Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 429

Novelist Esi Edugyan On Black Genius And What Comes After Slavery

'Esi Edugyan, the author of Man Booker Prize finalist Washington Black, began her new book on a plantation in 1830s Barbados. "You know, you're starting a novel, you're really playing with character, and you're letting them interact, and you're seeing what comes of it," Edugyan says. "And at least for me, as a writer, I really have no idea where my story is going at the outset of it".' -- Morning Edition

Policy 360: Wealth Inequality Among America’s Dependents

Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch'You might expect that elderly people would have more wealth than families with kids because they're older and they’ve had more time to save. But Christina Gibson-Davis' research shows the gap in wealth between the two groups has grown "startlingly wide" over the past 25 years. Professor Gibson-Davis is a faculty member at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.' -- Policy 360

'Heavy': Kiese Laymon's Memoir Examines How People Absorb Trauma

'NPR's Scott Simon talks to Kiese Laymon about his relationship with his mother as well as his addiction to food and gambling. Both are documented in his new book, Heavy: An American Memoir.'

Tina Turner: "My Love Story"

'In the first of a two-part interview with CBS News' Gayle King, legendary singer Tina Turner talks about her new memoir, My Love Story; about her life with Ike Turner; her husband, Erwin Bach; and the pain of her son, Craig's, suicide earlier this year.'

112BK: Brooklyn Museum's “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power”

112BK host Ashley C. Ford is joined by Ashley James, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum. They discuss the exhibit,  Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power.

"The Hate U Give" Actor Russell Hornsby on the Power of Black Fatherhood

'Russell Hornsby says it's time more Black fathers got credit. "The Hate U Give" movie star delivered a passionate answer backstage after a  CBC Panel about Media Diversity co-sponsored by theGrio. Hornsby plays a devoted dad in the upcoming film, based on the best-selling young adult novel by Angie Thomas about a teenage girl who witnesses her friend killed by police. "Well first I would like audiences to know and take away from is that black families exist. That Black fathers exist. That black fathers are passionate. That black fathers care and that black fathers love. That black fathers are faithful," Hornsby told The Grio.'

T.R. Simon on her Novel, Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground

'T.R. Simon on her new young adult novel, Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground. A powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood adventures explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering effects of slavery.' -- AALBC

Activism And Identity Meet In 'The Hate U Give'

'The Hate U Give finds teenager Starr Carter caught between two worlds — her mostly black neighborhood and a white prep school. When her friend Khalil is killed by a police officer, she's forced to reconcile these two very different parts of her identity. We're joined by Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, hosts of The Nod podcast.' -- Pop Culture Happy Hour

Trevor Schoonmaker on P.4: Curating Prospect New Orleans

'Trevor Schoonmaker, Senior Curator at the Nasher Museum of Art and Artistic Director of the 2017-2018 New Orleans art event Prospect New Orleans, talks with Duke professor Laurent Dubois about his work guiding the triennial to a successful open. Schoonmaker speaks candidly about his path into the art world and the challenges and rewards of organizing an event of this magnitude in New Orleans. Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp is the fourth iteration of the citywide triennial art exhibition and features works by 73 artists spread across 17 venues. Designed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the founding of La Nouvelle-Orléans/New Orleans, Prospect.4 traces connections to the city and its rich history of migration and cultural exchange through works by artists from North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe.' -- Scholars and Publics

Death, Sex & Money with Nikki Giovanni

'Death, Sex & Money is live in The Greene Space! Join host Anna Sale for an evening of conversation with one of America's foremost poets, Nikki Giovanni, a literary force acknowledged by no less a cultural arbiter than Oprah Winfrey, who named Giovanni one of her "25 Living Legends". The recipient of over 20 honorary degrees, Giovanni began her career during the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and has published numerous acclaimed collections in the years since. Her latest book -- one we all need -- is called A Good Cry.' -- The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR