In this episode, Lissa sits down with the poet, performer, and librettist Douglas Kearney. Kearney has published six books, most recently, Buck Studies (Fence Books, 2016), winner of the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Award, the CLMP Firecracker Award for Poetry and silver medalist for the California Book Award (Poetry). Kearney teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.  https://blackmarketreads.com/ For more information visit Douglas Kearney's website: https://douglaskearney.com/ 

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 Solemn, Conception, 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. 

On this episode, Lissa sits down with civil rights icon Dr. Josie R. Johnson and her co-authors Carolyn Holbrook and Arleta Little to discuss Johnson's memoir Hope in the Struggle. Dr. Josie R. Johnson has been an educator, activist, and public servant for more than seven decades. Along with her work for the Urban League and the University of Minnesota, she has been office manager, campaign manager, and chief of staff for multiple political campaigns and public officials, including campaign manager for the first African American lieutenant governor of Colorado, and co-chair of the African American DFL Caucus in Minnesota. She holds degrees in sociology, education, and education administration. She lives in Minneapolis and continues to serve her community, advocating for equal rights and social justice. Carolyn Holbrook is a writer, educator, and former program director of the Loft Literary Center. She teaches creative writing at Hamline University and is author of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Journeys, which profiles twenty community leaders and programs made possible by Leadership Initiatives in Neighborhoods. In 2010 she received the prestigious Kay Sexton Award presented by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. Arleta Little is director of Artist Fellowships for the McKnight Foundation. Prior to working in philanthropy, she was executive director of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature.  

In this episode, Lissa speaks with Author and Professor Emily Bernard about her debut collection of personal essays Black is the Body: stories from my grandmother's time, my mother's time, and mine (Alfred A. Knopf, 2019). Emily was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a B. A. and Ph. D. in American Studies from Yale University. A contributing editor at The American Scholar, Emily is the Julian Lindsay Green and Gold Professor of English at the University of Vermont. To learn more about Emily Bernard's work and purchase her book, visit her website  

Minnesota-based writer Debra J. Stone sits down with Lissa Jones for a wide-ranging conversation about writing the stories she wants to read, her upbringing in the Rondo Neighborhood and the Northside, and what it means to be a black woman who loves to bike and camp. Stone’s poetry, short-fiction and essays have appeared in many publications and literary journals including About Place, Wild Age Press, and Random Sample Review. Stone co-founded and co-facilitates the Northside Writers Group, and is currently a fellow at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. She has received grants from Intermedia Arts, Beyond the Pure Fellowship, Jerome Foundation for Emerging Writers and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Currently, Debra serves as Board Member and Engagement Committee Chair for the non-profit independent publisher Graywolf Press.

On this episode, a reading and interview with poet, essayist, educator and avid gardener Ross Gay.  Ross Gay is the author of three books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, which was awarded the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. The Book of Delights, released earlier this year, is his first collection of essays. Ross has co-authored, two chapbooks "Lace and Pyrite: Letters from Two Gardens," and "River."  He is a founding editor, with Karissa Chen and Patrick Rosal, of the online sports magazine Some Call it Ballin', in addition to being an editor with the chapbook presses Q Avenue and Ledge Mule Press.  Ross is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, and the Guggenheim Foundation. Ross teaches at Indiana University.   This podcast was recorded as part of an event at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis. We are very grateful for their support and partnership in amplifying the voices of black writers and artists. We encourage you to support independent bookstores in your area. Visit blackmarketreads.com for more information on the podcast.

On this episode of Black Market Reads, the acclaimed poet Danez Smith. Smith is the author of two award-winning collections of poetry: 2014’s [insert] boy which was awarded the winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry; and their most recent collection, Don’t Call Us Dead, published by Graywolf Press in 2017, which was winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award, and a finalist for the National Book Award. Smith is the recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Montalvo Arts Center, Cave Canem, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Smith is a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of  VS, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness. To learn more about Smith's work, visit their website: http://www.danezsmithpoet.com/

In this episode we honor the late Ntozake Shange -- poet, author, playwright, artist. Her seminal work, the choreo-poem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf inspired generations of black women to see themselves differently and to question structures of power that tried to limit their boundless potential. The episode features excerpts of Shange's 2009 conversation with Alexs Pate as part of the NOMO series, a partnership between The Givens Foundation for African American Literature and the University of Minnesota Libraries. It also features Lissa's conversation with Penumbra Theatre Artistic Director Sarah Bellamy, who directed Shange's Choreo-poem in the fall of 2018, about the legacy of Shange's work and the importance of creating space in theatre that celebrates the work of Black artists. To listen to the full audio of Ntozake Shange's NOMO reading and conversation, visit blackmarketreads.com

