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Langston Hughes, the great African American poet, said decades ago, “Fascism is a new name for that kind of terror the Negro has always faced in America.” Fascism can and has led to genocide. Progressive African American intellectuals, writers, poets, and musicians have had a long tradition and history of solidarity and resisting fascism and genocide, from Frederick Douglass to Gil Scott-Heron, from Sojourner Truth to Angela Davis, from W.E.B. Du Bois to John Lewis, from Paul Robeson to Amiri Baraka, from Ida B. Wells to Malcolm X, from Ella Baker to Dr. King, from Harry Belafonte to Sonny Rollins, from James Baldwin to Cornel West and up to the present moment where Robin D. G. Kelley warns “We're witnessing the consolidation of a fascist police state.” Recorded at the University of Massachusetts.
Guests: Kevin Portteus, Daniel J. Mahoney, & Brent Cline Host Scot Bertram talks with Kevin Portteus, professor of politics and director of American Studies at Hillsdale College, about how the American Founders viewed the question of birthright citizenship and a recent essay he wrote on the subject. Daniel J. Mahoney, senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and senior writer at Law & Liberty, discusses his recent book The Persistence of the Ideological Lie: The Totalitarian Impulse Then and Now. And Brent Cline, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a short series on the Harlem Renaissance. This week, the life and work of poets Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Here's a knotty poem about virtue, life, and star-dust by Langston Hughes that I've turned into a song. The Parlando Project takes words (mostly literary poetry) and combines them with original music in differing styles. We've done over 800 of these combinations and you can hear any of them at our blog and archives at frankhudson.org
DONNA TRINKOFF – Artistic Producer - of Amas Musical Theatre, a non-profit performing arts organization in New York City devoted the creation, development and production of new musicals and to the training and encouragement of inner-city young people. Since 1994, Donna has produced the original musicals Broadway and the Bard, starring Len Cariou, Red Eye of Love, The Other Josh Cohen, Triassic Parq! Wanda's World, Shout! The Mod Musical, Lone Star Love, Magpie, Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Story, Zanna, Don't!, Latin Heat, From My Hometown, Langston Hughes' Little Ham, 4 Guys Named José, Rollin' on the T.O.B.A., among others, and she has presented over 90 original musicals in the Amas Musical Theatre Lab. As Starry Night Productions, Donna presented the Off-Broadway premiere of SILENCE! The Musical (Christopher Gattelli, Hunter Bell, Jon & Al Kaplan), the unauthorized parody of the iconic film “The Silence of the Lambs” to critical acclaim, sold-out houses and a two-year run. SILENCE! won the Off Broadway Alliance Award and the Obie Award for Best Musical and was named as one of the 'Top 10 Plays of the Year' by TIME Magazine. The original cast album has been released on Sh-K-Boom Records. Donna was an associate artistic director at the Cabaret and Performance Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Center in CT and worked with Aruba Productions on new and upcoming musicals. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from SUNY Binghamton, is a graduate of the National Theatre Institute, and she received a Certificate of Merit from the Drama Studio in London. Donna is a member of the League for Professional Theatre Women. She is a recipient of the New York Municipal Art Society Award of Merit and the Galaxy Award from the NY Women's Association. Amas Musical Theatre is a non-profit, multi-ethnic theatrical organization founded in 1968 by Ms. Rosetta LeNoire. Amas (“you love” in Latin) is devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals, the celebration of cultural equity and minority perspectives, the emergence of new artistic talent, and the training and encouragement of underserved young people. Amas celebrates its impact in pioneering multi-ethnic casting in the American Theatre and reiterates its commitment to this reflection of our diverse society.Amas Musical Theatre commits its work to: Contributing to the vitality of the American Musical Theatre - a unique American esthetic expression -- through the creation, development and professional production of original musicals.Bringing creative, musical theatre to the American education system, and enhancing the experience of students.Encouraging tolerance and civility among people of our diverse society by bringing them together through the art of musical theatre.Audiences are built by bringing both children and other community members into Amas with free performances and free ticket programs. Amas actively combines artists and audience members from every possible racial, ethnic and religious background, bringing them together to work and learn from each other.For 50 years, Amas has engraved its unique trademark on the world of musical theatre. We produce quality musical theatre presenting different cultural viewpoints, while reaching out to underserved audiences. Amas attracts actors and artists of distinction and reputation, while offering opportunities for new talent to learn and develop.
