This week we’re reading an idiot & discussing “diversity”. Stories Discussed in News Section: Claudia Rankine Leads This Year’s Class of MacArthur Genius Grant Recipients: http://www.vulture.com/2016/09/heres-2016s-macarthur-genius-grant-recipients.html?mid=twitter_vulture What I Pledge Allegiance To (Kiese Laymon essay): http://www.thefader.com/2016/09/19/my-mississippi-pledge-kiese-laymon Who gets to write what: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/opinion/sunday/who-gets-to-write-what.html?_r=2

This week we’re discussing the brilliantly written and curated The Fire Next Time. But first…the news! And we also have a special guest in the Honeycomb Hideout—Brooklynn (Tahmeka’s daughter) drops in to give us some kid lit picks! Articles discussed in news: What Makes a Reader Stop Reading a Book: http://writerswrite.co.za/what-makes-readers-stop-reading-a-book Simone Biles Autobiography Deal: http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/simone-biles-inks-autobiography-deal-with-zondervan/124630 Lit Spins Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/797728319/lit-spins-the-first-ever-book-vinyl-subscription-b?ref=project_tweet Five queer black female authors you need to be familiar with: http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/09/5-queer-black-female-authors-who-will-blow-your-mind-wide-open/?utm_content=bufferf2180&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer No, the Internet has not killed the printed book, most people still prefer them: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/business/no-the-internet-has-not-killed-the-printed-book-most-people-still-prefer-them.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=0 St. Martin’s Press Acquires New Nick Cannon Novel: https://blackpageturners.com/2016/09/12/between-the-lines-st-martins-press-acquires-new-nick-cannon-novel/ Brooklynn’s picks: Roller Girl - Victoria Jameson Pack of Dorks - Beth Vrabel The Missing Pieces of Me - Jean Van Leeuwin Who is Malala Yousafazi? - Dinah Brown Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson

We're coming to you live from Rocky Mountain High on this episode. WE visited a few of the local Denver bookstores and discuss our thoughts about them. This week we’re also tackling the complicated feelings that come along with wanting to support indie booksellers, but ultimately succumbing to the low low prices of The Man (aka Amazon) along with our usual assessment of lit news and other minutiae. Articles discussed in news section below: Stop telling black people not to self publish: http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this-is-a-blog/2016/8/17/stop-telling-black-people-to-self-publish 
 Save Langston Hughes’ Harlem Home: http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/19/news/economy/langston-hughes-harlem-home/index.html?sr=twCNN081916langston-hughes-harlem-home1248PMStoryLink&linkId=27831546 
 Publisher delays YA novel amid row over invented black 'street dialect': https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/aug/16/delays-ya-row-over-invented-black-vernacular-when-we-was-fierce

What Pres. Obama is reading this summer: http://time.com/4450367/president-obama-summer-reading-list-2016/?xid=tcoshare

We are honored to have author Trisha R. Thomas on the show this week to talk about her latest novel Postcards From Venus which will be released on August 16, 2016. Tahmeka speaks with Trisha about her writing process, the Nappily Ever After book series and her thoughts and views on the state of the literary world in general. Show begins with the usual News You Can Use segment and we also have a brief chat about "hypebeasting" in the literary world.. Articles discussed in news section below: Oprah’s Book Club Pick http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/08/04/behind-oprahs-book-club-pick-of-the-underground-railroad/ Slave Narrative https://twitter.com/NewRepublic/status/760800087173918720 Jonathan Franzen and His Negro Friend http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/interrogation/2016/07/a_conversation_with_novelist_jonathan_franzen.html Read Books, Live Longer http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/read-books-live-longer/?_r=0

Hodgepodge show. We're just yapping away. New stories covered in News You Can Use below... The Author of An Untamed State and Black Panther http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/22/roxane-gay-black-panther?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter Spoilers Make Stories Better http://www.bustle.com/articles/173878-reading-book-spoilers-makes-stories-better-study-says Beauty and Books—Barnes & Noble http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Barnes-Noble-Beauty-Store-Glossary-41955146?campaign=sugar_social_button_m#photo-41955146 Ben Winters Responds http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/07/06/the_new_york_times_piece_on_ben_h_winters_new_book_totally_ignores_sci_fi.html http://lithub.com/why-not-use-this-moment-to-celebrate-writers-of-color/ When We Was Fierce https://campbele.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/review-when-we-was-fierce/ http://readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com/

