๐พ๐๐๐'๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐ is a multilayered novel that explores the impact of racism and gentrification within the lives of two families in North Carolina. Tensions rise when a new integration program brings more Black students into a predominantly white high school. On this episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we interview New York Times Bestselling author Naima Coster about how difficult childhoods form us and her time spent living in North Carolina, which served as part of the...
Jun 02, 2021โข52 minโขSeason 2Ep. 21
๐ด๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ by Cathy Park Hong walks us through her experiences of racial discrimination throughout her life. Hong explores identity, race, and how the United States continues to disregard its role in the erasure and discrimination of Asian Americans. As we conclude our series in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we welcome back sociologist Dr. Ginger to discuss all of our feelings on Minor Feelings. Dr. Ginger can be heard here on...
May 31, 2021โข1 hr 23 minโขSeason 2Ep. 20
Dust off your passports everybody because on this episode of the Vulgar Geniuses podcast, we board a flight to India in the YA novel ๐ป๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ from author Sheba Karim. Karimโs book dives into the heavy topics of grieving for a loved one and the fear of moving on. Readers will get locked in watching the romance blossom between the protagonist Noreen and her very handsome tour guide Kabir. Weโre joined by the talented, Sheba Karim. She discusses her new releas...
May 21, 2021โข1 hr 3 minโขSeason 2Ep. 19
In the debut memoir, ๐ท๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐ ๐ผ๐ ๐ป๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐
๐, by author Brian Broome, comes a series of stories in which he shares his experiences of growing up gay and black in Ohio. In this novel, Brian allows the reader to sit with him as he sorts through and wrestles with the memories from his childhood of racism and toxic masculinity. In this episode, we sit down with Brian to dig deeper into these raw, vulnerable, and beautifully written narratives.
May 18, 2021โข1 hr 19 minโขSeason 2Ep. 18
Mahogany L. Browne's novel ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ is grounded in the truth that Black girls are worthy of love and protection in a world that works hard to destroy them. She talks to us about the importance of being honest with young people and teaching them how to take up space in the world. Mahogany shares with us what lessons she has learned in her youth, her time as a journalist and slam poet, and why we think she could easily replace Kevin Bacon in a game of 6 degrees of separation....
May 14, 2021โข1 hr 10 minโขSeason 2Ep. 17
๐ฎ๐๐๐
๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐, the debut novel from Sanjena Sathian, is where ambition meets alchemy. Neil Narayan, a teenager of Indian immigrants living in Atlanta, finds himself struggling to find his place in the world. Neil discovers that Anita and her mother have been making a potion to achieve success by infusing lemonade with gold stolen from their Indian neighbors. In this episode, we talk to journalist Sanjena Sathian about her debut work, how she came about writing her novel, and her teenag...
May 07, 2021โข1 hr 3 minโขSeason 2Ep. 16
On this special episode we talk about all of the celebrations that will cap off our month long birthday anniversary! So dust off your tuxes and gowns, pull out your box wine and glasses, 'cause we're having a party!!! Go to www.vulgargeniuses.com for more information on all of the events we have planned!
Apr 23, 2021โข14 minโขSeason 2Ep. 16
Hala Alyan will make you take inventory of the secrets you may be holding. In ๐ป๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐ช๐๐๐, we are given a window into the lives of the Nasr family. The secrets that each person clutches weigh heavy on their heads, but it is up to them to either carry it or suffer the repercussions of their confession. We continue our anniversary celebration in conversation with the brilliant poet and author, Hala Alyan. She speaks to us about how this beautiful family story was birth from...
Apr 16, 2021โข1 hr 14 minโขSeason 2Ep. 15
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐ฐ๐ต๐ฌ is a thought-provoking introspective of what the future would look like in a post-white supremacist society. Sasha Banksโs poetry captivates while it initiates the decolonization of the readersโ minds to consider a life where Black lives thrive. On this episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we talk to Banks about her collections of poems, how she did a deep dive into the world of slam poetry, and which famous young adult author is the only one who knows the ingredients...
Apr 09, 2021โข1 hr 9 minโขSeason 2Ep. 14
Take two parts Betty Davis, one part Grace Jones, and a pinch of Eartha Kitt, and you have one of the best rock & roll heroines to grace the fictional stage. On this special episode of The Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we sit down with journalist & author Dawnie Walton to talk about her much-anticipated debut novel, ๐ป๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ & ๐ต๐๐. We place Walton center stage as she speaks about her love of rock & roll, the moment when she began to step into h...
