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.
“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 …
Black Market Reads, the podcast produced by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, proudly announces the release of its 100th episode, marking a decade of conversations with Black authors and artists whose work shapes the cultural landscape of Minnesota and beyond. Hosted by Lissa Jones, the 100th episode is an expansive, deeply moving celebration …
Continue reading "Episode 100: A Landmark Celebration of Black Stories, Voices, and Legacy"
African American literature is more than stories, poems, and novels. It's a living testament of our ability to endure, to resist, and to thrive in environments that weren't designed for us. From the narratives of enslaved people to the bold voices of the Black Arts movement, our literature has been a mirror of pain, a map of how to navigate the challenges that we face. and a megaphone of our power."
“We must remember that racism is not just an ideology; it is a disease. And racial healing is the medicine.” -Gail C. Christopher Framed by a personal narrative detailing Dr. Gail C. Christopher's commitment to help our nation to jettison the false belief in a racial hierarchy, Rx Racial Healing: A Guide to Embracing Our Humanity, …
Continue reading "Dr. Gail C. Christopher’s Guide to Racial Healing"
Recorded before a live audience at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, Lissa talks with author Karen Nance about her latest book Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray, and Black, published by In Black Ink 2024 Ethel Ray Nance was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, where her family lived a life filled with …
Continue reading "BONUS Episode: Karen Nance – Ethel Ray, Living in the White, Gray, and Black"
"I think that you'll have taught our history as our armor, that Black people are more than the sum of our traumas or tragedies. That Black history is the way, and a path to look back. I think that we will remember how to be good to each other and how to speak well of …
Continue reading "Charlayne Hunter-Gault, My People – Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives"
"We just wanna live. We wanna go out and enjoy our lives. We don't wanna talk about this all the time. We gonna talk about it when it's happening, but we are trying to build, we're trying to love, we're trying to have our families, we're trying to eat good. We're trying to travel the …
"There should be a fear of us moving towards a full blown authoritarian state. We shouldn't be under the illusion that it's never happened here and that there's no experience of people not having democratic rights. It absolutely has happened. So, how do we combat and mobilize around preventing the country from going further and …
“I will never forget the day that I walked into that courthouse and I encountered a group of young boys in the hallway chained together at their arms and legs. I had no idea that we shackled children in contemporary America." The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, by Kristin Henning (Pantheon) In The …
" To change hearts and minds, we have to touch people's hearts and minds. Some of the most influential changes that have happened in our society come through creative processes...," says Andrea Jenkins in response to Lissa's question about the role of art in her political life. Andrea Jenkins is the author of the poetry …
Continue reading "Andrea Jenkins on The T is Not Silent and intersections of art and politics"