The Creative Hour

Prince Shakur
  • 5.0 (14)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

The Creative Hour is a podcast of conversations between artists across mediums about their most important creative moments. Hosted by Prince Shakur, a Jamaican-American author, journalist, podcast host, and Youtuber. Shakur has a love for deep conversations with other artists about moments that move them.

  1. Two Years Later: How Writing WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO BE GOOD Healed Me

    10/06/2024

    Two Years Later: How Writing WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO BE GOOD Healed Me

    It’s been two years since the release of my memoir, When They Tell You To Be Good, and the journey has been transformative. In this video, I reflect on what writing this book has taught me about masculinity, Black mortality, and personal growth as a queer Black man. Through confronting grief, toxic masculinity, and abandonment, I’ve come to realize that the answers we seek often lie within us, and writing has been my way of reclaiming that power. Join me as I share the key lessons from my memoir and how they continue to shape my understanding of survival and resilience. Whether you’ve read When They Tell You To Be Good or are discovering it for the first time, this video offers a deep dive into how writing can be a tool for self-discovery and healing.

    41 min
  2. CASSANDRA J. KELLY on Writing "THE CLEARING" and Embracing The Surreal

    07/20/2024

    CASSANDRA J. KELLY on Writing "THE CLEARING" and Embracing The Surreal

    Imagine a novel that combines the magical realism of a children’s literary classic like Bridge to Terabithia with the emotional complexity of coming of age through grief, similar to The Fault in Our Stars. This is the tonality found throughout Cassandra J. Kelly’s debut novel, The Clearing, released in the spring of 2024. In this episode of THE CREATIVE HOUR, host Prince Shakur sits down with Cassandra J. Kelly to delve into her captivating narrative. Cassandra, who holds degrees in journalism and environmental science from Ohio University, continues to call Ohio home and enjoys spending time in nature with her Australian Shepherds, Bonnie and Eva. ABOUT THE BOOK The Clearing opens with Sadie and her mother struggling to get by in a beat-up car in Juniper, Ohio. From there, the story transforms into a young woman’s adventurous escapades in the woods, the reconnection of a family torn by loss, and the harsh realities of a failing healthcare system. Sadie’s journey of caring for her ailing mother, exploring the woods, and coming of age resonates deeply with readers. To buy... "THE CLEARING" by Cassandra J. Kelly: https://bookshop.org/a/23229/9781633377776 [affiliate link] Join us as we explore: The complex themes of staying and leaving one’s home. Growing up at a young age and how surrealism can save us. How Cassandra avoided cliché tropes in narratives dealing with illness. The surrealism of childhood. And how writing can be a transformative, healing process. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 02:55 - How did you grow up? And get into writing? 05:35 - How "THE CLEARING" started as an idea 10:32 - On discovering Sadie as a main character 13:25 - Coming of age through grief and writing 19:35 - Family dynamics and psychology in "THE CLEARING" 24:21 - How to write illness consciously and avoid tropes 28:30 - Surrealism in nature and as a means to navigate trauma 32:56 - On Sadie's character arc 40:43 - Your favorite character in the book? 44:35 - A sequel to THE CLEARING and What's Next - ABOUT THE AUTHOR | CASSANDRA J. KELLY holds journalism and environmental science degrees from Ohio University. She continues to call Ohio home and loves spending time in nature with her Australian Shepherds, Bonnie, and Eva.

    56 min

  3. 03/07/2024

    Season 3, Life Updates, and Lessons From Finishing My Novel

    It's finally season three of The Creative Hour and I'm so happy to bring this podcast back in a new form. In season three I'll be breaking down the many different aspects of my life as an author and writer, whether it be getting published, navigating book tour, working on fiction after publishing, a memoir and much more. If there any particular writing questions, you want to see explored in this season let me know.

    27 min
  4. WILLIAM O'NEAL II on Honest Storytelling, Cannibalism, and Coming of Age In Film

    04/08/2023

    WILLIAM O'NEAL II on Honest Storytelling, Cannibalism, and Coming of Age In Film

    We chat with WILLIAM O'NEAL II, a playwright, and artist born and raised in South Georgia. O'Neal II is currently based in NYC and writes stories centered around coming-of-age narratives, queerness, and social transgressions through desire, cannibalism, surrealism, and beyond. To find WILLIAM O'NEAL II, find them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/willthesecond_/) In this episode, we talk to William O'Neal II on …. Being a career artist versus something else How good stories are specific, and therefore honest The power of coming-of-age narratives Their thematic fascination with cannibalism Their history as a playwright  Films mentioned include: BONES AND ALL, INFINITY POOL, GREEN INFERNO, RAW

    52 min

  5. 02/28/2023

    RASHEED NEWSON on Writing "MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME" and The Toll of AIDS Activism

