Black Market Reads
Books & Literature
About
Black Market Reads is a menu for Black literary consumption and all of its spin-offs. Featuring Black artists who love to read and write and engage in arts and culture.PRODUCER: The Givens Foundation for African American LiteraturePRODUCTION SERVICES: iDream.tvMUSIC: Sarah White - Through People [M¥K Remix] BMR is made possible through the generous support of our individual donors, Target Foundation, and the voters of Minnesota, through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Episodes
- Episode 106 - Michael Richards, Are You Down?
Recorded live at Franconia Sculpture Park, this episode of Black Market Reads brings listeners into a powerful, place-based conversation about the life, work, and legacy of artist Michael Richards. Host Lissa Jones is joined by curator Est…
- Episode 105 - Michael Kleber-Diggs, Worldly Things
In this powerful episode of Black Market Reads , host Lissa Jones sits down with award-winning poet Michael Kleber-Diggs to explore the depth and intention behind his collection Worldly Things . Their conversation moves fluidly between poe…
- Episode 104 - Vanessa Riley, Fire Sword & Sea
In this episode, recorded during Women's History Month, Lissa talks with author Vanessa Riley about her latest historical novel. Riley—whose works have received high praise from New York Times , NPR, Washington Post , and Entertainment Wee…
- Episode 103 -Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy and Black Cherokee
Antonio Michael Downing is an author, speaker, and musical artist. His memoir Saga Boy was called "singularly dazzling" by Kiese Laymon and "the triumph of Blackness everywhere" by Scotiabank Giller Prize–winner Ian Williams. He is also th…
- Episode 102 - Ethelene Whitmire, The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram
The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram by Ethelene Whitmire tells the true story of Reed Peggram, a brilliant Black, queer Harvard scholar who went to Paris in 1937 and stayed through World War II for love, eventually escaping Nazi-occupied I…
- Episode 101 - C.J. Farley - Who Knows You By Heart
Kicking off Season 11 and Black History Month- This conversation could not be more timely. Part social thriller, part modern love story, Who Knows You by Heart by CJ Farley is a sly, witty, and endlessly discussable tale of Big Tech, new m…
- Episode 100: A Landmark Celebration of Black Stories, Voices, and Legacy
Hosted by Lissa Jones, the 100th episode is an expansive, deeply moving celebration that honors the elders, the artists, the activists, and the community that built—and continues to fuel—the Black literary tradition. Highlights include: •…
- Episode 99 - Debra Stone, The House on Rondo
In Episode #99 Lissa talks with Author Debra J Stone about her new middle grade novel, The House on Rondo (University of Minnesota Press). Rooted in the lived histories of Minnesota's Black communities, The House on Rondo offers a deeply p…
- Episode 98 - Leila Mottley, The Girls Who Grew Big
Adela Woods is sixteen years old and pregnant. Her parents banish her from her comfortable upbringing in Indiana to her grandmother's home in the small town of Padua Beach, Florida. When she arrives, Adela meets Emory, who brings her newbo…
- Episode 97 - Valerie Burns, Icing on the Murder
Looking forward to an intriguing summer read, Lissa talks with author Valerie Burns about her latest work. Packed with a delicious mix of cake, chaos, and crime, Icing on the Murder is a page-turner that's sure to keep readers on the edge…
- BONUS EPISODE: Ink, Identity, and Imagination: Literature as a Catalyst for Black Determination
Ink, Identity, and Imagination: Literature as a Catalyst for Black Determination was the plenary discussion for From Resistance to Resilience: The Evolution of African American Reading, The Givens Foundation's Annual Conference held June 3…
- BONUS EPISODE: Banned Books: The Duchess Harris Collection
Duchess Harris, professor and author, was a presenter at From Resistance to Resilience: The Evolution of African American Reading , The Givens Foundation for African American Literature's annual conference, held on June 3, 2025 at the Hump…
- Episode 96 - From Resistance to Resilience, Dr.Luke Wood
Dr. Luke Woods was the Keynote speaker at the Givens Foundation's annual conference conference, Dr. Luke Wood returned to his alma mater, Sacramento State to become its ninth president on July 16th, 2023. A nationally renowned scholar on r…
- Episode 95 - Rickey Fayne, The Devil Three Times
In this episode Lissa talks with author Rickey Fayne about deep philosophical questions inspired by his latest novel The Devil Three Times (Hachette Book Group, May 2025). Rickey Fayne is a fiction writer from rural West Tennessee whose wo…
- Episode 94 - Pearl Cleage, The Nacirema Society
In this episode, Lissa Jones welcomes playright Pearl Cleage back to Black Market Reads as they talk about her play The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First 100 Years, playing at the Guthrie…
- Episode 93 - Dr. Gail C. Christopher, Rx for Racial Healing: A Guide to Embracing Our Humanity
In this episode Lissa talks with Dr. Gail C. Christopher —a nationally recognized leader in health equity, a pioneer in integrative medicine, and the visionary architect behind the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation initiative (TRHT…
