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: blackromancehistory@gmail.com 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