Podcasts about James Baldwin

Ethan talks to author, scholar and teacher Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad about her insightful new book The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. Mixing scholarship, memoir, and a deep reverence for the spiritual insights of two of the greatest writers and thinkers of the 20th century, Dr. Vesely-Flad's newest work approaches Buddhist teachings from an angle that is deeply human, literary, and personal. How did these two great authors touch on such dharmic topics as the truth of suffering, relative and ultimate reality, and much more? Fans of literature and Buddhism will enjoy this conversation and new book deeply. This conversation belongs to one of Ethan's favorite categories: "Things you didn't know were Buddhist." In 2025, with your subscriptions to The Road Home, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your subscriptions. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Rima Vesely-Flad, PhD, is the author of Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation (NYU Press, 2022) and Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives, and the Struggle for Justice (Fortress Press, 2017). She is the founder of the Initiative for Black Buddhist Studies and the recipient of grants from the Fetzer Institute, the Henry J. Luce Foundation, the Fredrick P. Lenz Foundation, the Crossroads Program, and the US Department of State Fulbright program. You can follow her work at www.blackbuddhiststudies.org.       Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and a guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed a mindful take on intuition, and Ethan also offered instruction in the RAIN method for working with emotions with self-compassion. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). Free RAIN Meditation Workshop on February 12th via A Mindful World! A new free video course on a classic Buddhist contemplation called The Five Remembrances is available at this link. Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor A Mindful World!

Please Support Breaking Form!Review the show on Apple Podcasts here.Aaron's STOP LYING is available from the Pitt Poetry Series. And BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE is available from Bridwell Press. James's ROMANTIC COMEDY is available from Four Way Books. Show Notes:Read the London Review of Books praising Aracelis Girmay's volume, How to Carry Water: Selected Poems by Lucille Clifton. Watch Girmay read Clifton's poem "praise song."Learn more about Lucille Clifton here, here, and here. Explore more about The Clifton House, and learn more about Clifton's life in Baltimore. Watch Debby Boone sing her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life" Listen to Deborah Ann Gibson sing "On My Own" from Les Misérables. Here is the trailer for Boxing Helena, directed by Jennifer Lynch.Read more about the friendship between Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.For more about Clifton's children's book series, Everett Anderson, read here.Here is a partial list of the poems we read and discuss on the show:"my friends""a poem written for many moynihans""5/23/67 RIP" (for Langston Hughes)"alabama 9/15/63" (which appeared in a 1999 special folio of Callalo)"jasper Texas 1998" in Ploughshares Issue #78 Spring 1999https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49491/jasper-texas-1998"If I should (to clark kent)""further note to clark""hag riding""to my last period" 

Nicholas Boggs discusses the personal life and activism of American writer James Baldwin (1924-1987). Mr. Boggs, who spent over 20 years working on "James Baldwin: A Love Story," also talks about Baldwin's many books, his life outside the United States, and his involvement in the civil rights movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Baldwin believed that America has been lying to itself since its founding. A sharp, funny, and insightful commentator on Black identity and American democracy, he never hesitated to bear witness, regardless of what it cost him. We speak with writer and professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. about how James Baldwin's words can help us navigate our current moment. This episode originally ran in 2020.To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Ron Butler who has narrated hundreds of audiobooks including the current bestseller Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs, which is about the life and loves of the iconic queer writer James Baldwin. Ron talks about how the project came to him, how he approached doing Baldwin's voice and getting so emotional at the end of the process that he cried. He also talks about how the business of audiobook narrating works, from how he gets paid to the prep work that happens before to the sexy little home booth he bought for himself right before the pandemic. Other topics include: the Heated Rivalry-esque gay romances he's narrated Illegal Contact (football studs) and Dirty Steal (baseball studs), making the move to Palm Springs, growing up in the Bahamas as the son of Bahamanian musician and club owner Ron Butler Sr, leaving his post-college corporate job to pursue acting, playing a breakdancing Barack Obama on Jimmy Kimmel in 2007 and the queer coming of age book that brought him to tears in the recording booth.  https://www.ronniebutler.com/

Every time a Black person is killed, the lie arrives faster than the facts.He had a gun. He was high. She was threatening.In this alternative episode of When Killers Get Caught, Brittany Ransom steps away from a traditional case to examine a pattern that stretches from Emmett Till to the present day and why the phrase “they're killing Americans now” is landing as confirmation, not concern, for Black Americans and other marginalized communities.This episode explores how state violence has historically been justified through dehumanization, fear, and selective citizenship. From Indigenous displacement and slavery to policing, internment, mass detention, and modern use-of-force narratives.Drawing on history, law, and the warnings of James Baldwin, this episode asks a difficult but necessary question: Who is recognized as fully human, and when does injustice finally “count”?This is not about partisanship. It's about citizenship, power, and the cost of a system that teaches itself how to look away.Content warning: This episode discusses state violence, racism, and historical trauma.Sources for this episode include U.S. Supreme Court decisions, federal legislation, Department of the Interior reports, and the work of James Baldwin, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Michelle Alexander, Erika Lee, and other historians and legal scholars.Follow and join the conversation:

Does the future feel inevitable to you? With authoritarianism, deportations, and relentless bad news, it's easy to believe everything is already decided—that we're just watching a slow collapse. Despair can start to feel rational, even responsible. But here's the problem: when we decide the future is sealed, we're actually letting ourselves off the hook. If nothing matters, why bother? This talk explores an ancient text about a potter and clay that offers a radically different perspective: the future isn't fixed. It responds to what we do. Drawing on voices from James Baldwin to Fannie Lou Hamer, the sermon makes the case that your spiritual life isn't separate from your activism—prayer is part of the work, not what you do after the "real" work is done. Whether you're carrying personal regrets or political despair, this message insists: the wheel is still spinning. Your past isn't your destiny, and neither is your nation's.

