Happy 2021, lovely listeners! It's our favorite time of the year: Urban Fic Month. (Okay, so we were still a little hungover from 2020 and this episode is a tad late. Forgive us!) This year, we read a classic: The Cartel, by Ashley & JaQuavis. There's money, romance, murder and a lot of anti-Haitian sentiment. It's uncomfortable. There's also some "sexy" farting (or should we say queuing?), a graphic castration and a whole lot of colorism. Get the alcohol ready, because this one is wild. Trigger warning for a mention of rape and discussion of homophobia starting at 1:07:40. If you wanna be part of the cool kids club, head over to Pateron and sign up. You’ll also get access to bonus materials including video and podcast outtakes. As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Adoria, Ali, Brittney, Bryonna, Catherine, Ellen, Emily, Erica, Frank, Heather, I Found This Great Book, Jennifer, Kat, Katie, Maria, Martel, Melissa, Montara, Sylvia, Terri, Therese, Whitney and YM. We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening! In this episode: The Burning God by R.F. Kuang Lead From the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson Deacon King Kong by James McBride 

Black Chick Lit

Episode 41: The Cartel

We’re wrapping up 2020 by talking about all the things we did (and didn’t do) to keep our heads above water. Sister Sistermarathon anyone? Topics include: Dr. Jill Biden Booktube shenanigans a campaign to get Dani to play Mass Effect Mollie saying Dallinar a lot and a reflection on our very social year Thanks as always to our generous patrons — we’ve got a ton of extras from this episode coming your way! Shout out to Martel, Jennifer, Ansela, Therese, Melissa, Catherine, Katie, Emily, LaToya, Ali, Kat, Montara, Maria, Adoria, Frank, Ellen, Sylvia, Bryonna and Curtis. And thanks to Suite45 for use of our theme, Jonse’n. We’ll see you all in 2021 for Urban Lit January!

BCL Chat: Hindsight is 2020

This month, Ako & Marci from The Colored Pages Book Club drop by to talk Cinderella is Dead by Kaylnn Brown.This episode is bringing Big Pieces (and Pisces Moon) energy, ya’ll.  We talk pig infrastructure, we sympathize with evil witches and we ask, what exactly was the plan? Also discussed in this episode: Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson And Then She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall As always, shout out to our Patrons: Martel, Jennifer, Ansela, Therese, Melissa, Catherine, Katie, Emily, LaToya, Ali, Kat, Montara, Maria, Adoria, Frank, Ellen, Sylvia, Bryonna and Curtis, because we literally could not do this without your support. And thanks to Suite 45 for use of our theme Jonse’n (seriously, like three separate people told me how much they liked it this past month).

Episode 40: Cinderella is Dead ft. Colored Pages Book Club Podcast

What’s this? Another special guest?! This week we read When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole, and we’re not gonna lie, the discussion goes in some weird places (apologies in advance to Robo X).  This is a thriller and it’s SPOILER FREE YA’LL, so you really have no excuse to download, listen, then go read this book! As always, a very special thank you to our Patrons: Martel, Jennifer, Ansela, Therese, Melissa, Catherine, Katie, Emily, LaToya, Ali, Kat, Montara, Maria, Adoria, Frank, Ellen, Sylvia, Bryonna and Curtis. If you wanna be part of the cool kids club, head over to Pateron and sign up. You’ll also get access to bonus materials including a read-along vlog and some clips from this episode that were cut for time (wait, who is reading my period tracker?). We also love it when you rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes, Google Play, Google Podcasts and Spotify. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n. And thanks to YOU for listening! In this episode: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan I Want My Hat Bac by Jon Klassen The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang This is how the robot uprising starts 

Episode 39: When No One is Watching

We're back and we have another special guest joining us this week! (Honestly, we're not used to being so popular.) This episode, we read The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon, and got to chat about the book with the author herself. She spoke with us about the differences between traditional and indie publishing, how Samiah and her girls came to be and whether Daniel is too perfect a romance hero. She also gives us a few hints about the next book in The Boyfriend Project series. Thanks to our patrons for their support: Adoria, Ali, Ansela, Bryonna, Catherine, Ellen, Emily, Frank, I Found This Great Book Podcast, Jennifer, Kat, Katie, LaToya, Maria, Martel, Melissa, Montara, Sylvia and Therese. Join us on Patreon starting at only $2 a month and help support the podcast! Thank you for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Episode 38: The Boyfriend Project ft. Farrah Rochon

