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

Widely regarded as one of the best, and most important books, of the last half-century, Toni Morrison's Beloved is an unflinching examination of how the past can enslave just as painfully as a yoke or a whip can - and how our inability to wrestle with the past begets wrongdoing f ... Show More

Today's episode illuminates an essential foundation of Black life: namely, Black love. A new book from Zando Press assembles letters and original illustrations on the topic from celebrated Black writers and thinkers. The collection, Black Love Letters, explores the concept of Bla ... 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

By the time Toni Morrison died last week, a whole generation of readers had come of age in a world where she was already a legend. So, on this week’s show, we’re talking to women about growing up with Morrison’s books—how they first discovered her work, and what it’s meant to the ... 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

For this classic episode of book club, Anney and Samantha discuss Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, And Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene Carruthers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

The premiere episode of Oprah’s eight-part conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Isabel Wilkerson on her latest work and Oprah’s Book Club selection, Caste: The Origins of our Discontents. Oprah and Isabel discuss what called her to write Caste, how society needs a new ... Show More

A new month means a new theme on the Reading Women podcast. July is all about books by women of color. We wanted to include SO many more titles, but we narrowed it down to six books that particularly helped us broaden our perspectives of the world.  BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAS ... Show More

<p>Does feminism have a race problem? How have black women shaped abolition, civil rights and women's rights? Join Cristen and Caroline as they recount the work of Maria Stewart, Daisy Bates, Flo Kennedy, bell hooks, Audre Lorde and Alice Walker.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ... Show More