Where There is Grief, There is Love with Ashley M. Jones

Where There is Grief, There is Love with Ashley M. Jones

From Black & Published by Nikesha Elise Williams

March 17, 2026 · 54 min · Season 6 · Episode 11

About this episode

Nikesha Elise Williams interviews Ashley M. Jones about her poetry collection and experiences as Alabama's poet laureate amidst personal and political challenges.

Order Your Copy of The Seven Daughters of Dupree ! This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Ashley M. Jones , author of the poetry collection, Lullaby for the Grieving . A deeply personal look at what it means to find and lose love at the same time of unprecedented political turmoil. At 31-years-old, Ashley became the poet Laureate of Alabama, becoming both the youngest and the first person of color ever to hold that title. In our conversation, she discusses the amplified pressure she faced during her four-year term, what she’s learned about creating a sustainable writing practice, and the reason she says writing love poems feels unnatural. 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: Ashley M. Jones

Topics covered

  • grief
  • love
  • poetry
  • writing practice
  • political turmoil
  • Alabama poet laureate

Keywords

  • grief
  • love poems
  • Ashley M. Jones
  • poet laureate
  • writing practice
  • political turmoil
  • Lullaby for the Grieving

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alabama, Mahogany Books

Books & works: Lullaby for the Grieving, The Seven Daughters of Dupree

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