We got a real treat for y'all this episode! We read Take a Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert, and were joined by the author herself for a conversation about everything including her move from indie publishing to traditional, the Black Lives Matter movement in Europe and whether her parents read her books. We did manage to also chat about Zaf, Dani and their hilarious romantic hijinks. Thanks to our patrons for their support: Adoria, Ali, Ansela, Bryonna, Catherine, Ellen, Emily, Frank, I Found This Great Book Podcast, Jennifer, Kat, Katie, LaToya, Maria, Melissa, Montara, Sylvia and Therese. Join us on Patreon starting at only $2 a month and help support the podcast! As always, thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Episode 37: Take a Hint, Dani Brown ft. Talia Hibbert

Hi, readers. We hope you’re doing well and are staying safe. We recorded this chat shortly after the protests began, but due to continuing health issues in Dani’s family, it just now got published. The delay doesn’t matter, though, because the topic we discuss will never go stale: the importance of Black lives, Black joy, Black stories and Black survival. We also talk about wtf is up with Just Kidding Rowling, how we’re too old for social media and what’s gonna happen when the ‘rona pops back up. This episode was made possible with the help of Mocha Girls Read and The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt by Jill Watts. Do you have a suggestion for a future #BCLChat? Email us at contact@blackchicklit.com or tweet us at @blackchicklit. And don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Black Chick Lit on iTunes.

BCL Chat: Black Lives Matter

Hi, y’all. A few things before we get to the episode: Thank you for being so patient as we get episodes out. Between motherhood, a pandemic, a cancer diagnosis and failing technology, things have been rough. This episode was recorded before the murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed, hence why there is no discussion of it. We plan to talk about it in a future chat. Black Lives Matter. ✊?  Now, let’s get into. Previously, we read Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, and we weren’t thrilled with Darren’s apparent naïveté surrounding race and law enforcement. Well, Attica knocked us the fuck out with her follow-up, Heaven, My Home. We follow Texas Ranger Darren has he heads into Hopeland, Texas, to find the missing child of a prominent white supremacist gang member. While there, he confronts the town’s generational racism, family drama and even some fucking ghosts. And then there’s that ending. It knocked us out. Be sure to join us in our next episode when we fully explore the Black Lives Matter movement. Thanks to our patrons for their support: Adoria, Ali, Bryonna, Emily, Frank, I Found This Great Book Podcast, Kat, Katie, LaToya, Maria, Montara and Sylvia. Join us on Patreon starting at only $2 a month and help support the podcast! As always, thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Episode 36: Heaven, My Home

Urban Lit Month continues? We read Their Eyes We're Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston and couldn't help but spot a few similarities between Janie Crawford and a few of other past heroines. (*cough* Zoe *cough*) Her tragic background. Her wild and crazy man problems. Her relationship with a fast-talking man who introduces her to sex, fighting and gambling. Don't tell us this book isn't a proto-urban lit title! We also discuss Tea Cake and his never-ending schemes, Hurston's history with the Niggerati (bet you didn't know about that!) and that mad dog who hitched a ride on that cow. Be sure to join us next month when we read Attica Locke's Heaven, My Home.  As always, thanks to our patrons for their support: Frank, Kat, Montara, Bryonna, Ellen, I Found This Great Book Podcast, Sylvia, Adoria, Ali, Emily, LaToya and Maria.  Join us on Patreon starting at only $2 a month and help support the podcast! Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Episode 35: Their Eyes Were Watching God

2020 is about some real shenanigans. Between the brown-face fiasco Jeanine Cummins brought with her American Dirt release and the Barnes & Noble "Diverse Editions" mess, we've been facepalming since the new year began. Flatiron Books tried to both-sides their way out of the Cummins mess with the year's worst PR statement. B&N took the classier route and just cancelled themselves. Listen in as we stare agog at the state of modern publishing, and be sure to join us next month when we read the Black literary classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. Do you have a suggestion for a future #BCLChat? Email us at contact@blackchicklit.com or tweet us at @blackchicklit. And don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Black Chick Lit on iTunes.

BCL Chat: Oh No Baby! What Is You Doin'?

