In this episode of Badass Black Girl, M.J. speaks with Morgan Jerkins, a three-time author and Cultural Editor at ESPN’s The Undefeated. They talk about what makes New Jersey a special place and discuss what it means to be a Black woman in America and in the world. They discuss her newest book, Caul Baby, and what her process of writing it looked like. They also discuss how her environment affects her writing and the special place Harlem has in her heart. They talk about her writing routine, and what makes her happy in the world. They also talk about her role models, and how she finds her center when she’s having a bad day. M.J. asks Morgan what’s next for her, and what needs to happen to make the world a better place.
Morgan Jerkins is the New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America, and Wandering In Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims Her Roots. Her third book, Caul Baby: A Novel, was released by Harper Books in April 2021. Jerkins holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and an M.F.A. from the Bennington Writing Seminars. A recently named Forbes 30 under 30 Leader in Media and a 2021 ASME Next Award winner, Jerkins regularly teaches at Columbia University’s School of the Arts in the Nonfiction department.