In some ways, the characters in this book were my first lovers.Today we meet Michael Horvich and we're talking about the queer book that saved his life: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin.Michael is a retired Elementary School Educator and University Instructor. In addition he's many things, here's just a partial list: Poet, Collector, Museum Curator Emeritis, Book Binder, Supernumerary, Flea Circus Ringmaster, and Dementia/Alzheimer's Advocate. He has published two volumes poetry, which in part portray his journey navigating his life partner's Alzheimer's. His advocacy work has led to presentations at numerous organizations including at the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Business, 33rd Annual Alzheimer's Disease International Convention, and the Chicago LGBTQ Center on Halsted. He also gave the opening key note at the 2019 Mayo Clinic / Minnesota-North Dakota Alzheimer's Association Conference. Michael was featured in ALAN TELLER's “STILL AT IT!"ART SHOW.James Baldwin was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time were bestsellers that made him an influential figure in the growing civil rights movement. Baldwin spent much of his life in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in France in 1987, a year after being made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor.Connect with Michaelwebsite: www.horvich.comsubstack: mhorvich.substack.comfacebook: facebook.com/mhorvichcreatesOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy your copy of Giovanni's Room here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780345806567Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, Sean Smith, and Karsten VagnerPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

The American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin (1924-1987) spent the second half of his life as a fixture in American intellectual life. But what formed him? In this episode, Jacke talks to Nicholas Boggs, author of Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of James Baldwin in three decades, about Baldwin's childhood and teen years, when his education and experience propelled a talented child toward literary superstardom. PLUS author Bruce Robbins (Atrocity: A Literary History) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England! Join Jacke and fellow literature fans on an eight-day journey through literary England in partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠John Shors Travel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in May 2026! Scheduled stops include The Charles Dickens Museum, Dr. Johnson's house, Jane Austen's Bath, Tolkien's Oxford, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and more. Learn more by emailing jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or masahiko@johnshorstravel.com, or by contacting us through our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Act soon - there are limited spots available! The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of Texas at Austin history professor Peniel Joseph, author of "Freedom Season," talks about the pivotal events of 1963 that impacted the Civil Rights Movement in America. That year, which marked the centenary of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, also saw the assassinations of President Kennedy and Mississippi civil rights activist Medgar Evers, the publication of James Baldwin's bestseller "The Fire Next Time," and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed 4 little girls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

University of Texas at Austin history professor Peniel Joseph, author of "Freedom Season," talks about the pivotal events of 1963 that impacted the Civil Rights Movement in America. That year, which marked the centenary of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, also saw the assassinations of President Kennedy and Mississippi civil rights activist Medgar Evers, the publication of James Baldwin's bestseller "The Fire Next Time," and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, which killed 4 little girls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Christian Thompson's book, Phenomenal Blackness: Black Power, Philosophy, and Theory (University of Chicago Press, 2022) examines the changing interdisciplinary investments of key mid-century African American writers and thinkers, showing how their investments in sociology and anthropology gave way to a growing interest in German philosophy and critical theory by the 1960s. Thompson analyzes this shift in intellectual focus across the post-war decades, pinpointing its clearest expression in Amiri Baraka's writings on jazz and blues, in which he insisted on philosophy as the critical means by which to grasp African American expressive culture. More sociologically oriented thinkers, such as W. E. B. Du Bois, had understood blackness as a singular set of socio-historical characteristics. In contrast, writers such as Baraka, James Baldwin, Angela Y. Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X were variously drawn to notions of an African essence, an ontology of Black being. For them, the work of Adorno, Habermas, Marcuse, and German thinkers was a vital resource, allowing for continued cultural-materialist analysis while accommodating the hermeneutical aspects of African American religious thought. Mark Christian Thompson argues that these efforts to reimagine Black singularity led to a phenomenological understanding of blackness--a "Black aesthetic dimension" wherein aspirational models for Black liberation might emerge. Brittney Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison. I specialize in 20th and 21st century African American Literature and Culture with a special interest in Black Humor Studies. Read more about my work at brittneymichelleedmonds.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Mark Christian Thompson's book, Phenomenal Blackness: Black Power, Philosophy, and Theory (University of Chicago Press, 2022) examines the changing interdisciplinary investments of key mid-century African American writers and thinkers, showing how their investments in sociology and anthropology gave way to a growing interest in German philosophy and critical theory by the 1960s. Thompson analyzes this shift in intellectual focus across the post-war decades, pinpointing its clearest expression in Amiri Baraka's writings on jazz and blues, in which he insisted on philosophy as the critical means by which to grasp African American expressive culture. More sociologically oriented thinkers, such as W. E. B. Du Bois, had understood blackness as a singular set of socio-historical characteristics. In contrast, writers such as Baraka, James Baldwin, Angela Y. Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X were variously drawn to notions of an African essence, an ontology of Black being. For them, the work of Adorno, Habermas, Marcuse, and German thinkers was a vital resource, allowing for continued cultural-materialist analysis while accommodating the hermeneutical aspects of African American religious thought. Mark Christian Thompson argues that these efforts to reimagine Black singularity led to a phenomenological understanding of blackness--a "Black aesthetic dimension" wherein aspirational models for Black liberation might emerge. Brittney Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison. I specialize in 20th and 21st century African American Literature and Culture with a special interest in Black Humor Studies. Read more about my work at brittneymichelleedmonds.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Mark Christian Thompson's book, Phenomenal Blackness: Black Power, Philosophy, and Theory (University of Chicago Press, 2022) examines the changing interdisciplinary investments of key mid-century African American writers and thinkers, showing how their investments in sociology and anthropology gave way to a growing interest in German philosophy and critical theory by the 1960s. Thompson analyzes this shift in intellectual focus across the post-war decades, pinpointing its clearest expression in Amiri Baraka's writings on jazz and blues, in which he insisted on philosophy as the critical means by which to grasp African American expressive culture. More sociologically oriented thinkers, such as W. E. B. Du Bois, had understood blackness as a singular set of socio-historical characteristics. In contrast, writers such as Baraka, James Baldwin, Angela Y. Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X were variously drawn to notions of an African essence, an ontology of Black being. For them, the work of Adorno, Habermas, Marcuse, and German thinkers was a vital resource, allowing for continued cultural-materialist analysis while accommodating the hermeneutical aspects of African American religious thought. Mark Christian Thompson argues that these efforts to reimagine Black singularity led to a phenomenological understanding of blackness--a "Black aesthetic dimension" wherein aspirational models for Black liberation might emerge. Brittney Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison. I specialize in 20th and 21st century African American Literature and Culture with a special interest in Black Humor Studies. Read more about my work at brittneymichelleedmonds.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Mark Christian Thompson's book, Phenomenal Blackness: Black Power, Philosophy, and Theory (University of Chicago Press, 2022) examines the changing interdisciplinary investments of key mid-century African American writers and thinkers, showing how their investments in sociology and anthropology gave way to a growing interest in German philosophy and critical theory by the 1960s. Thompson analyzes this shift in intellectual focus across the post-war decades, pinpointing its clearest expression in Amiri Baraka's writings on jazz and blues, in which he insisted on philosophy as the critical means by which to grasp African American expressive culture. More sociologically oriented thinkers, such as W. E. B. Du Bois, had understood blackness as a singular set of socio-historical characteristics. In contrast, writers such as Baraka, James Baldwin, Angela Y. Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X were variously drawn to notions of an African essence, an ontology of Black being. For them, the work of Adorno, Habermas, Marcuse, and German thinkers was a vital resource, allowing for continued cultural-materialist analysis while accommodating the hermeneutical aspects of African American religious thought. Mark Christian Thompson argues that these efforts to reimagine Black singularity led to a phenomenological understanding of blackness--a "Black aesthetic dimension" wherein aspirational models for Black liberation might emerge. Brittney Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison. I specialize in 20th and 21st century African American Literature and Culture with a special interest in Black Humor Studies. Read more about my work at brittneymichelleedmonds.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Mark Christian Thompson's book, Phenomenal Blackness: Black Power, Philosophy, and Theory (University of Chicago Press, 2022) examines the changing interdisciplinary investments of key mid-century African American writers and thinkers, showing how their investments in sociology and anthropology gave way to a growing interest in German philosophy and critical theory by the 1960s. Thompson analyzes this shift in intellectual focus across the post-war decades, pinpointing its clearest expression in Amiri Baraka's writings on jazz and blues, in which he insisted on philosophy as the critical means by which to grasp African American expressive culture. More sociologically oriented thinkers, such as W. E. B. Du Bois, had understood blackness as a singular set of socio-historical characteristics. In contrast, writers such as Baraka, James Baldwin, Angela Y. Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X were variously drawn to notions of an African essence, an ontology of Black being. For them, the work of Adorno, Habermas, Marcuse, and German thinkers was a vital resource, allowing for continued cultural-materialist analysis while accommodating the hermeneutical aspects of African American religious thought. Mark Christian Thompson argues that these efforts to reimagine Black singularity led to a phenomenological understanding of blackness--a "Black aesthetic dimension" wherein aspirational models for Black liberation might emerge. Brittney Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison. I specialize in 20th and 21st century African American Literature and Culture with a special interest in Black Humor Studies. Read more about my work at brittneymichelleedmonds.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Send Kevin a Text MessageIn this episode of Don't Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz welcomes acclaimed writer Matthew Specktor and his father, legendary CAA agent Fred Specktor. Matthew's latest book, The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood, captures the underbelly of Los Angeles through the lens of three generations embedded in the motion picture industry. Together, Matthew and Fred explore the industry that shaped American culture.The College Course with James Baldwin (9:47): Matthew describes being chosen by lottery to study with James Baldwin at Mount Holyoke. Baldwin taught Henry James and told his students, "For it to have happened or for it to be beautiful is not enough."Lew Wasserman's Assistant at 19 (18:26): Fred recalls working for Lew Wasserman at MCA, the most powerful man in the industry.The Birth of the Modern Motion Picture Industry (22:43): Matthew explains how his family lived through the entire transformation of Hollywood, recalling Lew Wasserman seeing the line of people waiting to see Jaws in a Texas rainstorm and pioneering the wide release."No More Middle-Class Movies" (30:14): Matthew recounts a Fox 2000 corporate retreat where Bill Mechanic announced the studio would only make films over $100 million or under $10 million – nothing in between.The Gene Hackman Call That Won an Oscar (34:19): Fred describes how Gene Hackman passed on Unforgiven due to violence concerns. Fred gave Clint Eastwood Gene's phone number, and Clint convinced Gene to take the role that won Gene the Academy Award.Letting the Artist See What Others Don't (37:37): Fred's philosophy: "I believe every one of my clients belongs at the top of the list." He shares thoughts on his clients, including Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, and Danny DeVito.This conversation reveals how great writers mine their personal history to illuminate an industry, and how great agents operate, not as cartoon hustlers but as believers in fairness and quality. Matthew and Fred Specktor show us that Hollywood's golden hour wasn't just about glamour; it was about families, power, and the American dream colliding in ways both beautiful and devastating.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review and share. We look forward to bringing you more behind-the-scenes revelations next time on Don't Kill the Messenger.Host: Kevin GoetzGuests: Matthew and Fred SpecktorProducer: Kari CampanoWriters: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, and Kari CampanoAudio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)For more information about Matthew and Fred Specktor:Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_SpecktorThe Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood: https://a.co/d/8Qy91qaWebsite: https://matthewspecktor.com/For more information about Kevin Goetz:- Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com- Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678- How to Score in Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com/How-Score-Hollywood-Secrets-Business/dp/198218986X/- Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack: @KevinGoetz360- LinkedIn @Kevin Goetz- Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com

