The ZAMI NOBLA Podcast

The ZAMI NOBLA Podcast is a sound source for Black Lesbians 40 and older. Our show topics include current events, LGBT affairs, Black Lesbian Herstory & Health and Wellness. Angela Denise Davis is the show's Creator, Producer, and Host.

Alexis Pauline Gumbs Speaks on Her New Audre Lorde Biography 08/12/2024

Alexis Pauline Gumbs Speaks on Her New Audre Lorde Biography Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Survival is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde Book Reading Information: https://www.charisbooksandmore.com/event/survival-promise-eternal-life-audre-lorde-homecoming-celebration-alexis-pauline-gumbs-and Book Reading Registration: A queer black troublemaker, a black feminist love evangelist and a prayer poet priestess, Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs was the first scholar to research the Audre Lorde Papers at Spelman College, the June Jordan Papers at Harvard University, and the Lucille Clifton Papers at Emory University during her dissertation research. We are eagerly awaiting her forthcoming biography, Survival is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde on August 20, 2024. Alexis’s work as a media maker and her curricula for participatory digital education have been activated in 143 countries. Her digital distribution initiative BrokenBeautiful Press, her work as co-founder of Quirky Black Girls and her loving participation in the Women of Color Bloggers Network in the early 2000’s established her as one of the forerunners of the social media life of feminist critical and creative practice. Alexis has been honored with many awards from her communities of practice including being lifted up on lists such as UTNE Readers 50 Visionaries Transforming the World, The Advocate’s 40 under 40, Go Magazines 100 Women We Love, the Bitch 50 List, ColorLines 10 LGBTQ Leaders Transforming the South, Reproductive Justice Reality Check’s Sheroes and more. She is a proud recipient of the Too Sexy for 501C-3 trophy, a Black Women’s Blueprint Visionary Award and the Barnard College Outstanding Young Alumna Award. From 2017-2019, Alexis served as visiting Winton Chair at University of Minnesota where she collaborated with Black feminist artists in the legacy of Laurie Carlos to create collaborative performances based on her books Spill and M Archive. During that time she served as dramaturg for the award winning world premiere of Sharon Bridgforth’s Dat Black Mermaid Man Lady directed by Ebony Noelle Golden. Alexis is a 2023 Windham-Campbell Prize Winner in Poetry. Alexis’s most recent book Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals won the 2022 Whiting Award in Nonfiction. Alexis was a 2020-2021 National Humanities Center Fellow, funded by the Founders Award, and is a 2022 National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellow. Original Photography of Alexis Pauline Gumbs by: Sufia Ikbal-Doucet Graphic Design of cover art image by: Angela Denise Davis /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/32539602

Sharon Bridgforth with bull-jean & dem/dey Book Party 08/12/2024

Sharon Bridgforth with bull-jean & dem/dey Book Party This book party was hosted on May 27, 2023, at Charis Books & More in Decatur, Georgia. It featured esteemed writer Sharon Bridgforth in conversation with ZAMI NOBLA creative director Angela Denise Davis in celebration of bull-jean & dem/dey back. You can view the YouTube video of this event at: The ZNP previous interview of Sharon Bridgforth: Bull-jean & dem/dey back is a collection that unites two performance/novels centered on the southern-Black-butch-heroine, bull-jean. The Lambda Literary Award-winning bull-jean stories was first published by RedBone Press in 1998 and follows the journey of love rekindling throughout the lifetimes of bull-dog-jean. After a twenty-two-year hiatus, bull-dog-jean triumphantly returns in bull-jean/we wake. As the Narrator grieves the loss of their elders and seeks healing, they summon bull-jean for guidance. Be sure not to miss this inspiring event! A 2022 Winner of Yale's Windham Campbell Prize in Drama, Sharon Bridgforth is 2020-2023 Playwrights’ Center Core Member, a 2022-2023 McKnight National Fellow and a New Dramatists alumnae. She has received support from The Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, Creative Capital, MAP Fund and the National Performance Network. Her work is featured in Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature, Mouths of Rain an Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought and Feminist Studies Vol 48 Number 1, honoring 40 years of This Bridge Called by Back and But Some of Us Are Brave! Sharon has had the privilege of benefiting from support from the ZAMI NOBLA and Charis Books communities since 1998, when she toured with the RedBone Press edition of the bull-jean stories. In her new book, bull-jean & dem/dey back (53rd State Press) bull-jean returns in two performance/novels - both will be produced as main stage productions at Pillsbury House + Theatre in Minneapolis, MN in 2023. More at: /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/32538737