The great Afro-American poet Langston Hughes was a pioneer in Jazz Poetry, so it is appropriate that managed to finish this piece for International Jazz Day and the last day of National Poetry Month: a performance of a short poem of his about Jazz, "Cabaret." The Parlando Project combines various words (mostly literary poetry) with original music in differing styles. We've done over 800 of these combinations, and you can hear any of them at our blog and archives located at frankhudson.org
From "Bloody Sunday" to Modern Activism: Civil Rights Leaders Reflect on LegacyThis show is made possible thanks our members! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support!Description: 60 years ago in Selma, Alabama, state troopers beat peaceful protesters bloody on the Edmund Pettus Bridge as they marched for civil rights. The horror of “Bloody Sunday” and the resilience of the Civil Rights Movement ultimately led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and many of the landmark achievements that are now directly under attack. As civil rights activists look to history to understand — and prepare for — the present, Laura walks the Bridge and talks with, among others, Sheyann Webb Christburg, who marched at the age of eight, Black Voters Matter co-founders LaTosha Brown and Clifford Albright; law professor and author Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw and Maya Wiley, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. What does people power look like today? Plus, a commentary from Laura on name calling then and now.“We're not going to phone bank our way out of this. We're not going to text our way out of this. And in truth, we're not even going to vote our way out of this . . . It's going to take revisiting some of the same strategies that we saw here in Selma, in terms of nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action.” - Clifford Albright“When we see and hear and think about fascism, we think about anti-democratic movements in Europe. We think about the Holocaust . . . But for Black people, as Langston Hughes said, you don't have to explain to us what fascism is. We experienced it. That is what we were fighting, for the 60, 70 years after Reconstruction was overthrown.” - Kimberlé CrenshawGuests:• Clifford Albright: Co-Founder & Executive Director, Black Voters Matter• Willard and Kiba Armstead: Veteran & Spouse• Trayvon Bossa: Sigma Chapter Member, Miles College Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity• LaTosha Brown: Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter• Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw: Co-Founder & Executive Director, African American Policy Forum; Host of the Intersectionality Matters! Podcast• Noelle Damico: Director of Social Justice, The Workers Circle• Melinda Hicks: Military Family• Jaribu Hill: Executive Director & Founder, Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights• Myla Person: Jack and Jill Club, Columbus, Georgia• Ann Toback: CEO, The Workers Circle• Sheyann Webb-Christburg: Youngest Participant,1965 Bloody Sunday March• Maya Wiley: President & CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Subscribe to episode notes via Patreon Music Credit: "Tremole" "Jagged" "Thrum of Soil" & "Dawn Summit" by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Empty Outpost. "Steppin" by Podington Bear. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper.Podcast Endorsement: Intersectionality Matters! Podcast Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:• Rep. John Lewis on Making Justice from Selma to the Present, Watch• Kimberlé Crenshaw & Soledad O'Brien Call Out the Media on Critical Race Theory, Watch / Listen / Download Podcast• Reporting on Policing at the Polls & BIPOC Voter Suppression in 2024, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode• Deciding the Fate of Democracy in North Carolina, Watch / Download Podcast • The Georgia Way: Strategies that Work for Winning Elections, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode Related Articles and Resources:• Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday' Marks Continued Fight for Voting Rights, by Temi Adeoye, March 24, 2025, ACLU• U.S. Civil Rights Trail, Learn More• United State of Amnesia, The Real History of Critical Race Theory, Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw Podcast Mini Series• Documentary Trailer: “Love, Joy, and Power: Tools for Liberation” follows Cliff Albright and LaTosha Brown as they reshape American democracy. As founders of Black Voters Matter Fund, they didn't just flip Georgia in 2020 - they sparked a movement that's still growing. April 8, 2025, Watch Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O'Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
The episode features a compelling conversation with Victoria Christopher Murray, an accomplished author, who discusses her latest work, 'Harlem Rhapsody'. The narrative centers around the life of Jessie Redmond Fawcett, a pivotal figure of the Harlem Renaissance whose contributions have been largely overshadowed. Victoria reveals the profound importance of Fawcett's legacy and how her mentorship influenced renowned writers such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Through an exploration of Fawcett's life, Victoria illuminates the complexities of race, gender, and literary identity during a transformative period in American history. The discussion delves into the challenges faced by black writers in a racially stratified society, as well as the enduring relevance of their struggles today. As Victoria reflects on her writing process and the historical research behind her novel, she underscores the necessity of reclaiming untold stories to ensure that the contributions of black women are recognized and celebrated in literature.
Dreams by Langston Hughes
“When we see and hear and think about fascism, we think about anti-democratic movements in Europe. We think about the Holocaust . . . But for Black people, as Langston Hughes said, you don't have to explain to us what fascism is. We experienced it. That is what we were fighting, for the 60, 70 years after Reconstruction was overthrown.” - Kimberlé CrenshawThis show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support!Description: The following podcast features full uncut conversations with Law Professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and leading scholar of critical race theory. She's the Co-Founder of African American Policy Forum and the host of the podcast Intersectionality Matters! that includes the series “United States of Amnesia, the real history of critical race theory. Also, you'll hear the uncut conversation with Clifford Albright, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, one of the most significant organizations working for voters rights in the U.S.. Clips from both interviews are featured in our special report from Selma, Alabama where Americans marked the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches amidst a hail of executive orders by Trump reversing many of the gains of the Civil Rights movement and banning anti-discrimination measures and even the teaching of Civil Rights history. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters.Guests:• Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw: Co-Founder & Executive Director, African American Policy Forum; Host of the "Intersectionality Matters!" Podcast.• Clifford Albright: Co-Founder & Executive Director, Black Voters Matter Watch the special report released on YouTube April 11th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel April 13th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings) and airing on community radio & available as a podcast April 16th.Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. RESOURCES:Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:• Rep. John Lewis on Making Justice from Selma to the Present, Watch• Kimberlé Crenshaw & Soledad O'Brien Call Out the Media on Critical Race Theory, Watch / Listen / Download Podcast• Reporting on Policing at the Polls & BIPOC Voter Suppression in 2024, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode• Deciding the Fate of Democracy in North Carolina, Watch / Download Podcast • The Georgia Way: Strategies that Work for Winning Elections, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and EpisodeRelated Articles and Resources:• Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday' Marks Continued Fight for Voting Rights, by Temi Adeoye, March 24, 2025, ACLU• U.S. Civil Rights Trail, Learn More Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O'Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel
April 5, 2025 - "Dreams" by Langston Hughes, read by Lena Frey-Pettibone by The Desmond-Fish Public Library & The Highlands Current, hosted by Ryan Biracree
In March of 1924, more than 100 Black and white attendees were at a dinner party in downtown Manhattan. The party was organized by prominent thinkers Charles S. Johnson and Alain Locke and included people like W.E.B. DuBois. Their goal was to bring together Harlem’s young Black writers with white publishers to help the writers’ work find a national audience. The party was a success. So much so that it’s often considered the start of the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance saw a boom in the popularity of Black writers, just as the party’s organizers hoped. Writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston might get the most attention, but the period was not just about writing— music and visual arts also flourished. This hour, we’re listening back to our episode exploring the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. UConn professor Erika Williams joins us to explain what the Harlem Renaissance was and to help us understand how people thought about queerness during the Harlem Renaissance. We’ll also hear from Denise Murrell who curated a recent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism." She says exhibits like this one can help expand the museum-going public. GUESTS: Erika Williams: Associate Professor of English and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut. Denise Murrell: Merryl H. & James S. Tisch Curator at Large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She recently curated an exhibit called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism," which was on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2024. Brandon Hutchinson: Associate Professor of English, Affiliate Faculty of Women and Gender Studies and Co-Coordinator of the Africana Studies Program at Southern Connecticut State University. Jonah Craggett: one of Brandon Hutchinson's former students John Guillemette: one of Brandon Hutchinson's former students Frankie Devevo: one of Erika Williams' former students and former CT Public intern To learn more about Zora Neale Hurston, you can listen to our interview with Tracy Heather Strain. This episode originally aired on December 20, 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
(S4 Ep 17) Nina Simone- Sings the Blues (RCA)Released 1967, Recorded December 19-January 5, 1967Nina Simone Sings the Blues is a powerful, emotionally raw album that marked a significant shift in Nina Simone's career. Her first release with RCA Victor showcases her deep connection to the blues tradition, drawing influence from legends like Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. With tracks like "Do I Move You?" and "Backlash Blues," inspired by Langston Hughes, Simone's music captures the racial tensions and personal struggles of the 1960s. Although it didn't chart highly, the album's authenticity and emotional depth solidified her place as one of America's greatest musical voices. The album blends jazz, blues, gospel, and soul, with Simone's poignant piano work and powerful vocals leading the way. Tracks like "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" and "Real Real” showcase her mastery of the genre and her unapologetic, bold musical style, influencing future artists like Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill.Signature Tracks: "My Man's Gone Now," "Backlash Blue," "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl." Full Albums YouTube Spotify Playlists YouTube Spotify
Our Ancestors Were Messy, is a show about the ancestors and all their drama. On each episode, host Nichole Hill and her guests unpack the ancestors' historical schemes, feuds, and quests to examine how their relationships with one another shaped who we are today. Before the 1960s nearly every major city in the nation had a newspaper written for, by, and about Black Americans. During their “Golden Era” between the 1930s-50s, there were over ten thousand newspapers with an estimated subscriber count of over 1 million. The editors, reporters, and columnists for these papers included legends like Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, and James Weldon Johnson. They reported on local, national, and international news from the Black perspective. They also kept track of what everyone was up to in their segregated neighborhoods and spoiler alert: there was never a dull moment! *** Listen to Our Ancestors Were Messy: https://thesecretadventuresofblackpeople.com/our-ancestors-were-messy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Most people in North America have probably at least heard the name W. E. B. Dubois. In the early twentieth century, DuBois—the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard—published and spoke extensively about his vision of equality through education. In particular, he edited The Crisis, the monthly magazine of the NAACP, while also writing such classics as The Souls of Black Folk. But if Dubois is well known, the same cannot be said these days of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the central character of Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody (Berkley, 2025). In her day, Fauset—who held a degree from Cornell as well as a master's from Penn and a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris—worked as the literary editor of The Crisis and its associated children's magazine, The Brownies Book, while writing the first of what would become four acclaimed novels. She fostered such stars of the Harlem Renaissance as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Nella Larsen, and Zora Neale Hurston. She was also romantically involved with W. E. B. Dubois, a reality that Murray uses to humanize a heroine who is in every other respect truly remarkable. Her story pulled me in and kept me reading to the very last page. Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies, both historical fiction co-written with Marie Benedict. Harlem Rhapsody is her most recent book. C. P. Lesley is the author of two historical fiction series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible and four other novels. Her next book, Song of the Steadfast, is due in 2025. 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
This week Niko and Tatiana return to the Harlem Renaissance and discuss Langston Hughes's short story "Passing" from the collection The Ways of White Folks. They discuss identity, economic freedom, patronage, and the Kendrick-Drake feud.
In Section 3, I discuss some of the prominent movements and themes occurring in between two World Wars, particularly the Great Migration characterized by the movement of millions of blacks from the rural agricultural south to the urban industrial north as well as highlighting some important proponents of the Harlem Renaissance like Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes (the Shakespeare of Harlem), Paul Laurence Dunbar (who inspired the movement after passing away in 1906) and others. The Harlem Renaissance influenced the Great Migration just as the Great Migration influenced the Harlem Renaissance. Not only was there a growth in a black intelligentsia or bourgeoisie, there also was an increase in the black urban worker described in past podcasts. Denied not only political protections and equality but also entry into certain occupations, housing, credit, and capital, there would be immense organization for rights. The Declaration of Rights of the UNIA, established in Harlem, would be spearheaded by perhaps the greatest black organizer in American history Marcus Garvey, who sought not only economic advancement for blacks, but support and self help through his organization for African Americans and the black diaspora around the world. Garvey, heavily influenced by Booker T. Washington yet being way more expansive in his demands for education and political opportunity, would be skeptical of the NAACP and W.E.B Du Bois limited political actualization. However, some community organizers would take it a step further than Garvey, demanding not only a radical redistribution of wealth but world revolution. In part 2 of the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War 1915-1954, we will see an increased proclivity, prevalence, and sympathy towards communist ideology, influenced by the 1917 Russian Revolution. Not only would blacks recognize race exploitation as tied to wider class exploitation, but in doing so they would seek solidarity with other working class whites in the fight against what Cyril V. Briggs would term "Private Capitalism."Is such an ideology conducive to accommodating a liberal integrationist perspective of the future Civil Rights movement? In some ways yes and in some ways no. Without a doubt, this period saw not only a bursting of literary creativity and a fundamental critique of white oppression and caste democracy, it would also provide the seeds for marxist theories advocated by future leaders and intellectuals like Fred Hampton, Dr. Angela Davis, and Dr. Cornell West. The failures of the economic system, as evidenced by the Great Depression, only heightened a sentiment towards more radical and alternative economic perspectives. Is the problem corruption, capitalism, or political inequality? This would be a question that many people of this period from 1915-1954 would engage with as American after the Great Depression and World War II would enter an era of immense prosperity. However, within two decades it would be short lived.Next video and podcast coming out Friday February 21:Section 3- From Plantation to Ghetto: The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War, 1915-1954 Part 2 of 2Monday February 24 will come out:Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 1 of 2Tuesday February 25 will come out:Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 2 of 2Friday February 28 will come out (either in 1 or 2 parts):Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-American Thought, 1975 to the Present
Most people in North America have probably at least heard the name W. E. B. Dubois. In the early twentieth century, DuBois—the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard—published and spoke extensively about his vision of equality through education. In particular, he edited The Crisis, the monthly magazine of the NAACP, while also writing such classics as The Souls of Black Folk. But if Dubois is well known, the same cannot be said these days of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the central character of Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody (Berkley, 2025). In her day, Fauset—who held a degree from Cornell as well as a master's from Penn and a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris—worked as the literary editor of The Crisis and its associated children's magazine, The Brownies Book, while writing the first of what would become four acclaimed novels. She fostered such stars of the Harlem Renaissance as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Nella Larsen, and Zora Neale Hurston. She was also romantically involved with W. E. B. Dubois, a reality that Murray uses to humanize a heroine who is in every other respect truly remarkable. Her story pulled me in and kept me reading to the very last page. Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies, both historical fiction co-written with Marie Benedict. Harlem Rhapsody is her most recent book. C. P. Lesley is the author of two historical fiction series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible and four other novels. Her next book, Song of the Steadfast, is due in 2025. 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
Most people in North America have probably at least heard the name W. E. B. Dubois. In the early twentieth century, DuBois—the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard—published and spoke extensively about his vision of equality through education. In particular, he edited The Crisis, the monthly magazine of the NAACP, while also writing such classics as The Souls of Black Folk. But if Dubois is well known, the same cannot be said these days of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the central character of Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody (Berkley, 2025). In her day, Fauset—who held a degree from Cornell as well as a master's from Penn and a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris—worked as the literary editor of The Crisis and its associated children's magazine, The Brownies Book, while writing the first of what would become four acclaimed novels. She fostered such stars of the Harlem Renaissance as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Nella Larsen, and Zora Neale Hurston. She was also romantically involved with W. E. B. Dubois, a reality that Murray uses to humanize a heroine who is in every other respect truly remarkable. Her story pulled me in and kept me reading to the very last page. Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies, both historical fiction co-written with Marie Benedict. Harlem Rhapsody is her most recent book. C. P. Lesley is the author of two historical fiction series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible and four other novels. Her next book, Song of the Steadfast, is due in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
Most people in North America have probably at least heard the name W. E. B. Dubois. In the early twentieth century, DuBois—the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard—published and spoke extensively about his vision of equality through education. In particular, he edited The Crisis, the monthly magazine of the NAACP, while also writing such classics as The Souls of Black Folk. But if Dubois is well known, the same cannot be said these days of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the central character of Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody (Berkley, 2025). In her day, Fauset—who held a degree from Cornell as well as a master's from Penn and a certificate from the Sorbonne in Paris—worked as the literary editor of The Crisis and its associated children's magazine, The Brownies Book, while writing the first of what would become four acclaimed novels. She fostered such stars of the Harlem Renaissance as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Nella Larsen, and Zora Neale Hurston. She was also romantically involved with W. E. B. Dubois, a reality that Murray uses to humanize a heroine who is in every other respect truly remarkable. Her story pulled me in and kept me reading to the very last page. Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies, both historical fiction co-written with Marie Benedict. Harlem Rhapsody is her most recent book. C. P. Lesley is the author of two historical fiction series set during the childhood of Ivan the Terrible and four other novels. Her next book, Song of the Steadfast, is due in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/historical-fiction
The blues is more than just music—it's history, it's storytelling, and it's the soul of Black American life. In this compelling live broadcast, we explore Writing the Blues—the ways Black authors, poets, and filmmakers have infused their works with the rhythm, pain, resilience, and triumph of the blues.From Langston Hughes' poetic blues verses to Alice Walker's deeply emotional narratives, from August Wilson's stage masterpieces to period-piece films that use the blues as a backdrop, this discussion uncovers how Black storytelling in literature and cinema keeps the essence of the blues alive.Join us as we break down the themes of struggle, survival, love, and liberation found in both historical and contemporary works. We'll examine films like The Color Purple, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Ray, and Down in the Delta, alongside the written works of W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, and more.How does the blues shape Black narratives? How do these stories continue to evolve while honoring the legacy of the blues? Let's dive into these questions together in an insightful, thought-provoking, and culturally rich discussion.
Mary Stone discusses early spring garden tasks, such as rejuvenating plants and removing dead wood. She describes the process of rejuvenating shrubs and the protocols for pruning lavender and concludes with wisdom gained from the rhythms of nature. Spring is a perfect time to clean our homes, gardens, and gardens of life, including improving our collective outlook, as reflected in Langston Hughes' poem, The Dream Keeper. Thanks for tuning in!Related Podcasts you'll enjoy:Ep 26. Folklore of Hope - Planting Following NatureEp 173. Oakleaf Hydrangea for All SeasonsEp 196. Encouraging Indoor Spring Blooms of Hope8888I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.You can Follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast PageThank you for sharing the Garden of Life,Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer AskMaryStone.comMore about the Podcast and Column: Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about. Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.comDirect Link to Podcast Page
On this day in 1959, “A Raisin in the Sun” debuted on Broadway, making history as the first play produced by a Black woman, Lorraine Hansberry. Starring Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil, the play was inspired by Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem ('A Dream Deferred')" and depicted a struggling Black family in Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood. Originally titled “The Crystal Stair,” it was Hansberry's first play after leaving her writing job. Despite being a debut work, it ran for 530 performances and was widely acclaimed. Hansberry became the first Black playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics' Circle Award, cementing her legacy as a groundbreaking voice in American theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
DateMarch 9, 2025SynopsisIn this sermon, we kick off our Lenten series "Glitch" by confronting our impulse to possess rather than receive. When we move from "wow" to "mine," we reveal the twin sins of greed and gluttony—not moral failures to be ashamed of, but glitches in our connection to God and others. Through Jesus's loving encounter with the rich young man, we discover how our grasping hands reflect a deeper grief about our limitations, and how true liberation comes when we unclench our fists. What if the path to resurrection begins with honest recognition of what's "eating at the rind" of our souls?ReferencesScripture: Mark 10:17–22About The Local ChurchFor more information about The Local Church, visit our website. Feedback? Questions? Comments? We'd love to hear it. Email Brent at brent@thelocalchurchpbo.org.To invest in what God's doing through The Local Church and help support these podcasting efforts and this movement of God's love, give online here.