Have you ever wondered who you would choose to walk with if you could stroll alongside any legendary musician or iconic figure, living or dead? Join host Buzz Knight on this captivating episode of takin' a walk, where he invites a remarkable lineup of guests to share their personal inspirations and dream walking companions. From the vibrant streets of Harlem to the creative landscapes of the music industry, each guest reveals the profound impact these figures have had on their lives, all while exploring the rich tapestry of music history. Buzz Knight, a seasoned voice in the music world, engages with guests like Derek Shulman, who longs to walk with his late brother, and James Fuller, who dreams of a stroll with the legendary Clarence Clemons to delve into the heart of Bruce Springsteen's world. Their stories are not just about nostalgia; they reflect the deep connections and emotional healing that can arise from shared experiences. Hans Schumann expresses his desire to walk with the brilliant James Baldwin in Harlem, while filmmaker Rick Korn reminisces about his creative journey with Carl Perkins. Each conversation is a testament to the music history that shapes our lives. Chloe Stroll yearns for a walk with Adele, hoping to uncover her humor and insights, while Joe Boyd dreams of discussing the jazz origins with Jelly Roll Morton. These selections reveal the guests' personal narratives and the music journeys that have inspired them. As they share their thoughts, listeners are invited to reflect on their own choices and the figures who have influenced their paths. Throughout this episode of takin' a walk, Buzz Knight encourages a deeper understanding of the cultural impact of music and the stories behind iconic songs. The conversations are rich with music history insights and showcase the beautiful connections forged through the simple act of walking and talking. Buzz wraps up the episode by inviting listeners to subscribe for more engaging discussions, ensuring that the journey through music history continues. Join us for this enlightening episode that blends rock music history, jazz music, and the stories of legendary musiciansinto a unique exploration of creativity and connection. Whether you're a fan of classic rock or indie music, this episode of takin' a walk is sure to inspire and resonate with anyone who appreciates the power of music in our lives.Support the show: https://takinawalk.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, firstly in 1969 for The Armies of the Night and again in 1980 for The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer's life comes as close as is possible to being the Great American Novel: beyond reason, inexplicable, wonderfully grotesque and addictive.The Naked and the Dead was acclaimed not so much for its intrinsic qualities but rather because it launched a brutally realistic sub-genre of military fiction - Catch 22 and MASH would not exist without it.  In Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer (Bloomsbury, 2023), Richard Bradford combs through Mailer's personal letters - to lovers and editors - which appear to be a rehearsal for his career as a shifty literary narcissist, and which shape the characters of one of the most widely celebrated World War II novels. Bradford strikes again with a merciless biography in which diary entries, journal extracts and newspaper columns set the tone of this study of a controversial figure. From friendships with contemporaries such as James Baldwin, failed correspondences with Hemingway and the Kennedys, to terrible - but justified - criticism of his work by William Faulkner and Eleanor Roosevelt, this book gives a unique, snappy and convincing perspective of Mailer's ferocious personality and writings. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics (Twitter @15MinFilm). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, firstly in 1969 for The Armies of the Night and again in 1980 for The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer's life comes as close as is possible to being the Great American Novel: beyond reason, inexplicable, wonderfully grotesque and addictive.The Naked and the Dead was acclaimed not so much for its intrinsic qualities but rather because it launched a brutally realistic sub-genre of military fiction - Catch 22 and MASH would not exist without it.  In Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer (Bloomsbury, 2023), Richard Bradford combs through Mailer's personal letters - to lovers and editors - which appear to be a rehearsal for his career as a shifty literary narcissist, and which shape the characters of one of the most widely celebrated World War II novels. Bradford strikes again with a merciless biography in which diary entries, journal extracts and newspaper columns set the tone of this study of a controversial figure. From friendships with contemporaries such as James Baldwin, failed correspondences with Hemingway and the Kennedys, to terrible - but justified - criticism of his work by William Faulkner and Eleanor Roosevelt, this book gives a unique, snappy and convincing perspective of Mailer's ferocious personality and writings. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics (Twitter @15MinFilm). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, firstly in 1969 for The Armies of the Night and again in 1980 for The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer's life comes as close as is possible to being the Great American Novel: beyond reason, inexplicable, wonderfully grotesque and addictive.The Naked and the Dead was acclaimed not so much for its intrinsic qualities but rather because it launched a brutally realistic sub-genre of military fiction - Catch 22 and MASH would not exist without it.  In Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer (Bloomsbury, 2023), Richard Bradford combs through Mailer's personal letters - to lovers and editors - which appear to be a rehearsal for his career as a shifty literary narcissist, and which shape the characters of one of the most widely celebrated World War II novels. Bradford strikes again with a merciless biography in which diary entries, journal extracts and newspaper columns set the tone of this study of a controversial figure. From friendships with contemporaries such as James Baldwin, failed correspondences with Hemingway and the Kennedys, to terrible - but justified - criticism of his work by William Faulkner and Eleanor Roosevelt, this book gives a unique, snappy and convincing perspective of Mailer's ferocious personality and writings. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics (Twitter @15MinFilm). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, firstly in 1969 for The Armies of the Night and again in 1980 for The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer's life comes as close as is possible to being the Great American Novel: beyond reason, inexplicable, wonderfully grotesque and addictive.The Naked and the Dead was acclaimed not so much for its intrinsic qualities but rather because it launched a brutally realistic sub-genre of military fiction - Catch 22 and MASH would not exist without it.  In Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer (Bloomsbury, 2023), Richard Bradford combs through Mailer's personal letters - to lovers and editors - which appear to be a rehearsal for his career as a shifty literary narcissist, and which shape the characters of one of the most widely celebrated World War II novels. Bradford strikes again with a merciless biography in which diary entries, journal extracts and newspaper columns set the tone of this study of a controversial figure. From friendships with contemporaries such as James Baldwin, failed correspondences with Hemingway and the Kennedys, to terrible - but justified - criticism of his work by William Faulkner and Eleanor Roosevelt, this book gives a unique, snappy and convincing perspective of Mailer's ferocious personality and writings. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics (Twitter @15MinFilm). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, firstly in 1969 for The Armies of the Night and again in 1980 for The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer's life comes as close as is possible to being the Great American Novel: beyond reason, inexplicable, wonderfully grotesque and addictive.The Naked and the Dead was acclaimed not so much for its intrinsic qualities but rather because it launched a brutally realistic sub-genre of military fiction - Catch 22 and MASH would not exist without it.  In Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer (Bloomsbury, 2023), Richard Bradford combs through Mailer's personal letters - to lovers and editors - which appear to be a rehearsal for his career as a shifty literary narcissist, and which shape the characters of one of the most widely celebrated World War II novels. Bradford strikes again with a merciless biography in which diary entries, journal extracts and newspaper columns set the tone of this study of a controversial figure. From friendships with contemporaries such as James Baldwin, failed correspondences with Hemingway and the Kennedys, to terrible - but justified - criticism of his work by William Faulkner and Eleanor Roosevelt, this book gives a unique, snappy and convincing perspective of Mailer's ferocious personality and writings. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics (Twitter @15MinFilm). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/journalism