Together We Heal: COVID-19's Mental Health Effects on Older Black Same Gender Loving Women 08/12/2024

Sangodare Wallace Expands the Technology of Sermon and Song 06/02/2024

Kendra Bryant Aya and Cyndi Ixchele Aya Share Stories About “US” 05/26/2024

Lana Williams Puts Her Money Where Her Mind Is 05/03/2024

Sabrina Francis-White and Lynnette White Speak on 34 Years of Love and One Unbreakable Bond 04/12/2024

Mary Hooks Keeps Her Eyes on the Prize 04/06/2024

Marilyn McClain in North Carolina Reflects on Her Enduring Legacy of Love 02/29/2024

Stephanie Anne Johnson Shines Her Light on Life, Work, and the Ancestors 12/16/2023

M Shelly Conner: A Queer, Renaissance Woman Creating Connections in Literature and on Land 11/28/2022

The ZNP Celebrates 4 Years of Black Lesbian Herstory 09/06/2022

The ZNP Celebrates 4 Years of Black Lesbian Herstory The ZAMI NOBLA Podcast celebrated four years of serving as a sound source for Black lesbian herstory in August 2022. This episodes celebrates that achievement with excerpts from various episodes. Links to each episode can be found below. Kamilah Aisha Moon Talks about the Human Business of Poetry https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/kamilah-aisha-moon-talks-about-the-human-business-of-poetry Cynthia Mckinney Takes on Heart Atttack Hill & Loses 52 Pounds https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/cynthia-mckinney-takes-on-heart-atttack-hill-loses-52-pounds Cheryl Clarke Takes us to School https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/cheryl-clarke-takes-us-to-school Deidre McCalla is no 9 to 5 Singer Songwriter https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/deidre-mccalla-is-no-9-to-5-singer-songwriter Jillian Ford Talks Shop on Education, Innovation, and DeColonized Classrooms https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/jillian-ford-talks-shop-on-education-innovation-and-decolonized-classrooms Joi and Jane Mitchell Talk about Work and Residency Abroad https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/joi-and-jane-mitchell-talk-about-work-and-residency-abroad Jowanna Tillman and Edonna Koon Talk about Living the RV Life https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/jowanna-tillman-and-edonna-koon-talk-about-living-the-rv-life Rev. Maressa Pendermon Speaks on Normalizing Grief and Creating a Toolbox for Emotional Well-being https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/rev-maressa-pendermon-speaks-on-normalizing-grief-and-creating-a-toolbox-for-emotional-well-being Black Lesbian Comic Karen Williams Gets Serious About the Business of Being Funny https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/black-lesbian-comic-karen-williams-gets-serious-about-the-business-of-being-funny Ericka Huggins on Mothers, Mindfulness, and Meditation https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/ericka-huggins-on-mothers-mindfulness-and-meditation Trey Anthony Shines her Limelight on Love, Living Out Loud, and Vulnerability https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/ep-002-trey-anthony-shines-her-limelight-on-love-living-out-loud-and-vulnerability Dr. Tonia Poteat on, "Deserving Research that Reflects Your Real Life Lived Experience https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/dr-tonia-poteat-on-deserving-research-that-reflects-your-real-life-lived-experience Michelle Elizabeth Brown Talks about Podcasting, Poetry, and Pride https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/michelle-elizabeth-brown-talks-about-podcasting-poetry-and-pride Dr. Lourdes Dolores Follins On Black LGBT Health, Yoruba Spirituality, and Therapy https://zaminobla.libsyn.com/dr-lourdes-dolores-follins-on-black-lbgbt-health-yoruba-spirituality-and-therapy /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/24283536

Dr. Moya Bailey Talks on Misogynoir, The Combahee River Collective Statement, and Brittney Griner 08/30/2022

Gaye Adegbalola Centers Blues Herstory and Music as a Griot and Activist 01/01/2022

Dr. Emilie M. Townes Champions a Robust Hope in the Midst of a Matrix 12/31/2021

Sharon Bridgforth Creates Spaces for Healing and Remembrance on Stage and in Life 12/30/2021

Deidre McCalla is no 9 to 5 Singer Songwriter 12/28/2021

Deidre McCalla is no 9 to 5 Singer Songwriter This interview was recorded by Angela Denise Davis on October 14, 2021, via video conference. Deidre McCalla sat down with Angela to talk about McCalla’s early life in New York, her start in music, the herstory of her place in the women’s music movement, and the way the COVID-19 pandemic changed her life. The music heard in the interview was used courtesy of Deidre McCalla. You can enjoy the full tracks on YouTube at the following links: Walk Me Down to the River I Do Not Walk This Path Alone Deidre’s website: Photo used in episode art: Irene Young Playing For Keeps is an apt title for the latest cd from singer/songwriter Deidre McCalla. From the moment Deidre takes the stage, her engaging presence and irresistible blend of folk, country, rock, and pop seize the listeners by the heart and won't let go. Deidre McCalla came of age in the fiery blaze of NYC's folk heyday - a time when Greenwich Village clubs were filled with the likes of Dylan, Baez, and Ochs; a time when Motown ruled the top of the charts and the streets of America screamed with anger and civil unrest. Her first album, Fur Coats and Blue Jeans, was released when Deidre was 19 and a student at Vassar College. With a theater degree tucked under her belt and an acoustic guitar tossed in the back of a battered Buick station wagon, Deidre McCalla hit the proverbial road and never looked back. Deidre later majored in jazz guitar at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and released three albums with the pioneering women's music label Olivia Records. The Miami Herald aﬀectionately dubs her a "dreadlocked troubadour." From Maui to Maine, college coﬀeehouses to Carnegie Hall, Deidre McCalla is a much beloved performer in both folk and women's music circles and has shared the stage with a long list of notables that includes Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman, Holly Near, Odetta, Cris Williamson, and Sweet Honey in the Rock. With five critically acclaimed albums to her credit, Deidre McCalla remains the ever seeking road warrior, her words and music chronicling our strengths and weaknesses and celebrating the power and diversity of the human spirit. A single parent residing in Georgia with her son, Deidre has taught Performance at Warren Wilson College's Swannanoa Gathering. Deidre's work has been published in Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology, The Original Coming Out Stories, and Chrysalis: A Feminist Quarterly, and she is featured in The Power of Words: A Transformative Language Arts Reader. Deidre is a proud member of AFM Local 1000 and the North American Folk Alliance. /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/21618722

Sherri Jackson Tells Her COVID-19 Pandemic Story as a Healthcare Professional 10/30/2021

Melodie J Rodgers Celebrates Southern Literature and our 3rd Anniversary 09/27/2021

Cheryl Clarke Takes us to School 07/14/2021

Joyce Penalver Captures East and West in Recounting a Life of Intersections 03/13/2021

The Art and Spirit of Verlena L. Johnson 03/03/2021

Janyce Jackson Jones on the Fluid Nature of Art and Life 02/01/2021

Lorraine Lane Gets in the Spirit about Cocktails and Operating a Restaurant in the Time of COVID-19 01/25/2021

Black LGBTQ Health Forum 2019 12/31/2020

Mary Watkins Composes and Arranges a Life of Music and Movement 08/17/2020

Dr. Wilhelmina Perry Reflects on Lesbian Love, Radical Activism, and COVID-19 07/21/2020

Dr. Wilhelmina Perry Reflects on Lesbian Love, Radical Activism, and COVID-19 Dr. Wilhelmina Perry (85) was interviewed by Angela Denise Davis from her home in June 2020. She talked about growing up in Harlem, her 30-year partnership with Antonia Pantoja, radical activism, and life during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a community activist, social work educator, spiritual leader, homeless youth and marriage equality advocate, author, and the co-founder of LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent. Dr. Perry holds a masters in social work and a doctorate in human behavior and leadership. She has been a social work professor, administrator of not- for- profit institutions, and community educator. In 2002, she became a member of The Riverside Church and shortly thereafter would become the convener of Marantha, the LGBT ministry. Dr. Perry was a co-founder and Vice President of the Interfaith Task Force for Homeless LGBT Youth. Under the work of the Task Force, three shelters were opened in local churches. Dr. Perry has been an advocate for LGBT same-gender loving people as well as for marriage equality. She held the position of convener of the Round table People of Color under Empire State Pride Agenda. In 2010, this group reformed itself as an independent organization and would become the LGBT Faith Leaders of African Descent. Dr. Perry served as Administrative Coordinator until 2018 when she was voted the Founder Emeritus. Dr. Perry was honored in 2013 with an award from Harlem Pride. She became a Purpose Prize Fellow in 2014. In 2014, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from LGBT Kwanzaa Community of NYC, Inc. In 2016 she received the Regina Shavers Legacy Award from Griot Circle, Inc. the oldest organization for LGBT seniors. In 2019, she received the Parity Award. She has received numerous awards and recognitions. Dr. Perry has contributed many articles on LGBT youth, same-gender families, “coming out”, clergy and attitudes towards LGBT people and President Obama’s support of marriage equality. These articles have appeared in Caribbean Life, The Daily News, The Amsterdam News, Huffington Post and The Positive Community. Collections by Michelle Brown interview with Dr. Wilhelmina Perry February 22, 2018 https://podbay.fm/podcast/1209679697/e/1519344000 /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/15292661

Brenda Joyce Crawford Talks About Cannabis, Community Organizing, and Change 07/04/2020

Brenda Joyce Crawford Talks About Cannabis, Community Organizing, and Change Brenda Joyce Crawford has been in the thick of social justice work for over five decades. She’s an unapologetic butch woman who comes from a blue collar working class background in the U.S. South. A great deal of her career has been spent promoting values-based leadership in order to create safe and welcoming environments where the richness of the information that resides within all communities can emerge and be appreciated and included in the planning or change processes. She has worked with such group Brenda Joyce Crawford has been in the thick of social justice work for over five decades. She’s an unapologetic butch woman who comes from a blue collar working class background in the U.S. South. A great deal of her career has been spent promoting values-based leadership in order to create safe and welcoming environments where the richness of the information that resides within all communities can emerge and be appreciated and included in the planning or change processes. She has worked with such groups as Mental Health Consumer Concerns and Progressive Research & Planning for Action, and has won numerous awards for her community work and her work supporting those with experiences of alcohol and substance abuse, including the California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition for Front Line Work, and Certificates of Recognition and Appreciation from Congresswoman Barbara Lee and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Crawford now lives in Vallejo, California and does work focusing on cannabis justice via the organization Senior-Cann, a cannabis education and healthy living membership for seniors that seeks to break the stigma associated with medical cannabis and aging. s as Mental Health Consumer Concerns and Progressive Research & Planning for Action, and has won numerous awards for her community work and her work supporting those with experiences of alcohol and substance abuse, including the California Legislature Assembly Certificate of Recognition for Front Line Work, and Certificates of Recognition and Appreciation from Congresswoman Barbara Lee and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/15081428

Lisbet Tellefsen Recounts Her Life as a Memory Keeper 06/11/2020

Lisbet Tellefsen Recounts Her Life as a Memory Keeper Lisbet Tellefsen is an activist, publisher, producer and archivist that has served the Bay Area’s LGBT community for over 3 decades. In 1989 she co-founded Aché: a Black Lesbian Journal —which served as an cultural, political and social nexus for LGBT communities of color both nationally and internationally. As a producer her production credits include over 50 events ranging from drag king shows to the landmark 2006 production “Sister Comrade” celebrating the lives of Black lesbian icons Audre Lorde and poet Pat Parker. She was a co-founding committee member of the Sistahs Steppin’ in Pride Festival & Dyke March which ran for 10 years in Oakland, CA. A former board member of the GLBT Historical Society, during her tenure helped oversee the opening of the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco's Castro district where she co-curated the exhibitions: “From Feminists to Feministas” (2017), and “Angela Davis OUTspoken” (2018). In 2012 the Lisbet Tellefsen Papers—including the Aché journal archives, were acquired by Yale University and in 2018 were featured in “The Art of Collaboration” exhibit at Yale's Beinecke Library. These days her primary work is as an archivist and collector. As an archival consultant she has worked on numerous projects including the documentary films “Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” and “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners”. Her collections have been exhibited most recently in “Get With the Action: Political Posters from the 1960s to Present” at SFMOMA (2017-18); “All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50” at the Oakland Museum of CA (2016); and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) where a dozen pieces from the Tellefsen collection were included in their inaugural 2016 exhibit. Over 100 objects from her collection now reside in the permanent collections of SFMOMA, the Oakland Museum of CA, and the Smithsonian NMAAHC. Currently she is working on an Angela Davis retrospective opening in the Fall of 2020 at the Zimmerli Gallery at Rutgers then traveling to the Oakland Museum of CA in 2021. /episode/index/show/zaminobla/id/14779568

Dr. Lourdes Dolores Follins On Black LGBT Health, Yoruba Spirituality, and Therapy 05/28/2020

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