A while back, Victoria Christopher Murray set out on a mission to learn about the women of the Harlem Renaissance. But in her research, she mostly found stories about men – until she came across Jessie Redmon Fauset. Fauset, whom Langston Hughes called "the midwife of the Harlem Renaissance," was a writer who eventually became literary editor at The Crisis, the NAACP's magazine. Her life serves as inspiration for Murray's new historical fiction novel Harlem Rhapsody. In today's episode, Murray speaks with NPR's Pien Huang about the historical impact of Fauset's romantic relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois and Murray's decision to include the affair in the book.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
Professor Karen Weingarten joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about a new anthology she has edited, Abortion Stories: American Literature Before Roe v. Wade. Weingarten reflects on the complicated history of abortion, the varied use of abortifacients, abortion's ties to eugenics and state control of bodies, and the rise of the anti-abortion movement. She discusses how access to abortion facilitates other kinds of resistance, and explains how the book came to include authors like Maria Sybilla Merian, Langston Hughes, Dorothy Parker, Lucille Clifton, and Eugene O'Neill alongside oral histories from formerly enslaved persons and groundbreaking politicians like Shirley Chisholm. She talks about the stories she hopes to see represented in post-Dobbs writing and reads from her foreword to the anthology. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/. This podcast is produced by Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan. Selected Readings: Karen Weingarten Abortion Stories: American Literature Before Roe v. Wade Pregnancy Test Abortion in the American Imagination: Before Life and Choice, 1880-1940 Others Dirty Dancing Fast Times at Ridgemont High The Cider House Rules The Mothers The Art of Subtext Jessica Valenti Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win Peyton Place Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway (which includes “Hills Like White Elephants” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today's poem plays nicely against Hughes' more famous meditation on “dreams” (the deferred kind, in “Harlem”). Rather than emphasizing the danger of a dream under pressure, here he stresses the importance of a dream to men and women under pressure. Happy reading. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe
When Vivian Harsh became a Chicago librarian, she began what was called at the time the “Special Negro Collection” – an archive housing Black history and literature. Harsh knew writers like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston personally. Their work is also housed in the Vivian Harsh Research Collection, at Chicago's Woodson Regional Library. Reset chats with the unit head of the collection, Raquel Flores-Clemons, to learn about Harsh's life and legacy. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
This episode begins with Pärt's “Hymn to a Great City.” (That would be New York.) Elsewhere, there are songs, setting Langston Hughes and Mark Van Doren. Oscar Peterson plays a pop song, adding various musical ingredients. Finally, there is a tribute to Edith Mathis, the Swiss soprano, who has died at eighty-seven. Much to listen to, and maybe even think about. Pärt, “Hymn to a Great City” Wheeler, “If I Had a Wife” Tchaikovsky/Wild, Pas de quatre (“Dance of the Cygnets”) from “Swan Lake” Bonds, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” Prokofiev, Sonata for Solo Violin Modugno, “Volare” Wood & Mellin, “My One and Only Love” Bach, “Alleluja” from “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen”
Power of Reading Week S8 | "A Dream Deferred" BY Langston Hughes | Season 8 2024-2025 Tune in another Power of Reading Week! Yay! Host, Nichel Anderson returns this week featuring the poem by Langston Hughes "Dream Differed" aka "Harlem", where during the month of February celebrating the power of reading. What are your favorite books? Ms. Anderson returns reading of the many talented writers, poets of the last century Langston Hughes that joined Dr. W.E.B. DuBois extraordinary concept of the Harlem Renaissance in literature and music, as well as, art. In which produced some of Mr. Hughes greatest work for generations. In this episode, Ms. Anderson reads the poem and provides an analysis of the poem thereafter. Song music in background; "Kingship" by Nichel MOLIAE aka Nichel Anderson with featured Rapper "Chris Jenkins" | IG @chrisjenkinstvg Listen, Download this song and share it here; Support Nichel's M-Film Dream; -------- SHOP ON OFFICIAL WEBSITE; Purchase the Remix of Nichel's songs of her forthcoming song only here; You Know Me | SONG Remix; https://moliae.com/song or the catalog of songs here; https://moliae.com/shop SHOP MOLIAE HOODI'S, Tshirts; https://moliae.com/product/wings-of-atlantis-moliae-hoodi/ ====== --- ***Apple Music My Song Links: You Know Me: https://music.lnk.to/yVTBWP Don't You Remember The Times https://music.lnk.to/mXk8Xf Atlantans https://music.lnk.to/Fgg572 Kingship https://music.lnk.to/XORSTW When love was divine --- Stream Spotify Nichel's songs: Kingship https://open.spotify.com/track/6PqzW6hkAkx0dHUMabj6pN?si=dc3e0b2c990f441b -- You Know Me https://open.spotify.com/album/4gd09XfrS5KFby3JbAjDxC?si=Jq-RRza7QrWDdY_aZ_53NQ -- Atlantans https://open.spotify.com/album/1V2DjkvDteCb9UFwr0m6OC?si=AMNciL30SKyOz1agxoE7oA -- We Are Atlantans https://open.spotify.com/album/3ecYQyZ2INxYcTQ1yEUd9l?si=DzGSldhjRSS-ySjz_haVDA --- When Love Was Divine https://open.spotify.com/track/6ta4GKvwYSBfffeZ2NHhaO?si=2cf54113cc434d6e ---- ---- Get the NFTs Support the M-Film Project | Pyramids Mystery Temple Reunion (PMTR) MOLIAEWorld.com Mint.MOLIAEWorld.com ---- Check out another episode this week! Share this!
Tune in another Power of Reading Week! Yay! Host, Nichel Anderson returns this week featuring the poem by Langston Hughes "Dream Differed" aka "Harlem", where during the month of February celebrating the power of reading. What are your favorite books? Ms. Anderson returns reading of the many talented writers, poets of the last century Langston Hughes that joined Dr. W.E.B. DuBois extraordinary concept of the Harlem Renaissance in literature and music, as well as, art. In which produced some of Mr. Hughes greatest work for generations. In this episode, Ms. Anderson reads the poem and provides an analysis of the poem thereafter. Song music in background; "Kingship" by Nichel MOLIAE aka Nichel Anderson with featured Rapper "Chris Jenkins" | IG @chrisjenkinstvg Listen, Download this song and share it here; Support Nichel's M-Film Dream; Check out another episode this week! Share this! Song music in background; "Kingship" by Nichel MOLIAE aka Nichel Anderson with featured Rapper "Chris Jenkins" | IG @chrisjenkinstvg Listen, Download this song and share it here; Support Nichel's M-Film Dream; ------- SHOP ON OFFICIAL WEBSITE; Purchase the Remix of Nichel's songs of her forthcoming song only here; You Know Me | SONG Remix; https://moliae.com/song or the catalog of songs here; https://moliae.com/shop SHOP MOLIAE HOODI'S, Tshirts; https://moliae.com/product/wings-of-atlantis-moliae-hoodi/ ====== ***Apple Music My Song Links: You Know Me: https://music.lnk.to/yVTBWP Don't You Remember The Times https://music.lnk.to/mXk8Xf Atlantans https://music.lnk.to/Fgg572 Kingship https://music.lnk.to/XORSTW When love was divine --- Stream Spotify Nichel's songs: Kingship https://open.spotify.com/track/6PqzW6hkAkx0dHUMabj6pN?si=dc3e0b2c990f441b -- You Know Me https://open.spotify.com/album/4gd09XfrS5KFby3JbAjDxC?si=Jq-RRza7QrWDdY_aZ_53NQ -- Atlantans https://open.spotify.com/album/1V2DjkvDteCb9UFwr0m6OC?si=AMNciL30SKyOz1agxoE7oA -- We Are Atlantans https://open.spotify.com/album/3ecYQyZ2INxYcTQ1yEUd9l?si=DzGSldhjRSS-ySjz_haVDA --- When Love Was Divine https://open.spotify.com/track/6ta4GKvwYSBfffeZ2NHhaO?si=2cf54113cc434d6e -- ---- Get the NFTs Support the M-Film Project | Pyramids Mystery Temple Reunion (PMTR) MOLIAEWorld.com Mint.MOLIAEWorld.com
Get out your UV lights & swabs--the queens play a game that fuses poems, then guess the poetic DNA samples. Then we spark up a fusion of a different strain!Please Support Breaking Form!Review the show on Apple Podcasts here.Pretty Please.....Buy our books: Aaron's STOP LYING is available from the Pitt Poetry Series. James's ROMANTIC COMEDY is available from Four Way Books.SHOW NOTES:Watch Jools Lebron get mindful and demure here, divaDon't soak tampons in vodka. Poems we discuss in the episode include:Philip Levine's "Bitterness"Laura Kasischke's "Champagne"Kay Ryan's "Shark's Teeth"Kenneth Koch's "One Train May Hide Another"Annie Finch's "Wild Yeasts"Dorothea Lasky's "Toast to my friend or why Friendship is the best kind of Love"Danusha Laméris's "Bonfire Opera"Marie Ponsot's "Among Women"Tina Chang's "God Country"Campbell McGrath's "Sunset, Route 90, Brewster County, Texas"Elizabeth Bishop's "The Fish"W.B. Yeats's "Leda and the Swan"Gerard Manley Hopkins's "The Windhover"Anne Sexton's "Jesus Awake" & "Wanting to Die" Langston Hughes's "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" & "I, Too"Philip Larkin's "Sad Steps" And Beyonce's "You Won't Break My Soul [Queens Remix]," in which she sampled Madonna's song "Vogue," returning it to the culture where it rightly belongs.
Happy Black History Month!They tried to bury the rhythm, but it never stopped beating.The Rhythm That Remains is a story of Harlem's pulse, Langston Hughes, Black resilience, and the echoes of a fight that never ended. The struggle may have changed its tune, but the song still plays. Are you listening?
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Alain Locke's classic essay "The New Negro" and the literary anthology featuring the work of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen and other significant black writers of the day.The rising artistic scene would soon be known as the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most important cultural movements in American history. And it would be centered within America's largest black neighborhood -- Harlem, the "great black city," as described by Wallace Thurman, with a rising population and growing political and cultural influence.During the 1920s, Harlem became even more. Along "Swing Street" and Lenox Avenue, nightclubs and speakeasies gave birth to American music and fostered great musical talents like Count Basie, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. Ballrooms like the Savoy and the Alhambra helped turn Harlem into a destination for adventure and romance.What were these two worlds like -- the literary salons and the nightclubs? How removed were these spheres from the everyday lives of regular Harlem residents? How did the neighborhood develop both an energetic and raucous music scene and a diverse number of churches -- many (like the Abyssinian Baptist Church) still around today?Visit the website for more details and more podcastsGet tickets to our March 31 City Vineyard event Bowery Boys HISTORY LIVE! hereAnd join us for our Gilded Age Weekend in New York, May 29-June 1, 2025. More info here.This episode was edited by Kieran Gannon
Rose McClendon (1884–1936) was a trailblazing African-American actress and director who rose to prominence on Broadway during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 30s. Rose became known for her powerful performances in plays like the Pulitzer Prize-winning play In Abraham's Bosom and Langston Hughes’ Mulatto. Rose co-founded the Negro People's Theatre, contributed to the Federal Theatre Project, and championed opportunities for Black performers. For Further Reading: Black Past: Rose McClendon Rose McClendon scrapbooks Broadway Photographs: Rose McClendon First lady of the Black stage, Rose McClendon This Black History Month, we’re talking about Renaissance Women. As part of the famed cultural and artistic Harlem Renaissance movement, these women found beauty in an often ugly world. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Original theme music composed by Miles Moran. Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Instagram Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join With Good Reason for a series of conversations that bring Furious Flower Poetry Lifetime Achievement honorees in conversation with a new generation of Black poets. This episode features Tim Seibles and Ariana Benson on alien life, good grammar, and the dreams of Langston Hughes. And: Elizabeth Alexander and Nicole Sealey on the treasures of archives, the work of a generation, and the resonant truth you feel in your bones.
Wicked Happy For the session to be discussed on February 16, 2025 Psalm 1 David Cassady Nikki Hardeman Jaylen Peabody Smith David Adams In this episode we delve into Psalm 1, examining its messages about righteousness, the plight of the poor, and the weariness of waiting for justice. Jaylen shares the impact of Langston Hughes' […]
In this special mini-episode, we explore the extraordinary legacy of Roy DeCarava (1919-2009), one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. From the streets of Harlem to the stages where jazz giants performed, DeCarava revolutionized how we see through photography, especially in his groundbreaking representation of Black life and culture. Listen in to hear how you can apply some of his lessons to your own work. Roy DeCarava Roy DeCarava Fresh Air NPR Roy DeCarava Charlie Rose A Radical Vision: Roy DeCarava's "The Sweet Flypaper Of Life KEEP UP WITH MARTINE: Website: Martine SeverinFollow on Instagram: Martine | This Is How We CreateSubscribe to the Newsletter: Martine's Substack This episode of This is How We Create is produced and edited by Martine Severin.
Host Meg Wolitzer hands off to stage and film actor Teagle F. Bougere, our guest host for a show that celebrates the protean literary master and social activist Langston Hughes (1901-1967). It features three of his most striking works. In “Passing” Hughes reflects on a difficult aspect of the Black experience—the need some felt to “pass” as white. Program host Teagle F. Bougere is the reader. Pauletta Pearson Washington reads the humorous and much anthologized “Thank You, M'am." And Joe Morton performs one of Hughes' most celebrated works, “The Blues I'm Playing,” which charts the long and complex relationship between a brilliant young Black pianist and her white patron. All three stories reflect Hughes' explorations of questions of race, identity, and personal destiny.
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was the most published African American woman writer of the first half of the twentieth century; her signature novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is still read by students, scholars, and literature lovers everywhere. In this episode, Jacke talks to Hurston biographer Cheryl R. Hopson (Zora Neale Hurston: A Critical Life) about the life and creativity of this remarkable figure. PLUS Jacke takes a look at some newly resurfaced works by Jack Kerouac, which shed light on his dalliance with Buddhism. Additional listening: Zora Neale Houston and Langston Hughes (with Yuval Taylor) 431 Langston Hughes 644 Jack Kerouac (with Steven Belletto) 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
Regina M. Anderson Andrews (1901-1993) was a playwright, librarian, and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, known for her role in fostering Black arts and culture. As a librarian in New York City, she created spaces for emerging Black writers and artists, hosting salons that connected creatives like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. For Further Reading: Regina Anderson Andrews, librarian, playwright and patron of the arts Lost Voices in Black History: Regina M. Anderson The Dinner Party that Started the Harlem Renaissance The Librarian at the Nexus of the Harlem Renaissance This Black History Month, we’re talking about Renaissance Women. As part of the famed cultural and artistic Harlem Renaissance movement, these women found beauty in an often ugly world. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Hannah Bottum, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, and Vanessa Handy. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Original theme music composed by Miles Moran. Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Instagram Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode, Kelsie interviews Davida Siwisa James about the overlooked contributions of women during the Harlem Renaissance. James' book, Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill, published by Fordham University Press, traces 400 years of West Harlem history, including its iconic architecture and luminaries. Highlights include Regina Anderson Andrews, a Schomburg librarian; Mary Lou Williams, a jazz pioneer who shaped Bebop; Lenon Holder Hoyte, a private doll museum curator; and the women who published Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. These fascinating stories bring Sugar Hill's rich cultural legacy to life. Get FREE Learning Materials at www.remedialherstory.com/learn Support the Remedial Herstory Project at www.remedialherstory.com/giving SHOP Remedial Herstory Gear at www.remedialherstory.com/store Host: Kelsie Eckert and Brooke Sullivan Editor: Tyler Cardwell Producer: Haley Brook
Candle-extinguishing butts, 3am afterparties, collections of seamen (and semen)--this dishy tour of Langston Hughes's love life will leave you gagging with the gays.Please Support Breaking Form!Review the show on Apple Podcasts here.Pretty Please.....Buy our books: Aaron's STOP LYING is available from the Pitt Poetry Series. James's ROMANTIC COMEDY is available from Four Way Books.SHOW NOTES:Watch Hughes recite his poem, "The Weary Blues" to jazz accompaniment on tv in 1958.You can check out troves of Hughes's poetry here, here, and here. Read Langston Hughes's poem "Café: 3AM"Listen to Hughes read "Harlem." Langston Hughes's first memoir, The Big Sea, about his seafaring travels--including upon the West Hesseltine where he said he had that fateful encounter with a sailor--can be found here. It includes the essay "Spectacles in Color" in which Hughes describes queer ballroom scene and Countee Cullen's wedding to Yolanda Du Bois (with Harold Jackson, his boyfriend, serving as best man).Faith Berry's biography of Hughes is Before and Beyond Harlem. Her papers are at the Library of Congress.Read more about Arnold Ampersad's biography of Hughes:Volume 1 (which covers 1902-1940 and does have a snazzy subtitle: I, Too, Sing America).Volume 2 (which covers 1941-death and also has a snazzy subtitle: I Dream a World).Other receipts for the episode can be found in the following essays and scholarship:Hilton Als, "The Elusive Langston Hughes" (The New Yorker, 2015)Juda Bennett, "Multiple Passings and the Double Death of Langston Hughes" (Biography, vol 23.4, 2000).Link through Project Muse.Andrew Donnelly, "Langston Hughes on the DL" (College Literature, Volume 44, Number 1, Winter 2017). Link through Project Muse.Mason Stokes, "Strange Fruits: Rethinking the Gay Twenties" (Transition , 2002, No. 92). Link through JSTOR.Shane Vogel, "Closing Time: Langston Hughes and the Poetics of Harlem Nightlife," in Criticism (Vol 48.3, 2006). Link through Project Muse.Jennifer Wilson, "Queer Harlem, Queer Tashkent" (Slavic Review , FALL 2017). Link through JSTOR.Finally, visit Ann Patchett's bookstore online here: https://www.parnassusbooks.net/
Danez Smith, a poet, performance artist, and devotee of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes presents a selection of Hughes's early poems, songs, and other writings, created from 1921 to 1927. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile's Robin Whitten discuss this collection and Smith's extraordinary performance. With their clear baritone voice and extraordinary vocal talent, Smith's performance is beautiful to hear and unfailingly connected to the core messages within these poems, journal entries, and other works. Performed with stunning authenticity and verve, this audiobook is a showcase for the artistry of Danez Smith, as well as a revelatory lesson on one of America's greatest writers. Read our review of the audiobook at our website. Published by Hachette Audio. Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Just in time for Christmas! So Betsy was on the lookout for Christmas books we hadn't done before and you know who we've never presented on this podcast? Langston Hughes! Heck, we've done James Baldwin, but we've never done Langston Hughes. Oddly, we've done shockingly few picture books over the years around Christmastime that involve baby Jesus. Today we consider an author who was blacklisted in his day and turned to writing books for children to make ends meet. This particular book was also never really intended to be a children's book. It's a series of poems that were adapted into a book format instead. How well does it hold up over time aside from the goodness of its mere existence? We intend to find out. For the full Show Notes, please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2024/12/23/fuse-8-n-kate-carol-of-the-brown-king-by-langston-hughes-ill-ashley-bryan/
