Podcasts about Namwali Serpell

Swallowing a World: Globalization and the Maximalist Novel (U Nebraska Press, 2024) offers a new theorization of the maximalist novel. Though it's typically cast as a (white, male) genre of U.S. fiction, maximalism, Benjamin Bergholtz argues, is an aesthetic response to globalization and a global phenomenon in its own right. Bergholtz considers a selection of massive and meandering novels that crisscross from London and Lusaka to Kingston, Kabul, and Kashmir and that represent, formally reproduce, and ultimately invite reflection on the effects of globalization. Each chapter takes up a maximalist novel that simultaneously maps and formally mimics a cornerstone of globalization, such as the postcolonial culture industry (Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children), the rebirth of fundamentalism (Zadie Smith's White Teeth), the transnational commodification of violence (Marlon James's A Brief History of Seven Killings), the obstruction of knowledge by narrative (Zia Haider Rahman's In the Light of What We Know), and globalization's gendered, asymmetrical growth (Namwali Serpell's The Old Drift). By reframing analysis of maximalism around globalization, Swallowing a World not only reimagines one of the most perplexing genres of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries but also sheds light on some of the most perplexing political problems of our precarious present. Arnab Dutta Roy is Assistant Professor of World Literature and Postcolonial Theory at Florida Gulf Coast University. 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

Swallowing a World: Globalization and the Maximalist Novel (U Nebraska Press, 2024) offers a new theorization of the maximalist novel. Though it's typically cast as a (white, male) genre of U.S. fiction, maximalism, Benjamin Bergholtz argues, is an aesthetic response to globalization and a global phenomenon in its own right. Bergholtz considers a selection of massive and meandering novels that crisscross from London and Lusaka to Kingston, Kabul, and Kashmir and that represent, formally reproduce, and ultimately invite reflection on the effects of globalization. Each chapter takes up a maximalist novel that simultaneously maps and formally mimics a cornerstone of globalization, such as the postcolonial culture industry (Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children), the rebirth of fundamentalism (Zadie Smith's White Teeth), the transnational commodification of violence (Marlon James's A Brief History of Seven Killings), the obstruction of knowledge by narrative (Zia Haider Rahman's In the Light of What We Know), and globalization's gendered, asymmetrical growth (Namwali Serpell's The Old Drift). By reframing analysis of maximalism around globalization, Swallowing a World not only reimagines one of the most perplexing genres of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries but also sheds light on some of the most perplexing political problems of our precarious present. Arnab Dutta Roy is Assistant Professor of World Literature and Postcolonial Theory at Florida Gulf Coast University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Swallowing a World: Globalization and the Maximalist Novel (U Nebraska Press, 2024) offers a new theorization of the maximalist novel. Though it's typically cast as a (white, male) genre of U.S. fiction, maximalism, Benjamin Bergholtz argues, is an aesthetic response to globalization and a global phenomenon in its own right. Bergholtz considers a selection of massive and meandering novels that crisscross from London and Lusaka to Kingston, Kabul, and Kashmir and that represent, formally reproduce, and ultimately invite reflection on the effects of globalization. Each chapter takes up a maximalist novel that simultaneously maps and formally mimics a cornerstone of globalization, such as the postcolonial culture industry (Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children), the rebirth of fundamentalism (Zadie Smith's White Teeth), the transnational commodification of violence (Marlon James's A Brief History of Seven Killings), the obstruction of knowledge by narrative (Zia Haider Rahman's In the Light of What We Know), and globalization's gendered, asymmetrical growth (Namwali Serpell's The Old Drift). By reframing analysis of maximalism around globalization, Swallowing a World not only reimagines one of the most perplexing genres of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries but also sheds light on some of the most perplexing political problems of our precarious present. Arnab Dutta Roy is Assistant Professor of World Literature and Postcolonial Theory at Florida Gulf Coast University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Cassandra Williams ist zwölf, als ihr siebenjähriger Bruder Wayne beim gemeinsamen Schwimmen für immer verschwindet. Noch als Erwachsene versucht sie, den Verlust zu verarbeiten. Bis sie eines Tages einem Mann namens Wayne begegnet, der ihrem Bruder verblüffend ähnelt. Mit sicherer Hand lotet die sambisch-amerikanische Autorin Namwali Serpell in „Die Furchen“ die rätselhaften Untiefen von Verlust und Trauma aus. Aus dem Englischen von Asal Dardan Rowohlt Verlag, 320 Seiten, 26 Euro ISBN 978-3-54610-085-4

In this episode, Misha and Tyler roll up their sleeves and get to complaining about Soul, the Disney Pixar film from 2020!Follow us on Instagram! @muchabupodEmail us! muchabuaboutnothing@gmail.comCover Art by Misha.Theme Music: "The Devil's Defiance" by Ritchie Everett. www.epidemicsound.comHere are some articles to read for more detailed critiques of the film's handling of race and color: "Pixar's Troubled 'Soul'" by Namwali Serpell. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/pixars-troubled-soul"What's Wrong With Pixar's Soul: Animation, Racism, and Blackface?" by Nori Patterson. https://noripatterson.medium.com/whats-wrong-with-pixar-s-soul-animation-racism-and-blackface-c9a7709cd50f

Zeh, Miriamwww.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

Zeh, Miriamwww.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

Zeh, Miriamwww.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

Host Meg Wolitzer presents three pieces about losing things: objects, opportunities, a primary sense, a new friendship. In “Any Other” by Jac Jemc, performed by Helen Hong, a woman rejects an offer without knowing the consequences. Namwali Serpell's “Noseless” is about a loss many experienced during the pandemic; it's performed by Kyrstina Alabado, Deborah S. Craig, Zach Grenier, and Calvin Leon Smith. And Lauren Groff's “Such Small Islands” charts the perilous course of a childhood infatuation and betrayal that ends with figurative loss and a literal disappearance. It's performed by Crystal Dickinson.  In a special bonus: multi-instrumentalist Laura Gibson performs a song inspired by Groff's story.

Jedes Jahr veröffentlicht Barack Obama seine Lieblingsbücher des Jahres. Im letzten Jahr gehörte "Die Furchen" zu seinen Empfehlungen.

