American folklorist, novelist, short story writer
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In a world competing for our attention, our guest this week admits: “It's probably harder to read novels now than it ever was.” But their value cannot be overstated. The novel's unique humanity, its careful and open treatment of the human experience, helps us to develop a sympathetic imagination, tuning our hearts and minds in a way that non-fiction argument simply cannot. Christopher Scalia, author of 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven't Read), makes the case that it is a distinctly conservative interest to explore the Western tradition through fiction. Recommendations in hand, he invites adults to refresh their reading list with novels—from the very inception of the form up to the present. Chapters: 1:47 The great book rut 4:11 Novels: the medium of recent Western tradition 5:30 The 18th-century bildungsroman 9:47 “Conservative” themes 16:18 The American dream in My Ántonia 22:39 Miraculous realism in Peace Like a River 29:02 Acknowledging the existence of evil 31:44 Wonder and encounter over strict interpretation 37:03 Revisiting works from your school years 38:47 Why narrative works 42:01 Books that nearly made the cut Links: 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven't Read) by Christopher Scalia Christopher J. Scalia at American Enterprise Institute The History of Rasselas by Samuel Johnson (1759) Evelina by Frances Burney (1778) Waverley by Sir Walter Scott (1814) The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1852) Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (1876) My Ántonia by Willa Cather (1918) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937) The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark (1963) The Children of Men by P. D. James (1992) Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (2001) Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (2004) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006) How I Won a Nobel Prize: A Novel by Julius Taranto (2023) Also on the Forum: Heights Forum Book Reviews On Reading Literature by Joseph Bissex Some Summer Reading Recommendations for Teachers by Tom Cox Modern Literature: On Curating the Contemporary featuring Mike Ortiz Guiding Our Boys through Modern Literature featuring Joe Breslin and Lionel Yaceczko Featured opportunities: Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 16-20, 2025) Convivium for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)
Eric Lewis Williams, Ph.D. is Director of the Office of Black Church Studies and Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School. Williams quotes Zora Neale Hurston, "I was born with God in my house." Hear a scholar's story of having been raised in a Pentecostal household, mentored into the scholarship of religion with no contradiction, and working as a professor, museum curator, and higher education administrator. Williams' journey is one of curiosity, boldness, and creativity.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2025 is: alacrity uh-LAK-ruh-tee noun Alacrity refers to a quick and cheerful readiness to do something. // She accepted the invitation to go on the trip with an alacrity that surprised her parents, who had assumed she wouldn't be interested. See the entry > Examples: “Antipater, about to mount his horse, saw Pollio and Sameas so close to him that the sleeve of Sameas almost touched his own in the crush. … Antipater had graciously invited the two to view his new grandson and sip a cup of wine cooled by snow brought from Mount Hermon. The two accepted with alacrity.” — Zora Neale Hurston, The Life of Herod the Great, 2025 Did you know? “I have not that alacrity of spirit / Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have,” says William Shakespeare's King Richard III in the play that bears his name. Alas and alack, Richard! Alacrity comes from the Latin word alacer, meaning “lively” or “eager,” and suggests physical quickness coupled with eagerness or enthusiasm. Thus, a spirit that lacks alacrity—like Richard III's—is in the doldrums, in need of a little (to use a much less formal word than alacrity) get-up-and-go.
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.
Since her death, poet and novelist Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) has been an endless source of fascination for fans of her and her work. But while much attention has been paid to her tumultuous relationship with fellow poet Ted Hughes, we often overlook the influences that formed her, long before she traveled to England and met Hughes. What movies did she watch? Which books did she read? How did media shape her worldview? In this episode, Jacke talks to serial biographer Carl Rollyson about his new book The Making of Sylvia Plath, which takes a fresh approach to understanding Plath - and helps to revise and reposition Plath's legacy. PLUS Cheryl Hopson (Zora Neale Hurston: A Critical Life) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. Additional listening: 675 Zora Neale Hurston (with Cheryl Hopson) 563 Sylvia Plath (with Carl Rollyson) 654 Loving (and Reclaiming) Sylvia Plath (with Emily Van Duyne) 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
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
Zora Neale Hurston was one amazing Floridian woman who broke boundaries no matter what she did in life
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
In Fort Pierce in the 1950s, an artistic collective would grow along the Atlantic Coast, lead by Florida artist Beanie Backus. Beanie was an inspiration to many - and his influence would lead to an entire new artistic movement. Pick up your copy of FLORIDA! right here! Thank you to Chelsea Rice for her incredible design of our logo! Follow Chelsea on Instagram here! Thank you to all the writers doing incredible journalism about Backus. Read more in the links below. Southern Geniuses: A.E. Backus, Zora Neale Hurston and the Florida Highwaymen - Flamingo Mag THE FINE ART OF FRIENDSHIP - Indian River Magazine A.E. Backus - A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery I do now own the rights to the Backus clips used in this episode. Watch it here: A. E. Backus Interview (June 2, 1979) All of the music was originally composed.
