Beth Brown Preston’s journey as a writer began with a fifth-grade poem—an early spark that would kindle a lifelong passion for language, self-expression, and truth-telling. In this conversation, Preston reflects on her evolution as a poet, novelist, and memoirist, sharing how her art has grown from youthful curiosity into a profound exploration of identity, resilience, and the Black female experience.

For poet Toni Young, writing began as a childhood curiosity—a book of poems, a homework assignment, a first verse about a girl and her dog. Over time, that curiosity deepened into a lifelong dialogue with the self. Through themes of self-love, healing, and women’s empowerment, Young’s work invites readers to find the sacred in everyday moments.

Peter Mangiaracina is a writer from New York City, now living in Spain. He spent years in improvisational theater and played guitar in a jazz fusion band before turning to teaching English and writing fiction. People tell him that someone, somewhere, has read his work—he just hasn't met them yet. I, Jhazzy, had the pleasure of interviewing Peter about his piece that was featured in our magazine, his writing process, and more.

There is a quiet alchemy that happens when an artist steps away from the canvas, sets down the brush, and reaches for a pen. Some painters leave their worlds in pigment alone, but others continue the conversation in words as parallel creations. The poem becomes an extension of the painting, offering another way in. In these moments, the artist does not change mediums so much as translate visions, carrying color into cadence and line into language.

I was talking to Lola, one of our editors, the other day and we were discussing how hard it is to come up with good blog topics at times. She mentioned a couple of great ideas, one being looking at final paintings by some artists. I loved the idea, so I took it and ran with it. However, in true Jhazzy fashion, I added a bit of a twist to it. I decided I would rank the artists selected. How did I decide on these artists? Very arbitrarily. These are some of the greats, though.

I had the pleasure of catching up with love and heartache poet, and short story writer, Maya Y. She is going to tell us all about her poetry

Art speaks volumes about who someone is or was when they were on this earth.

Since the dawn of time, ranging back to the edge of all mortal ken, humanity has recognized the fact that we have a special relationship wit

It was a concoction of things, I believe. I used to work as a journalist in my school magazine and it was such a great formative experience

My mentor, I.S. Jones, told me those words when she helped me workshop one of my nonfiction pieces. The piece was about familial trauma that

Romanticism and Modern art for sure. I love the colors and designs of the romantic era. My favorite piece being The Fallen Angel Lucifer.

Art and photography have long been powerful mediums through which to capture beauty and tell stories.