This week, Jenn recommends two speculative fiction favorites. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more SF/F news and recs, sign up for our Swords and Spaceships newsletter! Looking for fascinating stories, informed takes, useful advice, and more from experts in the world of books and reading? Subscribe to Book Riot's newest newsletter, The Deep Dive, to get exclusive content delivered to your inbox. Subscribe and choose your membership level today at bookriot.substack.com This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell (cw: rape, racism, racial slurs) The Lonesome Bodybuilder by Yukiko Motoya, translated by Asa Yoneda Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12-year old Cassandra is unable to save her young brother from a tragic accident and his body is never found. This event rends the family apart and the grown Cassandra sees her missing brother everywhere in the faces of strangers. “The Furrows” by Namwali Serpell is a noel as elegy dealing with memories and grief.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week's herstory comes to us from southern Africa. We're exploring Zambia in a big way, especially the role that women have played in forward movement in the country. My guest is award-winning journalist, communications specialist and cultural curator, Samba Yonga. She is Founder and Head Communications Strategist at Ku-Atenga Media and co-founder of the Women's History Museum of Zambia, established in 2017, with the mandate to research and restore African indigenous narratives, knowledge and 'living histories' focused on women. She has curated exhibitions and written papers focused on indigenous African knowledge systems and narratives in Zambia but also for art spaces, museums and universities such as National Musuems of World Cultures in Sweden, Yale University in USA, Windybrow Centre in South Africa and many others. In fact, she joined me in conversation just as she was headed to Shanghai University to present her works in the museum space at Museums, Decolonisation and Restitution: A Global Conversation (https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Museums-decolonisation-and-restitution-Expert-Seminar-Full-Programme.pdf). Samba has been recognized as 100 most influential Africans by Quartz, New York, and one of 40 most influential Africans. She is also a Google Podcast Creator, TEDx Lusaka speaker and a Museum Lab Fellow for 2022. It's always a treat to connect with other podcasters and after you have a listen, be sure to head over to the museum's Youtube channel to check out the Leading Ladies (https://www.youtube.com/@womenmuseumzambia890) animated podcast! Where to find Samba? www.whmzambia.org (https://www.whmzambia.org/) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sambayonga/) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sambayonga/?hl=en) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/samba.yonga/) On Twitter (https://twitter.com/Kuwaha) On YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@sambayonga1235) What's Samba reading? Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman (https://a.co/d/iZOWLyL) by Malidoma Patrice Some (https://www.amazon.com/Malidoma-Patrice-Some/e/B000AQ4F6E/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1) 491 Days: Prisoner Number 1323/69 (https://a.co/d/bP7VCGr) by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Winnie+Madikizela-Mandela&text=Winnie+Madikizela-Mandela&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books) Wallpaper Magazine (https://www.wallpaper.com/) Vanity Fair Magazine (https://www.vanityfair.com) What's Samba watching? Luther on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/title/70175633) Chef's Table on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/title/80007945) East Asian Dramas on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/109007) What's Samba listening to? Ratchet & Respectable Podcast (https://m.imdb.com/title/tt25054436/) The Comb on BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtv78) Hidden Brain Podcast (https://hiddenbrain.org/) The Moth Podcast (https://themoth.org/podcast) Selam & Hello Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@selamandhello) Other topics of interest: The Old Drift: A Novel (https://a.co/d/5mR5txz) by Namwali Serpell Lusaka, Zambia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusaka) About Trendsetters Magazine (https://www.comminit.com/usaid/content/trendsetters) On Settler Societies (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119063551.ch5) Glocally Speaking in Zambian Languages (https://translatorswithoutborders.org/language-data-for-zambia) Mass Design Group (https://massdesigngroup.org) Third Culture Kids (https://interactionintl.org/third-culture-kid-definition/) Special Guest: Samba Yonga.

The spiders attempt to fit together the refracting, self-contradictory plot and reconcile the competing thematic strands of Namwali Serpell's enigmatic The Furrows, which might or might not be a compelling meditation on grief and loss.

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss GOP's speakership debacle; George Santos; and improving access to medication abortion. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines” Mark Oppenheimer for The New York Times: “Why Did George Santos Lie About Being Jewish?” Here are this week's chatters: John: Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson Emily: The Furrows, by Namwali Serpell; Tár ; Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books: “The Instrumentalist”; Amanda Hess for The New York Times: “Breaking Out of the #MeToo Movie Formula”; Dan Kois for Slate: “Tár Is the Most-Talked-About Movie of the Year. So Why Is Everyone Talking About It All Wrong?” David: Gastrodiplomacy  Listener chatter from Nathan Kamps: Miles Klee for Rolling Stone: “‘A Celebrity in the Land of Celebrities': Remembering P-22, L.A.'s Favorite Mountain Lion” For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the ethics of watching football in light of Damar Hamlin's life threatening injury.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss GOP's speakership debacle; George Santos; and improving access to medication abortion. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines” Mark Oppenheimer for The New York Times: “Why Did George Santos Lie About Being Jewish?” Here are this week's chatters: John: Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson Emily: The Furrows, by Namwali Serpell; Tár ; Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books: “The Instrumentalist”; Amanda Hess for The New York Times: “Breaking Out of the #MeToo Movie Formula”; Dan Kois for Slate: “Tár Is the Most-Talked-About Movie of the Year. So Why Is Everyone Talking About It All Wrong?” David: Gastrodiplomacy  Listener chatter from Nathan Kamps: Miles Klee for Rolling Stone: “‘A Celebrity in the Land of Celebrities': Remembering P-22, L.A.'s Favorite Mountain Lion” For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the ethics of watching football in light of Damar Hamlin's life threatening injury.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss GOP's speakership debacle; George Santos; and improving access to medication abortion. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion” Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines” Mark Oppenheimer for The New York Times: “Why Did George Santos Lie About Being Jewish?” Here are this week's chatters: John: Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson Emily: The Furrows, by Namwali Serpell; Tár ; Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books: “The Instrumentalist”; Amanda Hess for The New York Times: “Breaking Out of the #MeToo Movie Formula”; Dan Kois for Slate: “Tár Is the Most-Talked-About Movie of the Year. So Why Is Everyone Talking About It All Wrong?” David: Gastrodiplomacy  Listener chatter from Nathan Kamps: Miles Klee for Rolling Stone: “‘A Celebrity in the Land of Celebrities': Remembering P-22, L.A.'s Favorite Mountain Lion” For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the ethics of watching football in light of Damar Hamlin's life threatening injury.   Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Namwali Serpell was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and lives in America. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction; it was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review and one of Time magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year. Her nonfiction book, Stranger Faces, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. Her latest novel, The Furrows: An Elegy, was named by Time Magazine as a 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 and is also a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2022. She is currently a professor of English at Harvard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three narrators voice a compelling audiobook on grief and identity by Namwali Serpell. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile's Kendra Winchester discuss a story of a family and their great loss. When Cassandra was twelve and her younger brother Wayne was seven, Wayne was lost, and his body was never recovered. She spends years missing him—and then a man claiming to be him appears. Kristen Ariza performs Cassandra with an ethereal quality, emphasizing the dreamlike storyline that will keep listeners uncertain about what is the truth. Narrator Dion Graham performs from an adult Wayne's perspective, while Ryan Vincent Anderson performs from a third character's perspective. The narrators work together to keep listeners on their toes and wondering, what happened to Wayne? Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile's website. Published by Random House Audio. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Simon & Schuster Audio. Listen to THE MAZE by Nelson DeMille, read by Scott Brick today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Newman and Kate Wolf speak with the novelist and critic Darryl Pinckney about his new memoir, Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-Seventh Street, Manhattan. The book recounts Pinckney's relationship with a legend of American letters: the singular stylist Elizabeth Hardwick. Hardwick was Pinckney's professor in a creative writing class at Barnard in the early 1970s, and they quickly became close friends. She invited him into her home, into her writing process, and into a world of New York literary culture and gossip, which Pinckney doles out here in generous cupfuls. It was through Hardwick that Pinckney met Barbara Epstein, an editor and co-founder of the New York Review of Books, where he began his writing career. His memoir documents a critical time in both his own life and in Hardwick's, including the dissolution of her marriage to the poet Robert Lowell, and the composition of her masterful novel, Sleepless Nights. Also, Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows, returns to recommend "Old Boys Old Girls" a short story by Edward P. Jones from his collection All Aunt Hagar's Children.

