Feb 17 Watch 7:44 Namwali Serpell celebrates Toni Morrison's literary genius in 'On Morrison' By Geoff Bennett, Stephanie Kotuby, Alexa Gold, Satvi Sunkara In her new book, award-winning novelist Namwali Serpell takes on Toni Morrison, one of the towering figures in American literature. Serpell guides readers through Morrison’s extraordinary body of work, offering close readings that illuminate the depth of Morrison’s imagination, innovation… Continue watching
Feb 13 Watch 6:34 'Forgotten Souls' explores the legacy of the missing Tuskegee Airmen By Geoff Bennett, Stephanie Kotuby, Alexa Gold Often overlooked in America’s history of World War II are the 27 Tuskegee Airmen who disappeared in combat. Geoff Bennett recently sat down with Cheryl W. Thompson, whose father was also an airman. She chronicles the lives of the missing… Continue watching
Jan 27 Watch 8:10 'Kings and Pawns' explores Jackie Robinson's reluctant testimony against Paul Robeson By Geoff Bennett, Jackson Hudgins At the beginning of the Cold War in 1949, Jackie Robinson appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee to disavow the comments of another prominent Black American, actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson. That testimony is the subject of "Kings… Continue watching
Jan 23 Watch 8:01 New book 'Five Bullets' explores divisive 1984 NYC subway shooting By Geoff Bennett, Stephanie Kotuby, Alexa Gold In 1984, a shooting on a New York City subway thrust Bernie Goetz into the center of the national spotlight. After opening fire on four Black teenagers he said were trying to rob him, Goetz was hailed by some as… Continue watching
Jan 20 Watch 7:08 'Miracle Children' explores admissions scandal that exposed inequalities in education By Amna Nawaz, Stephanie Kotuby, Alexa Gold A few years ago, a small, private school in an underprivileged Black community in Louisiana made national headlines for propelling student after student into elite universities like Harvard and Yale. But according to the new book “Miracle Children,” the school's… Continue watching
Jan 12 Watch 6:34 Literary Arts Fund created to rekindle a love for reading By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport According to a recent study, reading for pleasure has fallen by 40% in the last 20 years, continuing a long-running downward trend. By many measures, reading skills for both students and adults continue to fall. Jeffrey Brown spoke with Elizabeth… Continue watching
Jan 10 Watch 6:14 New book offers glimpse inside world of controversial tech firm Palantir and its CEO By Ali Rogin, Andrew Corkery Palantir Technologies is one of the most secretive and powerful companies in Silicon Valley. It develops software that can quickly analyze massive amounts of data, used by government agencies, the military and major corporations. Ali Rogin speaks with Michael Steinberger,… Continue watching
Jan 09 Watch 8:04 Jacob Soboroff reflects on lessons learned from LA wildfires in 'Firestorm' By Geoff Bennett, Courtney Norris It's been one year since the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires tore through Los Angeles, destroying thousands of homes and killing more than 30 people. In his new book, journalist Jacob Soboroff offers a deeply reported account of the catastrophe,… Continue watching
Dec 24 Watch 8:23 How author David Baldacci and his wife are working to counter toxic political discourse By Geoff Bennett, Mike Fritz David Baldacci has written more than 50 suspense and legal novels. His latest is “Nash Falls,” a story about a successful businessman recruited by the FBI to expose a global crime network. But Baldacci and his wife are now tackling… Continue watching
Dec 18 Watch 8:00 Poet Billy Collins explores love, loss and life in 'Dog Show' By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport, Daria Nastasia It’s been said that nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless they've had a dog. Billy Collins agrees, and he recently released his 12th volume of poetry, called “Dog Show." Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spent time in… Continue watching