L'essai Le Monde après Gaza de l'écrivain indo-britannique Pankaj Mishra s'ouvre sur les derniers jours de l'insurrection dans le ghetto de Varsovie en 1943, réprimée dans le sang par les nazis. Comparant l'extermination des juifs pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale à l'anéantissement de Gaza par Israël sous le regard complice des puissances démocratiques occidentales, Mishra pointe du doigt la radicalisation de la société israélienne et s'inquiète de l'effondrement moral généralisé. Puisant sa réflexion aussi bien chez Primo Levi, Hannah Arendt, Edward Said que James Baldwin, ce livre relit l'histoire contemporaine à travers une grille morale et invite ses lecteurs à construire le monde d'après en s'appuyant sur une nouvelle conscience politique et éthique.    RFI : C'est le sentiment de découragement face à l'effondrement moral généralisé qui vous a conduit à vous lancer dans l'écriture du Monde après Gaza. J'aimerais que vous nous expliquiez les raisons de votre découragement ? Pankaj Mishra : Je me suis retrouvé dans la situation de nombreuses personnes complètement déconcertées par la réaction d'Israël au 7-Octobre. Nous avons vécu des mois d'extermination de masse diffusés en direct, quelque chose de sans précédent dans l'histoire de l'humanité. En même temps, ce qui a été également inédit ces derniers mois, c'est de voir les démocraties occidentales qui prétendent défendre un ordre international fondé sur des règles, qui prétendent se battre pour la démocratie et les droits humains, appuyer Israël en lui apportant leur soutien tant diplomatique, militaire que moral. En conséquence, tout un système de normes, tout un système de lois, toute une manière de comprendre le monde, notre place en son sein, notre perception de nous-mêmes, de nos possibilités, et de ce que nos sociétés pourraient être à l'avenir, désormais tout cela est remis en cause. C'est de cela que je parle quand je vous dis que nous assistons à un effondrement moral généralisé. Je suis étonné de votre réaction. Vous semblez avoir oublié les violences des guerres coloniales, les atrocités commises en Corée et au Vietnam, la mauvaise foi qui a conduit à la guerre en Irak… Je pense que les gens de ma génération n'ont pas oublié les longues guerres et les atrocités de l'impérialisme. Je n'avais pas vraiment beaucoup d'illusions sur la nature de la démocratie occidentale ni sur cette rhétorique des droits de l'homme. Mais je dois admettre que, même pour des personnes comme moi, formées à l'histoire mondiale, les événements de Gaza - au cours desquels on a vu les gens abandonner leurs principes pour se ranger du côté des auteurs d'un génocide - ont été un choc immense. À quand situez-vous la corrosion morale dans la société israélienne que vous pointez et que vous n'êtes d'ailleurs pas le seul à évoquer ? Pour la plupart des observateurs, cette corrosion morale commence avec l'endoctrinement de la population israélienne et la construction d'une identité nationale fondée sur la Shoah et l'expérience juive en Europe. Pendant les premières années de l'existence d'Israël, la Shoah ne faisait pas partie de l'image que ce pays se faisait de lui-même. Les premiers dirigeants israéliens méprisaient les survivants de l'Holocauste : ils les voyaient comme des êtres faibles qui déshonoraient le pays parce qu'ils étaient allés à la mort sans résistance. Ce n'est que plus tard, à partir des années 1960, que le récit de la Shoah a été redécouvert et élaboré afin d'imposer une identité nationale cohérente. Ainsi, plusieurs générations d'Israéliens ont été endoctrinées avec ce message très dangereux selon lequel le monde qui les entoure serait rempli de gens cherchant à les tuer et à les éradiquer. Dans votre ouvrage, vous revenez longuement sur les mises en garde lancées en leur temps par d'éminents philosophes tels que Hannah Arendt et Primo Lévi contre cet endoctrinement. Pourquoi n'ont-ils pas été écoutés? C'est parce que le récit de l'Holocauste a d'abord été confisqué par l'État d'Israël, puis perverti pour servir les intérêts d'un État violent et expansionniste. Des penseurs comme Hannah Arendt, qui avaient vu en Europe les pires excès du nationalisme, étaient très conscients du risque de voir ressurgir ces dangers dans un nouvel État-nation tenté par le fascisme, le suprémacisme ethnique et racial. C'est pourquoi elle s'est farouchement opposée à l'idée du sionisme comme doctrine constitutive de l'Etat d'Israël. Primo Levi, lui, qui croyait en l'idée d'un Israël socialiste, fut totalement horrifié en découvrant les preuves des atrocités israéliennes commises contre les Libanais et les Palestiniens. Ces penseurs ne pouvaient concevoir que la Shoah serve de fondement à la légitimité d'Israël. Pour eux, cette légitimité ne pouvait reposer que sur le comportement éthique d'Israël dans l'ici et maintenant. C'est pourquoi je crois qu'il est de notre devoir, d'une certaine manière, de sauver la mémoire de la Shoah des mains de ceux qui l'ont tant instrumentalisée en Israël. Ne me méprenez pas : il n'est nullement question d'oublier la Shoah, mais il est seulement question de la délivrer de l'emprise de l'État d'Israël. Comment voyez-vous le monde après Gaza, qui est le titre de votre essai ? Vous savez, lorsque je songe à l'avenir, ce qui m'inspire véritablement de l'espoir, c'est la façon dont la jeunesse a su incarner à travers le monde une forme rare d'empathie et de compassion envers les victimes de la violence à Gaza. Ils l'ont fait en se levant, en se mobilisant, en donnant voix à leur indignation, et, ce faisant, ils nous ont renvoyé à nos propres manquements — nous, les aînés, ceux qui détenons le pouvoir, dans la politique, les affaires ou les médias. Ils nous ont rappelé, parfois avec sévérité, combien nous nous étions compromis, soit en tolérant ce génocide, soit en gardant le silence face à lui. Ces jeunes manifestants, ces étudiants sont descendus dans la rue, ils ont dénoncé les atrocités, nous poussant à écouter davantage la voix de notre conscience. J'espère qu'à mesure qu'ils vieilliront, accédant à leur tour à des positions d'influence et de responsabilité, ils se souviendront des positions profondément morales qu'ils ont su adopter dans ces temps sombres que nous venons de vivre. Et j'espère qu'ils trouveront le moyen de perpétuer ces valeurs de compassion et de solidarité qu'ils ont su si magnifiquement incarner au cours de ces 15 derniers mois marqués par la brutalité et la souffrance. Oui, on peut dire qu'il y a de l'espoir. Le Monde après Gaza, par Pankaj Mishra. Essai traduit de l'anglais par David Fauquemberg. Editions Zulma, 304 pages, 22,50€

