Johnzelle Anderson’s 'Mixtape': On Rewriting His Soundtrack of Life

Send us Fan Mail This episode features our conversation with Johnzelle Anderson , which was live-streamed on April 19, 2026. Johnzelle is a licensed therapist by trade, and believes in the power of storytelling to heal, imagine, disrupt, and inspire.

His writing focuses on mental health, race, relationships, and identity. He’s an avid reader and reads approximately 100 books annually.

He lives in Virginia with his daughter and an energetic Sheprador. During this episode, we discussed Johnzelle’s debut memoir, Mixtape: A Memoir, which was released on March 17, 2026 by Atmosphere Press.

In Mixtape: A Memoir , therapist and storyteller Johnzelle Anderson weaves a raw, lyrical portrait of resilience, identity, and healing. Born to a disengaged West African father and a volatile white mother, Anderson grows up mixed race in 1990s Roanoke, Virginia—feeling like an outsider in every room.

Amid childhood abuse, neglect, and racism, he clings to the safety of his grandmother’s love and his inner voice’s promise of a better future. Told in tracks rather than chapters, Mixtape charts Anderson’s journey from trauma to triumph—from being body-shamed and silenced to building a career in mental health and forming a family of his own.

Along the way, he confronts the legacy of generational pain, redefines his sense of belonging, and takes a life-changing trip to Ghana in search of the roots his father never shared. Honest, at times humorous, and unflinching in its vulnerability, Mixtape: A Memoir is a coming-of-age story for anyone unlearning and daring to rewrite the soundtrack of their life.

A story about the sound and silence of survival, and the rhythms that carry us home. Mixtape: A Memoir is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book and audiobook with Johnzelle narrating the audiobook.

Learn more about Mixtape and to purchase your copy of the book, please visit: . Mentioned during the episode: Check out our interview with Emely Rumble, LICSW about her book, Bibliotherapy in the Bronx (S6 E12): Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify Find Johnzelle on Instagram: @johnzelle_ Find Black Writers Read on Instagram: @blackwritersread Find Black Writers Read online: Support Black Writers Read on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/blackwritersread Support the show