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.
During Women's History Month, Zora Neale Hurston remains a pivotal figure whose work continues to shape discussions on Black womanhood, cultural identity, and resilience. Dr. Michelle Cowin Gibbs explores Hurston's legacy as an educator, writer, anthropologist, and folklorist, highlighting how her interdisciplinary contributions exemplify the power of cross-disciplinary research and amplify marginalized voices. Hurston's struggles for recognition reflect the challenges faced by underrepresented faculty today, emphasizing the importance of persistence and advocacy in academia. Her legacy offers a powerful framework for advancing research, curriculum development, and innovative teaching practices in higher education.Michelle Cowin Gibbs, Ph.D., M.F.A., is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at CSU Long Beach, specializing in Black performativity, solo performance, and early 20th-century Black theatre. Her research explores Zora Neale Hurston's theatrical works, examining themes of Black womanhood and identity. Her performances address racialization and social justice, with pieces like They Don't Really Care About Us and A Thing Held in Full View. She also serves as vice board chair of Brownbody and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Kappa Phi. To learn more about Dr. Michelle Cowin Gibbs, visit MichelleGibbs Dr. Loren M. Hill is a licensed clinical psychologist and successful entrepreneur. Additionally, Dr. Hill is an experienced academician with several faculty and administrative positions in academia. She is an American Psychological Association Feminist Academic Leadership Academy Fellow, RAND Corporation Faculty Workshop in Policy Research and Analysis Fellow, and a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Dr. Hill is the Resident Psychologist for the Urban Family Focus Weekly show on KBLA Talk Radio. For further information on
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/folkore
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. 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
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. 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
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies
Iconic as a novelist and popular cultural figure, Zora Neale Hurston remains underappreciated as an anthropologist. Is it inevitable that Hurston's literary authority should eclipse her anthropological authority? If not, what socio-cultural and institutional values and processes shape the different ways we read her work? Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall considers the polar receptions to Hurston's two areas of achievement by examining the critical response to her work across both fields. Drawing on a wide range of readings, Freeman Marshall explores Hurston's popular appeal as iconography, her elevation into the literary canon, her concurrent marginalization in anthropology despite her significant contributions, and her place within constructions of Black feminist literary traditions. Perceptive and original, Ain't I an Anthropologist (University of Illinois Press, 2023) is an overdue reassessment of Zora Neale Hurston's place in American cultural and intellectual life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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.
In this episode, Hayley and Amy talk with theatre historian, author, and producer Jennifer Ashley Tepper about exploring under-appreciated corners of the theatre industry, embracing the ephemeral nature of theatre and seasons of life, the historical continuum of gender equity, and more. We also highlight Zora Neale Hurston as part of our Women's History Month Playwrights You Should Know series, in partnership with Expand the Canon. Click here for a transcript of the episode!Episode Notes:Hosts: Hayley Goldenberg and Amy AndrewsGuest: Jennifer Ashley TepperMusic: Chloe GellerEpisode Resources:Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left OutWomen Writing Musicals accompanying playlistUntold Stories of BroadwayThe Jonathan Larson Project54 BelowWomen's History Month:Expand the Canon - Spunk by Zora Neale HurstonTrailblazers of the Week:Michael Radi - Musical Theatre Writing CollectiveKelly Bishop - The Third Gilmore Girl: A MemoirJoin us for the Women & Theatre Season 5 Launch Party on February 27 on Zoom!Guest Bio:Jennifer Ashley Tepper (she/her) is an acclaimed theatre historian, author, and producer. She is the conceiver of The Jonathan Larson Project, which starts previews in February 2025 at the Orpheum Theatre, off-Broadway, following an acclaimed 2018 concert premiere and cast recording. She has been the Creative and Programming Director at 54 Below for the past decade. She has curated or produced over 7,000 shows in this position. Her leadership at the beloved venue has gained praise from publications including The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, Playbill, Newsday, The