On this episode, Lissa talks with poet Julian Randall  about his impressive debut collection Refuse. Julian is a Living, Queer, Black poet from Chicago. He has received fellowships from Callaloo, BOAAT and the Watering Hole and was the 2015 National College Slam (CUPSI) Best Poet, as well as being the recipient a Pushcart Prize. Julian is the curator of Winter Tangerine Review’s Lineage of Mirrors. He is a candidate for his MFA in Poetry at Ole Miss. His first book, Refuse, is the winner of the 2017 Cave Canem Poetry prize and will be published by University of Pittsburgh Press in Fall 2018.

Education, justice, innocence, and public policy on this very special episode. First, Lissa speaks with civil right activist, and now author, DeRay Mckesson about his new book On the Other Side of Freedom: the Case for Hope. Then we revisit our interviews with Dr. Artika Tyner and Alexs Pate discussing their work toward greater equity and justice in education.   (0:00) DeRay Mckesson became a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter movement during the 2014 protests in Ferguson, MO when he used social media to document and share with the world what was happening there. He is a civil rights activist and community organizer advocating for victims of police violence and an end to mass incarceration. Mckesson is the co-founder of Campaign Zero – a policy platform to end police violence – and is the host of the award-winning podcast Pod Save the People. He has been named one of Time magazine’s 30 most influential people on the Internet and was #11 on Fortune magazine’s world’s greatest leaders list. This episode was recorded at Shir Tikva Synagogue in Minneapolis. (16:13) Dr. Artika Tyner is an educator, advocate and author of several books for adults and children, including The Leader's Journey and Justice Makes a Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire. In this excerpt she discusses how her early career as a K-12 educator, and the deep disparities she encountered there, inspired her to become a civil rights attorney. She also reads from her children's book, Justice Makes a Difference, and teaches us about the great Paul Robeson. (32:13) Alexs Pate is the author of many books, including Amistad and Losing Absalom, he also edited the 2015 anthology Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota. In this excerpt he reads a piece from his newest work for children, Being You, and describes his project Innocent Classroom which focuses on shifting the paradigm in K-12 education to one in which black children are seen as innocent.  

On this bonus episode, we're sharing a series of interviews we recorded live from the 2018 Twin Cities Book Festival at the Minnesota State Fair grounds. Interviews with: Archie Givens (The Givens Foundation), Mary Taris (Publisher, Strive Publishing), Donna Gingery (author), LaBelle Nambangi (author), Amber James (author), Lehman Riley (author), Jasmine Brett Stringer (author), A. Raphael Johnson (author), Eric Lorberer (Editor, Rain Taxi), Tiffany D. Jackson (author), Maasia Si-Asar, Rekhet Si-Asar (Publisher, In Black Ink), and Ricardo Peters (author)

In the Season Four Premier Lissa speaks with award-winning poet and spoken word artist Patricia Smith. Smith is the author of eight books of poetry, most recently Incendiary Art which was awarded the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, NAACP image award, and was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. She is a professor of English at the College of Staten Island and in the MFA program at Sierra Nevada College, and serves as a Cave Canem Faculty member. Special thanks to the Department of English at the University of Minnesota. Visit blackmarketreads.com for additional content related to the episode.

On this episode, Lissa Jones sits down with author A. Rafael Johnson. He was named a Kimbilio Fellow in African American Fiction in 2014. Last year he published his first novel, The Through, which was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in Fiction. Johnson co-owns TerraLuna Collaborative, a social justice-focused consulting firm based in Minneapolis. He has co-produced Writer’s Resist – Twin Cities and Banned Together. He currently teaches Magical Realism at The Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Dr. Artika Tyner, educator, author, speaker and advocate, speaks with host Lissa Jones about what led her to dedicate her career to fighting for justice and empowering others to be leaders in their communities. She shares with us why she decided to focus her efforts on children, writing the book Justice Makes a Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire, and how traveling to Africa has impacted the way she understands racism in America. Dr. Tyner serves as the associate vice president of diversity and inclusion at the University of St. Thomas and is the author of several books for adults including The Leader’s Journey. To learn more about Dr. Tyner's work, visit her website www.artikatyner.com

In this episode, recorded at a live event at Jefferson Community School in Minneapolis, MN, Lissa Jones hosts a fascinating conversation with Sonya Renee Tayor the activist and author at the center of the global movement The Body Is Not an Apology, which advocates radical self-love as tool for political resistance and social justice. Sonya is an activist, award-wining performance poet, radical executive officer of The Body is Not an Apology, and now author of a book by the same name. Her website, theBodyIsNotanApology.com  reaches over a million readers each month in over 140 countries. Special thanks to our friends at Magers & Quinn Booksellers, one of Minneapolis's great independent bookstores, for organizing the event.   