Apr 02, 2021โข1 hr 21 minโขSeason 2Ep. 13
Elizabeth Acevedo has nothing to prove when it comes to her writing, she is a master of the pen. Her third novel, ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐
, will leave you wanting for more in every line. In this beautiful story written in verse, we meet Camino and Yahaira. Two young women bound together by a man who straddles two worlds, the United States and Dominican Republic. After the father dies tragically in a flight back to the Dominican Republic, the two young girls soon learn that through their...
Mar 31, 2021โข1 hr 3 minโขSeason 2Ep. 12
What began has siniphobic remarks to scapegoat the source of the covid-19 virus from the former President of the United States of America; soon turned into a call for open season on America's Asian citizens. On today's episode we question if America can finally reckon with the sins of its forefathers. We talk to Dr. Ginger Jacobson, host of the Squeezin' Lemons Podcast, to discuss the rise in hate crimes against the Asian community; and the intersectionality of race and gender. Today's episode i...
Mar 26, 2021โข1 hr 21 minโขSeason 2Ep. 11
Todayโs show is hands down one of the most fun interviews of the season. We talked to Nicole Glover about her debut fantasy novel, ๐ป๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐. Set in the Reconstruction Era in Philadelphia, we meet Hetty and Benjy Rhodes, a former enslaved couple who were conductors for the Underground Railroad. The couple soon finds themselves forced to enter the world of solving murder cases when one of their closest friends winds up murdered. Nicole spoke about why she wanted to write a novel...
Mar 19, 2021โข49 minโขSeason 2Ep. 10
๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐ is the fourth novel by the brilliant New York Times bestselling author Patricia Engel. Holding us captive from the first sentence, Engel proves her commitment to leading each reader into a masterclass of how a finely crafted story can leave us all wanting to follow each character well beyond the last pages. In this episode of the Vulgar Geniuses Podcast, we sit down with Patricia Engel to discuss her novel and what time and borders do to those we call family.
Mar 12, 2021โข51 minโขSeason 2Ep. 9
Every day is deals day, and today we struck gold with the biggest deal of all. This week, we welcome New York Times bestselling author Mateo Askaripour to talk about his debut novel ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐. After two prior attempts to sell manuscripts, Askaripour found that his passion for storytelling would eventually mesh his imagination and real-life experience in the tech startup world. ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ introduces us to a young man named Darren, who finds himself in the seat of opportunity. B...
Mar 05, 2021โข1 hr 2 minโขSeason 2Ep. 8
If you want something done right, you better have Regina King do it for you. In her feature film directorial debut of the Golden Globe-nominated movie ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐, King masterfully wields her camera like that of Thorโs hammer, giving audiences a chance to witness a legend coming into her own behind the silver screen. Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown celebrate Muhammed Ali becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1964. Screenwriter Kemp Powers reimagines the conv...
Feb 26, 2021โข38 minโขSeason 2Ep. 7
Director Shaka King reunites Get Out stars Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield as they deliver Oscar worthy performances in the biopic ๐ฑ๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐. Stanfield plays William OโNeil, a car thief turned informant for the FBI sent in to infiltrate the Chicago Chapter of the Black Panther Party. Kaluuya plays 21 year old activist Fred Hampton serving as Chairman of the political movement. This dramatic story retells the moments leading up to the assassination of...
Feb 19, 2021โข40 minโขSeason 2Ep. 6
When Artist Alisha Wormsley coined the phrase, โThere are black people in the future,โ she must have seen who was coming our way. On todayโs show, we sit down with new author, Kosoko Jackson, to speak about his debut novel ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐๐, a story about being young, black, and queer based in the world of sci-fi. Jackson speaks with us about how he came to write this book, the screen time this novel rightly deserves, and the importance of representation of racial minorities...
Feb 12, 2021โข1 hr 1 minโขSeason 2Ep. 5
It seems that everything Kacen Callender touches turns to pure gold, and in this episode we discuss their most recent award winning crown jewel, ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. King is a 12 year old boy who believes that his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly after he unexpectedly passes away. This young adult novel tackles subject matters of grief, homophobia, and racism. On todayโs episode we are joined by our newest edition to our show, YA book reviewers Briana and Rach...
Feb 05, 2021โข57 minโขSeason 2Ep. 4
Set in intersecting realities of truth and television, ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ by Charles Yu is a scathing and hilarious commentary on the racism, invisibility, and erasure of Asians in American History and Hollywood. The story takes place in the Golden Palace Restaurant featured in the procedural cop show โBlack & Whiteโ. Willis Wu plays โGeneric Asian Manโ but is gunning for the coveted โKung Fu Guyโ role. He wrestles with making an attempt to sacrifice his dignity to be seen b...
Jan 29, 2021โข1 hrโขSeason 1Ep. 3
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐
๐ด๐ was a letter written by author Ta-Nehisi Coates to his then 15 year old son. This epistle was Coates' account of what autonomy means in the body of a Black man navigating the streets of West Baltimore as a young boy, Howard University as a blossoming young man, well into fatherhood. In this episode of Vulgar Geniuses, we review the star studded HBO adaptation, based on the 2018 staging of the book at Apollo Theater directed by award winning director a...
Jan 18, 2021โข42 minโขSeason 2Ep. 2
Deesha Philyaw set the literary world on fire in 2020 with her sexy, powerful, and thought provoking short stories in her book ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐
๐๐๐ Her work explores intertwining themes of sex, religion, family, and how the lines of morality are never black and white. On this Season 2 premiere of Vulgar Geniuses, we sit down with the incomparable National Book Award Finalist Deesha Philyaw. She talks to us about her writing journey that has launched her o...
Jan 15, 2021โข1 hr 28 minโขSeason 2Ep. 1
2020 wasted no time in setting a match to all of our plans this year, but like a phoenix we rose from the ashes and created a place where we could invite you all to come along and escape from the worries of the day. On this season finale of Forks & Fangs we present our year in review. We say goodbye to the wannabe dictator in office, hello to the age of revolution and vaccines, and remember those who we have lost this year. Happy New Year to all of you, and stay tuned to as we say farewell t...
Dec 31, 2020โข1 hr 4 minโขSeason 1Ep. 23
When Matt Ruff gave his blessing to Producer/Screenwriter Misha Green, he told her, "It's yours now. Go for it.". Not only did she go for it, she hit a home run! On today's episode of FORKS X FANGS we bring in special returning guest, Jonathan "Fro" Perry, as we wrap up our series finale of Tiny Bites discussing episode 9 & 10 of HBO's Lovecraft Country.
Dec 04, 2020โข1 hr 36 minโขSeason 1Ep. 22
Kali Fajardo-Anstine's carefully and wonderfully crafted work is one of our generations most important works to read. Her novel ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐ & ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ deals with the struggles of love and death, and how both of those factors forever shaped the lives of the characters in her stories. Based in Denver, Colorado we follow the people in 11 linked short stories that focus on the lives of Indigenous and Latinx women. On this episode of FORKS X FANGS we discuss our favorite works and the impo...
Nov 27, 2020โข59 minโขSeason 1Ep. 21
We're back with another installment of Tiny Bites featuring HBO's ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐! Hippolyta gets sucked into a portal triggered by a time machine, and Dee is chased down by demon twins after being cursed by two white police officers.
Nov 20, 2020โข47 minโขSeason 1Ep. 20
First thing first! Black women y'all did that! Congratulations to Kamala Harris, the 46th Vice President of the United States of America!!! On this episode of FORKS X FANGS we discuss Veronica's birthday pick, ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐
by Zora Neale Hurston. We dive deep into the life of Zora and Janie, as well as Veronica's obsession with both of those women, tattoos, and Florida History.
Nov 13, 2020โข1 hr 22 minโขSeason 1Ep. 19
More answers are met with more questions for HBO's ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐. This week on this special edition of Tiny Bites, it seems as Franz Kafka himself must have really like this show and wanted to pay tribute to Misha Green. We discover that Ruby wakes up in the body of a white woman, Montrose seeks solace in the arms of an secret lover, and Atticus falls in love with a nine-tailed magical creature who may or may not be trying to kill him.
Nov 04, 2020โข53 minโขSeason 1Ep. 18
The debut novel from writer Kiley Reid has proven to find a special place among the newest contemporaries. ๐บ๐๐๐ ๐จ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ drops us dead center into an explosion of drama. Despite being the babysitter, 26 year-old Emira, a Black woman, is wrongly accused of kidnapping a 3 year-old white child in a grocery store. Emira is thrown into a whirlwind of lies, white privilege, and videotape. Reid's attention to laying each character's secrets in plain sight is truly magical. This satirical no...
Oct 30, 2020โข1 hr 7 minโขSeason 1Ep. 17
The Vulgar Geniuses duo take a backseat during this episode of FORKS X FANGS. We are joined by resident kid correspondent, Olivia Wang, as she reviews the novel ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ by Kelly Yang. Semi-based on the life of the author, readers learn about Mia Tang who has moved from China with her parents to make a new life in America. To make ends meet, her parents take a job at the Calivista Motel. Unable to clean the rooms and run the front desk, Mia decides to help out her parents by running t...
Oct 27, 2020โข43 minโขSeason 1Ep. 16