New York Post, and more. Tepper's four volumes of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series have been called an "inspiring Must-Read" by NBC New York and occupied the #1 spot on Amazon.com's Best Sellers List in Broadway & Musicals. Her new book, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History Books Left Out, was published in November 2024. Women Writing Musicals is the first-ever book about female musical theatre writers. Tepper is the producer of the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Love In Hate Nation, recent projects that are part of a decade-long collaboration with the group known as Joe Iconis & Family. On Broadway, Tepper has also worked on [title of show], The Performers, Godspell, Macbeth, and The Parisian Woman. She was historian consultant on the tick, tick... BOOM! movie (directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda for Netflix) and co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series If It Only Even Runs A Minute. Her work as a theatre historian also encompasses celebrated live talks and events, including at TEDxBroadway, BroadwayCon, The Museum of Broadway, Thespian Festivals, and more. Tepper received a 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. She was named one of the 10 professionals on Backstage Magazine's "1st Annual Broadway Future Power List", which stated: "Proving herself both a zeitgeist predictor and theatrical historian with her eclectic programming, Tepper is leading the conversation on contemporary musical theatre.”Find Jennifer Online:Visit Jennifer's websiteFollow Jennifer on InstagramBuy Women Writing MusicalsThanks for listening!Who do you want to hear from next on the Women & Theatre Podcast? Nominate someone here.The Women & Theatre Podcast is created and produced by Hayley Goldenberg and Amy Andrews. Please like, comment, subscribe, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider making a donation to support our work. Thank you for listening!
Host, reporter, and podcaster Sam Sanders talks with Dylan about the places that have shaped his life – from when he was a kid in a small town in Texas secretively listening to Stevie Wonder in the bathroom, to running along the Charles River, to exploring Joshua Tree National Park with Zora Neale Hurston (kind of).Check out Sam's podcasts Vibe Check and the The Sam Sanders Show.
In this episode, Moni and Kat review Zora Neale Hurston's The Life of Herod the Great, a never-before-published novel that challenges the traditional view of King Herod. Hurston portrays him not as the villain of the New Testament but as a visionary leader who enriched Jewish culture and navigated the political chaos of the first century BCE. With rich historical detail and a fresh perspective, the book offers a compelling look at one of history's most misunderstood (and apparently hot) figures.But before they get into the book discussion, there's some Super Bowl business to address! The hosts recap the game, with Moni taking an L after making a bet on the Kansas City Chiefs. They also break down Kendrick Lamar's epic halftime show, discussing its cultural impact and why it was one of the best performances in recent years. This episode has it all, even corrections from last week's episode! Tune in for the laughs, the lessons, and the literary gems. Cheers!
Listen to journalist Erica Wagner in conversation with Mai Sennaar, writer of “They Dream in Gold”, her first novel published by Picador and SJP Lit in 2024 which explores the notion of identity and the sense of belonging through two protagonists from the African diaspora in the United States. As the conversation unfolds, the author evokes how music changed her life and the emancipatory power of language. The writer, playwright and filmmaker also reflects on the transformative experience of being published, read and understood as her first novel has been shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. As part of the Rendez-vous littéraires rue Cambon [Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon], the podcast "les Rencontres" highlights the birth of a writer in a series created by CHANEL and House ambassador and spokesperson Charlotte Casiraghi. (00:00) : Introduction (00:56) : Presentation of Mai Sennaar and her novel “They Dream in Gold” by Erica Wagner(04:21) : On the author's path to becoming a writer(06:34) : About cinema, theatre and literature(08:57) : The start of writing her novel(10:14) : On the influence of language on writing(12:07) : The publication process of her novel(14:27) : On Alfred Hitchcock's influence on the novel(16:17) : Reading an extract of “They Dream in Gold” by Mai Sennaar(17:51) : On the writing process of her novel(19:36) : The books which inspired her(22:24) : On the influence of music in the novel(24:49) : The research process behind the book(27:25) : On speaking about black identity(30:20) : On the reception of the book(33:20) : The ending questionnaire of “les Rencontres”They Dream In Gold © Mai