Eric Newman and Kate Wolf speak with the novelist and critic Darryl Pinckney about his new memoir, Come Back in September: A Literary Education on West Sixty-Seventh Street, Manhattan. The book recounts Pinckney's relationship with a legend of American letters: the singular stylist Elizabeth Hardwick. Hardwick was Pinckney's professor in a creative writing class at Barnard in the early 1970s, and they quickly became close friends. She invited him into her home, into her writing process, and into a world of New York literary culture and gossip, which Pinckney doles out here in generous cupfuls. It was through Hardwick that Pinckney met Barbara Epstein, an editor and co-founder of the New York Review of Books, where he began his writing career. His memoir documents a critical time in both his own life and in Hardwick's, including the dissolution of her marriage to the poet Robert Lowell, and the composition of her masterful novel, Sleepless Nights. Also, Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows, returns to recommend "Old Boys Old Girls" a short story by Edward P. Jones from his collection All Aunt Hagar's Children.

Namwali Serpell's 2019 novel The Old Drift was hailed by Salman Rushdie as "a dazzling debut." It won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction and was named a notable book of the year by the New York Times Book Review. Her time-bending new work, The Furrows, tells the story of one family's struggle with love and loss in the wake of a tragic accident. The novel is dedicated to Serpell's late sister, Chisha, who died from a drug overdose when Serpell was just 18.

On this special LARB Book Club episode of the Radio Hour, Boris Dralyuk and Medaya Ocher are joined by Namwali Serpell, to speak about her new novel, The Furrows. One of the most daring and protean literary voices working today, Serpell is a Zambian-born novelist and essayist, and a professor of English at Harvard University. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, a genre-bending saga tracing the legacies of three families, appeared in 2019 and won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her equally unclassifiable — a compliment, that — work of nonfiction, Stranger Faces, appeared the following year, as part of Transit Books' series of Undelivered Lectures, and was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Serpell is also the recipient of a 2020 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, and a 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Like The Old Drift, The Furrows defies narrative conventions and readerly expectations, but it does so with a narrower aim in view, homing in on the after-affects — which are, truth be told, manifold — of a particular, though uncertain, trauma, an event that fractures the protagonist's life and sense of self at the age of 12. Blamed for the death of her younger brother, Cassandra is haunted by the presence of his absence — or is it simply his presence? — for the rest of her days. What Serpell's novel tells us is what Cassandra promises to tell us: not what happened, but how it felt. Also, Kathern Scanlan, author of Kick the Latch returns to recommend Charles Reznikoff's Testimony: The United States 1885-1915: Recitative.

On this special LARB Book Club episode of the Radio Hour, Boris Dralyuk and Medaya Ocher are joined by Namwali Serpell, to speak about her new novel, The Furrows. One of the most daring and protean literary voices working today, Serpell is a Zambian-born novelist and essayist, and a professor of English at Harvard University. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, a genre-bending saga tracing the legacies of three families, appeared in 2019 and won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her equally unclassifiable — a compliment, that — work of nonfiction, Stranger Faces, appeared the following year, as part of Transit Books' series of Undelivered Lectures, and was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Serpell is also the recipient of a 2020 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, and a 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Like The Old Drift, The Furrows defies narrative conventions and readerly expectations, but it does so with a narrower aim in view, homing in on the after-affects — which are, truth be told, manifold — of a particular, though uncertain, trauma, an event that fractures the protagonist's life and sense of self at the age of 12. Blamed for the death of her younger brother, Cassandra is haunted by the presence of his absence — or is it simply his presence? — for the rest of her days. What Serpell's novel tells us is what Cassandra promises to tell us: not what happened, but how it felt. Also, Kathern Scanlan, author of Kick the Latch returns to recommend Charles Reznikoff's Testimony: The United States 1885-1915: Recitative.

In this episode, we hear two interviews with author Namwali Serpell. Her two novels look at some variation on what it means to be part of a mixed-race family. First, NPR's Scott Simon talks to Serpell about her 2019 debut The Old Drift in which the author considers how immigrants that came to Zambia gave the country a new identity through unity and love. Then, Serpell and NPR's Juana Summers discuss her second novel The Furrows, which looks at grief – and how it doesn't necessarily get easier with time.