Wow! This is Episode Fifty! I don't even think we realized it as we recorded. This week's show begins on a bit of a somber note as we reflect on the senseless violence witnessed within recent days. Episode's main topic is the memory Every Little Step by Robert Barisford Brown aka The Kang of R&B. News stories discussed during episode below: The Great Second-Half 2016 Book Preview: http://www.themillions.com/2016/07/most-anticipated-the-great-second-half-2016-book-preview.html Marvel’s New Iron Man Is a Black Woman: http://time.com/4394478/iron-man-riri-williams-tony-stark/?xid=time_socialflow_twitter Chimamanda’s Had a Baby: http://jezebel.com/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-quietly-gave-birth-refused-to-1783171806 Audible Channels (wtf is it?): https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/07/audible-channels-audio-shows-subscription/ Brave New World of White Man Doing What Octavia Butler Did Decades Ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/books/ben-winters-underground-airlines.html?_r=1

SURPRISE! It's a really freaking long bonus episode about Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing.

We're back, you guys! Did you miss us? This week we're talking about alllllllll of the news stories we've missed while on hiatus. Ok not all of them, but a lot of em. All articles discussed below: 15 Books By Black Authors To Dive Into This Summer http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/06/15-new-books-by-black-authors-to-dive-into-this-summer/ Bobby Brown Every Little Step I Take http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2016/06/10/bobby-brown-laments-his-mistakes-whitney-bobbi-kristina-memoir/85707484/ LitHub Launches Book Marks http://electricliterature.com/lit-hub-launches-book-marks-a-rotten-tomatoes-for-books/ Does Literary Criticism Have A Grade Inflation Problem? https://newrepublic.com/article/134060/literary-criticism-grade-inflation-problem Akosua Adoma Owusu Options Film Rights to Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s “On Monday Of Last Week” http://shadowandact.com/2016/06/09/akosua-adoma-owusu-and-obibini-pictures-options-film-adaptation-rights-for-chimamanda-ngozi-adichies-story-on-monday-of-last-week/ Trisha R. Thomas (FOH episode) Has A New Book Coming https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPvQL3uotQ/ Beyonce Is Not Shining A Light On African Literature- It’s The Other Way Around https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jun/08/beyonce-lemonade-african-literature-warsan-shire?CMP=twt_books_b-gdnbooks

You thought we wasn't when we was? Shooooot. Just because we are a literary podcast, don't think we aren't discussing Lemonade like everyone else, ha! We discuss the work on a granular level as well as delve into the idea that Black art is often seen as autobiographical, instead of works of imagination. Articles discussed in news section: Why publishers are betting big on debut novelists: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/05/02/debut-novel-millions Oprah Winfrey to star in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” film adaptation: http://buzz.blog.ajc.com/2016/05/02/oprah-winfrey-to-star-in-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-film-adaptation/ A Reading List For Beyonce: http://bookriot.com/2016/05/02/a-reading-list-for-beyonces-lemonade/ What to read after watching Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’: http://fusion.net/story/295105/beyonce-lemonade-required-reading/?utm_campaign=FusionPop&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social

This week's show is all about our trip to NY to see a couple of Broadway plays based on two literary works-- Hamilton by Ron Chernow and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Tahmeka also walks us through the #Hamiltome. But first, the news: Are Most Romance Novels Badly Written?: http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/apr/18/romance-novels-badly-written-curtis-sittenfeld-eligible-pride-and-prejudice?CMP=twt_books_b-gdnbooks Rachel Dolezal’s Got a Book Deal: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/13/rachel-dolezal-signs-publishing-deal-book-race-black-white 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced: http://www.pulitzer.org/article/2016-pulitzer-prizes http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hamilton-wins-2016-pulitzer-prize-884618?utm_source=twitter