Sennaar 2024. First published in the US in 2024 by SJP Lit, an imprint of Zando. First published in the UK in 2024 by Picador, an imprint of MacmillanJean Kwok, Book Review: 'They Dream in Gold,' by Mai Sennaar,From the New-York Times © 2024 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. Used under licenseLucy Popescu, They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar review - love and identity on the 1960s music scene, 28 July 2024 © Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2025May Sennaar © Wax Lovers Playlist, 2017Diana Wharton Sennaar and May Sennaar © Carry On, 2024Arthur Laurents, West Side Story. All rights reservedDavid Dodge, To Catch a Thief, published 1952 by Alfred A. KnopfAlfred Hitchcock, North by Northwest, © Warner Bros., 1959. All rights reservedTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Copyright © 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston. Renewed © 1965 by John C. Hurston and Joel Hurston. Courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers
Listen to journalist Erica Wagner in conversation with Mai Sennaar, writer of “They Dream in Gold”, her first novel published by Picador and SJP Lit in 2024 which explores the notion of identity and the sense of belonging through two protagonists from the African diaspora in the United States. As the conversation unfolds, the author evokes how music changed her life and the emancipatory power of language. The writer, playwright and filmmaker also reflects on the transformative experience of being published, read and understood as her first novel has been shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. As part of the Rendez-vous littéraires rue Cambon [Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon], the podcast "les Rencontres" highlights the birth of a writer in a series created by CHANEL and House ambassador and spokesperson Charlotte Casiraghi. (00:00) : Introduction (00:56) : Presentation of Mai Sennaar and her novel “They Dream in Gold” by Erica Wagner(04:21) : On the author's path to becoming a writer(06:34) : About cinema, theatre and literature(08:57) : The start of writing her novel(10:14) : On the influence of language on writing(12:07) : The publication process of her novel(14:27) : On Alfred Hitchcock's influence on the novel(16:17) : Reading an extract of “They Dream in Gold” by Mai Sennaar(17:51) : On the writing process of her novel(19:36) : The books which inspired her(22:24) : On the influence of music in the novel(24:49) : The research process behind the book(27:25) : On speaking about black identity(30:20) : On the reception of the book(33:20) : The ending questionnaire of “les Rencontres”They Dream In Gold © Mai Sennaar 2024. First published in the US in 2024 by SJP Lit, an imprint of Zando. First published in the UK in 2024 by Picador, an imprint of MacmillanJean Kwok, Book Review: 'They Dream in Gold,' by Mai Sennaar,From the New-York Times © 2024 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. Used under licenseLucy Popescu, They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar review - love and identity on the 1960s music scene, 28 July 2024 © Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2025Mai Sennaar © Wax Lovers Playlist, 2017Diana Wharton Sennaar and Mai Sennaar © Carry On, 2024Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story, 1957David Dodge, To Catch a Thief, published 1952 by Alfred A. KnopfAlfred Hitchcock, North by Northwest, © Warner Bros., 1959. All rights reservedTheir Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Copyright © 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston. Renewed © 1965 by John C. Hurston and Joel Hurston. Courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers
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
It's time for another Favored or Forsaken! Join Knox, Jamie, and Evan as we discuss whether or not God cares about sports, a-listers in faith-based movies, and recent innovations within faith-adjacent products. You'll also hear what is favored for each of us right now! Can Christians revolutionize the overall sports experience, and what does a roll of toilet paper have to do with Psalm 18:2? You'll have to listen to find out! NOTE: This episode gets a little spicy towards the end, so you're probably not going to want to listen to this with little ears around. You can listen to the un-bleeped version on our Doctoral Tier on Patreon. MENTIONS Want ALL the Classic episodes? Pursue your Doctorate with The Faith Adjacent Seminary Book Info: Order I've Got Questions | See Erin in Real Life Jalen Hurts Squats: See it here God's Action Hero: Here's the Mark Wahlberg article The Official Bible Band: Website | Instagram Post The Bible Clock: Pre-order here ESV Bible: Dyslexia-Friendly Edition: Learn more here | Get the Bible on Amazon Knox's Favored: The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston and Deborah Plant Jamie's Favored: How Far to the Promised Land by Esau McCaulley Evan's Favored: Streetlights Bible | Find them on Spotify The Faith Adjacent Seminary: Support us on Patreon. I've Got Questions by Erin Moon: Pre-Order Here | See Erin in Real Life at a Book Stop Subscribe to our Newsletter: The Dish from Faith Adjacent Faith Adjacent Merch: Shop Here Shop our Amazon Link: amazon.com/shop/faithadjacent Follow Faith Adjacent on Socials: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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
