CURRENTLY
The Godmother (iHeart) (podcast)
Host, writer
The Prince Mixtape (CNN) (podcast)
Host, writer
Books
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Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be (memoir)
August 2021 via Grand Central Publishing
Lilith, but dark (poetry)
July 2018 via Publishing Genius
HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience (anthology)
January 2024 via Algonquin Books
Sex and the Single Woman: 24 Writers Reimagine Helen Gurley Brown's Cult Classic (anthology)
May 2022 via Harper Perennial
A Measure of Belonging: Twenty-One Writers of Color on the New American South (anthology)
October 2020 via Hub City Press
Podcasts
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This Is Good For You
Multitude Productions
Host
Thirst Aid Kit
Slate Podcasts
Co-host with Bim Adewunmi, covering pop culture and desire
The Waves
Co-host of a biweekly conversation about news and culture examined through the lens of gender and feminism.
Interviews and Profiles
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Hozier, musician
Penn Badgley, actor
Rebekah Weatherspoon, author of Harbor
Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling
Natalie Baszile, author of Queen Sugar
Culture and Criticism
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Jada Pinkett Smith Tells All in ‘Worthy’
Review of the actor’s memoir. There’s more to Jada Pinkett Smith than her marriage
Good Girls Isn’t Breaking Bad for women. It’s Better.
It’s a dark comedy with an emotional core, and its sexual tension brings plenty of heat.
OWN’s New Show Delilah Authentically Speaks to the Burdens Black Women Bear
"Black women were holding all these different parts of the world together, but no one felt that anyone saw that they were doing it all.”
With “WAP,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Honor Women’s Pleasure
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion express desire, take pride in their bodies and sexual prowess, and encourage others, especially women, to do the same.
BitchTapes: Southern Gothic Glamour
A playlist that highlights the darker, bluesier side of Americana music, perfect for a haunting evening.
In 'The Incredible Jessica James,' the Protagonist Breaks the Conventions of a Rom-Com Leading Lady
Jessica breaks the mold of indie rom-com leads because she doesn’t shrug away parts of her personality in order to be some ukulele-playing fairy child floating through life, whatever may come.
What 'Chewing Gum' and 'Jane the Virgin' Teach Us About Virginity
Sexual empowerment doesn't always have to come with the price of promiscuity
Twice as Good: How Black Actresses Get Half the Recognition
For black actresses in Hollywood, the age gap for getting breakout roles means missing out on long careers and lucrative paydays.
Personal Essays
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Once I Publish This Romance Novel, Please Don’t (Slow) Burn Me at the Stake
After being an avid romance reader for years, I’m finally writing a romance novel—and I am terrified of messing up.
via This American Life: As a kid, Nichole Perkins always liked a very specific type of song. But as an adult, those songs took on a more practical use: a roadmap to navigating love in unexpected places. (12 minutes)
Nichole Perkins is known for her incisive takes on desire and culture. But how does a transgressive writer stay vulnerable enough for a first date?
Keep your earthy patchouli, your floral musks. They smell lovely, but I want to smell edible, even if that means foregoing the expensive bottled scents of a mature woman and settling for those 3-for $24 deals found in every mall in middle America.
My Mama's Manicures Taught Me How to Take Care of Myself
For a long time, I didn't want to be "my mother's daughter." But it turns out that, at least when it comes to getting our nails done, I am.
Don't Let Men Steal Your Favorite Songs
After years of trading music with boyfriends, I've finally reclaimed these songs for myself.
My Mother and I Finally Opened Up About Our Anxiety and Depression
Because my mother never acknowledged her depression, I never opened up about mine. Now that she's in treatment for both anxiety and depression, we finally talked about the open secret between us.
Other
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Romance Novels Ruined Me, Amazon Kindle Single
In this longform essay, I look at how my love of romance novels may have affected my expectations about relationships.