In this week's episode, both Gayle and Nicole have researched what books will be released during the month of October. They do a short list of 3-4 each and share with you what made them pick those. They sure are great picks to read during the pumpkin season! As always you can find below the whole booklist they run through during the episode: Dear Ms Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell | https://amzn.to/3QmsH8m (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9781250793614 (Bookshop) Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones | https://amzn.to/3eKOoAW (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9781982151997 (Bookshop) One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner | https://amzn.to/3EnZGGj (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593185414 (Bookshop) Too Good To Be True by Carola Lovering | https://amzn.to/3gEYO39 (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9781250271372 (Bookshop) Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen | https://amzn.to/39ybmsy (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780063119543 (Bookshop) Can't Look Away by Carola Lovering | https://amzn.to/3Px1m37 (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9781250271396 (Bookshop) Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng | https://amzn.to/3RIFstF (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593492543 (Bookshop) Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng | https://amzn.to/3Tk8aT9 (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780735224315 (Bookshop) Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro | https://amzn.to/3Dcm0lq (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593534724 (Bookshop) Jackal by Erin E. Adams | https://amzn.to/3V9qFv1 (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593499306 (Bookshop) When We Were Sisters by Fatima Asghar | https://amzn.to/3fSL4EI (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593133460 (Bookshop) The White Mosque by Sofia Samatar | https://amzn.to/3rD0Q9c (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/books/the-white-mosque/9781646220977 (Bookshop) Hester by Laurie Albanese | https://amzn.to/3x6GUPd (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9781250278555 (Bookshop) The Complicities by Stacy D'Erasmo | https://amzn.to/3rzlkQ6 (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9781643751962 (Bookshop) Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie | https://amzn.to/3TWSoyw (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593421826 (Bookshop) The Furrows by Namwali Serpell | https://amzn.to/3RJ9OfM (Amazon) | https://bookshop.org/a/2143/9780593448915 (Bookshop)

Namwali Serpell was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and lives in New York. Her debut novel, The Old Drift was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review and one of Time magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year. She is currently a professor of English at Harvard. Her new novel is called The Furrows. Recommended Reading: Born In Blackness by Howard French Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Namwali Serpell joins us to discuss The Furrows (Hogarth, Sept. 27), in which a woman grieves the loss of her younger brother. The sophomore novel is “stylistically refreshing and emotionally intense, cementing Serpell's place among the best writers going” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

On this episode of Marginalia, an author identifies the inspiration behind her genre-blending novel.

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows. Namwali Serpell was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and lives in New York. She received a 2020 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, the 2015 Caine Prize for African Writing, and a 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction, and the Los Angeles Times‘s Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction; it was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2019 by the New York Times Book Review and one of Time magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year. Her nonfiction book, Stranger Faces, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. She is currently a professor of English at Harvard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Meg Wolitzer presents three pieces about losing things: objects, opportunities, a primary sense, a new friendship. In “Any Other” by Jac Jemc, performed by Helen Hong, a woman rejects an offer without knowing the consequences. Namwali Serpell's “Noseless” is about a loss many experienced during the pandemic; it's performed by Kyrstina Alabado, Deborah S. Craig, Zach Grenier, and Calvin Leon Smith. And Lauren Groff's “Such Small Islands” charts the perilous course of a childhood infatuation and betrayal that ends with figurative loss and a literal disappearance. It's performed by Crystal Dickinson.  In a special bonus: multi-instrumentalist Laura Gibson performs a song inspired by Groff's story. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=SplashpageSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that there was once a Negro Bible, that excluded most of the Old Testament and any mention of freedom and liberation? Or that Zambia had a space program in the 1960s? In this episode, Aileen walks you through these incredible facts of history! Imagine, there are no digressions! Blog Post: https://the-inbetweeners.blogspot.com/2018/04/tribalism-not-just-african-problem.html Sources The Negro Bible Bartolomé de las Casas (WikiQuote) Becky Little, Why Bibles Given to Slaves Omitted Most of the Old Testament (2019) Blue Letter Bible, Expose of Mormonism: The Bible, (n.d.) Brigit Katz, Heavily Abridged ‘Slave Bible' Removed Passages That Might Encourage Uprisings(2019) Daniel Walden, Was Jesus a Socialist? (2020) Erica Johnson, Rosaries and Revolution: Father Philemon, Catholicism, and the Haitian Revolution(2015) George Moore, Wrongfully Dividing the Word Of Truth: The History And Impact of the Negro Slave Bible - Part 1 (2021) George Moore, Wrongfully Dividing the Word Of Truth: The History and Impact of the Negro Slave Bible- Part 2 (2021) John E. Baur, International Repercussions of the Haitian Revolution (1970) Michel Martin, Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion(2018) Rearranged the Trade Patterns of the Western Hemisphere in Lucia Coppolaro and Francine McKenzie, A Global History of Trade and Conflict since 1500 (2013) Robert J Matthews, “Why don't we use the Inspired Version of the Bible in the Church? Would it be helpful to me to read it?” (1977) Steven Topik, An Explosion of Violence: How the Haitian Revolution Zambia's Space Program Royal Museums Greenwich, The Zambian Space Programme (n.d.) Namwali Serpell, The Zambian “Afronaut” Who Wanted to Join the Space Race (2017) Colin Marshall, Meet ‘The Afronauts': An Introduction to Zambia's Forgotten 1960s Space Program, (2020) Eric Otieno Sumba, Afronauts Are Forever | The Enduring Cultural Legacy Of The ‘Zambia Space Program'(2020) Alexis C Madrigal, Old, Weird Tech: The Zambian Space Cult of the 1960s (2010)

Amanda and Jenn discuss a bunch of great queer reads, give book picks inspired by “Burn, Butcher, Burn” (IYKYK), and more in this week's episode of Get Booked. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. For listener feedback and questions, as well as a complete list of books discussed in this episode, visit our website. Books Discussed Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Barshardoust (rec'd Margaret) The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by CM Waggoner (cw: drug use, addiction, & drug related morally gray choices) Tentacle by Rita Indiana, transl. by Achy Obejas The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell (cw: rape, racial slurs, racism, harm to children) From Scratch by Tembi Locke The Book of Delights by Ross Gay The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud Burning Roses by SL Huang (cw: animal death, child abuse) Next Year, For Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson Weekend by Jane Eaton Hamilton (cw: racism, transphobia, infertility and miscarriage, intimate partner violence, death by suicide, ableism, hospitalization for chronic illness, deadnaming) Luster by Raven Leilani Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas (cw: bullying, disordered eating, harm to children) Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recensione di due libri provenienti dal panorama letterario africano:- “Prudenti come serpenti”, di Lola Shoneyin, 66thand2nd, 2021, 256 pagine;- “Capelli, lacrime e zanzare” di Namwali Serpell, Fazi, 2021, 650 pagine. Contattami anche tu per commenti, idee e proposte: woozingstar@gmail.comProfilo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zonalettura/Profilo Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18769234-ludovicaFoto di Gabriele TaorminaMusica: Acoustic Blues e Saloon Rag, di Jason Shaw, da https://audionautix.comRendezvous, di Shane Ivers, da https://www.silvermansound.com