R-Soul: Reclaiming the Soul of Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice
Faith Organizer Kelley Fox and Executive Director Elaina Ramsey reflect on the past year and share FCO's strategic & pastoral priorities for 2025. From a year that asks to a year that answers (shoutout to Zora Neale Hurston), Kelley and Elaina discuss the necessity of caring deeply for ourselves and the movement, while also having the audacity to hope and live into the future we're longing for throughout these chaotic times in the U.S. Links to discussed content: New Year, New Offerings: faithchoiceohio.org/blog/new-year-new-offerings We Take Care of Each Other: faithchoiceohio.org/blog/we-take-care-of-each-other Self-Care as System Maintenance: www.instagram.com/p/DBrp_kcNqjk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Faith for Repro Training Center: faithchoiceohio.org/trainings Music by Korbin Jones
On January 28, 1960, Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most celebrated writers of the Harlem Renaissance, passed away at the age of 69. Known for her vivid storytelling and groundbreaking exploration of Black life and culture, Hurston's most popular works include “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” “Mules and Men,” and “Dust Tracks on a Road.” Her writing captured the complexities of race, gender, and identity in ways that continue to resonate today. Despite facing obscurity and financial struggles later in life, Hurston's legacy has endured, with her work now regarded as essential in American literature. Her words and vision remain a beacon, celebrating the richness and resilience of Black life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Are you nurturing and advocating for yourself? In this episode, I talk with Nadine Pinede about dimming your inner critic to a whisper and: • Learning to advocate for yourself when you have an invisible illness and/or are a person of color • Soothing pain and discomfort through MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and Self-Compassion practices • Seeing yourself and others for who they truly are, not the groups they belong to • Channeling grief and pain into creativity and writing • Slowing down to see how everything is connected Nadine is the daughter of Haitian exiles who were forced to leave their homeland because of a dictatorship. Her mother was no doubt sharing enthralling tales of Haitian history and family lore when Nadine was in the womb. Nadine is an author, poet, editor, educator, and translator who created her own interdisciplinary major at Harvard and then continued on to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. She also has an MFA in fiction and poetry and holds a PhD from Indiana University. Nadine's upcoming debut novel from Candlewick Press, When the Mapou Sings, is dedicated to her first storyteller, her mother, who encouraged her to write her own stories. Keep in touch with Nadine: • Website: https://nadinepinede.com • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadinepinede Resources Mentioned: • When the Mapou Sings by Nadine Pinede: https://bookshop.org/a/63892/9781536235661 • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for Pain: https://www.ummhealth.org/umass-memorial-medical-center/mindfulness-managing-pain-introduction • Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.: https://bookshop.org/a/63892/9780062991065 • Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: https://bookshop.org/a/63892/9780060838676Thanks for listening! You can read the full show notes and sign up for my email list to get new episode announcements and other resources at: https://www.sensitivestories.comYou can also follow "SensitiveStrengths" for behind-the-scenes content plus more educational and inspirational HSP resources: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensitivestrengths TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sensitivestrengths Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sensitivestrengths And for more support, attend a Sensitive Sessions monthly workshop: https://www.sensitivesessions.com. Use code PODCAST for 25% off. If you have a moment, please rate and review the podcast, it helps Sensitive Stories reach more HSPs! This episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment with a mental health or medical professional. Some links are affiliate links. You are under no obligation to purchase any book, product or service. I am not responsible for the quality or satisfaction of any purchase.
Zora Neale Hurston, 1891 - 1960.