Check out Sublime at https://sublime.app/?ref=perell Elif Shafak has a way of writing that's lush and enchanted. She writes about real things in the world: water, houseboats, ordinary things that we stopped seeing. And she infuses them with life and wonder so that we can see the world fresh again. Elif has written more than 21 books, and she's the president of the Royal Society of Literature, which has had fellows like J. R. R. Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, W.B. Yeats, and Margaret Atwood. You'll notice that her writing advice is different from what you normally hear. She wants to help you splash your personality onto the page, how to write with soul, and how to unlock your wild imagination to do it day in and day out until you're left with a finished piece of writing. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:02 Making small things feel enchanted 00:04:39 How to avoid fake wonder 00:07:22 Elif's writing routine 00:09:13 Writing at night 00:11:11 How heavy metal helps writing 00:18:07 What makes characters feel real 00:19:55 Fixing a story 00:22:15 Writing like children 00:26:09 Which senses matter most 00:32:32 Taking risks after being successful 00:34:12 Soft vs hard writing 00:38:59 Elif's editing process 00:43:27 How poetry influences her writing 00:48:30 What English can't express 00:51:46 Writing as if you're “drunk” 00:55:04 Why freedom comes first 00:57:04 Lessons from favorite writers 01:06:44 Rumi's influence 01:10:22 Spirituality vs religion 01:15:07 How cities shape writers 01:17:11 James Baldwin's influence 01:18:22 Melancholy and humor About the host Hey! I'm David Perell and I'm a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel⁠⁠ Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/david_perell⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicholas Boggs is the New York Times bestselling author of Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of the iconic figure in more than three decades. He is the recipient of a 2023 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and fellowships from the Leon Levy Center for Biography, the Scholars-in-Residence program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Gilder Lehrman Center and Beinecke Library at Yale, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell. Most recently he was the 2024-2025 John Hope Franklin Fellow at the National Humanities Center. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., he received his BA from Yale and his PhD from Columbia, both in English, as well as an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. He now resides in New York City. Nicholas joined Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about his path to writing nonfiction, what moved him to write a biography of James Baldwin, how he went about structuring the book, perseverance versus talent, research, how his background in music influences his writing, surprises in writing the Baldwin biography, writing what you don't know, and more.To learn more about Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You will find hundreds of past interviews on our website. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. If you'd like to contact us, email writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners! (Recorded on December 19, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettHost: Marrie StoneMusic: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Causes, as we know, are notoriously bloodthirsty,' James Baldwin wrote. What does it do to do somebody when they have crossed the boundary into a world of killing and destruction? How do they enforce their code in a place untethered from the one the rest of us inhabit?On Free State today, Joe and Dion follow on from Tuesday's episode on Stakeknife by looking at how rules of organisations like the IRA were enforced. Joe talks about what made his father lose faith in the republican movement. He also accuses Dion of deference to the British Empire which leads Dion to launch a verbal attack on Joe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textAccountability costs more than a press conference, and that's exactly why our politics keeps choosing words over work. We open with the Caribbean boat strikes and map the legal gray zone where overlapping agencies, temporary guidance, and classified memos substitute for clear law. When Congress refuses to define roles and rules of engagement, the executive fills the vacuum, and the public gets euphemisms instead of answers. Action would assign ownership; chatter only spreads the blame.From there, we unpack Amnesty International's harrowing report on detention sites branded with cutesy nicknames that dull the edge of cruelty. Rationed water, perpetual lighting, invasive cameras, solitary confinement, and a two-foot outdoor “box” paint a picture of punishment—not processing. This is how authoritarian systems grow: through emergency measures, no-bid contracts, and a culture that treats rights as perimeter-sensitive. If we normalize this for the powerless, it will not stay at the margins.We then draw a line to the business of conspiracy. Doubt has become identity, fear a product, and insinuation a growth hack. Whether it's panic at scale, tragedy sold as authenticity, or plausible deniability framed as curiosity, the market for suspicion thrives when institutions speak morally but act selectively. People notice when leaders find money for munitions but not insulin, when civilian deaths are “regrettable” abroad and oversight is optional at home. Consistency is the currency of credibility—and we're running a deficit.To anchor the stakes, we revisit James Baldwin's clash with Paul Weiss, where history, power, and personal agency collide. Institutions are evidence, Baldwin reminds us; ideals mean little without structures that honor them. Our case is simple: define maritime authorities in law, end euphemisms that hide state violence, restore constitutional standards in detention, and hold media voices to the risks of being wrong. Coherence, transparency, and courage won't fix everything, but they will close the gap that cynicism floods.If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review with the one reform you think would build the most trust. Your ideas shape what we tackle next. Support the show