Desiree Cooper, author of the award-winning short fiction collection Know the Mother talks with host Lissa Jones about the complexities of motherhood and the ways that motherhood interacts, and at times conflicts, with the many other roles that women take on.  Desiree Cooper is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, community activist, and a former attorney. She was also a founding board member of Cave Canem, the national residency for emerging black poets. Copies of her book can be purchased from on Amazon or from her publisher: http://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/know-mother  

In this episode, Lissa Jones talks with writer Mary Moore Easter about history, family, poetry, and her newly published poetry collection titled The Body of the World (Mad Hat Press).  Copies of The Body of the World can be purchased here: https://madhat-press.com/collections/our-books/products/the-body-of-the-world-by-mary-moore-easter

On this episode, host Lissa Jones talks with author and educator Alexs Pate. Pate Is the author of five novels, including the New York Times Bestseller Amistad, as well as a collection of poetry, and the non-fiction work In the Heart of the Beat: The Poetry of Rap. He edited the 2015 anthology Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota which highlights Black Minnesota writers of the last century. Pate is also the founder and president of Innocent Classroom.

Michael Starburry is a screenwriter and actor known for the film The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, which starred Jennifer Hudson and Anthony Mackie, and the animated series Legends of Chamberlain Heights which has run for two seasons on Comedy Central and for which Michael voices one of the characters. In 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama screened The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete at the White House.

Host Lissa Jones sits down with Dr. Damani Phillips. Dr. Phillips is an active performer, educator and composer. He currently serves as associate professor of jazz Studies and African-American studies at the University of Iowa, where he teaches applied jazz saxophone, directs jazz combos and teaches courses in African-American music, African-American Culture, jazz education and improvisation. In 2009, Phillips completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder becoming one of the first African-Americans in the country to do so. Phillips recently published his first book titled “What is This Thing Called Soul: Conversations on Jazz and Black Culture.”

In this episode, Lissa Jones speaks with Twin Cites based actress, comedian, and educator Joy Dolo of Blackout Improv. Dolo is a founding member of Blackout, Minnesota’s first and only all-Black improv ensemble whose performances use sketch comedy, improv, and stand-up to tackle current events, race, and social justice issues.  This podcast is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board operating support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Black Market Reads is a production of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature. Production services provided by iDream.tv.

In the season three premier, host Lissa Jones sits down with retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page to discuss his children's books, advocacy work, and optimism. Justice Alan Page is widely recognized for his groundbreaking legal career, as well as for his time in the NFL. Page played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears before his retirement to practice law full time; he was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame. In 1992 Page became the first African American elected to Minnesota’s supreme court, where he served as an Associate Justice until his retirement from the court in 2015. Along with his wife Diane Sims Page, he founded the Page Education Foundation which provides scholarships and mentoring for students of color to help them pursue post-secondary education. Now, Page has taken on another role: Children’s book author, releasing three books--most recently Grandpa Alan's Sugar Shack--co-authored with his daughter Kamie Page and illustrated by Minnesota artist Dave Geister. For more information about the Page Education Foundation and to purchase copies of Justice Page's books visit their website (https://www.page-ed.org)

Author and Historian Duchess Harris returns to Black Market Reads, this time to speak with host Lissa Jones to discuss her newest book Race and Policing which will be published in September by Abdo Publishing. Duchess and Lissa discuss the complex history of race, policing, and force in america, and Duchess shares exciting news about her upcoming collection from Abdo. This episode also features 'Blank,' an original spoken word piece from local poet Ashley Oliver.

In this episode, host Lissa Jones speaks with Erica Armstrong Dunbar about her recent work, Never Caught: The Washington's Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge. Dunbar is an author and historian focusing on the experiences of African American women in the context of slavery, racial injustice, and gender inequality. Today, she is a professor of History at Rutgers University.

In this episode, host Lissa Jones talks with author/musician James McBride at Minneapolis' Ivy Hotel. McBride is the author of five books including Miracle at St. Anna, which McBride adapted for the Spike Lee-directed film of the same name released in 2008. His most recent novel, The Good Lord Bird, won the National Book Award in 2013 and inspired 'A talking music book,' combining pieces from the novel with music performed by McBride and an ensemble of other musicians called the Good Lord Bird Band. Recordings of The Good Lord Bird: A Talking Music Book were provided by Riverhead Books, and clips were used with their permission.  

