On this episode, Marquita chats with Christopher Fleming, aka "The People's Librarian", about his idea that libraries don't fail because people don't care, but because the systems (how they talk, work, and move) aren't built with intention and how poor institutional design can lead to both poor patron engagement and staff frustration.

On this episode, Marquita chats with documentarian and journalist, Brandis Griffith Friedman, about her documentary, Opportunity, Access & Uplift: The Evolving Legacy of HBCUs. The 30-minute documentary focuses on the changes, misconceptions, and current state of Historically Black Colleges and Universities through the stories of the students themselves and expert insights. Brandis Friedman is the Alexandra and John Nichols Chief Correspondent and Anchor for “Chicago Tonight” on WTTW.

Watch the Documentary: https://tinyurl.com/3pszhwfk

On this episode, Marquita chats with author Tonya Abari about her latest publication, a picture book titled "The Six Triple Eight: A True Story of the Black Woman Battalion of World War II."

Tonya not only created a picture book about The Six Triple Eight's legacy, she is also involved in retired Army Master Sergeant Elizabeth Helm-Frazier's letter writer campaign to get 10,000 letters to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend, and the U.S. Postal Service to issue, a Forever Stamp honoring the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion—an enduring tribute to their service, sacrifice, and trailblazing legacy.

Sign the petition here: www.change.org/p/honor-the-6888th-central-postal-directory-battalion-with-a-u-s-forever-stamp

Send Your Letters Here:

Email: [email protected]

Buy the Book Here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-six-triple-eight-tonya-abari/1146795671

On this episode of Black in the Stacks, Marquita chats with Dr. Shaundra Walker about the importance of HBCU libraries, the significance of HBCU week, and her life working in academia. A proud HBCU graduate, Dr. Walker works as an academic Library Administrator and is also a professor of library science. She received the 2020 DEMCO Outstanding Librarian of the Year Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, authored grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts and co-edited the book, The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance and Reawakening. 

On this episode of Black in the Stacks, Marquita talks with author J. E. Thomas about her love of literature, how she pivoted out of her communications career, and her latest publication, The AI Incident. The book follows Malcom, who has developed a plan to finally get adopted before it’s too late. But then on Visiting Professionals’ Day, his new school invites the head of Colorado's fastest-growing artificial intelligence company to give a presentation, and events are set in motion that create . . .THE  INCIDENT

JE Thomas  loves great food, fun-loving pets and friendly people. She writes middle grade and YA books featuring those who have a lot to say—but don't often take center stage. And, a fun fact about her - she always includes the name of at least one of her dogs in every story.

Learn more about J.E. Thomas via her website at www.jethomasauthor.com

In this episode of Black in the Stacks, Marquita chats with author Khadijah VanBrakle about her interests, her views on why it’s important that children and teens who are both Black American and Muslim, like her three daughters, see themselves on the printed page, and how Gilmore Girls inspired her latest novel, My Perfect Family,

My Perfect Family follows 16 year old Leena, who has always wanted a big family, as she discovers she has a Muslim grandfather and aunt she never knew about, and learns that family comes with tangled histories she may not be able to heal.

A candid interview with Christina Dotson as we discuss her background, her interests and her debut novel, "Love You to Death." 

About the Book: Best friends, Kayla and Zorie, crash an Antebellum-themed hashtag#wedding deep in the backwoods of hashtag#Georgia and end up taking a murderous "road trip from hell." 

The crucial role of Black people as educators, strategists, fundraisers and advocates plays a huge role in ensuring that Black minds flourish.

In this episode, Marquita chats with Dr. Karida Brown, a sociologist, professor, oral historian, and public intellectual whose research centers on the fullness of Black life. Dr. Brown’s latest publication, "The Battle for the Black Mind" offers an explosive historical account of the century-long struggle for Black educational justice in America, revealing how early segregated systems laid the groundwork for present-day inequities. The book doesn’t just focus on oppression. It highlights the enduring fight by Black communities to foster thriving educational environments and concludes with a powerful call to action for the continued empowerment of Black minds.

They also chat about what creative works are occupying her time, what brings her joy and what she hopes readers take away from her latest publication.

This episode was recorded prior to the Juneteenth holiday.

In this episode, I chat with Erica Ware, a veteran librarian with 18 years of experience, who champions comic books and graphic novels as legitimate forms of reading. Despite often being dismissed by some as "not real reading," these formats are powerful tools for information reception. Erica, a dedicated film buff with a degree from Georgia State University and a lifelong fan of comics, shares her journey into library management and how she leveraged low literacy statistics to establish a successful graphic novel program. We also discuss the community's efforts in archiving history and her future aspirations beyond the library.

*Warning: Some expletives used this episode*

Librarianship is not a monolith. There are many different perspectives and this episode definitely explores one such perspective. In this episode, Marquita speaks with Jason K. Alston. Alston has worked in the library field since 2006 and is currently an instructor in library science. He is best known in LIS for his research on diversity residencies and his former role as the editor of BCALA's publication, BCALA News. And in his spare time, enjoys training in martial arts. In this episode, we talk about his views on Black male librarianship, diversity and lack thereof within library organizations, and where he sees his life, after libraries.