The Author Events Series presents Nicholas Boggs | Baldwin: A Love Story In Conversation with Rachel L. Swarns Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of James Baldwin in three decades, reveals how profoundly the writer's personal relationships shaped his life and work. Drawing on newly uncovered archival material and original research and interviews, this spellbinding book tells the overlapping stories of Baldwin's most sustaining intimate and artistic relationships: with his mentor, the Black American painter Beauford Delaney; with his lover and muse, the Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger; and with his collaborators, the famed Turkish actor Engin Cezzar and the iconoclastic French artist Yoran Cazac, whose long-overlooked significance as Baldwin's last great love is explored in these pages for the first time. Nicholas Boggs shows how Baldwin drew on all the complex forces within these relationships-geographical, cultural, political, artistic, and erotic- and alchemized them into novels, essays, and plays that speak truth to power and had an indelible impact on the civil rights movement and on Black and queer literary history. Richly immersive, Baldwin: A Love Story follows the writer's creative journey between Harlem, Paris, Switzerland, the southern United States, Istanbul, Africa, the South of France, and beyond. In so doing, it magnifies our understanding of the public and private lives of one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century, whose contributions only continue to grow in influence. Nicholas Boggs was an undergraduate when he discovered James Baldwin's out-of-print children's book, Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood, in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. After he tracked down its illustrator, the French artist Yoran Cazac, he went on to coedit an acclaimed new edition of the book in 2018. His writing has also been anthologized in The Cambridge Companion to James Baldwin, James Baldwin Now, and Speculative Light: The Arts of Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin. He is the recipient of a 2023 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Leon Levy Center for Biography, the Beinecke Library and Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale, the Schomburg Center Scholars-in-Residence Program, and the National Humanities Center, as well as residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell. He received his BA in English from Yale, his MFA in creative writing from American University, and his PhD in English from Columbia. Born and raised in Washington, DC, he lives in Brooklyn, New York. Rachel L. Swarns is a journalist, author and associate professor of journalism at New York University, who writes about race and history as a contributing writer for The New York Times. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Society of American Historians and her work has been recognized and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, the Leon Levy Center for Biography, the Biographers International Organization and others. Her latest book, The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church, was published by Random House. Because you love Author Events, please make a donation when you register for this event to ensure that this series continues to inspire Philadelphians. Books will be available for purchase at the library on event night! All tickets are non-refundable. (recorded 9/30/2025)

A brief take on James Baldwin's critique of “social protest fiction,” exploring how audiences continue to embrace and adapt works like Uncle Tom's Cabin and Native Son.Script by Nicole DixonRead by Kassandra Timm

Award-winning narrator Ron Butler joins AudioFile's Michele Cobb to tell listeners about narrating Nicholas Boggs' stunning audiobook, BALDWIN, one of our picks for Best Biography & Memoir audiobooks of 2025. This comprehensive biography of James Baldwin—the first in over 30 years—is told through the lens of the great loves of his life, something that has never been explored before. Butler dives into what kind of research went into preparing for the narration, and what kind of tone and “music” he invited into performing the text.  Read AudioFile's review of the audiobook: Published by Macmillan Audio AudioFile's 2025 Best Biography & Memoir Audiobooks are: AWAKE written and read by Jen Hatmaker BALDWIN by Nicholas Boggs, read by Ron Butler BOAT BABY written and read by Vicky Nguyen MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow, read by Jason Culp MEMORIAL DAYS written and read by Geraldine Brooks THE SPINACH KING by John Seabrook, read by Dion Graham Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website . Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s Nose — guest hosted by writer and journalist Lindsay Lee Wallace — looks at: PLUR1BUS is a new post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller series created by Vince Gilligan. Apple TV describes its premise like this: “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol, one of the few people on the planet who weren’t part of the “Joining,” an event that turned most of humanity into a — very polite — hive mind. And: Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 is the new documentary from Raoul Peck. Peck’s 2017 film about James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. GUESTS: Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmballpodcast Mercy Quaye: Founder and president of The Narrative Project Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latino-studies

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

Geographies of Relation: Diasporas and Borderlands in the Americas (U Michigan Press, 2024) offers a new lens for examining diaspora and borderlands texts and performances that considers the inseparability of race, ethnicity, and gender in imagining and enacting social change. Theresa Delgadillo crosses interdisciplinary and canonical borders to investigate the interrelationships of African-descended Latinx and mestizx peoples through an analysis of Latin American, Latinx, and African American literature, film, and performance. Not only does Delgadillo offer a rare extended analysis of Black Latinidades in Chicanx literature and theory, but she also considers over a century's worth of literary, cinematic, and performative texts to support her argument about the significance of these cultural sites and overlaps. Chapters illuminate the significance of Toña La Negra in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, reconsider feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa's work in revising exclusionary Latin American ideologies of mestizaje, delve into the racial and gender frameworks Sandra Cisneros attempts to rewrite, unpack encounters between African Americans and Black Puerto Ricans in texts by James Baldwin and Marta Moreno Vega, explore the African diaspora in colonial and contemporary Peru through Daniel Alarcón's literature and the documentary Soy Andina, and revisit the centrality of Black power in ending colonialism in Cuban narratives. Geographies of Relation demonstrates the long histories of networks and exchanges across the Americas as well as the interrelationships among Indigenous, Black, African American, mestizx, Chicanx, and Latinx peoples. It offers a compelling argument that geographies of relation are as significant as national frameworks in structuring cultural formation and change in this hemisphere. Theresa Delgadillo is a Vilas Distinguished Professor of English and Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is also Director of the Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies Program. She is a founder and editor for the online publication Latinx Talk. Shodona Kettle is a PhD candidate at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. Website here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Small Rain by Garth Greenwell is a haunting story of one man's emotional reckoning. Garth joins us to talk about bewilderment, memory, interiority, James Baldwin, home ownership, intimacy and more with host Miwa Messer.  This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Small Rain by Garth Greenwell Nocturnes for the King of Naples by Edmund White Confessions by Saint Augustine Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin Another Country by James Baldwin  

You Deserve Flowers with Devon Blow In this episode, host Adina Oberman interviews Devon Blow, a dynamic artist and illustrator from Los Angeles who specializes in illustration, design, writing, and social justice advocacy. Devon discusses her debut book "You Deserve Flowers," a pocket-sized collection of affirmations and poetry that originated from a therapy assignment focused on self-affirmation. The conversation explores Devon's creative process, her passion for representing diversity and marginalized communities in her work, and her upcoming projects with Familius, including "Life's Best Bits" and a picture book. Throughout the discussion, Devon emphasizes how her art is deeply connected to social justice work and her desire to bring hope and encouragement to people from all walks of life. Episode Highlights 00:00:10: Adina Oberman introduces the Helping Families Be Happy Podcast and welcomes guest Devon Blow, describing her impressive background as an artist working with major clients like Netflix, Oprah's Book Club, and the United Nations. 00:01:42: Devon thanks Adina for having her on the podcast and the conversation begins. 00:01:44: Adina expresses excitement about discussing Devon's new book and their working relationship. 00:01:59: Devon introduces "You Deserve Flowers" as a pocket-sized book of affirmations and poetry designed to provide encouragement whenever readers need it. 00:02:27: Adina asks Devon to share the inspiration behind the book and her creative process. 00:02:37: Devon reveals the book originated from a therapy assignment where she was asked to write affirmations for herself as if speaking to others, since she found it easier to affirm others than herself. 00:03:26: Adina shares several affirming messages from the book, including "Loving yourself isn't arrogance, it's survival" and discusses the beautiful artwork. 00:04:16: Devon identifies the rain/puddles page as one of her favorites from the book. 00:04:19: Adina highlights Devon's artistic signature of including little hearts on characters' cheeks throughout the book. 00:05:14: Devon explains that people and diversity inspire her creative work, and she finds beauty in everyone's unique features and cultural backgrounds. 00:06:00: Adina asks Devon to elaborate on how her work connects to her passion for social justice. 00:06:18: Devon discusses how community and hope are central to her social justice work, citing influences like James Baldwin and bell Hooks, and emphasizing the importance of embracing differences. 00:07:28: Adina asks Devon to share information about her upcoming projects. 00:07:47: Devon announces her second book with Mamis titled "Life's Best Bits" featuring over 190 illustrations about simple joys, plus a picture book project and a middle-grade fiction book she's currently writing. 00:08:41: Adina expresses excitement about Devon's upcoming work and asks where listeners can find her online. 00:09:00: Devon directs listeners to her website and social media at @DevthePineapple across all platforms. 00:09:12: Adina thanks Devon for joining the podcast. 00:09:14: Adina concludes the episode by thanking Familius for their support and encouraging listeners to subscribe and leave reviews. Key Takeaways Self-affirmation can be challenging even for those who naturally affirm others, and therapeutic exercises like writing affirmations can be transformative creative outlets. Art can serve as a powerful tool for social justice advocacy by representing diverse communities and providing hope during difficult times. Small, accessible formats like pocket-sized books of affirmations can provide encouragement and support in everyday moments. Embracing and celebrating differences in people's backgrounds, cultures, and appearances is essential to moving forward as a society. Creative work that centers love, community, and inclusivity can have meaningful impact beyond aesthetic value. Finding inspiration in the beauty of everyday people and their unique features can fuel authentic and representative artistic expression. Quotable Moments "Loving yourself isn't arrogance, it's survival" - From Devon's book "You Deserve Flowers" "This rain won't stop you. The puddles remind you, you survived" - From Devon's book "You Deserve Flowers." "Trust your feelings, but don't forget to let the joy in" - From Devon's book "You Deserve Flowers." "I think if we can inspire each other and just be kind to one another, which sounds really cliche, but it's true" - Devon Blow on her approach to social justice work. "I think embracing all of our differences is what will push us forward" - Devon Blow on diversity and community. "I love affirming others, but I struggle with affirming myself" - Devon Blow on the origins of her book. "I think all of our unique features and things makes us really beautiful" - Devon Blow on her artistic inspiration.

Send us a textIn this mini Thanksgiving episode, I investigate what James Baldwin and the other James Baldwin have to say about the holiday. More information is at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return next week (December 1, 2025).

What does it feel like to be a young, urban, Jewish post-war migrant woman who grabs a camera and walks into the Australian desert, only to emerge 50 years later with an intimate archive of a civil rights movement? In this very special episode, Yves and Clare are joined by legendary octogenarian photographer Juno Gemes to discuss her lifelong pursuit of creativity, community, independence and social justice. hy did Juno follow in the footsteps of Richard Avendon and not James Baldwin? What role does photography play in the political and artistic pursuit of truth-telling? Can landscape be a portrait? And why is living in an archive both a privilege and a responsibility?

James Baldwin, el fuego del amor y la rabia Fue la conciencia de América y el profeta marica que el siglo XX necesitaba. En este episodio de Grandes Maricas de la Historia, nos adentramos en el alma en llamas de James Baldwin, el escritor que convirtió el dolor de ser negro y homosexual en una de las obras más incendiarias de la historia. Junto a Otto y Rata, viajamos desde las iglesias de Harlem, donde un joven Baldwin predicaba a un dios que no lo aceptaba, hasta los callejones de París, donde encontró la libertad para amar y escribir sin tapujos. Analizamos cómo navegó la doble condena del racismo y la homofobia, siendo a menudo rechazado tanto por el establishment blanco como por los movimientos de liberación negros que temían su sexualidad. Exploramos sus amores turbulentos, como el que inspiró la mítica novela El cuarto de Giovanni, y su radical negativa a ser encasillado en etiquetas como "gay", defendiendo que el amor es un campo de batalla demasiado vasto para cualquier definición. Este es el retrato de un testigo que se atrevió a decir que amar es peligroso, pero no amar es morir. Un episodio que reivindica a Baldwin como un pensador indispensable para entender que toda lucha por la libertad, o es para todos los cuerpos, o es una estafa. Y las músicas, como siempre, aquí: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6cydy7x5WAEUky4zJ2EixK?si=e14a82ab83854789

The father and mother of our country is Harriet Tubman. The teacher of our country is Edward Said and his neighbor Frida Kahlo and her neighbor James Baldwin. The father and mother of our country is the Earth and they were deported by agents of the monoculture, helplessly misguided men in masks who tear us apart. The father and mother of our country immediately begin healing the children ziptied in the hallways…. the ancestors rush in to guard us against plastic pixel nightmares. We remember that the Earth is our government, our culture, our economy…. Suddenly, we know power. Image is of Savitri D, of News from the Natural World, after howling at fossil bankers

James Baldwin's recent centennial birthday allowed us to discuss one of his most celebrated novels, Giovanni's Room. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker are joined by NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour's Glen Weldon, examining the story of three lovers, chasing connection, love, and acceptance in 1950s Paris. Special guest Garth Greenwell also drops by to share how Giovanni's Room made an impact on his work. Glen's Recommendation: ‘Florenzer' by Phil MelansonParker's Recommendation: ‘The Stranger' by Albert CamusAndrew's Recommendation: ‘The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest HemingwayTo listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Nicholas Boggs's “Baldwin: A Love Story,” is many things at once. It's a comprehensive biography of James Baldwin. It's a nimble excavation of Baldwin's work, filled with astute literary analysis of his books and prose. And, most pressingly, it's an argument for a new critical framework to understand Baldwin through the lens of love. The biography is structured around Baldwin's relationships with a series of men — relationships that, as Boggs outlines, shaped Baldwin's life and writing in crucial ways. Boggs joins MJ Franklin on this week's episode to talk about his new book.Other works mentioned in this discussion:Zadie Smith's essay “Conscience and Consciousness: A Craft Talk for the People and the Person,” from her new collection “Dead and Alive”“James Baldwin: A Biography,” by David Leeming“Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood,” by James Baldwin, illustrated by Yoran Cazac, edited by Nicholas Boggs and Jennifer DeVere Brody“Goodbye Days,” by Jeff Zentner“Virginia Woolf,” by Hermione Lee Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

In this exciting new episode of BG Ideas, we sit down with Dr. Clayton Rosati, Associate Professor of Media Studies at Bowling Green State University and Claire Cromly, an undergraduate student who took Dr. Rosati's course about media, place, and power through the works of James Baldwin. During this conversation, our guests navigate the construction of social environments, the values within them, and the importance of illuminating minority voices and experiences in the dominant narrative. Listen as they discuss their respective experiences of teaching and learning. For Claire, reading Baldwin in the classroom has encouraged her to think critically and to reframe the way she understands the world in which she lives. For Dr. Rosati, Baldwin is an avenue through which he can illustrate the racialization of spaces, using his work to act as a liaison that showcases the interconnectedness of spaces we don't generally think of as related. His goal is to empower minority voices and experiences in America through the amplification of them in classroom spaces and larger scholarly discussion. A transcript for this episode can be found here.

In this  episode of Dead Talk, the group connects with the spirits of Jeanne la Pucelle — Joan of Arc —and James Baldwin, two luminous souls who lived centuries apart yet carried the same divine paradox: Freedom is won through rebellion in grace. It's the loving rebellion of our own beliefs. True rebellion is not the fight against darkness, but the refusal to surrender our light to it. Baldwin calls forgiveness “the highest rebellion,” the act that ends the war within, while Joan reminds us that obedience to love, not fear, is what ignites genuine freedom. Together, they explore what it means to embody “rebellion as grace”: to live truthfully without the need for approval, to forgive as an act of liberation, and to follow divine guidance even when it defies expectation. They remind us that the voices of spirit never command — they reveal love — and that today's revolution is one of compassion, patience, and the courage to live our truth aloud. “You are not being called to die for your truth,” Joan says. “You are being asked to live it.” Schedule a call to learn about The Freedom Project - Click here To book a 55-minute Connect Call with Gary, click here    

Tickets are available for our 2026 upcoming dates in LA, Philly, Brooklyn, Austin, and more at www.drunkblackhistory.com! Hope to see ya'll on the road! On this month's episode, Brandon meets with "A Black Man Reading" founder Dr. Jerid P. Woods to discuss the life and legacy of James Baldwin. They break down some of the central themes in his work, helping communities grow through education, and why Baldwin's work continues to resonate with audiences. DBH Links:- https://www.instagram.com/officialdrunkblackhistory- https://www.drunkblackhistory.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/@drunkblackhistory- https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/16706941-dbh-logoGuest:Dr. Jerid P. WoodsA Black Man Reading Hosts:Brandon Collins"Drunk Black History" was recorded at Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans. Shout-out to their amazing staff and great coffee! "Drunk Black History" is a production of Casa de Collins LLC. 

The scholar Nicholas Boggs has a new perspective on James Baldwin. The new biography Baldwin: A Love Story considers how the writer and Civil Rights leader's lovers might've shaped him. In today's conversation with NPR's Michel Martin, Boggs argues Baldwin provided a dynamic model for how we relate to other people – both in platonic and romantic relationships.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile contributor Kendra Winchester to Behind the Mic this week to discuss one memoir and two biographies which center three different writing lives: A deaf, mixed-race writer finding his voice in THE QUIET EAR by Raymond Antrobus, read by the author; a cultural biography of Octavia Butler, the groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy writer in POSITIVE OBSESSION by Susana M. Morris, read by Karen Murray; and an expansive biography of James Baldwin told through the lens of friendship and love in BALDWIN by Nicholas Boggs, read by Ron Butler. Read our reviews of the audiobooks at our website:  THE QUIET EAR: Published by Random House Audio POSITIVE OBSESSION: Published by Harper Audio BALDWIN: Published by Macmillan Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, the publisher of The Intruder by bestselling author Freida McFadden. The Intruder is a deadly tale of survival that explores how far one girl will go to save herself. — on-sale 10/7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices