Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Lisa B. Thompson, author of Underground, Monroe, and the Mamalogues: Three Plays. She was interviewed in August of 2020. In these plays, the black feminist playwright and scholar thoughtfully explores themes such as the black family, motherhood, migration, racial violence, and trauma and its effect on black people from the early twentieth century to the present. The works showcase Thompson’s subversive humor and engagement with black histor...
Mar 01, 2024•28 min•Ep. 278
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Peniel E. Joseph, author of THE THIRD RECONSTRUCTION . In THE THIRD RECONSTRUCTION Joseph weaves in his personal experiences growing up in segregated neighborhood of New York City with three critical periods in history in American history he describes as reconstruction periods: 1865-1898, 1954-1968, and 2008 to the present. In the book he writes, “There is the America that we might call reconstructionist, home to champions of racial democra...
Mar 01, 2024•46 min•Ep. 277
Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Melissa Rivero, author of the novel Flores and Miss Paula. Flora and Miss Paula explores the relationship between a mother and her daughter as they attempt to navigate their daily lives while coping with the loss of a loved one. Melissa Rivero is the author of the award-winning book, The Affairs of the Falcons, and she is a graduate of NYU and Brooklyn Law School. You can learn more about Melissa at www.melissa-rivero.com. Diverse V...
Feb 26, 2024•31 min•Ep. 276
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Karin Cecile Davidson, author of the short stories collection THE GEOGRAPHY OF FIRST KISSES. "The fourteen ethereal stories are tethered to the bays and backwaters of southern Louisiana, the fields of Iowa and Oklahoma, the pine woods of Florida, places where girls and women seek love and belonging, and instead discover relationships as complicated, bewildering, even sorrowful." Learn more about Karin and her books at the Karin Cecile David...
Feb 25, 2024•43 min•Ep. 275
In July of 2019 host Hopeton Hay interviewed Randal Maurice Jelks, author of Faith and Struggle in the Lives of Four African Americans: Ethel Waters, Mary Lou Williams, and Eldridge Cleaver and Muhammad Ali. In the book Dr. Jelks examined their autobiographical writings, interviews, speeches, letters, and memorable performances to understand how each of these figures used religious faith publicly to reconcile deep personal struggles, voice their concerns for human dignity, and reinvent their pub...
Feb 22, 2024•27 min•Ep. 274
Back on December 1, 2019, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed actor Tembi Locke who had just published her memoir, FROM SCRATCH:A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home. The daughter of Black student activists in Houston, Locke penned a courageous story of love, family, and healing through the story of the romance between her and her Sicilian husband Saro, and his untimely death. In our interview we discussed how she met her husband while in Italy on a semester abroad from ...
Feb 18, 2024•29 min•Ep. 273
In September of 2019 Diverse Voice Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Attica Locke, author of HEAVEN, MY HOME. Republishing this interview is part of DVBR's Celebration of Black Authors for Black History Month. Attica was the first African American writer to win the Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America with her 2017 novel, BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD. With HEAVEN MY HOME, Locke continues her exploration of race and racism in America through the prism of her crime novels. S...
Feb 17, 2024•28 min•Ep. 272
Diverse Voices Book Review host interviewed Tanya Golash-Boza, author of BEFORE GENTRIFICATION: The Creation of DC's Racial Wealth Gap. "This book shows how a century of redlining, disinvestment, and the War on Drugs wreaked devastation on Black people and paved the way for gentrification in Washington, DC. In Before Gentrification , Tanya Maria Golash-Boza tracks the cycles of state abandonment and punishment that have shaped the city, revealing how policies and policing work to displace and de...
Feb 16, 2024•43 min•Ep. 271
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Cadwell Turnbull, author of the speculative novel WE ARE THE CRISIS. WE ARE THE CRISIS is the second novel in a planned trilogy focusing on a world where monsters live secretly among humans. The second book explores the aftermath of monsters being revealed to society and centers around on movements for civil rights and community organizing, all while posing philosophical inquiries about creation, existence, and power dynamics in a society a...
Jan 29, 2024•51 min•Ep. 270
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed John Harris, author of TOMLIN: The Soul of a Football Coach. In just his second season as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009, Mike Tomlin became the second African American coach to win the Super Bowl. With interviews from former players, coaches, and executives, Harris lets readers in on what it’s like to play for Tomlin, why he is (or is not) beloved in Pittsburgh, and how his continued success has helped change the landscape of...
Jan 15, 2024•43 min•Ep. 269
In 2010, the same year that Pete Caroll was hired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, he published the book WIN FOREVER: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion. I interviewed Carrolll for KAZI Book Review by phone in August of 2010 while he was in an airport waiting for his flight, thus the audio has some quality challenges. Nevertheless, in light of his hall of fame career as a college and NFL coach, and his recent firing a head coach of the Seahawks, I wanted to share this interview on his pe...
Jan 13, 2024•19 min•Ep. 268
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Steve Phillips, author of HOW WE WIN THE CIVIL WAR: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good. The conversation between Hopeton Hay and the author revolves around the themes of civil rights, the ongoing struggle for racial equality, and the political tactics that have been used historically to suppress the rights of marginalized communities, particularly African Americans. Learn more about the book on his web site...
Jan 11, 2024•44 min•Ep. 267
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Elizabeth Crook, author of the novel THE MADSTONE . Set during Reconstruction in Texas in 1868, THE MADSTONE is an adventure story of a young frontiersman who helps a pregnant young mother and her child flee across Texas from outlaws bent on revenge. The outlaws are based on the historically true Swamp Fox gang which terrorized and killed blacks, and agents of the Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal agency which provided relief and helped formerly...
Dec 31, 2023•50 min•Ep. 266
Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Dr. Gregg Hecimovich, a Hutchins Family Fellow at Harvard University and professor of English at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. His new book, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANNAH CRAFTS: The True Story of the Bondwoman's Narrative, explores how Hannah Crafts escaped enslavement, and became a gifted writer who wrote about the inconceivable reality of her life and others who were victims of an oppressive society in the Ameri...
Dec 17, 2023•40 min•Ep. 265
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ytasha Womack, author of BLACK PANTHER: A Cultural Exploration. In the interview, Womack discussed the impact of the Black Panther comics, and its significance within the context of Afrofuturism. She also related the history of the Black Panther in Marvel comics, and how different writers have handled the character over the years, each bringing their own perspectives and cultural references to the stories. Ytasha L. Womack is a critically a...
Dec 04, 2023•48 min•Ep. 264
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed historian Dylan C. Penningroth, author of BEFORE THE MOVEMENT: The Hidden History of Civil Rights. In the interview, the discussion revolves around the presentation of black civil rights history and the importance of grassroots movements and everyday people's contributions. The conversation also delves into the start-up of Black associations and organizations, and the success of their organizations proving, contrary to the belief of white A...
Nov 26, 2023•45 min•Ep. 263
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Femi Kayode, author of the novel GASLIGHT. The novel explores the story of the disappearance of the wife of the bishop of a mega church in Nigeria and the subsequent arrest of her husband on suspicion of murder. The novel delves into the church politics, corruption, and social and economic circumstances surrounding the rise of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. In the interview Kayode said he aimed to create a character-driven story that shed...
Nov 20, 2023•41 min•Ep. 262
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Langston Collin Wilkins , author of WELCOME 2 HOUSTON: Hip Hop Heritage in Hustle Town . A native of Houston, Wilkins returns to the city where he grew up to illuminate the complex relationship between place, identity, and music in Houston’s hip hop culture. Langston Collin Wilkins is an Assistant Professor of Folklore and African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include African American folkli...
Nov 13, 2023•50 min•Ep. 261
Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Yasmin Angoe, the author of the best-selling and award-winning Nena Knight thriller series. Angoe published the final book in the trilogy, IT ENDS WITH KNIGHT, September 5, 2023. Angoe continues with the captivating tale of Nena Knight, a female assassin who has stepped into a new role as a leader within her organization. Facing new obstacles in the present while confronting challenges from her past, Nena embarks upon a journey wher...
Nov 05, 2023•34 min•Ep. 260
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ernest McMillan, author of the memoir STANDING: One Man's Odyssey During the Turbulent '60s . “This memoir of one man's coming-of-age through the Civil Rights movement follows his childhood innocence of white supremacy during the 50’s to his awakening as a full-time organizer in the deep south, and the petrifying costs he was bound to pay.” Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media : Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_vo...
