Imani Perry’s latest book, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, is an evocative exploration of what the colour can tell us about being Black in the United States today — and the extraordinary human capacity to find beauty in the face of devastation. Imani speaks to Mattea Roach about tracing blue through history, music, and her own life.

If you enjoyed this conversation, check out these episodes:

• Nalo Hopkinson: How Caribbean folktales inspired her fantastical novel, Blackheart Man
• Tanya Talaga: Searching for her great-great grandmother — a story of family, truth and survival