A frequent contributor to the opinion pages of both Twin Cities dailies as well as the local Black press, Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati has published dozens of monographs and pamphlets, and has appeared on Minnesota Public Radio, and at a host of community-based conferences and events. From 1970 to 2003, Professor El-Kati taught many generations of Macalester College students in courses such as “The Black Experience Since World War II,” and “Sports and the African American Community.” In this episode, host Lissa Jones talks with Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati at Golden Thyme Coffee & Cafe in St. Paul, MN.  

In this episode, Host Lissa Jones sits down with Minnesota writers Carolyn Holbrook and David Lawrence Grant to discuss the creative process and how the past informs their work and activism. Holbrook and Grant each contributed an essay to the collection A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota which was published by Minnesota Historical Society Press in 2016. For more information, and to purchase the collection, visit www.agoodtimeforthetruth.com .  

In this episode, host Lissa Jones explores what it means to love the skin you're in. First, she speaks with author Sharon G. Flake, whose 1998 novel, The Skin I'm In, influenced and inspired a generation of young women. Then, Lissa talks with Twin Cities artist Robin Hickman, who created a curriculum inspired by Flake's novel, and curator Hawona Sullivan Janzen about "Doll Power: Black Dolls and the Power of Play", an exhibit of Hickman's work that appeared at North Minneapolis's UROC Gallery earlier this year.

Duchess Harris's grandmother was one of a small group of black women who worked as human computers for NASA in the 1950s, and who have largely been left out space-race narratives--until now. In this episode, Harris sits down with host Lissa Jones to discuss her research on the subject, as well as her personal connection to it, and the importance of exposing these hidden narratives to mainstream historical consciousness. Duchess Harris, JD PHD is the Chair of American Studies at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She is the author of four books including, most recently, Black Lives Matter and Hidden Human Computers: The Black Women of NASA which inspired the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures.

In this episode we honor the work of playwright and author J. California Cooper with a selection of recordings from her appearance at the 2011 Givens Literary Luncheon sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Our host for this episode is Beverly Cottman, storyteller and teaching artist, who was at the event. Ms. Cooper was born in Berkeley, California in 1931.  She was the author of 17 plays and more than 10 works of fiction. Over the course of her career she came to be known as an important voice in the American literary community of the late 20th century, with her work being compared to that of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. She died in Seattle, Washington at the age of 82, but her voice and the characters she shared live on.

Author, playwright, and essayist Zetta Elliott talks with Shannon Gibney about her experiences with the publishing industry that eventually led to the creation of her own independent imprint Rosetta Press. She has published over 20 books for children and young adults, and her plays have been staged across the country. For more information, visit her website www.zettaelliott.com  

Special guests Irna Landrum and LaCora Bradford join Erin and Junauda in this week's episode as we gather in a Book Club edition of Black Market Reads to discuss The Sellout by Paul Beatty. Listen up, the read the book, and the NY Times review. Then Like us and Share us and let us know what you think. 

On this episode, Erin and Junauda are joined by Namir Fearce and Case Wilson, two youth readers, who got to interview author Shannon Gibney about her debut young adult novel, See No Color.  Readers then discuss the novel's themes, which include transracial adoption, sports, gender, parenting and mixed race identity. We had to talk about Macklemore's education on white privilege and Chelsea Handler's exploration of racism, so that happened, too.   Read See No Color and let us know what you think. We love our listeners. Share the love and the podcast with all your friends.

In this episode, Erin and Junauda discuss Jada Pinkett Smith's dignified response to another all-white Oscar nominations and the "Black Aunt Viv's" less dignified one.  Stacey Dash gets her first and only mention on this show. They discuss their experiences in the public school system, the highs and lows, and talk with Nothando Zulu and Beverly Cottman about their work as storytellers in the schools as part of Givens K12 program.  Erin's bestie Michael Kleber-Diggs also reads from an essay about Central High School and his role as a parent of a high school student. #BlackMarketReads is a project of The Givens Foundation for African American Literature produced in cooperation with www.iDream.tv Thanks for listening. Please subscribe, share and comment. Your reviews and feedback make our show stronger.