Today we're talking about getting comfortable in our own skin and overcoming self-doubt. Being an outsider doesn't mean you don't belong! Join Alisa, Rosa, and Dr. Merary as they chat with Elizabeth Colón-Revera, President & CEO of Metaphrasis Language & Cultural Solutions LLC, about how to own your reality by reframing it in a powerful way. Or as she puts it, "You don't have to compete with anyone. Not even yourself. You just have to be you." ––– "You can actually leverage being an outsider, in order to be the most unique and be the biggest voice in the room, and bring a new perspective to things that everybody else takes for granted." — Namwali Serpell, 2015 winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing ––– https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13927541/ (Join our LinkedIn group!) More from Elizabeth Colón-Rivera: https://metaphrasislcs.com/ (Metaphrasics.com) More from Rosa Santos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosa-santos-7b6ab02/ (LinkedIn) More from Dr. Merary Simeon: https://merarysimeon.com/ (MerarySimeon.com) More from Alisa Manjarrez: https://www.thehappycactus.club/ (The Happy Cactus) Get transcripts and more at https://www.colorforward.com/ (colorforward.com)

Brea and Mallory talk about ways to show love for bookstores and libraries, and debate the best ways to share a book with someone. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com! #RGlovesbookstores #RGloveslibrariesReading Glasses MerchRecommendations Store Sponsor - Care/OfPromo Code - GLASSES50BetterHelp Links -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupAmazon Wish ListNewsletter Libro.fm Books Mentioned - You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey LamarWhat Big Teeth by Rose SzaboGirly Drinks by Mallory!How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles YuA Beginning at the End by Mike ChenThe Old Drift by Namwali Serpell 

Given this podcast’s love of neglected books, you won't be shocked to know that John has a side-hustle–in which Elizabeth plays a significant part. He edits a Public Books column called B-Side Books, where writers like Namwali Serpell and Ursula Le Guin sing praises to a beloved but neglected book. Now, there is a book that collects … Continue reading "57 Recall this B-side #2: Elizabeth Ferry on “The Diary of ‘Helena Morley'” (JP)"

Namwali Serpell, the 2020 Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards winner for fiction, joins The Asterisk* to discuss what makes strong sentences and good titles, her Zambian upbringing – including the lasting impacts of colonialism -- and crafting a multi-genre book. The daughter of a British-born Zambian psychologist, Robert, and a Zambian economist, Namposya Nampanya-Serpell, Serpell and her sisters grew up on three continents: in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, Hull, England and Baltimore, Maryland. She began writing “The Old Drift” as a senior at Yale University and worked on it episodically for the next 18 years. “The Old Drift” became one of the most acclaimed novels of 2019 – “a feat of boundless imagination, thrumming with inventiveness,” as Anisfield-Wolf juror Joyce Carol Oates describes it. British novelist Ali Smith calls the story “a sprawling life force,” a book she wished she had written. “The Old Drift” won a $165,000 Windham-Campbell literature prize and the £2020 Arthur C. Clarke award. Serpell sat down with The Asterisk* in January of 2021 from her apartment in Harlem, where she is on a research fellowship before she begins as a Harvard Professor of English in fall, 2021.

Amanda and Jenn discuss genre-benders, hopeful visions of the future, overlooked literary fiction, and more in this week’s episode of Get Booked. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. This post contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Book Riot may earn a commission. Feedback The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud and Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (rec’d by Kelly) Questions 1. Hi, I’m Ben, I love the podcast! I wasn’t sure how to ask for a suggestion, so I’m emailing.  I recently read Stuart Turton’s “Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” and “The Devil in the Dark Water” and am trying to find more genre bending books like those. My preferences are pretty open, though I try to stay away from YA. I do love that the aforementioned books involve a complicated mystery, but the mystery aspect isn’t as important as the genre blending. Thank you for your help! P.s. your podcast has helped open my mind with the variety of books that y’all discuss, thanks for that.  -Ben 2. It’s been a rough year (for everyone), and I am struggling to really see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m looking for a read without too much trauma on the page that imagines a better future/society. That’s pretty open-ended, but I enjoy so much of what gets recommended on the show that I trust y’all to run with it! Thank you for all you do; you’re getting me through all this shit.  -Diana 3. Hello! On your most recent episode (the final one in 2020), one or both of you mentioned reading more nonfiction books than usual this year. I haven’t gotten into nonfiction much, but would like to read more of it. So I was wondering – what were your favorite nonfiction books that you read in 2020? Thanks! Love the show! -Kathleen 4. Happy Holidays from Indonesia

In each episode we talk about a variety of books, writing, and art. Below are a few mentioned in this one:Ellie's fall 2020 plant workshops (link)Kale Mays (link)Ani DiFranco's song "Buildings and Bridges" (link)Conversation between Terry Tempest Williams and Ariana Reines (link)Shapes of Native Nonfiction edited by Elissa Washuta and Theresa Warburton (link)"Beauty & Memory & Abuse & Love" by Bojan Louis (link)Jewish Mourner's Kaddish (link)Tamar Ettun's Lilith project (link)Stranger Faces by Namwali Serpell (link)The Elephant Man (link)The 40-Year-Old Version (link)Questions? Thoughts? Email us: alltalklisteners@gmail.com.About Us:Ellie Lobovits is a visual artist, educator, writer, and teacher of Jewish plant magic. ellielobovits.comLeora Fridman is a writer and educator, author of My Fault, Make an Effort, and other books of prose, poetry and translation. leorafridman.com

CHECK IT OUT! Short tidbits where we point listeners to awesome things. In this episode, we briefly tell you why you should read "Unbothered," an article by Namwali Serpell for The Yale Review, and some questions to ask yourself after you're done.

