The Black Literary Canon

<p>Is there a work of writing more influential than the Constitution of the United States? Is there a work of writing more weaponized, more debated, and more quoted and misquoted? On this special episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club we will provide crucial context and a complet ... Show More

<p>MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading lists isn’t just blatant censorship; it is the tip of the sword that threatens ... Show More

<p>Good dystopian literature forces its readers to confront ideas of government, culture, community, and identity. This episode of the "Velshi Banned Book Club" will examine two of the most celebrated works of dystopian literature of all time: “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and “1984” ... Show More

The American writer Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” It was an urge which in her case yielded a rich array of novels, children’s books, plays and essays. Toni Morrison stands tall, as the f ... Show More

In memory of legendary author Toni Morrison, this encore presentation of an “Oprah Winfrey Show” episode features an interview with the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. They discusses one of Oprah’s all-time favorite books, Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.” Oprah and Morrison ... Show More

<p>A good rule of thumb is that whatever Margaret Atwood is worried about now is likely what the rest of us will be worried about a decade from now. The rise of authoritarianism. A backlash against women’s social progress. The seductions and dangers of genetic engineering. Climat ... Show More

Deborah Levy is a writer whose novels Swimming Home and Hot Milk were both shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Last year she published the final instalment of her ‘living autobiography’ trilogy of memoirs, and her earlier work includes plays for the RSC as well as short story colle ... Show More

Zora Neale Hurston. You might not recognise her name. She was an African American novelist and folklorist, a queen of the Harlem Renaissance and a contemporary of Langston Hughes and Richard Wright.But when she died in 1960 she was living on welfare and was buried in an unmarked ... Show More

Crime writer Ann Cleeves, theologian Mona Siddiqui, deep sea fish expert and podcast host Thomas Linley and poet Jake Morris-Campbell join Matthew Sweet to explore areas beyond the reach of light, both literally and metaphorically, as part of Radio 3's 2022 overnight festival at ... Show More