Episode 5- 1994 Debut Author Beverly Jenkins

Black Romance Has A History

This week's guest is the one and only Beverly Jenkins. Ms. Bev, as she's known in romance circles, broke onto the scene in 1994 with her historical romance Night Song. She was Avon’s first Black romance author and the first mainstream published Black historical romance author. Her love of research and uncovering stories of Black history has earned her legions of readers, including us.

We talk with Ms. Bev about her publishing journey, her fans, finding community with fellow authors, the structural racism of publishing, and what the future holds for her writing and Black romance in general.

As always, we’re incredibly grateful to Ms. Bev for joining us and sharing her insights. Make sure to stock up on her back list and check out the reading list below to learn more about this romance legend.

Also- a Ms. Bev dragon book? YES PLEASE.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform so you don't miss an episode!

Got an idea or question? Email us: [e-mail]

music by Purple Planet

Follow the hosts on the interwebs:

Steve Ammidown

Website: https://romancehistory.com/about/

Socials

IG: @romancehistorian

Bluesky: @stegan.bsky.social

Nicole M. Jackson/Katrina Jackson

Websites:

https://www.katrinajacksonauthor.com

https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/history/faculty-and-staff/nicole-jackson.html

Socials

IG: @katjacksonbooks

Mentioned in this Episode

It's true! Ms. Bev really did appear in People Magazine in 1995. Fated Mates has a PDF of the entire article, you really need to check it out.

Ms. Bev's RWA Luncheon Keynote speech, 2016

Everything and everyone in this season comes back to Vivian Stephens. Here again is a link to the excellent Texas Monthly profile of Vivian Stephens

Nancy Drew and Betsy Israel, "Heat In Another Color", People Magazine, February 13, 1995.

Romance Slam Jam

Emma Rodgers conversation with HistoryMakers (co-founder of Romance Slam Jam)

Black Romance Podcast interview with Patricia Vaughn

Piper Huguley

Further Reading/Listening

In Beverly Jenkins’s Romance Novels, Black History Is Front and Center The New York Times (nytimes.com) – February 9, 2021

Beverly Jenkins Really Needs to Buy More Bookcases New York Times – April 2, 2020

Black Romance Podcast: Beverly Jenkins Black Romance Podcast- September 2020

Beverly Jenkins: a Trailblazer Episode Fated Mates- November 17, 2021

Roxane Gay & Beverly Jenkins Keynote Yale Romance Conference- September 8, 2023

A Conversation Inspired Kelly Link’s The Book of Love (feat. Beverly Jenkins, Sandra Kitt, Kelly Link, and Steve Ammidown. Bookstore Romance Day- April, 2024

Love Between the Covers (documentary)

Margo Hendricks, “Against Odds: Beverly Jenkins’ Indigo and Black Historical Romance”, Journal of Popular Romance Studies, 2022. https://www.jprstudies.org/2022/05/against-odds-beverly-jenkins-indigo-and-black-historical-romance/

Rita B. Dandridge, “The African American Historical Romance: An Interview with Beverly Jenkins”, Journal of Popular Romance Studies, 2010. https://www.jprstudies.org/2010/08/interview-beverly-jenkins-by-rita-b-dandridge/

Rita B. Dandridge, Black Women’s Activism: Reading African American Women’s Historical Romances, Peter Lang, Inc., 2004. https://www.amazon.com/Black-Womens-Activism-Historical-African-American/dp/0820467340