    ABOUT THE GUEST: RASHEED NEWSON is an author, a television drama writer, an executive producer, and a showrunner. My Government Means to Kill Me (in stores August 23, 2022) is his debut novel. Rasheed – along with his television writing partner, T.J. Brady – is also the showrunner of the drama series Bel-Air (premieres Feb. 2022 on Peacock). ABOUT "MY GOVERNMENT MEANS TO KILL ME": A fierce and riveting queer coming-of-age story, following the personal and political awakening of a young gay Black man in 1980s NYC, from the television drama writer and producer of The Chi, Narcos, and Bel-Air. PHOTO IN ALBUM ARTWORK BY CHRISTOPHER MARR Mentioned Media WE WERE HERE, documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ656rmQAaM BAYARD RUSTIN and JAMES BALDWIN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OalPJ3ITHKg ACT UP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrAzU79PBVM "Why Black AIDS History Matters": https://www.aaihs.org/why-black-aids-history-matters/ LARRY KRAMER: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/27/512714500/larry-kramer-pioneering-aids-activist-and-writer-dies-at-84

    55 min
  6. AARON ACEVES on Writing THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US, Tackling Biphobia, and Latinx Representation in YA Lit

    11/16/2022

    AARON ACEVES on Writing THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US, Tackling Biphobia, and Latinx Representation in YA Lit

    I talk to Aaron H. Aceves about the process of writing his debut YA book, THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US. We tackle drafting, revision, exploring biphobia through your work, and what this book means to him. SHOW NOTES: THIS IS WHY THEY HATE US: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/This-Is-Why-They-Hate-Us/Aaron-H-Aceves/9781534485655 AARON'S WEBSITE: https://aaronhaceves.com/

    35 min

  7. 09/04/2022

    ASHUNDA NORRIS on Making Innovative Films, Centering the Female Gaze, and Rejecting Self Erasure in Your Artwork

    ABOUT THE SHOW In this episode, I talk to Ashunda Norris, a visionary filmmaker from Georgia. Her work spans numerous short films that delve in black gender and relationships, as well as an impressive poetry and open mic career. WORKS MENTIONED Ashunda Norris Website: https://ashunda.com/ JOSE OLIVAREZ, poem: https://poets.org/poem/i-walk-every-room-and-yell-where-mexicans JAMILLA WOODS, “My Afropuffs”: https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=10153350222521534&_rdr BELL HOOKS, Opposition Gaze: https://pages.ucsd.edu/~bgoldfarb/cogn21s12/reading/hooks-oppositional-gaze.pdf ABOUT THE ARTIST Born and raised in rural Georgia, Ashunda is a Black feminist multidisciplinary artist with creative work that encompasses film, poetry, archiving and critical scholarship. Her art centers the complexities of Black {southern} womxnhood/girlhood, magical spiritual traditions of Southern Black folk, Black futures and fugitivity. Her most recent film, MINO: A Diasporic Myth is an award winning afro-surreal futuristic short currently streaming on kweliTV. Ashunda is a 2022 and 2021 Furious Flower Poetry Prize finalist, a Pushcart Prize nominee and an inaugural Starshine & Clay fellow. She has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the California Arts Council, Haile Gerima’s Liberated Territory, Community of Writers and the New York State Summer Writers Institute. Her writing has been featured or is forthcoming in Obsidian, Taint Taint Taint, Root Work Journal, Fence, EcoTheo Review, PANK, Trampoline and elsewhere. A country blk girl at heart, Ashunda loves hot water cornbread, stargazing, obscure cinema and the ocean.  Learn more at ashunda.com

    1h 5m

  8. 09/04/2022

    ASHUNDA NORRIS on Making Innovative Films, Centering the Female Gaze, and Rejecting Self Erasure in Your Artwork

    ABOUT THE SHOW In this episode, I talk to Ashunda Norris, a visionary filmmaker from Georgia. Her work spans numerous short films that delve in black gender and relationships, as well as an impressive poetry and open mic career. WORKS MENTIONED Ashunda Norris Website: https://ashunda.com/ JOSE OLIVAREZ, poem: https://poets.org/poem/i-walk-every-room-and-yell-where-mexicans JAMILLA WOODS, “My Afropuffs”: https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=10153350222521534&_rdr BELL HOOKS, Opposition Gaze: https://pages.ucsd.edu/~bgoldfarb/cogn21s12/reading/hooks-oppositional-gaze.pdf ABOUT THE ARTIST Born and raised in rural Georgia, Ashunda is a Black feminist multidisciplinary artist with creative work that encompasses film, poetry, archiving and critical scholarship. Her art centers the complexities of Black {southern} womxnhood/girlhood, magical spiritual traditions of Southern Black folk, Black futures and fugitivity. Her most recent film, MINO: A Diasporic Myth is an award winning afro-surreal futuristic short currently streaming on kweliTV. Ashunda is a 2022 and 2021 Furious Flower Poetry Prize finalist, a Pushcart Prize nominee and an inaugural Starshine & Clay fellow. She has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the California Arts Council, Haile Gerima’s Liberated Territory, Community of Writers and the New York State Summer Writers Institute. Her writing has been featured or is forthcoming in Obsidian, Taint Taint Taint, Root Work Journal, Fence, EcoTheo Review, PANK, Trampoline and elsewhere. A country blk girl at heart, Ashunda loves hot water cornbread, stargazing, obscure cinema and the ocean. Learn more at ashunda.com

    1h 5m
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About

The Creative Hour is a podcast of conversations between artists across mediums about their most important creative moments. Hosted by Prince Shakur, a Jamaican-American author, journalist, podcast host, and Youtuber. Shakur has a love for deep conversations with other artists about moments that move them.

Information

  • Creator
    Prince Shakur
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Prince Shakur
  • Show Website
    The Creative Hour