Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 116

'Brown Girls': Debut Novel from Daphne Palasi Andreades

'Brown Girls, the debut novel from author Daphne Palasi Andreades, tells the story of a friend-group of brown girls in Queens, and their experiences of growing up together through the various stages of their lives. Andreades, who was born and raised in Queens, is with All Of It to discuss the novel which The New York Times calls a "daring debut".'

The Radical Connections Between Art and Incarceration

'The Takeaway speaks with Nicole Fleetwood, inaugural James Weldon Johnson professor of media, culture, and communications at New York University and 2021 MacArthur Fellow, and Russell Craig, a painter based in New York City, about how art is made and displayed in prisons and jails in the U.S.'

Crate Digging: McCoy Tyner's Never-Before-Heard Set at the Village Vanguard

McCoy Tyner with Christian McBride

'He may be best known for his inimitable contribution to the classic John Coltrane Quartet, which also featured bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones. But traces of McCoy Tyner's genius were there before he met Trane. And the proof of his truth can also be found in his discography after Trane. In this episode of Jazz Night in America, host Christian McBride, guides through some of those recordings as part of his own personal crate-digging journey. He dusts off vinyl from his youth, spanning multiple eras of Tyner's career — some featuring choirs and big bands, and others with strings and woodwinds. And we'll hear the stories behind some of those gems when McBride candidly talks with McCoy's son, Deen Tyner.'

Left of Black S12 · E9 | Erica R. Edwards on Black Women and U.S. Empire

We may think of the Civil Rights Era as having a certain end date somewhere in the early to mid-1970's. However Black women have never left the battlefield in the fight for civil & human rights against a patriarchal system bent on silencing Black voices. On this episode of Left of Black, host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Professor Erica R. Edwards, Presidential Term Chair in African American Literature at Rutgers University, to discuss her new book, The Other Side of Terror: Black Women and the Culture of US Empire (New York University Press). Of The Other Side of Terror, Saidiya Hartman writes,  a "necessary, timely history of state power and Black feminist radicalism...at once, a critique of empire and its myriad violence, a refusal of servitude, and a poetics of dissent."

The Splendid Table: Dr. Jessica B. Harris Special

'The Splendid Table spends an hour with Culinary Historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris. We talk about her start in food writing, how she started making connections between what she ate in Africa and what she ate in America, learn about one of her greatest influences, her mother who she calls her “culinary secret weapon”, and hear the many different ways she studied food, from reading Columbus’ journal to her experiences as a travel editor. She is the author of twelve books including, Iron Pots and Wooden Spoon: Africa’s Gifts to New World Cooking, her memoir, My Soul Looks Back, and High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America.'

The Real Ballers Read Podcast: Why Our Stories Must be Told with George M. Johnson

"George M. Johnson is an award-winning Black Non-Binary writer, author, and activist with boundless creativity. They are also the first The Real Ballers Podcast guest that chose their own books to talk about—and we are so glad they did. This is a really special episode for us because we were able to be in conversation with George and Sol Kelly, our friend who came on the podcast to talk about George's book All Boys Aren't Blue!  We dive deep in this episode too. George talks about the power of vulnerability, freedom, the meaning of activism, and what progress looks like for the Black community."

"Way Out of No Way": Nnenna Freelon and Karla F.C. Holloway in Conversation

In this special presentation, Left of Black and the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University collaborated with The NorthStar Church of the Arts and the North Carolina Humanities Council to host a conversation with Grammy Award nominated Jazz artist Nnenna Freelon and noted literary scholar and novelist Karla F.C. Holloway.  In a wide ranging conversation moderated by Left of Black host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal, Freelon and Holloway discuss grief, the role of technology in their lives, the importance of ancestor worship and strategies -- new and old -- to make a "way of no way."

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Glynn Turman

'Glynn Turman is a brilliant actor who's lived an extraordinary life. His first big role was at 12, in the original Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Louis Gossett Jr. He's played mayor Clarence Royce on The Wire and Doctor Senator on the most recent season of Fargo.  He portrayed Mose Wright, the great-uncle of Emmett Till, in the ABC miniseries Women of the Movement. Those are just some of his 150-plus credits. Oh, and did we mention he was married to Aretha Franklin? When Bullseye with Jesse Thorn talked with Turman he'd just finished performing in the Academy Award-nominated film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.'

The Intersection of Sustainable Farming and Decarceration

'Of the 52,000 farms in North Carolina, one farm stands out as doing more than growing produce and raising livestock. GrowingChange, a non-profit organization that converts decommissioned rural prisons into farms and education centers where local, at-risk young people learn about animal husbandry and sustainable agriculture. Noran Sanford, Executive Director and Founder of GrowingChange, and youth leader Jaheim McRae join The Takeaway to talk about the history of GrowingChange, its impact in North Carolina, and their plans for the future.'

The Child Care Industry is a Failed Business Model: How the Pandemic Made it Worse for Families

'The omicron surge has made it even harder for child care providers to keep doors open and give reliable, consistent care that families need. Entry-level early childhood workers with high school diplomas earn $13 to $14 an hour depending on their experience — but many people would rather make $15 to $17 an hour at a fast-food restaurant, she says. Lead teachers with bachelor’s degrees earn between $45,000 to $47,000 per year. With child care centers short-staffed and forced to close due to COVID-19, families face the stress of potentially losing a job or income because there isn’t anyone who can take care of their children, Deidre Anderson, CEO of EarlystART in Kansas City, Missouri tells Here & Now. And the disruption of routine creates stress for kids.'