"When I even think that I wanna give up, I can't because people like this put their life on the line so that I could have better opportunities." - Dr. Latorial Faison

Dr. Latorial Faison is an HBCU and Virginia State University Professor, Poet, Author, Independent Scholar & Senior Military Spouse. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and a Doctoral degree in Education. Faison is Chair of the Department of Languages & Literature and Assistant Professor of English at Virginia State University and has authored over sixteen books.

Faison's research study, The Missed Education of the Negro: An Examination of the Black Segregated Experience in Southampton County, Virginia 1950-1970, focused on Riverview High School, a segregated Black High School that existed in Courtland, Virginia, and explores the nuances of Black segregated education during the Jim Crow Era.

Faison's latest work, Nursery Rhymes in Black was released in June of 2025 and blends tradition, memory, and resistance through a reimagination of familiar childhood rhymes through the lens of Black history and lived experience. This volume just received a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Not one to rest on her laurels, her next work Blood at the Root, will be released in the coming months, which speaks directly to the historical and ongoing violence, erasure, and resilience that define the African American experience.

In this episode of Curated Questions, host Ken Woodward engages in a profound conversation with Dr. Latorial Faison, a professor, poet, and scholar. Dr. Faison shares her journey from growing up in a small town in Virginia, being raised by her grandparents, to becoming a notable academic and author.

Through discussing her work, research, and dedication to teaching, Faison emphasizes the importance of memory, resilience, and the power of storytelling. The episode also touches on her latest book, 'Nursery Rhymes in Black,' her role in the Wintergreen Women's Writers Collective, and her vision for fostering a supportive community for her students. A recurring theme throughout the conversation is the transformative power of questions, both in personal growth and in understanding one's purpose.

Episode Notes

00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflection

01:57 Guest Introduction: Dr. Latorial Faison

03:58 Early Life and First Questions

06:36 Organizing Pain and Finding Purpose

09:25 Challenges and Resilience

15:30 Responsibility and Representation

20:17 Reflections on Race and Upbringing

26:51 Writing and Grief Work

30:39 Mama Was a Negro Spiritual Poem

37:16 Memories and Cultural Traditions

40:06 Returning Home and Final Thoughts

46:13 Reflections on Military Family Life

47:03 Settling Down Post-Retirement

47:43 Pursuing Personal Goals

48:20 Balancing Family and Education

49:39 Dedication to Family and Heritage

52:13 Teaching and Student Struggles

54:02 Honoring Grandparents' Sacrifices

55:45 The Power of Memory and Storytelling

56:29 Sundays a Haiku

01:01:15 Abominations, a Poem By Latorial Faison

01:08:38 Researching Black Education History

01:25:44 Reflecting on Historical Figures and Social Change

01:28:16 The Great Undoing and Rebuilding

01:28:44 Hope Amidst Chaos

01:29:15 Introduction to Wintergreen Women's Writers Collective

01:32:43 Joining the Wintergreen Women's Writers Collective

01:34:05 The Impact of Nikki Giovanni

01:39:47 The Symbolism of Quilts

01:43:47 Current Challenges and Reflections

01:47:07 The Importance of Community and Legacy

01:49:36 Like An Ancestor Poem

02:00:40 Final Reflection and Takeaways

Resources Mentioned

University of Virginia

Virginia Tech

Virginia State University

The Missed Education of the Negro: An Examination of the Black Segregated Experience in Southampton County, Virginia 1950-1970

Riverview High School

Nursery Rhymes in Black by Latorial Faison

Blood at the Root by Latorial Faison

Johnson C. Smith University

Mama Was a Negro Spiritual by Latorial Faison

Tom Howard Poetry Prize

Nikki Giovanni

Engrams Funeral Home

Nat Turner Slave Revolt

Sundays a haiku by Latorial Faison

Mr. Pete Ballard's farm

Abominations by Latorial Faison

Lucille Clifton

Permafrost Prize

University of Alaska

University Press of Colorado

Sonia Sanchez

Black Pastoral by Ariana Benson

Cave Canem Poetry Prize

Phillis Wheatley Festival

Spelman University

Lauren K. Alleyne

Furious Flower

James Mason University (JMU)

Virginia Humanities Fellowship

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Joshua Doss

Martin Luther King Jr.

Wintergreen Women Writers Collective

Val Gray Ward

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Rita Dove

Virginia (Jenny) Fowler

Collected Poems by Nikki Giovanni

Renee and Jay by JJ Murray

Original Love by JJ Murray

James Baldwin

Barack Obama

Grey's Anatomy

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Beauty Pill

Producer Ben Ford

Questions Asked

When did you first understand the power of questions?

Why me?

Why in that way?

Why was my life on this trajectory?

Why am I here?

What is my purpose?

Do you internalize "always someone watching" as a burden?

How many of you feel that you have a responsibility to your race?

If the lady offers us a cookie or a lemonade, why can't we take it?

How did questions play a role in challenging things early on?

Will you write about me one day?

How can you all come out of the same house, and kids end up so different?

What is a specific smell or color that reminds you of your grandmother?

How did questions work in that research for you?

What did black educators do?

What did they do in those classrooms to motivate African American students through Jim Crow?

Were they providing culturally relevant teaching; was that a key?

What can we learn from the students? What can we learn from the teachers?

What can we learn from this totally black segregated education experience to transfer into the now?

What is ground zero going to look like?

Who's going to even be here anymore?

What has the Wintergreen Women's Writers collective meant to you?

What is your Right Now Question?

What have I gotten myself into as department chair?

What do I do next?

What matters most in the moment that I'm in now?

How can I make the biggest difference?

It's not, will they like me? Will they help me? It's, what do I do? How do I move in this moment?

And that's how I try to live my life. Yeah. How do I live in this moment?

What pain in your life, if shaped into a story, might become a gift of healing for you and perhaps others?

What place from your past still holds untold stories, and how might sharing them illuminate both where you’ve been and where you’re going?

What place from your past still holds untold stories, and how might sharing them illuminate both where you’ve been and where you’re going?

Are your questions keeping you tethered to the past, or are they propelling you toward the life and impact you’re meant to create?

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