Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 97

Institutional Racism on the College Campus in 'Master'

'A new film uses elements of horror to shed light on the insidious nature of institutional racism on elite college campuses. Writer and director Mariama Diallo joins us to discuss her debut feature, "Master," which premieres in select theaters and on Prime Video on Friday. She is joined by actor Zoe Renee, who stars as a Black freshman on campus named Jasmine who worries she is being haunted by a ghostly presence.'

Death, Sex & Money: Why Lynn Nottage Cashed Out Her 401(k)

'At the start of this year, two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage achieved a feat. Three of her works—Clyde's, the musical MJ, and an opera adaptation of her play Intimate Apparel—were playing on New York City stages simultaneously. But three decades ago, during the height of the AIDS and crack epidemics, Lynn almost stopped writing plays for good. "I was watching many of my classmates and my professors get sick and die or succumb to drug addiction," she told me about her time at drama school. "And it was really hard to stay focused on writing and figure out, well, why am I writing? And what is it that I want to write about when there's so much trauma?" Lynn grew up in Brooklyn, where she now lives in her childhood home. She spoke with  Death, Sex & Money from her living room about how bombing a test in college led her to theater, how quitting her day job and cashing in her 401(k) helped her return to it, and how she shares "marriage miles" with her filmmaker husband.'

Eric Roberson: 21 Years of Music

Veteran R&B vocalist Eric Roberson reflects on the challenges and triumphs of his two decade career as an independent artist. 

 

theblerdgurl Podcast with Karama Horne : 'Raising Dion' Star Ja’Siah Young Has the Childhood We All Wish We Had

'Back in 2016, indie comic creator Dennis Liu kickstarted a comic called Raising Dion, a story about a mom secretly raising a boy with superpowers. He also created a trailer for it and we all fell in love with the little black boy who was telelkinteically waving his breakfast cereal around the room.  Blowing past his original Kickstarter goal on Day 1, Liu’s project caught the attention of Michael B. Jordan and his production company Outlier Society who produced it for Netflix.  When Raising Dion first hit streaming, we all got to meet the adorable 8 year old star, Ja’Siah Young. Now season 2 of Raising Dion is here, and our child hero has Omega level mutant powers, gets superhero training, and is still making his mom worry. Ja’Siah spoke with  theblerdgurl Podcast with Karama Horne  about the new season, his favorite powers, working with Michael B. Jordan and how Naruto got him through one of his toughest scenes.'

Open Form with Mychal Denzel Smith: Ashley C. Ford on The Joy Luck Club

'In this episode of Open Forum, Mychal Denzel Smith talks to Ashley C. Ford (Somebody’s Daughter) about the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club, starring Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, and Ming-Na Wen, and directed by Wayne Wang.'

The Real Ballers Read Podcast: The Power of Curiosity with Dr. Shana L. Redmond

'Dr. Shana L. Redmond is a professor of the first order. She's an interdisciplinary scholar of race, music, culture, and power and has published award-winning books. But most importantly, she is as committed to learning as her students. And in the fall of 2021, she decided to teach a book she had just read—A Little Devil In America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib. Where others would see a risk in teaching a new book, Dr. Redmond saw an opportunity to explore the Blues Epistemology through Hanif's intimate yet expansive peeks into Black culture. Listen to this episode to hear the gems of knowledge and wisdom that Dr. Redmond talked about in her class as well as her explanation for the importance of being an interdisciplinary scholar and the story of why she's always followed her curiosity.'

Joe's Pub: Candice Hoyes

'Candice Hoyes is a vocalist, composer, archivist, and curator of a "chill-inducing range" (Vogue). The prolific singer and songwriter has been dubbed “an artist with the most eclectic and delicious voice ever" by JazzFM (UK) as she brings “Black history into the present” (NPR). The Zora's Moon Tour is an extension of the most recent release, Blue Lagoon Woman, an ambitious self-produced EP and visual album. The EP was recently awarded Editor's Choice status from BOMB Magazine. Band: David Rosenthal, Guitar Jon Thomas, Piano Kanoa Mendenhall, Bass David Frazier, Drums.'

The Story of Kanye West with the Directors of 'jeen-yuhs: a Kanye Trilogy'

'Directors Clarence "Coodie" Simmons and Chike Ozah have spent years --- for Simmons, over two decades-- following and filming polarizing artist Kanye West, beginning with his early days as a producer in Chicago to his rise to fame, and then to infamy. But through it all, one thing comes through--- Kanye's undeniable talent. Simmons and Ozah join All Of It to discuss the resulting three part docuseries, "jeen-yuhs: a Kanye Trilogy" available to stream now on Netflix.'

“The Mixtape as Maroon” – An Original #BlackEphemera Mix by Kwame Phillips

“The Mixtape as Maroon” – An Original #BlackEphemera Mix by Kwame Phillips

“What does it mean to think of Black ephemera—random, inconsequential Blackness—as fugitive archival matter, as marooned archives?” – Mark Anthony Neal

Soul Expressions 2.0 · “The Mixtape as Maroon” – An Original #BlackEphemera Mix by Kwame Phillips 
Professor Kwame Phillips is an anthropologist and filmmaker, specializing in visual and sensory media production, ethnographic documentary and soundscapes. Born in London and raised in Jamaica, he joined John Cabot's Department of Communications in the Fall of 2016. Professor Phillips has traveled all over the world teaching digital storytelling in underserved communities. He works with Filmmakers Without Borders, an organization "committed to leveraging the filmmaking process as a vehicle for promoting student empowerment and cross-cultural exchange in the developing world."

Tracklist

Maroon Abeng Player - Abeng Signaling Horn // Greg Tate Interlude
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra - It's After The End Of The World
The Last Angel of History Interlude
Jimi Hendrix - 1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain // Jovana Tankou Interlude
Jyoti & Georgia Anne Muldrow - Ancestral Duckets // Sojourner Interlude
Angel Bat Dawid - Destination (Dr. Yusef Lateef) // Daughters of the Dust Interlude
Angel Bat Dawid and Tha Brothahood - Destination
The Last Poets - In Time and Space
OutKast - Millenium
A Tribe Called Quest - The Space Program
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra - I am the Alter-Destiny
Sault - Stop Dem
Scientist - De Materialize // Lee “Scratch” Perry Interlude
Space Afrika - Bly // Maroons of Jamaica Interlude
Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock
Erykah Badu - Dial’Afreaq
Laura Mvula ft. Nile Rodgers - Overcome
June Tyson - Theme of the Stargazers // Octavia Butler Interlude
Kamasi Washington - The Space Travelers Lullaby // Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interlude
Jay Electronica ft. Jay-Z - The Neverending Story // Marcus Garvey Interlude
Maroon printing-man - Drum Language
Brother Ah - Transcendental March (Creation Song)
Moor Mother and billy woods (ft. Imani Robinson & Amirtha Kidambi) - Maroons
Flying Lotus - Intro / / A Cosmic Drama // Evelyn from the Internets Interlude
BLO - Chant to Mother Earth // Cauleen Smith Interlude
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra - Space is the Place

Game Theory with Bomani Jones: Coach K's Legacy

'Coach K is retiring and will leave behind a complicated legacy. Bomani Jones gives his take.'