Oct 24, 2023•57 min•Ep. 259
Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda more interviewed Stephen Bright and James Kwak, authors of THE FEAR OF TOO MUCH JUSTICE: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts. Yale professor Stephen B. Bright and legal scholar James Kwak write a compelling narrative about the continuing injustices in America’s legal system. The authors describe how the failure of our society to confront systemic issues such as racial bias, bigotry and unchecked prosecutorial power...
Oct 15, 2023•54 min•Ep. 258
Teen's Choice Book Show (TCBS) host Maya Hay interviewed Jennifer Baker, author of Forgive Me Not. In this episode, the topics of forgiveness, the criminal justice system, diversity in YA books, and the process of writing are explored! Insta: @teenschoicebookshow Email: teenschoicebookshow@gmail.com
Oct 09, 2023•32 min•Ep. 257
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Denise Mina , author of the Philip Marlowe novel THE SECOND MURDERER . "In THE SECOND MURDERER, Denise Mina becomes the first woman to recreate Raymond Chandler’s infamous detective, delivering a clever and timely new take on Philip Marlowe, as well as a propulsive, dark, and witty mystery all its own." Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media : Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review Twitter - @diverseboo...
Oct 07, 2023•43 min•Ep. 256
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Nancy Bilyeau , author of THE ORCHID HOUR. Set in 1923 in New York City, THE ORCHID HOUR is a historical mystery novel that brings to life the age of alcohol prohibition, the rise of violence, gangs, and police corruption through the eyes of its 23 years-old female protagonist Zia, an Italian immigrant and widower whose father-in-law is murdered. The novel is populated with historical figures including Salvatore Luciana, better known as Luc...
Sep 30, 2023•42 min•Ep. 255
Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Walter Greason and Damian Darrell Jerry, editors of ILLMATIC CONSEQUENCES: The Clapback to Opponents of Critical Race Theory. A collection of essays, “ILLMATIC CONSEQUENCES combines social science and hip-hop studies to address disinformation and propaganda that distorted political discourse after the 2020 election.”
Sep 23, 2023•40 min•Ep. 254
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed poet Amanda Johnston , author of the poetry collection ANOTHER WAY TO SAY ENTER. She is a writer, artist, and the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate. Born in East St. Louis, IL, and raised in Austin, TX, she began writing poetry while living in Kentucky. Her writing is published widely, and she has presented at numerous literary conferences and events. Johnston is also founder of Torch Literary Arts , a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to p...
Sep 11, 2023•32 min•Ep. 253
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Rachel Howzell Hall , author of WHAT NEVER HAPPENED. Set on the Catalina Islands in California, the protagonist "Colette “Coco” Weber has relocated to her Catalina Island home, where, twenty years before, she was the sole survivor of a deadly home invasion. All Coco wants is to see her aunt Gwen, get as far away from her ex as possible, and get back to her craft—writing obituaries." In the interview Hall explained how her novel explored the...
Sep 03, 2023•43 min•Ep. 252
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Eli Merritt, author of DISUNION AMONG OURSELVES: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution . DISUNION AMONG OURSELVES tells the story of the deep political divisions that beset the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. So fractious were the founders’ political fights that they feared the War of Independence might end in disunion and civil war. In our interview, Merritt discussed the relevance of this history to the cha...
Sep 03, 2023•46 min•Ep. 251
Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed James Lee Burke , author of FLAGS ON THE BAYOU. Set in Civil War era Louisiana, Burke’s novel provides a kaleidoscope of narrators that reveals the violence, pain, suffering, conflict, and beliefs that haunt the characters in this epic story. Be sure to click on the hotlink of James Lee Burke to learn more about the novel and author. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media : Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_bo...
Aug 26, 2023•46 min•Ep. 250
In a two-part show, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay first interviews Richard Z. Santos , editor of A NIGHT OF SCREENS: Latino Horror Stories , and Ruben Degollado , who contributed the story Migrants to the collection. In part two of the show, he interviewed Flor Salcedo, who authored the story La Llorona Happenings for the collection. The horror stories—and four poems—contains a wide range of styles, themes and authors. Creepy creatures roam the pages, including La Llorona and the C...
Aug 12, 2023•43 min•Ep. 249
