Bone, Blood & Bigots: On The Liberation of L.B. Jones

“A 1965 novel about racial injustice and police brutality in the Deep South was hailed by critics and made into a major movie. The story would haunt its author until the bitter end.”

Source: CrimeReads
Published: Jun 11, 2020
Length: 12 minutes (3,219 words)

The Strange Story of Richard Wright’s Lost Crime Novel, Savage Holiday

“In 1954, at the height of his fame, Wright published a thriller with a white psychotic hero. The literary world did not approve.”

Source: CrimeReads
Published: Oct 23, 2019
Length: 15 minutes (3,754 words)

Black Utopia: The Funkadelic Art of Pedro Bell

Pedro Bell, whose album cover designs helped define Funkadelic’s warped, cosmic, joyous aesthetic, has died. Here is what he accomplished in his fertile life. As bassist Bootsy Collins said: “Thxs for yr service our brother.”

Source: Afropunk
Published: Apr 29, 2019
Length: 6 minutes (1,659 words)

Blackstars

A personal essay in which Michael Gonzales reflects on the deaths of a dear friend, and a bookworm he idolized: David Bowie.

Source: Longreads
Published: Jan 10, 2019
Length: 12 minutes (3,186 words)

XXL’s A Great Day in Hip Hop: 16 Years Later

Actually, twenty years have now passed since the legendary Gordon Parks photographed 177 hip-hop artists and collaborators in a single image in Harlem. It was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering. People are still talking about it. To celebrate the anniversary, here’s the story of what it was like from someone who was there.

Published: Sep 29, 2014
Length: 7 minutes (1,775 words)