Author Kalisha Buckhanon on her new novel Speaking of Summer

In the Season 5 premier, Lissa sits down with author Kalisha Buckhanon to discuss her new novel Speaking of Summer (COUNTERPOINT, 2019). This episode was recorded live at an event hosted by Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis.

Kalisha Buckhanon is the author of the novels SolemnConception, and Upstate, which was selected as an inaugural National Book Foundation Literature for Justice title. In Speaking of Summer, critically acclaimed author Kalisha Buckhanon has created a postmodern, fast-paced story of urban peril and victim invisibility, and the fight to discover truth at any cost.  Her other honors include an American Library Association Alex Award, an Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship, Pushcart Prize and Hurston/Wright Awards nominations, and a Terry McMillan Young Author Award. She also appears on Investigation Discovery, BET, and TV One as a true crime expert in cases involving women. She lives in Chicago. More information can be found on her website

Episode 44 – Kalisha Buckhanon

In the Season 5 premier, Lissa sits down with author Kalisha Buckhanon to discuss her new novel Speaking of Summer (COUNTERPOINT, 2019). This episode was recorded live at an event hosted by Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis.

Photo of Lissa Jones and Kalisha Buckhanon during their interview at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis.

Go Deeper: Additional Resources

Watch: Book Trailer for Speaking of Summer on Youtube

Read: Racial and gender differences in missing children’s recovery chances (from the National Institutes of Health)

Racial and gender differences in missing children’s recovery chances

We inquire whether there are race and gender differences in the recovery of missing children. We argue that race and gender differences may arise due to differential media attention, socio-economic background and police resources. Datasets used in previous research lack the representativeness and longitudinal character necessary for probing victim demographic effects on recovery success.

Resource: Black & Missing Foundation

Report a Missing Person

BLACK & MISSING FOUNDATION, INC. Thousands of people are reported missing every year in the U.S. and while not every case will get widespread media attention, the coverage of white and minority victims is far from proportionate. Take a look at this infographic, created by BAMFI, detailing the disparity.

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