In March of 1924, more than 100 Black and white attendees were at a dinner party in downtown Manhattan. The party was organized by prominent thinkers Charles S. Johnson and Alain Locke and included people like W.E.B. DuBois. Their goal was to bring together Harlem’s young Black writers with white publishers to help the writers’ work find a national audience. The party was a success. So much so that it’s often considered the start of the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance saw a boom in the popularity of Black writers, just as the party’s organizers hoped. Writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston might get the most attention, but the period was not just about writing— music and visual arts also flourished. This hour, we’re exploring the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance in honor of its 100th anniversary. UConn professor Erika Williams joins us to explain what the Harlem Renaissance was and to help us understand how people thought about queerness during the Harlem Renaissance. We’ll also hear from Denise Murrell who curated a recent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism." She says exhibits like this one can help expand the museum-going public. GUESTS: Erika Williams: Associate Professor of English and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut. Denise Murrell: Merryl H. & James S. Tisch Curator at Large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She recently curated an exhibit called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism," which was on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this year. To learn more about Zora Neale Hurston, you can listen to our interview with Tracy Heather Strain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As a young woman, poet and writer Nikki Giovanni could see that no one was interested in a Black girl writing what was seen as militant and revolutionary poetry. So she formed a company and published it herself. Her second book was launched at the famous New York jazz venue Birdland as she was making a name for herself. When she was 28, she flew to London to sit with James Baldwin and record a conversation for the PBS television series, “Soul.” Baldwin was in his late-40s and an established figure in literature.As event television, it was electric. And clips from that 1971 program continue to be shared. For many young people, that interview is how they first encounter Baldwin, and Giovanni. She's now 81 years old, and has had a garlanded career, including a Grammy nomination, bestselling books and work as a distinguished professor of English at Virginia Tech. Giovanni tells host Razia Iqbal why Baldwin's prose is a beautiful container for the fiery rage found in his messages. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.
As Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Otis Moss carries the torch for generations of church and civil rights leaders, including his own father, a regional director in the SCLC, and a friend of Dr. Martin Luther King. But it is his late sister Daphne whose influence most impacts his ministry and social advocacy. A brilliant young woman who struggled with schizophrenia, Daphne introduced a young Otis to what he calls “the continuum” – a spirituality born of poetry, literature and jazz that has woven its way through our history. Drawing as much from the beats of J Dilla as from the speeches of Dr. King; from the politics of Public Enemy as from the poetry of Langston Hughes; from John Coltrane and Miles Davis as from Reinhold Niebuhr and Abraham Joshua Heschel, Pastor Moss shares a timely, deeply personal story about the American jazz narrative — how a disparate and diverse people who are not supposed to make music together do — and do so beautifully.Music by Ryan Holladay and Jonathan Mouton. Follow Jonathan on Instagram: @entertainer4lyfeIf this episode resonates with you, we'd love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to the show, and we'd be so grateful.Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Back in the 1950s, America was very afraid of Soviet spies and communist sympathizers infiltrating the government and destroying the United States from within. And there were actual spies sharing secrets with the Soviets. But concern soon gave way to paranoia, and a political witch-hunt began, with a self-serving senator from Wisconsin leading a very misguided and ultimately anti-American and embarrassing Red Scare that destroyed the lives of many. If you are able to give extra support this holiday season, please consider supporting the annual Bad Magic Giving Tree by purchasing a digital amazon gift card and sending it to givingtree2024@badmagicproductions.comWe are accepting gift cards starting now through November 21st!Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.Sign up through Patreon, and for $5 a month, you get access to the entire Secret Suck catalog (295 episodes) PLUS the entire catalog of Timesuck, AD FREE. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch.
Some of the most transformative art has come from queer Black artists like Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, and Josephine Baker, yet their full stories have often been erased. What can we learn from the Black queer community about creating lasting social change and embracing our identities? Today, we're uplifting their hidden contributions to the fight for Black liberation with our guest, George M. Johnson. George is a nonbinary, award-winning author whose work lives between Blackness and Queerness. They've written the NYT bestselling memoir “All Boys Aren't Blue” and most recently released “Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known.” To learn more about their work, visit www.iamgmjohnson.com. Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways to liberation with people who are leading the way. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work. Hosting BHY is Darren Wallace. The BHY production team includes Brooke Brown, Amber Davis, Mina Davis, Kevin McFall, Gabby Roberts, and Leslie Taylor-Grover. Our producers are Cydney Smith and Len Webb, who also edits the show. BHY's executive producers are Julian Walker and Lilly Workneh. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Harlem is the queen of the black belts, drawing Aframericans together in a vast humming hive . . . from the different states, from the islands of the Caribbean, and from Africa . . . It is the Negro capital of the world.” This is the story of the Harlem Renaissance. In the early twentieth century, many Black families and individuals down South are finding that the only way out is up—to the North. Driven by Jim Crow discrimination and harsh economic realities, hundreds of thousands of African Americans head to cities like Chicago (the “promised land”) or Harlem (“Black Mecca”). This Great Migration fosters communities of gifted artists, and eventually, the rest of the country takes notice. By the 1920s, Black culture is truly blooming. Up-and-coming writers including Zora Neal Hurston and Langston Hughes are crafting literature we still consume some 100 years later. Master musicians like Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald are scattin' up a storm in New York clubs. And let's not forget the visual arts! The Harlem Renaissance features countless artists that contribute mightily to American culture and Black identity: let's meet just a few. (Audio of Cab Calloway was recorded in 1982 at the White Plains Public Library in White Plains, NY, and used with their permission. We are grateful to the library and encourage listeners to support their local public library for the services they provide.) ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. HTDS is part of the Airwave Media Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices