The Root Presents: It's Lit!

This week we're talking with artist and New York Times bestselling author Akwaeke Emezi. Akwaeke has been a rising star in the literary world with popular novels like Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji. Now, Akwaeke has published their first memoir called Dear Senthuran, which is an evocative telling of a creative spirit making their way in a human world. Listen to hear Akwaeke discuss Igbo spirituality, how they hope the Black community will start to see trans people, and why they chose to work exclusively with Black media for the publicity of this book.

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This week we're sitting down with writer and humorist M Shelly Conner about her new novel, Everyman, which is a brilliant work of historical fiction about heritage, identity, and The Great Migration. In addition to her written work, M Shelly is also an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas, and has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she's also the creator of a web series called Quare Life, about four queer women of color living in Chicago.

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This week we're talking with historian Carol Anderson about her latest book, The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America. Carol is the author of the New York Times bestseller White Rage, as well as the Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University. Listen to hear Carol break down the vast disparity in how the Second Amendment treats white citizens vs. Black citizens, and why this truth is so crucial in our reframing of how we understand the policies that govern our way of life.

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This week we have the brilliant poet, journalist, and author Clint Smith on the show to talk about his latest book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America. Listen to hear Clint talk about the original inspiration behind this historical deep dive, his experience of researching the book (which involved going to some intense places of the past and present), and how he hopes this book will be used.

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This week we sit down with Kiley Reid, author of Such a Fun Age. Kiley's debut novel took 2020 by storm—not only was it an instant New York Times bestseller, but it was also named Best Book of the Year by outlets like NPR, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Slate, Elle, and the Chicago Tribune. Listen to hear Kiley talk about how she first found inspiration for the book, her writing process, and who she thinks is the real villain of Such a Fun Age.

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This week we sit down with the very talented Dawnie Walton, whose brilliant debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, has been named one of the most anticipated books of 2021 by Essence, Vogue, O Magazine, Elle, Lit Hub, and The Independent. Listen to hear Dawnie talk about making the career transition from journalism to fiction author, how the story of Opal & Nev came to be, and the approach she takes to crafting a novel.

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This week we're speaking with award-winning poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. Hanif's previous works have garnered widespread praise, including 2017's Book of the Year They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, and his 2019 New York Times bestseller Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest. Hanif's latest book, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, explores the varied individual histories of Black entertainers, and we had the pleasure of speaking with him about the impact of Soul Train, his deep admiration for Josephine Baker, and the joy he derived from the process of researching this book.

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This week we're talking with Zakiya Dalila Harris, whose debut novel 'The Other Black Girl' is one of the most highly-anticipated books of the summer. The literary thriller is so gripping, in fact, that it's already been optioned for TV by Hulu. Listen to hear Zakiya discuss the inspiration behind the novel and its characters, and what she hopes both Black and non-Black readers take away from the book.

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This week we're talking with the immensely talented Deesha Philyaw. In 2020, Deesha published her debut collection of short stories, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Though initially, it took Deesha and her agent several months to find a firm that would publish the book, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies dominated the 2020 literary awards season, winning the 2020 Story Prize, the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prize for First Fiction, and the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award. Listen to hear Deesha talk about the church ladies who inspired the book, how the short story collection came to be, and what she hopes readers take away from the book.

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This week we're joined by power couple Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade. The talented duo has written their first children's book together called Shady Baby about their youngest daughter, Kaavia James Union Wade, and we had the honor of getting to talk to them about it. Listen to hear Gabrielle and Dwyane discuss the process of collaborating on the book, why they care so deeply about being able to be transparent with their fans, and what they hope kids and parents alike take away from Shady Baby.

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