Hoodoo Plant Mamas

Nov 28, 2025 · 52m

Artist Amber Bishop joins us in this episode to talk about their latest installation, A Portal Somewhere Good: Who's All Over There? We discuss Midwestern versus Southern Black regional attitudes towards nature, architectural racism, and Black folks' yard styles. Amber  is a memory worker, artist, and filmmaker based in Ohio, dedicated to  uplifting and protecting Black stories. Her work translates her Black  experience, revisits the past, and reimagines the future, focusing on  alternative sites of memory and the Black fantastical life. As a 2022  Filmmaker's First Fund recipient, Amber is working on her first feature  documentary film. She recently completed her MFA in Documentary Studies  and Production. Currently,  she helps run a youth garden program in her neighborhood and is  expanding her art practice into video installations and sculpture.RESOURCES Amber Bishop: A Portal Somewhere Good: Who's All Over There? Pod Save the People "Can buildings be racist? A CU Boulder architect explores." by Yvaine Ye. CU Boulder Today. "Sweeping the Yard - African American Swept gardens of Southern USA." Pith + Vigor. "A lawsuit blooms in Plymouth as homeowner battles HOA over her naturally planted yard." by Chloe Johnson. The Minnesota Star Tribune. Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists by Leah PennimanCreate your podcast today! #madeonzencastrBOOKSHOPhttps://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamasApocalypse Still by Leah Nicole WhitcombAbout the Boy by Leah Nicole WhitcombBetween Us (pre-order) by Leah Nicole WhitcombSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: @hoodooplantmamasDONATEPaypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamasCashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamasThis podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

Nov 14, 2025 · 51m

In this episode we're joined by poet Ashia Ajani as they talk about their poetry collection, their family's migration story, as well as how Black folk's liberation is tied to the liberation of the land. Ashia S. Ajani is a sunshower, a glass bead, a carnivorous plant, an overripe nectarine. Hailing from Denver, CO, Queen City of the Plains and the unceded territories of the Cheyenne, Ute & Arapahoe peoples, Ashia is the author of one collection of poetry, Heirloom (Write Bloody Publishing, 2023) and a forthcoming nonfiction collection,Tending the Vines (Timber Press, 2026).RESOURCES Heirloom by Ashia Ajani Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists by Leah Penniman Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman Black on Earth: African American Ecoliterary Traditions by Kimberly N Ruffin "BBQ Becky: The 'Woman on the Phone Meme,' Explained" by Catie Keck. Inverse. "Oakland Residents Fear Suspicious Death May Have Been a Lynching, Calling for Transparency" by Leanne Maxwell. SFist. "Family awaits results of independent autopsy on Delta State student Trey Reed" by Leonardo Bevilacqua. Mississippi Today. "Genealogy of a Vacant Lot" by Ashia AjaniCreate your podcast today! #madeonzencastrBOOKSHOPhttps://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamasApocalypse Still by Leah Nicole WhitcombAbout the Boy by Leah Nicole WhitcombBetween Us (pre-order) by Leah Nicole WhitcombSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: @hoodooplantmamasDONATEPaypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamasCashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamasThis podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

Oct 31, 2025 · 41m

Welcome back to part 2 of our conversation with this season's guiding text: Black Earth Wisdom. In this episode, we talk about how racism has cut us off from natural spaces and our indigenous knowledge. We elevate our environmental justice ancestors and discuss how liberation of Black people is tied to the liberation of the Earth.RESOURCES Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists by Leah Penniman  "Gmail’s smart replies will use AI to pull context from your inbox and Drive" by Jay Peters. The Verge. "Carbon footprint of Israel’s war on Gaza exceeds that of many entire countries" by Nina Lakhani. The Guardian. "When You Die, You’ll Probably Be Embalmed. Thank Abraham Lincoln For That" by Brian Walsh. Smithsonian Magazine. Cob Hill Natural Building School "Mississippi's bear population is growing. What are they good for and why do we want more?" by Brian Broom. Clarion Ledger.Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastrBOOKSHOPhttps://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamasApocalypse Still by Leah Nicole WhitcombAbout the Boy by Leah Nicole WhitcombBetween Us by Leah Nicole WhitcombSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: @hoodooplantmamasDONATEPaypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamasCashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamasThis podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

Oct 17, 2025 · 50m

Hey y'all and welcome back to season 10 of Hoodoo Plant Mamas. It's our 5 year anniversary! We talk about our journey with the podcast as well as our future plans. We break down the book Black Earth Wisdom by Leah Penniman, discuss the work of Black environmentalists, and talk about Black folk's history with the land in the United States. RESOURCES Black Earth Wisdom by Leah Penniman Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman "Residents heartbroken after city rips out shared garden" by Kristen Lawrence. TheCoolDown. "Peoria community garden destroyed by city" by Shabnam Danesh. Central Illinois Proud.  Tea with Queen and JCreate your podcast today! #madeonzencastrBOOKSHOPhttps://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamasApocalypse Still by Leah Nicole WhitcombAbout the Boy by Leah Nicole WhitcombBetween Us (pre-order) by Leah Nicole WhitcombSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: @hoodooplantmamasDONATEPaypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamasCashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamasThis podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca. 

May 16, 2025 · 46m

In our season finale, we review Ryan Coogler's Sinners (2025). As Mississippi Hoodoos, we have to talk about the Mississippi and Hoodoo rep in this film. We get into Mississippi racial politics as well as whiteness and assimilation as vampirism. We discuss the need to let go of representational politics and learn to appreciate art for what is is rather than what we want it to be.RESOURCES "if you loved Sinners, read these books" Leah Nicole. YouTube. Apocalypse Still by Leah Nicole Whitcomb "SINNERS BREAKDOWN! Easter Eggs & Details You Missed!" New Rockstars. YouTube. Hess Love Instagram Post "The Story of Chinese Laborers and the Reconstruction South." May 2, 2022. Tennessee State Museum. "Inventing the 'Model Minority': A Critical Timeline and Reading List" Densho.  Passing by Nella LarsenCreate your podcast today! #madeonzencastrBOOKSHOPhttps://bookshop.org/shop/hoodooplantmamasApocalypse Still by Leah Nicole WhitcombAbout the Boy by Leah Nicole WhitcombBE A PATRON!https://www.patreon.com/hoodooplantmamasSOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: @hoodooplantmamasDONATEPaypal: paypal.me/hoodooplantmamasCashapp: cash.me/$hoodooplantmamasThis podcast was created, hosted, and produced by Dani & Leah.Our music was created by Ghrey, and our artwork was designed by Bianca.