We’re doing something different this month. Things are a bit busy with family and babies, so for this episode, we’re sharing a special, previously recorded crossover episode. Mollie joins Dani on the Ice Planet Podcast to discuss book six of the series, Barbarian’s Mate.   The Ice Planet Barbarians series follows a group of human women alien abductees as they adjust to life on a barren ice planet populated by big, blue aliens with heart worms. It’s a lot more romantic than I’m making it sound, I promise. Be sure to share your opinions on the topic by tweeting us at @blackchicklit or emailing us at contact@blackchicklit.com. Want more? Join us on Patreon and, starting at only $2 a month, get access to polls, special Patreon episodes and videos. As always, thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Bonus: Black Chick Lit takes over the Ice Planet Podcast

It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's Urban Fic Month! This year, we go back home to Missouri and read Hold U Down by Keisha Ervin. Meet Unique and her girls, Zoe, Kiara and Kay Kay, the mildest criminals the STL has to offer. They live by the code that requires them to make money, spend money and never catch feelings. They will spend the entirety of this book doing none of those things. We follow the clique as they get booed up, hang out at strip-mall night clubs and study at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. This book also competes for "Worst Sex Scene Involving a Perishable Food Item." We had to read about it, so y'all had to hear about it. Be sure to share your opinions on the topic by tweeting us at @blackchicklit or emailing us at contact@blackchicklit.com. Want more? Join us on Patreon and, starting at only $2 a month, get access to polls, special Patreon episodes and videos. As always, thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. Special thanks to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Episode 34: Hold U Down

Happy New Year, y’all! We hope you had a fantastic holiday and a wonderful start to your 2020. ‘Cause RWA certainly didn’t! In case you missed it, the Romance Writers of America are embroiled in what the Guardian calls a "racism row." We attempt to break down what they fucked up this time and, whew, chile. It’s a mess. FYI: This mess is currently ongoing and evolving; in fact, it was a bit out of date the afternoon we recorded. For the latest updates and wtf-ery?, we definitely recommend checking out this Twitter moment with all the details created by Romance Sparks Joy. If you’re curious to learn more, we previously discussed the RWA’s inclusivity and racism problems in a previous episode. Mollie argued that an organization that didn’t look out for all its members was irrelevant and Dani argued that the organization served a purpose and was taking steps to amend their issues. Guess who came out the fool? Do you have a suggestion for a future #BCLChat? Email us at contact@blackchicklit.com or tweet us at @blackchicklit. And don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Black Chick Lit on iTunes. And don’t forget: January is Urban Fic month! This year, we’re reading Hold U Down by Keisha Ervin. Read up, drink up (’cause you know this is our messiest episode) and join us! 

BCL Chat: RIP, RWA

We can't believe it, dear readers, but we've made it through another year of reading, podcasting and doing both while black. The twitter dramas! The plagiarism scandals! The nacho cheese! We take a look back and reflect on all the books read and craziness wrought in 2019. Which titles did we love this year? Which did we think was worse: Addicted or The Wedding Date? What was our favorite BCL episode of the year? Listen in and find out. Do you have a suggestion for a future #BCLChat? Email us at contact@blackchicklit.com or tweet us at @blackchicklit. And don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Black Chick Lit on iTunes. And don’t forget: January is Urban Fic month! Want to pick this year's title? Join us on Patreon for only $2 a month and gain exclusive podcast voting rights.

BCL Chat: We Survived (and Thrived in) 2019

Winter is coming. That means it's time for us to dive into the world of fantasy ( ... er, or into fantasy worlds). This episode, we read N.K. Jemisin's 2010 debut novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Mollie wasn't kidding when she said this was a sexy book. Gods sexing up gods. Gods sexing up humans. Humans sexing up their cousins. It's wild, y'all. But, in the midst of all the sexy times, there's a deftly crafted murder mystery that took us the majority of the episode to unspool. Listen in and follow along!  Get ready for the next episode, our annual End-of-Year retrospective. We'll chat about the bookish good, bad and the ugly. Got something you want say? Tweet us at @blackchicklit or email us at contact@blackchicklit.com. Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes. As always, thank you to Suite45 for our theme song, Jones’n.

Episode 33: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Black Chick Lit is a bi-monthly podcast that talks books by and about black women.