In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers
by AMPERS
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers is a series highlighting Minnesota’s Black, Indigenous and people of color writers, thinkers and activists, hosted by Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura. In conversations with authors across genre, region, and career, we explore these writers’ lasting legacy and emerging work, and how they’ve bent the arc of justice in both our state and across the country.Hosts: Carolyn Holbrook & David MuraProducers: Autumn Haeg, Britt Aamodt, Deanna StandingCloud, Faaya Adem, Jamad Jama, Julie Censullo, and Ngoc BuiLead production & editorial support: Emily KrumbergerMixing and mastering: Chris HarwoodEarly editorial support: Thuba NguyenOriginal theme music: TaliaKnightOriginal graphics: SpiritFolk
Episodes
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Segment 20: The Future of Literacy
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers hosts Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura talk about what the future of literacy looks like in an age of AI and the importance of learning and creating within sites of community.
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Segment 19: Demographic Shifts in Minnesota
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers hosts Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura discuss demographic shifts in Minnesota and how they have overlapped with local BIPOC writers and artists’ work.
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Segment 18: Carl Gawboy
Carl Gawboy discusses his book, Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History, his own family’s history of trapping, and how Ojibwe technology shaped Minnesota.
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Segment 17: Rebecca Nichloson
Rebecca Nichloson talks about the Black legacy of theater, her play, “Mara Queen of the World,” and how being an artist is akin to a life-long marriage.
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Segment 16: Crown Shepherd
Crown Shepard shares the story behind her first children’s book, Black Boy, Black Boy, her journey of self-publishing, and how literature can address racism.
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Segment 15: Swati Avasthi
Swati Avasthi talks about how young adult literature can provide adolescents with a roadmap for survival and resilience, the new novel she’s writing, and how important it is for students of all backgrounds to read BIPOC authors.
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Segment 14: Marcie Rendon
Marcie Rendon talks about writing success against the odds – including rejection from publishers, being inspired by and then creating her own plays about Native stories and how being grounded in community creates an ethical framework for artists.
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Segment 13: Jokeda “JoJo” Bell
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell talks about the process of writing Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms, her work with her organization, the African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota, and expanding the collective knowledge of Black life in the state.
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Segment 12: Anthony Ceballos
Anthony Ceballos discusses his poetry collection, Glass Full of Prayer, how the Twin Cities literary community has nurtured his work, and the message he might send to his younger self.
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Segment 11: Danez Smith
Danez Smith discusses their upcoming poetry collection, how the Twin Cities spoken word scene raised them, and one of their biggest muses – love.
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Segment 10: 신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin
Sun Yung Shin talks about the impact of her anthology, A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota, how connecting with community has been a lifeline for her work, and her recent memoir, Heart Eater: A Memoir of Immigration, Belonging, and How We Find Ourselves in Language.
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Segment 9: Kennedy Gisege
Kennedy Gisege discusses a current story he’s working on and how writing can mediate some of the loss felt by and return agency to those who are imprisoned. He also talks about how the Twin Cities literary community has supported writers who are incarcerated.
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Segment 8: Sarah Warren
Sarah Warren talks about why she started writing children’s books, the story behind her organization, Picture Book Parade, and the impact of book bans on BIPOC writers.
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Segment 7: Marian Hassan
Marian Hassan discusses the importance of poems and proverbs to Somali culture, her oral history work with the Sing Along Project, and her experience as a writer witnessing Operation Metro Surge take place in her hometown.
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Segment 6: Bao Phi
Bao Phi talks about growing up in South Minneapolis, writing Asian American history into children’s literature, and the impact of Black, Native, Asian American, Latinx, and SWANA writers’ work on Minnesota.
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Segment 5: Heid Erdrich
Former Minneapolis Poet Laureate Heid Erdrich discusses her Poetry Service Announcement project, how Minnesotan poets use their voices for change, and the role BIPOC writers play not only in creating beauty, but also work that serves people.
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Segment 4: Alexs Pate
Alexs Pate discusses the process of editing Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota, how the state’s literary community has evolved since the 1980’s, and writing his upcoming novel, Black Arrow.
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Segment 3: Beyond the Publishing Industry’s Limited Investment
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers hosts Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura discuss the publishing industry's ebb and flow of platforming BIPOC authors, but the often lack of long-term, deep investment.
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Segment 2: We Are Meant to Rise
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers hosts Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura discuss their 2021 anthology, We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World, and how Minnesota’s BIPOC authors have influenced culture and social change.
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Segment 1: In Our Words Introduction
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers hosts Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura introduce the series. They discuss how 2020 was a jumping off point for change and reflection amongst Minnesotans that BIPOC authors helped inform, speak to and lead. Plus, how the anthology, A Good Time for the Truth: Race in...
About this show
In Our Words: MN BIPOC Writers is a series highlighting Minnesota’s Black, Indigenous and people of color writers, thinkers and activists, hosted by Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura. In conversations with authors across genre, region, and career, we explore these writers’ lasting legacy and emerging work, and how they’ve bent the arc of justice in both our state and across the country.Hosts: Carolyn Holbrook & David MuraProducers: Autumn Haeg, Britt Aamodt, Deanna StandingCloud, Faaya Adem, Jamad Jama, Julie Censullo, and Ngoc BuiLead production & editorial support: Emily KrumbergerMixing and mastering: Chris HarwoodEarly editorial support: Thuba NguyenOriginal theme music: TaliaKnightOriginal graphics: SpiritFolk
Hosted by
AMPERS