You Gotta Win Joy with Reginald Dwayne Betts

You Gotta Win Joy with Reginald Dwayne Betts

From Black & Published by Nikesha Elise Williams

April 1, 2026 · 53 min · Season 6 · Episode 13

About this episode

Nikesha Elise Williams interviews Reginald Dwayne Betts about his poetry collection and the themes of identity and love in his work.

Order Your Copy of The Seven Daughters of Dupree ! This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Reginald Dwayne Betts , author of the poetry collection, Doggerel , which he says is his most joyous to date. In our conversation, Dwayne explains how he became intentional about singing a different song after realizing he’d become a long suffering Black man. Plus, why he believes identity is always in flux and why he said he’s never had a problem reading his work in prisons until he started writing about love. 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: Reginald Dwayne Betts

Topics covered

  • poetry
  • identity
  • Black experience
  • love
  • artistic expression

Keywords

  • poetry
  • identity
  • Black man
  • love
  • art
  • interview
  • Reginald Dwayne Betts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mahogany Books

Books & works: Doggerel, The Seven Daughters of Dupree

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