This week on the Handsell, Jenn recommends The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell. Trigger warnings: rape, racism and racial slurs This episode is sponsored by Tor Teen. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David and Perry discuss the centenary of the coining of the word ‘robot', the winner of the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and take the Hugo Time Machine whizzing back to the year 1964. R. U. R. by Karel Čapek (03:44) Arthur C. Clarke Award (03:09) The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell (02:28) Hugo Time Machine~1964 (01:17:03) Glory Road by Robert Heinlein (02:59) Witch World by Andre Norton (06:35) Dune World by Frank Herbert (11:25) Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (08:09) Way Station by Clifford Simak (12:11) Voting results - Novels 1964 (02:06) Other possible novel nominees for 1964 (01:17) 1964 Short Fiction (00:24) Code Three by Rick Raphael (03:43) Savage Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (04:40) A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny (07:49) No Truce With Kings by Poul Anderson (05:26) Voting results - Short Fiction 1964 (01:28) Other possible short fiction nominees 1964 (01:43) Internet Archive, SF Database, etc. (02:29) Other Hugo Awards in 1964 (02:23) Wind-up (01:08) Photo of toy robot by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

David and Perry discuss the centenary of the coining of the word ‘robot’, the winner of the 2020 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and take the Hugo Time Machine whizzing back to the year 1964. R. U. R. by Karel Čapek (03:44) Arthur C. Clarke Award (03:09) The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell (02:28) Hugo Time Machine~1964 (01:17:03) Glory Road by Robert Heinlein (02:59) Witch World by Andre Norton (06:35) Dune World by Frank Herbert (11:25) Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (08:09) Way Station by Clifford Simak (12:11) Voting results - Novels 1964 (02:06) Other possible novel nominees for 1964 (01:17) 1964 Short Fiction (00:24) Code Three by Rick Raphael (03:43) Savage Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (04:40) A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny (07:49) No Truce With Kings by Poul Anderson (05:26) Voting results - Short Fiction 1964 (01:28) Other possible short fiction nominees 1964 (01:43) Internet Archive, SF Database, etc. (02:29) Other Hugo Awards in 1964 (02:23) Wind-up (01:08) Click here for more information and links Photo of toy robot by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

We're a bit late this week, but we have reigned victorious over midterms and work functions and an election to bring you a discussion of Namwali Serpell's magically realistic, somewhat science fictional, family history of Zambia, The Old Drift. Next time we will be discussing Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth. And after that, Luster by Raven Leilani. Mentioned in this episode: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The Zambian "Afronaut" Who Wanted to Join the Space Race by Namwali Serpell for the New Yorker Libro.fm Use code "bookstore" at checkout for two months for the price of one. Patreon Website

Today we have some fun discussing an article about how libraries are the real enemy. And we also talk about the shadowy world of bestseller lists.  Overdue: Throwing the book at libraries Author loses spot in Top 10 after buying 400 copies of his own book Next week we're reading The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell.

We read Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor. The book is filled with difficult topics, so this episode will not be for everyone. Despite the discomfort some of the themes may cause it is also a very beautifully and interestingly composed book. Next time we will be discussing The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.  Patreon Get two audiobooks for the price of one at Libro.fm with the checkout code "Bookstore"

Award-winning Zambian writer Namwali Serpell digs into publishing’s problems with race and colonialism, as well as the enduring legacy of white saviorism in literature.

What makes a great story? Perhaps it's the characters, a gripping plot, or a narrative that helps us understand the world we live in. The award winning writer Karen Lord tells us what really goes into writing fiction and she shares an extract from her recent short story ‘The Plague Doctors', a dystopian tale of social inequality exposed by a future pandemic. ‘The Plague Doctors' was published as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's anthology Take Us to a Better Place. Sci-fi meets forbidden love in a novel that spans centuries and continents. That's just one of the descriptions used to describe the critically acclaimed novel, The Old Drift. Its author Namwali Serpell talks to the Cultural Frontline about three moments in her life that shaped her as a storyteller. Plus Amy Brady, the writerof climate fiction column Burning Worlds, on why sci-fi offers us the opportunity for both immersion and escapism. Presented by Nawal al-Maghafi Image: Karen Lord Image credit: Marlon James

Our guests are Carmen Maria Machado and Namwali Serpell. Carmen Maria Machado’s “In The Dream House,” is a memoir about queer domestic abuse, beautifully and meticulously told through an array of forms, entirely eschewing convention. Machado is also the author of the short story collection “Her Body and Other Parties.” Namwali Serpell is a professor of literature at UC Berkeley. Her debut novel “The Old Drift” tracks three Zambian families across three generations, from the pre-colonial past into the near future. **** On April 8, 2020, Namwali Serpell and Carmen Maria Machado spoke via video conference, under orders to shelter-in-place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, the two reflected on writing post-apocalyptic narratives while they themselves live through a time of pandemic.

John travelled to Odense, Denmark for a conference called “Love Etc.” (RTB is for it…) and fell into this conversation about empathy, identification and “uncritical reading” with the novelist Namwali Serpell and literary theorist Rita Felski. Hannah Arendt’s distrust of too much feeling, not enough thinking loomed large; so did Zadie Smith’s recent article in … Continue reading "18: Fictional Empathy. Rita Felski and Namwali Serpell (with JP)"

Do fictional narratives, like those found in novels, plays, and films, promote empathy? Does emotion-based empathy spur people to alleviate suffering in the real world? Namwali Serpell calls into question much of the conventional thinking about empathy in relation to art. Drawing on thinkers like Arendt and Brecht, Serpell points to fiction's capacity to enlarge our understanding to encompass the positions of others. Namwali Serpell, “The Banality of Empathy” NYR Daily Namwali Serpell, The Old Drift Hogarth, 2019 The post Does Fiction Promote Empathy? appeared first on KPFA.