In this week's episode of the Teach Different Podcast, hosts Dan and Steve Fouts discuss a powerful quote by Zora Neale Hurston: “If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” Joined by Teach Different producer Siye Dlamini, they explore the claim of the quote, which is voicing one's pain and the critical role of self-expression. The episode concludes with a thought provoking question on how to balance self-expression and self-protection. Image source: United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3b10040. Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64385
Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson talk about their award-winning new film Babygirl, where she plays a married mum and high powered tech CEO who begins an affair with a young intern at her company after he realises she has sexual desires that she's not been able to embrace before.Novelist Tayari Jones and literary scholar Dr Deborah G. Plant discuss The Life of Herod the Great by Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston. Published for the first time, the manuscript was saved from being burnt after Hurston's death and challenges the idea of Herod as a murderous tryant.Brian Eno, musician, song writer, record producer and visual artist has two new projects – he's written a book about what art does, and endorsed and taken part in a film about his life and work. He joins Samira.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Corinna Jones
In this episode... making sense of dream premonitions; how to engage in spirit flight and dream travel - and the need for tethering when you do so; how to begin working with your ancestors in your dreams; how to receive signs and strengthen your intuition, plus the consequences of NOT listening to your intuition; what to do when you get dream messages for someone else; and the number one thing you need to in order to receive dream messages. All with special guest Autumn Fourkiller. Join us!**********************************FIND OUT MORE ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTSHermit Year Workshop Series with Amanda Yates Garcia via her Mystery Cult platform on Substack. Get the replay when you subscribe as a Yearly or Founders Member. You can also subscribe to her newsletter for free (!) at www.amandayatesgarcia.substack.comMuses and Guides: Working with Ritual & Poetry to Activate Creative Potential Workshop (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK) - with Amanda Yates Garcia and Rebecca Sharp. A daylong workshop on July 26, 2025 on bringing your spiritual work into your creative practice. Find out more via the link above.Homework Club offers creative people strategies for keeping their projects and practices a priority with monthly webinars, worksheets, live QnA's, accountability pods, and actual homework (that you'll never be graded on. Ever!). If you're an artist or writer looking for structure, support and community, check out Carolyn's project - Homework Club -with with arts consultant and author, Beth Pickens.Midwives of Invention will help you get unstuck in your writing, with Ann Friedman and Jade Chang.**********************************FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST AUTUMN FOURKILLERAutumn Fourkiller is member of the Cherokee Nation, writer and dream analyst. Her work and dream interpretations can be found in NY magazine's the Cut, Longreads, Atlas OBscura and many other places. Autumn also is the Tin House Writing Workshops communications coordinator, and summer scholar and was the 2022 fellow for Ann Friedman Weekly, you can subscribe to her Newsletter Dream Interpretation for Dummies via the link in the show notes.Find her on Instagram: @autumnfourkillerWebsite: autumnfourkiller.comSign up for her newsletter, Dream Interpretation for Dummies**********************************FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MISSING WITCHES DECK OF ORACLESFrom Missing Witches authors Risa Dickens and Amy Torok comes a magical new deck featuring 52 of history's most inspiring witches.The Missing Witches Deck of Oracles pulls 52 figures—from Zora Neale Hurston to Hildegarde to Mayumi Oda and more—and presents their stories in potent and poignant spells that restore, inspire, and empower.Users may pull a card or spread a day—or find what works for them—to discover each historical witch and the guidance they offer. Each card features a unique illustration along with a simple message on one side; the other shares each witch's story along an insight, prompt, or meditation.The deck invites those new to and experienced with the craft to connect with witches living and legend and offers a uniquely rich experience for discovery, self-reflection, meditation, divination, and daily ritual.The Missing Witches Deck of Oracles is out now. North Atlantic Books is offering listeners 30% off (plus free shipping) on the deck with code MISSING at www.northatlanticbooks.com now through December 31, 2024. This offer is limited to recipients with U.S.-based mailing addresses only.**********************************Learn More About Your Host Amanda Yates GarciaTo join Amanda's MYSTERY CULT on Substack click here.To order Amanda's book, "Initiated: Memoir of a Witch" CLICK HERE.Amanda's InstagramTo book an appointment with Amanda go to www.oracleoflosangeles.com*********************************Original MUSIC by Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs**********************************Get in touch with sponsorship inquiries for Between the Worlds at betweentheworldspodcast@gmail.com.CONTRIBUTORS:Amanda Yates Garcia (host) & Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs (producer, composer). The BTW logo collage was created by Maria Minnis (tinyparsnip.com / instagram.com/tinyparsnip ) with text designed by Leah Hayes. Learn More About Your Host Amanda Yates GarciaTo join Amanda's MYSTERY CULT on Substack click here.To order Amanda's book, "Initiated: Memoir of a Witch" CLICK HERE.Amanda's InstagramTo book an appointment with Amanda go to www.oracleoflosangeles.com*********************************Original MUSIC by Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs**********************************Are you an artist or writer looking for structure, support and community? Check out Carolyn's project - Homework Club -with with arts consultant and author, Beth Pickens:Homework Club offers creative people strategies for keeping their projects and practices a priority with monthly webinars, worksheets, live QnA's, accountability pods, and actual homework (that you'll never be graded on. Ever!). Make 2024 a BIG PROJECT year - first month free with code: YourArtMind Your Practice is our podcast.You can visit https://www.bethpickens.com/homework-club for more details or listen wherever you stream Between the Worlds.**********************************Get in touch with sponsorship inquiries for Between the Worlds at betweentheworldspodcast@gmail.com.CONTRIBUTORS:Amanda Yates Garcia (host) & Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs (producer, composer). The BTW logo collage was created by Maria Minnis (tinyparsnip.com / instagram.com/tinyparsnip ) with text designed by Leah Hayes.
Hey Cousin! It's folklore time, and this month we are sticking with tales of conjure found in Zora Neale Hurston's work Hoodoo in America found in the American Folklore Journal. Story 1: 16Story 2: 17Story 3: 18
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.
Cuz, There are Initiations in hoodoo. It might not look like or function like other occult practices, but it is done non the less. So let's dive into one of the initiations of Zora Neale Hurston and see what we can glean.
Eric's Perspective : A podcast series on African American art
This special episode explores the incredible legacy of businessman and visionary philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. How he was born to German Jewish immigrants, rose to become the President of Sears Roebuck and the meaningful way that his legacy continues to live on and have meaningful impact to this day…! Inspired by the Jewish ideals of tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (repairing the world) and a deep concern over racial inequality in America, Rosenwald used his wealth to become one of America's most effective philanthropists. Influenced by the writings of the educator Booker T. Washington, Rosenwald joined forces with African American communities during the Jim Crow era to build 5,300 schools, providing 660,000 black children with access to education in the segregated American South. The Rosenwald Fund also provided grants to support a who's who of African American artists and intellectuals and numerous artists that Eric represents and promotes, including Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, William Artis and others who were greatly helped by Rosenwald Foundation funds. Featuring Community Leader Roger Smith; Eric's cousin from Virginia - from the very school that Eric's Mother attended that was built thanks to the generosity of Rosenwald that is an historic landmark… They discuss how Dunbar Schoolhouse came about, how the building itself had been assembled and how Roger, alongside his Family have been instrumental in restoring and maintaining the school. Preserving its history through an on-sight museum — committed to keeping the story of Dunbar Schoolhouse alive..! The various wonderful community programs that they currently run and the significant role that the school plays in the community. Filmmaker Aviva Kempner joins Eric from Washington. They discuss her feature-length historical documentary about Julius Rosenwald entitled “Rosenwald: A Remarkable Story of a Jewish Partnership with African American Communities” and all the wonderful things she learned in the process of making the film. They discuss Rosenwald's background and life — the role of his Rabbi and how it motivated his philanthropic efforts… meeting Booker T. Washington and the strong friendship that they forged. Realizing the need for and power of education as a way to uplift communities and becoming involved in building schools in the rural south. Addressing the needs for housing brought about by the Great Migration, funding the building of housing and YMCAs for African Americans and supporting countess artists and intellectuals including Marian Anderson, James Baldwin, Ralph Bunche, W.E.B. DuBois, Katherine Dunham, Ralph Ellison, John Hope Franklin, Zora Neale Hurston, Jacob Lawrence, Dr. Charles Drew, Augusta Savage, and Langston Hughes. His genius in “matching grants”, the way it made the community feel self-empowered and invested in the mission. The theory of ‘spending down' and how its principles helped inspire other philanthropic institutions. The unique design and ingenuity of the building construction… the power of community and how his work continues to live on today. They explore what lead to her making movies — from being the daughter of a Holocaust Survivor, a passionate activist and viewing movies as a powerful tool to educate people. The many films she's made throughout her life and is in the process of producing and her dedication to telling stories that celebrate the lives of lesser-known Jewish heroes for over forty years…! For more on Eric's Perspective, visit www.ericsperspective.com#ERICSPERSPECTIVE #AFRICANAMERICAN #ART Connect with us ONLINE: Visit Eric's Perspective website: https://bit.ly/2ZQ41x1 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3jq
A brief take on Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat, first published in the 1926 magazine Fire!!, which showcased realities of Black life and paved the way for enduring discussions in African American literature.Script by Kenton Rambsy Read by Kassandra Timm
Ife bravely shares her journey through pain and recovery, reflecting on past friendships and the challenges of her own struggles. Join her as she transforms the noise of hurt into a symphony of hope, discovering the power of resilience and the promise of a new life ahead.