In this episode Erin and Junauda chat with entrepreneurs Felicia Perry and Mychal Fisher, banter about cultural context of beloved 80's icons and celebrate the poetic gifts of J. Otis Powell‽ and Namir Fearce. Thank you for listening to Black Market Reads. Let us know that stories matter. Please give us your comments and reviews, subscribe, share, and like. We love our listeners and we want to hear from you!

The Givens Emerging Writers' Mentor Program engages Black writers from diverse genres in a six-month program. Each year 10 emerging Minnesota-based writers work intensively with nationally acclaimed writers and Minnesota based mentors. Black Market Reads went on location to listen to the voices of Romelle Adkins, Maya Beck, Michael Kleber-Digs, Irna Landrum, Erin Sharkey, Bernard James, Stephanie Christen, Cherish Gibson, and Joi Lewis in the culminating showcase. 

This edition of BMR features a book club style exploration of Blues Vision with special guests Lisa Brimmer and Valérie Déus. Blues Vision is a stunning anthology of essays co-edited by Alex Pate, Pam Fletcher, and J. Otis Powell ?!, with cover art by Ta-coumba Aiken, and co-published by Minnesota Humanities Center and Minnesota Historical Society Press. Blues Vision features writing by Minnesota luminaries Tish Jones, Rohan Preston, Mary Moore Easter, E.G Bailey, Frank B. Wilderson III, Sha Cage, Andrea Jenkins, Shannon Gibney, Kim Hines, Carolyn Holbrook, Arleta Little, Clarence White, Angela Shannon and more. Cultural producers Erin Sharkey and Junauda Petrus. Brought to you by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature in partnership with iDream.tv

Erin and Junauda enlighten in a wide-ranging conversation about Erykah Badu, Abby Fisher and Affirmative Action, The Wiz and the Encampment at the 4th Precinct with special guests Jayanthi Kyle, Felicia Perry, and Irna Landrum. A poem and a song or two. Listen to Black Market Reads on iTunes, sound Cloud and a variety of other sources. Check us out, leave a review, let us know what you think. 

Join Keegan Xavi, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Erin Sharkey, and Junauda Petrus for an in-depth examination of topics, themes, characters and personal impacts suggested by Loving Day By Mat Johnson. New York Times Book Review    

On the occasion of his visit to Minneapolis as featured author for Givens Foundation Black Books Talk, Mat Johnson author of Loving Day, took time out to chat with Erin and Junauda.  Mat Johnson is the author of the novels Loving Day, Pym, Drop, and Hunting in Harlem, the nonfiction novella The Great Negro Plot, and the comic books Incognegro and Dark Rain. He is a recipient of the United States Artist James Baldwin Fellowship, The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature.  Mat Johnson is a Professor at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.  

If you’re nasty: A Janet Jackson inspired literary salon. With guests Danez Smith, Kamia Watson, Khary Jackson, Sha Cage and Tish Jones. Recorded in a live performance environment. Producer: Givens Foundation for African American Literature, Production services: iDream.tv BMR Hosts: Junauda Petrus and Erin Sharkey Special thanks to Seven Steakhouse & Sushi in Minneapolis for hosting the inaugural salon.   Danez Smith – a Saint Paul native, Danez is a current mentor in the Givens Emerging Writers Program, a winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, a 2014 Ruth Lilly - Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellow, a Cave Canem and VONA alum, and recipient of a McKnight Foundation Fellowship. 

 Sha Cage – Writer/Performer, Givens Writing Fellow, and IVEY AWARD winner for her tour de force performance in grounded last year and her solo work U/G/L/Y.

 Khary Jackson – Poet, playwright, dancer, musician, and Cave Canem Fellow.

 Kamia Watson – A native of Minneapolis, she writes under the name KamRynnKay

 Tish Jones – Spoken Word artist and Founder & Executive Director of TruArtSpeaks.

 DJ Sarah White will provide the sounds throughout the event.         

With guests Bree Newsome, Andrea Jenkins and Dread Scott - Junauda and Erin return to The Convening: Resistance & Rebellion, sponsored by The Givens Foundation for African American Literature.

The inaugural Book Club meeting of Black Market Reads features a lively discussion of Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction from Social Movements, an anthology of visionary science and speculative fiction written by organizers and activists. inspired by Octavia Butler, edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha. Book Club participants Tish Jones, Senah Sampong, and Chastity Brown in a discussion led by BMR co-hosts Erin Sharkey and Junauda Petrus.

Junauda and Erin go on location to the Givens Convening: Resistance & Rebellion with Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha editors of Octavia's Brood, Cheyenne Sewell from Yarn Mission,  Roger Guenveur Smith, and Eshay Brantley and Namir Fearce.