Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yhane Washington Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yhane, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

My best investment was certainly investing in myself. I saved my money for a year and used my own money to make my first audio drama. Through grants, contributions and selling ads and sponsors, I was able to earn back my initial investment and make more shows!

Yhane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Yhane Washington Smith and I create audio dramas (scripted narrative podcasts). My stories are based on actual people in American history, particularly Black women.

I am most thrilled about the historical facts and stories of success and winning in Black U.S. history.

I am proud to say that I self-funded my first series, “Harlem Queen”, and through grants, contributions, ad sales, I have earned back my initial investment and made more shows. “Harlem Queen” tells the story of Madame Stephanie St. Clair who ran a policy bank (illegal lottery) in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance, the 1920 and 30s. She was a millionaire and gave back to her beloved Harlem community, while fighting off graft from Tammany Hall and mobsters like Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano who tried to take over her empire.

My next story is a western – I never liked westerns so I made one. The title is “The Courtship of Mona Mae”. It tells the story of Mona searching for her mother during the Reconstruction Era. The Reconstruction Era is probably the closest this nation has ever come to living up to its self-proclaimed tenets of liberty, freedom and equality. I said the nation came close. Did you know that the literacy rate among Black women was higher than the literacy rate among white women? Did you know that Black women – who were formerly enslaved – started businesses, restaurants, hotels, bought mines and land? It makes sense, because Black women had so many necessary skills like cooking, sewing, laundry that they could profit from. It is only recently that I learned that one of the fictional characters that I created for “Mona Mae” is very similar to one of my actual ancestors; a Civil War Veteran who had pre-war and post-war families. Once you learn the history, stories like this just make sense.

My latest show is a limited series titled “1972: The Chisholm Campaign Trail and the Angela Davis Trial”. “1972” tells the incredible stories of Shirley Chisholm’s campaign for the presidency of the United States in 1972 while at the same time a young Black woman, Angela Davis, was seeking justice in the U.S, courts of law, facing three death penalties! I thought the dichotomy of one Black woman running for the highest court in this land while at the exact same time a young Black woman was fighting for the basic rights in the court of law was profound.

I have become a better person because I know my family’s history in this country. It has taken me a lifetime to feel this good about the legacy that I have inherited. Growing up I felt ashamed of who I was now I love to celebrate and share theses incredible stories.

You can listen to my shows on Spotify, Apple podcasts. Here are the links:

https://pod.link/1453287583 – Harlem Queen

https://pod.link/1549428590 – The Courtship of Mona Mae

https://pod.link/1625514448 – 1972

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I create my art in spite of lack of funding, lack of resources. I create my art even though I am overlooked, ignored, or unknown. I create my art because I must, it is my purpose, my gift, my mission, my pride and joy. I was blessed with grit and the gumption to go further and do better and had some sense to make a way out of no way. I saved my money and invested in myself. By doing my work with “nothing” I had to start off by looking at what I do have. I do have friends and family who support me – I have friends and family that don’t, but I prefer to focus on those who do support me. I have people who are happy to see me and people who are proud and even inspired by me. I have people who knew I would always do “it”. I am truly fortunate and grateful to have such people in my life. Their “network” becomes my “network”. I am proud to say that I survived a few nasty brain bleeds last year. A broken AVM – long story, but I’m still here. I am even more focused as a result. I no longer exert myself by trying to gain the support and appreciation from folks who just don’t appreciate or understand me. Let them go understand and appreciate someone else. (They’ll eventually come around.) I have plenty of people who do support me and I prefer to hang tight with those folks. I’m not even talking about a vast network of people. I mean a few relatives, co-workers and creatives. They keep me strong, happy, healthy and alive. They appreciate and even celebrate and support my work. I am able to be so resilient because I have them.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I am going to make my work by hook or by crook. One of my goal’s is to be able to earn enough money to sustain my work.

Ella Fitzgerald got up on that stage and sang because she loved to sing. She wasn’t trying to be “Ella Fitzgerald”, she was just trying to make her way as a singer. For every Ella, there were probably hundreds of women who could sing just as beautifully, but didn’t get seen or heard at the right time or place, yet they continued to sing and have their lives. I would love to be like Ella or Dizzy (I specialize in Black U.S. history and so my heroes tend to be historical figures), but maybe I will be the lesser known Alice B. Russell (Oscar Micheaux’s wife).

I am most happy when I am fulfilling my purpose. To me, an unfulfilled life is tragic. i truly wish everyone could be happy with the work and lives they are creating for themselves and living

Contact Info:

• Website: HarlemQueen.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yhane.writes.audio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarlemQueenAudioDrama/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yhane-washington-smith-873431241/
• Other: My Newsletter: https://substack.com/@harlemqueen

Image Credits
TOP LEFT PHOTO: Harlem Queen Cover Art TOP LEFT PHOTO : of Yhane Washington Smith taken by Judy Ramirez-Carvey Streetfly Studio BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO: of recording of Harlem queen. From left, Yhane Washington Smith, Luke Slattery, Shawn Regruto, Steven Hylton, Gabrielle Adkins, photo taken by Emerald Toller. BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO: of Yhane Washington Smith (center) From left: Jocelyn O’Toole, Jopurney Brown-Saintel, Gabrielle Adkins, taken by Yhane Washington Smith