In this episode, Tananarive talks to author, poet and scholar Nadine Pinede about her difficult journey bringing her debut novel to life, WHEN THE MAPOU SINGS - a novel about a young girl's experiences in historical Haiti, including encounters with Zora Neale Hurston. And the novel is entirely in verse! National Book Award winner Edwidge Danticat calls the book "a stunning revelation." They talk about managing a writing practice through pain and how the novel transformed over the years. The author requests donations to the Claudette Pinede Memorial Scholarship Fund to support Haitian women in STEM: https://helpdonors.donorsupport.co/page/FUNNJGKWUCZ LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL at https://www.speakpipe.com/LifewritingPodcast (We might play your message!) Join Tananarive's mailing list at https://tananarivelist.com Join Steve's mailing list at https://stevenbarneslist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Joining me as my guest for this episode is paranormal historian, researcher, writer and speaker, Allison Jornlin. Allison has been investigating strange phenomena for more than twenty years. Inspired by Chicago's Richard Crowe, who kick-started U.S. ghost tourism in 1973, she developed Milwaukee's first haunted history tour in 2008. Allison currently works as a professional weirdo, speaking throughout the U.S., writing for a variety of publications, and developing haunted history tours for American Ghost Walks. In addition, she is a passionate champion of important female figures from the history of paranormal research and investigation, whose contributions to these fields have often been unfairly overlooked. Allison's Paranormal Women blog highlights the groundbreaking work of people such as Lahe Gay, Zora Neale Hurston, Eleanor Sidgwick, Thelma Moss and Catherine Crowe, who is the main subject of our conversation in this episode. Born in 1790, English mystery writer Catherine Crowe became fascinated with the work of German doctors and scientists who dared look into the realm of unexplained phenomena beginning in the 1820s. She strived to make their research available to ordinary English readers by writing two non-fiction books – the second of which, The Night Side of Nature became immensely popular. This 400-page work combines the stranger elements of classical history, shares discoveries by top German researchers, and compiled worldwide paranormal accounts from antiquity to Cathrerine's time. It played a crucial role in popularising terms such as Poltergeist and Doppelganger and was very much ahead of its time. In 1854, Catherine conducted the first recorded single-blind study of a haunted house. Unfortunately, the chance for further investigation was curtailed after she was sidelined by a trumped-up scandal, which ultimately led to her fall into obscurity. I start the interview by talking with Allison about how own her career as a professional weirdo began. From there we move on to Catherine Crowe, discussing her background and what prompted her interest in paranormal research and writing what is perhaps her best-known non-fiction work, The Night-Side of Nature. Allison tells the story of Catherine's Haunted House investigation, and the sad events soon after that which led to her contributions to paranormal research being overlooked for so long. You can find out more about Allison and her work (including further details on Catherine Crowe) at her website https://paranormalwomen.com/. If you enjoy what I do with Some Other Sphere and would like to support its upkeep you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you! The Some Other Sphere theme is provided by Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub', by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and W. EB Dubois are some of the many recognizable names of an intellectual cultural and artistic period in American history known as the Harlem Renaissance. This week, CP Guest Host Abra Lee is in conversation with Reverend Jerri Mitchell-Lee. They enjoy a deep dive into the history of Effie Lee Newsome, another highly respected writer - and gardener - of the Harlem Renaissance. Reverend Mitchell-Lee shares more about this undersung American literary and garden figure from her unique familial perspective: Effie is her beloved great aunt. Effie Lee Newsome was a quintessential multi-hyphenate: she was an artist, nature writer, gardener, author, naturalist, birder, and favorite poet of the Harlem Renaissance elite. Through her groundbreaking children's book, Gladiola Garden: Poems of Outdoors and Indoors (The Associated Publishers, 1940), she became a powerful piece in the puzzle of not only the Harlem Renaissance but also American garden history. In June of 2022, a class of Landscape Architecture Students from Auburn University used the poetry and plants of Effie Lee Newsome as their inspiration for an award-winning display garden at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Reverend Mitchell-Lee is an accomplished writer, author, and businesswoman. She has a passion for serving and continues to do so as a health educator, mental health counselor, and workshop trainer. She received her education at Sterling College, University of Kansas, Rutgers University of Medicine and Dentistry, Howard School of Theology, and Newark School of Theology. Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you so much for listening over the years and we hope you'll support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow even more of these types of conversations. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. To read more and for many more photos, please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.