woman, daughter, and mother.

The Pushcart Prize–winning poem "Black Person Head Bob" addresses how Black people silently yet soulfully acknowledge and see each other. "Why Don't You Write About Joy?" acknowledges the suffering that women of color endure while their cries and spirit remain resolute: because you cannot hear me / doesn't mean I am not singing. "Small Dark and Moving" skillfully represents the poet's journey and the souls she carries with her, evoking images of evolving landscapes and beings as they transition through different forms. The poet beautifully interweaves narratives regarding the constant presence and influence of her Caribbean parents and a desire for more connection with her Colombian grandmother and ancestry, capturing the essence of origins, blood ties, and the idea that nothing is ever truly lost. This collection is not only a testament to Aldana's deep-rooted connection to her heritage, but a compelling celebration and expression of pride, recognition, and a profound sense of community.

To learn more about Yael and her work, please visit YaelAldana.com.

Pre-order your copy of Black Mestiza TODAY!

Find Yael on Instagram: @yaelwrites
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Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/

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Welcome to Season Five of Black Writers Read!

For this season, we're expanding the definition of “writer” to look at narrative construction. We start the season with a Pushcart Prize winning author and we’ll end Season Five with a documentary filmmaker. We're beyond excited to add the genre Afrofuturism to the platform as well as two countries. I’ll also be bringing back some past guests to talk about their newest work.

Please be sure to subscribe as we'll be posting exclusive content to the audio podcast.

Thanks again for your support and ensuring that Black authors continue to matter.

Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/
Find Black Writers Read on Instagram: @blackwritersread

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This bonus episode features my recent conversation with Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin from the latest release from A24 Films, SING SING.

About SING SING
Divine G (played by Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. In SING SING, Mr. Maclin plays a younger version of himself and his time participating in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts' theatre program. The film gifts us with a very intimate, inside look into the process of theatre-making and the transformative power of RTA.

Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) helps people in prison develop critical life skills through the arts, modeling an approach to the justice system based on human dignity rather than punishment. Founded at Sing Sing in 1996, RTA works with professional teaching artists to lead year-round workshops in theater, dance, music, creative writing, and visual arts. The RTA model provides an intensive, comprehensive arts program in prison that builds critical life skills so that people can meet the challenges of connecting with family and community when released.

RTA demonstrates that an approach based on human dignity is vastly more successful than one based on punishment. Less than 3% of RTA members return to prison, compared to the national recidivism rate of 60%.

To learn more about Rehabilitation Through the Arts, please visit their website at rta-arts.org.

To find your local screening of SING SING, please visit https://tickets.singsing.movie/.

For folx based in Western MA/Northern CT, I highly encourage you to see the film at Amherst Cinema where Nicole is a proud member. The film opens at Amherst Cinema on Friday, August 23.

Special thanks to Mr. Maclin for making time to chat with Black Writers Read and the Allied Global Marketing and A24 for all of your hard work to make this interview happen!

Find A24's film, SING SING on Instagram: @singsingmovie
Find Rehabilitation Through the Arts on Instagram: @rta_arts
Find Rehabilitation Through the Arts online: https://rta-arts.org/

Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/
Find Black Writers Read on Instagram: @blackwritersread

Support the show