- Episode 92 - Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, Mirror Me
Join Lissa and Lisa as they delve into subjects psycological and literary. Lisa Williamson Rosenberg is the author of Embers on the Wind and Mirror Me (Little A Publishing 2024) . She is a former ballet dancer and psychotherapist specializ…
- Episode 91 - Publishers Roundtable
In 2021, 83.2 percent of editors in the U. S. were White and less than 5 percent of editors were Black. According to the career website, Zibia, this coincides with only 5.9 percent of published authors being Black. Today, Lissa talks with…
- Episode 90 - Sarah LaBrie, No One Gets To Fall Apart: A memoir
Sarah LaBrie was in her early thirties when her mother was found on a highway outside Houston, screaming at passing cars and paranoid that she would be murdered by invisible assailants. She was ultimately diagnosed with schizophrenia—and i…
- Episode 89 - Danez Smith, BLUFF
In this episode of Black Market Reads: On Health Lissa and Bukata talk with poet Danez Smith about his latest work, BLUFF. Written after two years of artistic silence, during which the world came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and…
- Episode 88 -Taiyon J. Coleman, Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America
In this episode Lissa and Bukata talk with author Taiyon J. Coleman author of Traveling Without Moving: Essays from a Black Woman Trying to Survive in America ( University of Minnesota Press). In Traveling without Moving , Coleman shares i…
- Episode 87 - Sarai Johnson, Grown Women
In this episode of Black Market Reads: On Health Lissa and Bukata talk with author Sarai Johnson about her debut novel, Grown Women (Harper Collins 2024). Join us in this lively and thoughtful conversation about what it means to move on—or…
- BONUS Episode - Karen Nance: Ethel Ray, Living in the White, Gray, and Black
This episode of Black Market Reads was recorded before a live audience at the historic Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Lissa talks with author Karen Felicia Nance about her latest book Ethel Ray: Living in the White, Gray and Black, th…
- Episode 84 -Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Take My Hand
In this episode Lissa and Bukata talk with Author Dolen Perkins-Valdez about her latest book Take My Hand. As a pre-eminent chronicler of American historical life, Dolen talks about her research, her passion for uplifting the authentic voi…
- Episode 83 -Linda Villarosa, UNDER THE SKIN: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America
In this inaugural episode of Black Market Reads: On Health , Lissa Jones introduces her series co-host Bukata Hayes, Vice President and Chief Equity Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Together they welcome their guest Linda Vi…
- Episode 82 - Rose McGee, Can't Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama
In this episode Lissa welcomes co-host Bukata Hayes as they explore the power of storytelling and the nourishment of soulful food with author Rose McGee. ROSE MCGEE, founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, travels across the United States to…
- Episode 81- Dr.Keith Mayes, The Unteachables
How special education used disability labels to marginalize Black students in public schools The Unteachables examines the overrepresentation of Black students in special education over the course of the twentieth century. Excavating the d…
- Episode 80 - Seph Rodney, The Personalization of the Museum Visit
More About Seph Rodney Seph Rodney, PhD was born in Jamaica, and came of age in the Bronx, New York. He has an English degree from Long Island University, Brooklyn; a studio art MFA from the University of California, Irvine; and a PhD in m…
- Episode 79 - Rob Eschmann, When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age
From cell phone footage of police killing unarmed Black people to leaked racist messages and even comments from friends and family on social media, online communication exposes how racism operates in a world that pretends to be colorblind.…
- Episode 78 - Tracy Clark, Fall (2nd in the Detective Harriet Foster series)
Two-time Sue Grafton Memorial Award-winner Tracy Clark introduces readers to FALL (Thomas & Mercer), a hard-boiled, page-turning thriller featuring Chicago Police Detective Harriet Foster, a Black woman in a male-dominated department who,…
- Episode 77 - Jody Lulich, In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian's Memoir of Trauma and Healing
Rising to accept a prestigious award, Jody Lulich wondered what to say. Explain how he'd been attracted to veterinary medicine? Describe how caring for helpless, voiceless animals in his own shame and pain provided a lifeline, a chance to…
- Episode 76 - Keith Ellison, Break the Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence
In this episode, presented with a live audience in partnership with Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Lissa talks with Minnesota Attorney General and author, Keith Ellison, about his latest book detailing the trial of Police Officer Derek Chauvi…
- Episode 75 - Sherrie Fernandez-Williams, Goddess of the Whole Self
In this episode, Lissa talks with author Sherrie Fernandez-Williams about her latest book, Goddess of the Whole Self, inspirations and origin stories. Go Deeper at www.BlackMarketReads.com
- Episode 74 - Davu Underwood Seru, The Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature and Life
In this episode Lissa sits down with Davu Underwood Seru, the newly appointed Curator of the Archie Givens Sr. Collection of African American Literature and Life at the University of Minnesota. This Collection includes novels, poetry, play…
- From the Archives: Rachel Howzell Hall
In this previously unpublished episode, Lissa talks with author Rachel Howzell Hall during her visit to the Loft's inaugural Wordplay Festival, exploring issues of crime and passion in her 2019 novel They All Fall Down (Forge Books). Rache…
- Episode 73 - Santi Elijah Holley, An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created
In this episode Lissa talks with Santi Elijah Holley about his book An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created. An enlightening history of the rise and lasting impact of Black liberation groups in America, as seen through…
- Episode 72 - Charlayne Hunter-Gault, My People
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an American civil rights activist, journalist and former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service. Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes were the first African-Ameri…
- Episode 71 - Shaun M. Anderson, The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #Black Lives Matter
In this episode Lissa talks with Dr. Shaun M. Anderson, about his debut publication The Black Athlete Revolt: The Sport Justice Movement in the Age of #Black Lives Matter (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023). The Black Athlete Revolt is the firs…
- Episode 70 - Pearl Cleage, Blues for an Alabama Sky
In this episode Lissa talks with playwright and author Pearl Cleage about Blues for an Alabama Sky , her current work and references to inspirations and influencers including Langston Hughes, Stacey Abrams, Ntozake Shange, Viola Davis, aud…
- BONUS EPISODE: Dr. Clarence Lusane returns
In celebration of Black History Month, Lissa was invited by Books and Books to interview Dr. Clarence Lusane about his recent work. Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy , (City Li…
- Episode 69 - Wanda M. Morris, Anywhere You Run
Dripping with Southern atmosphere and blistering suspense, Wanda M. Morris' sophomore outing proves she is a "writer to watch" (Publishers Weekly). About ANYWHERE YOU RUN: It's the summer of 1964 and three innocent men are brutally murdere…
- Episode 68 - Dr. Clarence Lusane, Twenty Dollars and Change
In Twenty Dollars and Change , Lusane offers a searing examination of what the fight to replace Andrew Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill reveals about race, class, and social justice in America today. Lusane gives voice…
- Episode 67 - Megan Giddings, The Women Could Fly
Reminiscent of the works of Margaret Atwood, Shirley Jackson, and Octavia Butler, a biting social commentary from the acclaimed author of Lakewood that speaks to our times—a piercing dystopian novel about the unbreakable bond between a you…
- Episode 66 - Lynn Nottage, Sweat
In this episode Lynn Nottage speaks with BMR Host, Lissa Jones during the run of her play Sweat, performed at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Lynn Nottage is a playwright and a screenwriter. She is the first, and remains the only, woma…
- Episode 65 -Kristin Henning, The Rage of Innocence
Kristin Henning is a nationally recognized legal scholar and activist in juvenile justice reform. As the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown, she advocates for reform in the juven…
- Episode 64 -Andrea Jenkins, The T is Not Silent
Andrea Jenkins is the first Black transgender woman to be elected to public office in the United States. She was elected to the Minneapolis City Council with 73% of the vote. She is a poet, and an artist as well as a public official. Andre…
- Special Edition: Race to Write: Black Authors on America's Racial Reckoning
In this episode, the tables turn and Lissa Jones is in the spotlight. Lissa joins Dr. Vanessa Weaver, host of Workin' It Out Podcast to discuss the role of Black authors and literature in the current racial reckoning in her hometown of Min…
- Episode 63 - Wanda M. Morris, All Her Little Secrets
"Every lie you tell, every secret you keep, is a fragile little thing that must be protected and accounted for…" In this episode Lissa talks with author Wanda M. Morris about her crime thriller, debut novel, All Her Li ttle Secrets Morris…
- Special Edition: Team Up for Health Equity with Bukata Hayes
In this Special Edition of Black Market Reads, in a live production at the Capri Theater, Lissa Jones sits down with Bukata Hayes to talk about the book he co-authored with Stacy Wells, and then hear from a panel of representatives Nneka S…
- Episode 62 - Jayne Allen
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted Like the lead character featured in her new novel Black Girls Must Die Exhauste d , our guest today knows all about living life as a successful African American woman and self-proclaimed "serial entrepreneur.…