For the smart and free-thinking, Black Market Reads is a podcast featuring conversations with today's most exciting Black literary voices. We are a podcast for any one who loves to read, write, and engage. Black Market Reads is a project of The Givens Foundation for African American Literature.
"If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. The oppressor does not want you to have power, and education is power. The oppressor is not going to help the system meet your needs. "-  Dr. John Henrik Clarke (via Elder Katie Sample) ALL THINGS Work Together for Good A memoir by Katie …
Continue reading "Episode 111 – Katie Sample – All Things Work Together for Good (S12 E5)"
“It is not your environment, it is you – the quality of your minds, the integrity of your souls, and the determination of your wills – that will decide your future and shape your lives”. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays In this special episode of Black Market Reads, Lissa Jones turns the conversation from the authors …
Continue reading "Literacy as Liberation: Voices from Benjamin E. Mays School"
"The letters became words, the words became thoughts, and those thoughts became my voice. I may not remember the name I was given when I was born, but I found my voice, one that no one could take away."Â - Phillis Wheatley To mark the 100th Anniversary of Carter G. Woodson's Black History Month (previously known …
Continue reading "Episode 109 – 100 Years of Black Freedom with performance by Phillis Wheatley"
"You can't wait for the well-intentioned people to make up their minds that your life has value or to figure out how to save you."- Justin Ellis Minnesota Nice? In this conversation about The Cruelty of Nice Folks (HarperCollins Publishers 2026), Justin observes "part of the way White Supremacy works is convincing you that your …
“Our democracy flourishes when we see and value one another—and we only do that when we share our stories and take time to listen.”Kevin Lindsey, CEO MHC The Givens Foundation views literature as a pathway to liberation. In this episode Lissa and her guest, Kevin Lindsay, kick off a new season of Black Market Reads, …
“Having something in a rural space shifts the context of what permanence and importance American history is—for any and all, in every and all spaces.”Esther Callahan Michael Richards: Are You Down? is a compelling monograph that examines the life and work of Jamaican American artist Michael Richards through essays, images, and personal reflections. Edited by …
“ I think over time you learn to see magnificence in unlikely places”Michael Kleber-Diggs Worldly Things (Milkweed Editions, 2021) is a poetry collection by Michael Kleber-Diggs exploring the juxtaposition of everyday life and systemic issues in America, particularly the Black experience. Diggs reflects on writing as an act of care—rooted in intimacy, empathy, and presence. LISTEN https://sites.libsyn.com/73283/episode-105-michael-kleber-diggs-worldly-things In …
Continue reading "Episode 105 – Michael Kleber-Diggs, Worldly Things"
“To divorce the history of slavery from these narratives is a disservice to us, to our history, to our understanding of the world.”-Vanessa Riley Inspired by the true story of Jacquotte Delahaye—a 17th-century free woman of color who rose to become one of the most feared pirates in the Caribbean—FIRE SWORD AND SEA (HarperCollins 2026) follows …
“History, whether you know it or you don’t know it, will impact your life and shift your decisions and shape the world you live in.” - Antonio Michael Downing Antonio Michael Downing is an author, speaker, and musical artist. His memoir Saga Boy was called “singularly dazzling” by Kiese Laymon and “the triumph of Blackness everywhere” by …
Continue reading "Antonio Michael Downing – Saga Boy and Black Cherokee"
“It’s important for young Black people to see those who came before them — people who did extraordinary things and were not limited by what the world expected of them.” -Ethelene Whitmire The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram by Ethelene Whitmire tells the true story of Reed Peggram, a brilliant Black, queer Harvard scholar who went …
Continue reading "Ethelene Whitmire – The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram"