Effortless is Not Easy with Destiny O. Birdsong

This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with Destiny O. Birdsong, author of the triptych novel Nobody's Magic.  She's also a poet and essayist, and her workhas either appeared or is forthcoming in the Paris Review Daily, Poets & Writers, African American Review, The Best American Poetry 2021, and elsewhere. Nobody’s Magic, was published by Grand Central in February 2022 and was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize.

In our conversation, Destiny discusses the deal she made with herself to write whatever came to her mind, shopping a manuscript before it was ready and the power of affirmation that boosted her confidence for writing a story entirely in AAVE.