Podcasts

Podcasts

Episode 14 | Exploring Black Cosmologies Through the Art of Mikael Owunna

Black bodies have long been associated with death and the site for racial trauma induced by systemic oppression. But how can we unfetter our imagination on how we view the…

Episode 13 | Daniel Royles on HIV/AIDS & the Black Community

The HIV/AIDS epidemic impacts the entire nation but most especially those communities already vulnerable to social injustice- the African American community. As with COVID-19, the disparities felt by Black &…

Episode 12 | Black Caricature and Comics with Rebecca Wanzo

How does satire and the use of caricature change when depicting theories, and ugliness, of Black life and the inherent injustices therein? How does satire and the use of caricature…

Episode 11 | Black Girl Magic in Young Adult Speculative Fiction with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

Who were your favorite fictional characters growing up and how were the boundaries of your imagination set as a child? Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas joined Left of Black host  Mark…

Episode 10 | Black Image Makers with Shawn Michelle Smith

Professor Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Shawn Michelle Smith as she discusses her latest publication, Photographic Returns: Racial Justice and the Time of Photography, which explores cutting edge Black…

Episode 9 | André Brock, Jr. Discusses African American Cybercultures on the Web

How do Black people show up online? And how does that digital presence contribute to vital conversations that, many times, can only happen in a virtual space? André Brock, Jr.,…

Episode 8 |  Dr. Shana L. Redmond on the Life and Impact of Paul Robeson

Who was the first Black movie icon? Many would argue in favor of the unparalleled and unmatched Paul Robeson. Known for his immense presence on the silver screen and his…

Episode 7 | Joshua M. Myers on the Howard University Protest of 1989

Student protests have become a part of campus life to gain equity and visibility from university administrators. The 1989 Howard University protests were no different in raising issues of the…

Episode 6 | Black Women Rock n’ Roll Legends with Maureen Mahon

When we think of rock n’ roll, we may not initially think of the pioneering Black women who blazed the first trails that established what we know of today as…

Episode 5 | Lisa B. Thompson on Creating Black Theater

Dr. Lisa B. Thompson, prolific author, award-winning playwright, Black scholar, and professor of African and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, sat down with Left of…

Episode 4 | Lavelle Porter on The Blackademic Life

Scholars are all too familiar with academic writing in the university. But what about academic fiction? Moreover, what academic fiction was penned by notable Black writers, such as W.E.B. DuBois,…

Episode 3 | Alisha Lola Jones on Gender Performances of Black Male Gospel Singers

What should a man sound like when singing Gospel music in the Black church? What octave is just “too high” for a man to incorporate into his performance? The cultural…