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This episode features our conversation with Dr. Rachel Laryea, which was live-streamed on June 26, 2026.

Dr. Rachel Laryea is a thought leader who specializes in race and money, ethical entrepreneurship, and social good. After cutting her teeth on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs, she went on to receive her dual Ph.D. in African American Studies and Sociocultural Anthropology at Yale University. Her ethnographic research aims to understand nuanced forms of Black participation in capitalist economies.

Dr. Rachel is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Research Fellowship award, and she received an honorable mention from the Ford Foundation for her research. She has held Adjunct Professor appointments at NYU Stern Business School, and worked as a racial equity investment strategist and Asset Wealth Management researcher at JPMorgan Chase.

Dr. Rachel is the founder of Kelewele, a lifestyle brand based in Brooklyn, New York, that creates bespoke African travel experiences and vegan, plantain treats. Kelewele has partnered with The James Beard Foundation and Black Entertainment Television (BET), and has been featured in several global publications and media platforms, including The New York Times, Forbes, MarketWatch, and CBS. She is the recipient of the Ghana UK-Based Achievement (GUBA) award.

During this episode, we talked about Dr. Laryea’s book, Black Capitalists: The Blueprint For What Is Possible (Crown Publishing Group, 2025).

To many, the term “Black Capitalists” is oxymoronic. Black people were the labor force that built the infrastructure of American capitalism through the violent enforcement of legalized slavery, so they cannot, and should not, aspire to be the beneficiaries of it. But Wall Street professional and Yale-educated anthropologist Dr. Rachel Laryea poses a provocative question: What if there was a way to thrive within capitalism without diminishing someone else’s life chances through exploitative practices? There is—and Black Capitalists are showing us how. Told through Dr. Laryea's own compelling narrative—growing up the child of a single mother who immigrated to the United States from Ghana and rose to the Ivy League and on Wall Street—with original on-the-ground reporting and rigorous historical analysis, Black Capitalists challenges readers to reconsider who gets to be the beneficiary of capitalism and reckons with the responsibility that comes with using the tools of our imperfect economic system to advance social good.

To learn more about Dr. Laryea and her work, please visit rachelllaryea.com.

Purchase Black Capitalists from our Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/114101/9780593735046

Find Dr. Rachel Laryea on Instagram: @drlaryea

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This episode features our conversation with Nikesha Elise Williams, which was live-streamed on June 22, 2026.

Nikesha Elise Williams is a two-time Emmy Award-winning producer, an award-winning author, and the producer and host of the Black and Published podcast. A narrative strategist by day and journalist always, her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Bitter Southerner, Essence, and Vox. Nikesha’s work has been supported by the Kimbilio Fiction Fellowship, the DeGroot Foundation, and the Tin House Summer Workshop. A Chicago native, she lives in Florida with her family.

During this episode, we talked about her latest work, The Seven Daughters of Dupree (Gallery/Scout Press, 2026).

The Seven Daughters of Dupree masterfully weaves together themes of generational trauma, Black women’s resilience, and unbreakable familial bonds. Echoing the literary power of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, Nikesha Elise Williams delivers a feminist literary fiction that explores the ripple effects of actions, secrets, and love through seven generations of Black women.

Learn more about Nikesha Elise Williams and her work by visiting https://www.newwrites.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Read the article, "The Spirit of American Beach" by Nikesha Elise Williams for The Bitter Southerner

Watch The Write Reasons interview with Nikesha Elise Williams and her editor, Alison Callahan

Purchase your copy of The Seven Daughters of Dupreee by Nikesha Elise Williams from our Bookshop

Find Nikesha on Instagram: @nikesha_elise

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Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/

Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/blackwritersread

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This episode features our conversation with Jordan Clark, which was live-streamed on May 17, 2026.

Jordan Clark has been writing comics for over a decade, with work most recently being published by Ahoy Comics, DC Comics and past stories at IDW, Image Comics and Dynamite Comics. He was also selected as an inaugural member of the Milestone Initiative at DC Comics, which is geared towards uplifting a new generation of comic creators of color. He believes fiction has the power to imagine a better world and aims to tell stories that allow readers of color to imagine themselves in that better future.

During this episode, we talked about his latest work, Ancestral Recall.

When Melvin’s wife mysteriously disappears, he must call on the most important Black figures of all time to help him in his search. But the futuristic Modern Living Corporation has terrible plans for her. Ancestral Recall is a culturally rich exploration of present-day social commentary and Black History that incorporates multiple genres including historical fiction, Afrofuturism and Science Fiction. Published by AHOY Comics and released on April 14, 2026, Ancestral Recall was illustrated by Atagun Ilhan with color done by Pippa Bowland and letters done by Rob Steen.

Purchase a copy of Ancestral Recall from our Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/114101/9781952090448

Mentioned during the episode:

Check out Jordan's podcast, White People Won't Save You!

Find Jordan on Instagram: @jrsosa18

Find Black Writers Read on Instagram: @blackwritersread

Find Black Writers Read online: https://blackwritersread.com/

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