Namwali Serpell is a Zambian writer who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. She received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for women writers in 2011 and was selected for the Africa 39, a 2014 Hay Festival project to identify the best African writers under 40. Her first published story, 'Muzungu', was selected for The Best American Short Stories 2009 and shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize for African writing. She won the 2015 Caine Prize for her story 'The Sack'. The Old Drift is her first novel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Autumn and Kendra talk with Namwali Serpell about her new book The Old Drift, which is out now from Hogarth Books. Find the show notes of this episode, including a transcript, on our website. Thank you to our sponsor HelloFresh. For $80 off your first month of HelloFresh, go to HelloFresh.com/readingwomen80 and enter readingwomen80. In honor of #ReadingWomenMonth, we're launching our first-ever merch campaign! Show your support for women's voices with this limited edition t-shirt. Grab one before they're gone! Books MentionedThe Old Drift by Namwali Serpell Namwali RecommendsWhen Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie HeadWoman at Point Zero by Nwal El-SaadawiFreshwater by Akwaeki EmeziWe Need New Names by NoViolet BulawayoNervous Conditions by Tsitsi DangarembgaKintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi Namwali Serpell: Website | Twitter | Buy the Book Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to be sure you don’t miss the latest news, reviews, and furchild photos. Support us on Patreon and get insider goodies! CONTACT Questions? Comments? Email us hello@readingwomenpodcast.com.  SOCIAL MEDIA Reading WomenTwitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website Music by Isaac Greene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two incredible debut authors talk belonging, heritage and responsibility in their writing. THE BOOKS:The Parisian by Isabella Hammad: https://po.st/TheParisianThe Old Drift by Namwali Serpell: https://po.st/kcaqB5Thank you so much to Sam Baker for chairing this wonderful discussion... https://twitter.com/SamBakerFollow us on twitter: twitter.com/vintagebooksSign up to our bookish newsletter to hear all about our new releases, see exclusive extracts and win prizes: po.st/vintagenewsletterMusic is Orbiting A Distant Planet by Quantum Jazz http://po.st/OrbitingADistant See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another edition of The Avid Reader. Today our guest is Namwali Serpell author of The Old Drift, her first novel, published in March by Hogarth. Namwali has won many prizes in literature. Her writing has appeared in the NYer, Tin House, McSweeneys, the Guardian and in numerous short story anthologies, including Best American Short Stories. Oh and her first book of literary criticism, Seven Modes of Uncertainty was published in 2014 by Harvard. We’ll come back to that later. So welcome Namwali and thanks so much for joining us today.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another edition of The Avid Reader. Today our guest is Namwali Serpell author of The Old Drift, her first novel, published in March by Hogarth. Namwali has won many prizes in literature. Her writing has appeared in the NYer, Tin House, McSweeneys, the Guardian and in numerous short story anthologies, including Best American Short Stories. Oh and her first book of literary criticism, Seven Modes of Uncertainty was published in 2014 by Harvard. We’ll come back to that later. So welcome Namwali and thanks so much for joining us today.

Namwali Serpell joins me to discuss her debut novel 'The Old Drift.' 1904. On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there is a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. In a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families as they collide and converge over the course of the century. As the generations pass, their lives—their triumphs, errors, losses and hopes—emerge through a panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction.

I am joined by Saraiya Bah, a British poet and cultural producer of Sierra Leonian descent, whose work draws on the West African tradition of storytelling. In our discussion, Saraiya draws connections between Malcom X & Nas, Erykah Badu’s music & teenagers in inner city London, and Saraiya situates Lauryn Hill’s work in Mariama Ba’s iconic nove, So Long a letter.Saraiya Bah is an entire mood! Her honest engagement with literature is inspiring. Listen to her poetry and find out more about her works on saraiyabah.co.uk.An extended playlist of Saraiya Bah’s musical pairings is available on Spotify and YouTubeI’m extremely excited to announce that I will be hosting another live episode on the 23rd of May at Foyles bookshop in central London, with Sarah Ladipo Manyika, who will no doubt take us on an insightful and honest discussion about her beautifully written and unforgettable novel, In Dependence. Tickets are available here.I’m so thankful for your positive feedback on last week’s episode with Namwali Serpell. Subscribe to the mailing list at booksandrhymes.com, for a chance to win one of two signed copies of her debut novel, The Old Drift. The winner will be announced in the next episode.Tune into next week’s episode with the Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister The Serial Killer, a novel that was recently shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for fiction as we discuss her strategies for coping with criticisms, the importance of being grounded in faith, and the eccentricities of being a Nigerian.Subscribe, rate, and review Books & Rhymes on iTunes and your favourite podcast listening platforms. Tweet your thought on this episode using the hashtag #Booksandrhymes, follow @booksandrhymes on twitter and instagram The song you heard in the intro and outro is titled Dismembered by Meakoom. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode is an absolute treat as Namwali Serpell, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel, ‘The Old Drift’, takes us on a musical journey through the 20 year period of writing the novel, the problematic nature of literary prizes, the strangeness of reality, and the historical meaning of the phrase 'Muzungu'. We also discuss the connections between 'The Old Drift' to Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Bjork, Tracy Chapman, Larry Maluma and Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makimbi. Namwali Serpell has curated a special playlist to her debut novel, ‘The Old Drift’ for Books & Rhymes which you can listen to on YouTube and Spotify.Subscribe to Books & Rhymes mailing list for a chance to win one of two signed copies of ‘The Old Drift’.Follow @booksandrhymes on Instagram and twitter, and tweet or instagram your thoughts on this episode using the hashtag #BooksAndRhymes for a chance to win the second signed copy of the novel. Feel free to email booksandrhymes@gmail.com with your thoughts on the podcast.This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the iconic Waterstones bookshop in Gower street, London.Books & Rhymes, the podcast theme song is by Meakoom. You can find her catalogue here.These are the books and musical pairings discussed in this episode:The book/ story that inspired The Old Drift paired with a song or an album: Book: David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas; Album: Bjork Homogenic.A song or album paired with The Old Drift. Song: Bjork, "Joga"A song paired with Namwali Serpell’s Caine Prize award winning short story ‘Muzungu’. Song: Chakolwa (Drunkard) (1984) by Larry MalumaA song paired with Namwali Serpell’s Caine Prize award winning short story The Sack (published in Africa 39 anthology Edited Ellah wakatama Allfrey). Song: Teclo by PJ Harvey.A book recommendation to readers who want to read something similar to ‘The Old Drift’ paired with an album: Book: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; Album: Crossroads by Tracy Chapman.The playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Adam Hochschild talks about two chapters in his latest book, one about surveillance and spying in the U.S. and the other about mining and people's livelihoods in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Namwali Serpell describes her new novel set in her native Zambia, and Max Haiven discusses the book he's written about art and financialization. Adam Hochschild, Lessons from a Dark Time and Other Essays University of California Press, 2018 Namwali Serpell, The Old Drift Hogarth, 2019 Max Haiven, Art after Money, Money after Art: Creative Strategies Against Financialization Pluto Press, 2018 Desperate Holdings Real Estate and LandMind Spa, an exhibition at Dream Farm Commons in Oakland   The post Spying and Mining, Fiction and Art appeared first on KPFA.

Namwali Serpell had been named one of the best African writers under 40 before she'd even published a novel. She's a student of the craft, and now a teacher of it at the University of Berkeley. Finally, after finishing a book that will forever sit in a drawer, she's publishing her first novel, 'The Old Drift'. It's a huge project, telling the stories of 3 families across generations in the new nation of Zambia.We chat about how to tell this story she needed a rigid structure of planning and plotting, also how she backed up her thorough characters and huge ideas with plot, and how she wants this book to be remembered in hundreds of years.There's also a top writing tip in there from one of the most successful crime authors working today, all about making friends. You can send your top tip over to writersroutine.com.@writerspodwritersroutine.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do fictional narratives, like those found in novels, plays, and films, promote empathy? Does emotion-based empathy spur people to alleviate suffering in the real world? Namwali Serpell calls into question much of the conventional thinking about empathy in relation to art. Drawing on thinkers like Arendt and Brecht, Serpell points to fiction's capacity to enlarge our understanding to encompass the positions of others. Namwali Serpell, “The Banality of Empathy” NYR Daily Namwali Serpell, The Old Drift Hogarth, 2019 The post Does Fiction Promote Empathy? appeared first on KPFA.

Namwali Serpell is an award-winning author and associate professor of English at UC Berkeley. Her first published story, “Muzungu,” was selected for The Best American Short Stories 2009, shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize. Five years later she won the Caine Prize with her story „The Sack“. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, was published in March to much acclaim. (I wrote about five aspects I loved about The Old Drift.) Serpell also regularly publishes essays such as “The Banality of Empathy” or “Beauty Tips From My Dead Sister“. We talked about crossing genres, writing diverse female experiences, mosquitos, re-evaluating history, and why empathy is not everything. This episode was recorded during the African Book Festival Berlin in the cellar of the venue – which accounts for all the background noises and doors shutting.

This week's Woman Episode is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group. Meet Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak), Stacey Lee, and Joy McCullough, three YA authors who look to the past to tend a feminist future, in our Woman Issue and online at Kirkus.com. Enter to win the Woman Issue Prize Pack, which includes an Away Luggage carry-on, IPad, Airpods and 4 feminist reads, here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/contest/feminist-reads-prize-pack/. In our lead interview, meet Namwali Serpell, whose brilliant debut novel could be *the* big book of 2019. She joins us on this week's episode to discuss The Old Drift, the genre-bending tale of three generations of three Zambian families whose histories entwine in mysterious and magical ways. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

Who gets to choose which African stories get told? We meet three writers, each of them pushing against a mostly white US and UK-based publishing industry in their own way. Guests:Siyanda Mohutsiwa, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, & Namwali Serpell     

Novelist Namwali Serpell reads from, and explores the meaning of, her short story “The Sack,” winner of the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing.

March 14, 2016. Zambian writer Namwali Serpell read a short story from her book, participated in an interview, and took questions from the audience. Serpell also discussed her current research, challenges and opportunities in African literature. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7300

The Uncanny Reader: Stories from the Shadows (St. Martin's Griffin)  From the deeply unsettling to the possibly supernatural, these thirty-one border-crossing stories from around the world explore the uncanny in literature, and delve into our increasingly unstable sense of self, home, and planet. The Uncanny Reader: Stories from the Shadows opens with “The Sand-man,” E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1817 tale of dopplegangers and automatons—a tale that inspired generations of writers and thinkers to come. Stories by 19th and 20th century masters of the uncanny—including Edgar Allan Poe, Franz Kafka, and Shirley Jackson—form a foundation for sixteen award-winning contemporary authors, established and new, whose work blurs the boundaries between the familiar and the unknown. These writers come from Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Poland, Russia, Scotland, England, Sweden, the United States, Uruguay, and Zambia—although their birthplaces are not always the terrains they plumb in their stories, nor do they confine themselves to their own eras. Contemporary authors include: Chris Adrian, Aimee Bender, Kate Bernheimer, Jean-Christophe Duchon-Doris, Mansoura Ez-Eldin, Jonathon Carroll, John Herdman, Kelly Link, Steven Millhauser, Joyce Carol Oates, Yoko Ogawa, Dean Paschal, Karen Russell, Namwali Serpell, Steve Stern and Karen Tidbeck. Marjorie Sandor is the author of four books, most recently The Late Interiors: A Life Under Construction. Her story collection, Portrait of my Mother, Who Posed Nude in Wartime, won the 2004 National Jewish Book Award in Fiction, and an essay collection, The Night Gardener: A Search for Home won the 2000 Oregon Book Award for literary non-fiction. Her work has appeared in The Georgia Review, AGNI, The Hopkins Review and The Harvard Review among others. She lives in Corvallis, Oregon. Aimee Bender is the author of the novels The Color Master, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake—a New York Times bestseller—and An Invisible Sign of My Own, and of the collections The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and Willful Creatures. Her works have been widely anthologized and have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles.

Namwali Serpell’s nonfiction work has appeared in The Believer and Bidoun; her fiction in Callaloo and Tin House. Her first short story, “Muzungu,” was selected to appear in The Best American Short Stories 2009 and shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize for African Literature. In 2011, she was one of six recipients of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for women write. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 24374]

Namwali Serpell’s nonfiction work has appeared in The Believer and Bidoun; her fiction in Callaloo and Tin House. Her first short story, “Muzungu,” was selected to appear in The Best American Short Stories 2009 and shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize for African Literature. In 2011, she was one of six recipients of the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for women write. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 24374]

UC Berkeley's Namwali Serpell reads a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17997]

UC Berkeley’s Namwali Serpell reads a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17997]

UC Berkeley's Namwali Serpell reads a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17997]

UC Berkeley’s Namwali Serpell reads a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17997]