Living Cheek by Jowl with Lisa Smith

Living Cheek by Jowl with Lisa Smith

From Black & Published by Nikesha Elise Williams

May 12, 2026 · 52 min · Season 6 · Episode 19

About this episode

Nikesha Elise Williams interviews Lisa Smith about her novel Jamaica Road and the themes of identity and personal struggle within it.

Order Your Copy of The Seven Daughters of Dupree ! This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Lisa Smith , author of the novel, Jamaica Road . It’s a coming of age story that spans 12 years in the lives of Connie and Daphne, who wrestle with their identity as British and Jamaican at a time of great racial unrest in the UK. In our conversation, Lisa explains why she decided to write a novel during maternity leave and how she finished it after chemo. Plus, the real life do over that she gave herself through the characters in her novel. Mahogany Books Mentioned in this episode: Rate & Review Thanks for listening, family! Please do us a solid and take a quick moment to rate and/or leave a review for this podcast. It will go a long way to making sure content featuring our stories and perspectives are seen on this platform

People in this episode

Host: Nikesha Elise Williams

Guest: Lisa Smith

Topics covered

  • coming of age
  • identity
  • racial unrest
  • maternity leave
  • chemo
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • Jamaica Road
  • Lisa Smith
  • Nikesha Elise Williams
  • coming of age
  • British Jamaican identity
  • racial unrest
  • maternity leave
  • chemo

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mahogany Books

Books & works: The Seven Daughters of Dupree, Jamaica Road

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