Black Art Is Lit is where great books by Black authors get the introduction they deserve.
Hosted by Nykieria Chaney, each episode is an invitation: hear the summary, experience the full first chapter read aloud, and decide if this is the story you've been looking for. No reviews. No analysis. Just the author's words, their craft, and the joy of discovery.
Whether you're a lifelong reader or just getting started, this is your weekly gateway to voices that matter, stories that resonate, and books that deserve to be read.
New episodes weekly.
This week on Black Art Is Lit, we’re reading We Listen & We Don’t Judge by Tony Lamair Burks II.
Chapter 1, “The Principal, the Pastor, and the Pep Rally,” places us in a real-time decision where leadership, community expectations, and student safety all collide. What seems like a straightforward moment quickly becomes a deeper question of power, responsibility, and who is actually being protected.
In this episode, we move through the chapter and sit with what it asks of us. Not just what we think—but what we would do when there isn’t enough time, enough information, or an option that satisfies everyone.
We explore:
what it means to make decisions under pressure
why there is no such thing as a neutral choice
how power shows up in adult and student dynamics
and who we choose to center when it matters most
While rooted in education, this conversation extends far beyond the classroom. These are the same tensions that show up anywhere people are sharing space and making decisions that impact others.
If you’ve ever had to make a call that affected someone else, this episode will sit with you.
Black Art Is Lit is a podcast dedicated to reading, reflecting, and discussing Black literature—one chapter at a time.
12 Mar 2026
P. Djèlí Clark - Ring Shout
What happens when the horrors of history take on a supernatural form?
In this episode of Black Art is Lit, Nykieria Chaney reads the opening chapter of Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark, a powerful work of Black speculative fiction that blends horror, folklore, and history in the American South.
The story opens in downtown Macon, where three Black women quietly observe a Ku Klux Klan rally. But what unfolds next reveals something far more dangerous beneath the surface. Clark reimagines the violence of the past through supernatural storytelling, creating a world where evil is monstrous and Black women stand as the ones willing to confront it.
This episode will resonate with listeners interested in Black literature, Black horror, speculative fiction, historical fantasy, and stories that reclaim the narrative through powerful Black protagonists.
Listen in, slow down, and step inside the story.
Because every story deserves to be heard… Black Art is Lit.
26 Feb 2026
Kaitlyn Greenidge - Libertie
This week on BlackArt Is Lit, we’re reading Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge, ahistorical fiction novel set in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn.
A disciplined Black community. Dangerous medical work. Secrecy as survival.
Libertie is growing up under a respected physician mother who can nearly pass. Libertie cannot. After the rescue of Mr. Ben, the stakes become clear and childhood quietly starts to close.
This episode explores the novel’s opening pages, including themes of colorism, Black identity, generational pressure, Haitian lineage, organized resistance networks, and what it means to inherit a version of freedom that may not fit you.
If you’re reading along: Pay attention to who has access and who does not
Notice how information is controlled
Consider how skin tone shifts mobility insidethe community
If you’ve already read Libertie:
Did you read the mother as protection or control
When did you first see the fracture forming
Follow the show, share the episode with someone who reads historical fiction or literature, and join the conversation.
Who has been a guest on Black Art is Lit
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jayne Allen
Victor McGlothin
Joy-Ann Reid
Tiffany F Jackson
Zakiya Dalila Harris
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,112,666,730
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
38
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
32
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