An Immigrant Parent’s American Dream Meets A Child’s Reality

July 15, 2021 Culture, Language, Literature, Race/Identity, Uncategorized

Sabreet Kang Rajeev joins us to talk about understanding her parents’ journey, their hopes for their new life, and connecting those to her own story as a first-generation American.

The Liberation Of Sharing Family Secrets

June 23, 2021 Literature, Race/Identity

Ashley C. Ford joins us to discuss her story of poverty, assault, and the secrets that upended her family.

Why Are We So Easily Scammed Online?

June 21, 2021 Culture, Literature

Gabrielle Bluestone joins us to talk about how Fyre is one of many examples of the way social media influencers build stories too good to be true, and why falling for those beautiful lies is part of the current Internet experience.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard performs onstage singing into a microphone

How Black Artists Push Past Gatekeepers

June 11, 2021 Culture, History, Literature, Race/Identity

This hour, host Krys Boyd talks about gatekeeping and Black expression with a prominent attorney who works with Black artists to sign fair contracts, a writer who mined her own experiences in the music industry for her latest Y.A. novel, and an English professor who studies gatekeeping during one of the most celebrated periods of Black expression – the Harlem Renaissance.

She Lost Her Mom But Kept Her Korean Identity

April 29, 2021 Culture, Literature, Mental Health, Race/Identity

Michelle Zauner joins us to talk about her caring for her dying mother and how she fought to maintain a link to her Korean heritage after her mother was gone.

An Illusionist Reveals His Secrets

April 26, 2021 Current Events, Literature, Race/Identity

Derek DelGaudio joins us to talk about his autobiography, a deep dive into how illusion and identity shaped his life.

He Ran Towards His Indigenous Roots

April 1, 2021 Culture, Environment, Literature, Race/Identity, Sports

First-generation American Noé Álvarez joins us to talk about his participation in Peace and Dignity Journeys, which allowed him to explore the world of his ancestors.

The Genesis Of The Bible

March 22, 2021 Culture, Education, History, Language, Literature

Kristin Swenson is an associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she joins us to talk about approaching the Bible anew with a sense of wonder and context.

A Mom, A Daughter And The Ocean In-Between

March 1, 2021 Culture, Language, Literature, Race/Identity

Author Elizabeth Miki Brina joins host us to talk about her efforts to reframe her life’s experiences through her mother’s eyes, and her attempts to understand the pain and loneliness of what it was like for her to leave her homeland behind.

Ida B. Wells Is As Relevant As Ever

February 24, 2021 Culture, History, Literature, Race/Identity

Michelle Duster is a great-granddaughter of Wells, and she joins us to talk about the Civil Rights icon’s strategies for giving a voice to the voiceless and how they might be used in present-day America.

David Sedaris’ Greatest Hits

January 28, 2021 Culture, Literature

David Sedaris joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his essays on family, falling in love, relationships, aging, and the weird ways life’s struggles make us all the more rich.

Is Appropriation In Art Always Wrong?

January 26, 2021 Culture, Language, Literature, Race/Identity

Paisley Rekdal, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah and the state’s poet laureate, joins us to discuss the places where identity intersects with politics, and why it’s important to confront the language we use when defining cultures.