Enoch Pratt Free Library Podcast

Ranging from the 17th century to the present and crossing multiple continents, Counternarratives' novellas and stories draw upon memoirs, newspaper accounts, detective stories, interrogation transcripts, and speculative fiction to create new and strange perspectives on our past and present.In "Rivers," a free Jim meets up decades later with his former raftmate Huckleberry Finn. "An Outtake" chronicles an escaped slave's fate in the American Revolution. "On Brazil, or Denouement" burrows deep into slavery and sorcery in early colonial South America, and in "Blues" the great poets Langston Hughes and Xavier Villaurrutia meet in Depression-era New York and share more than secrets.John Keene is a former member of the Dark Room Writers Collective, a graduate fellow of Cave Canem, and the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including a Whiting Foundation Prize for fiction. He is associate professor of African American and African Studies at Rutgers University. Keene is the author of the award-winning novel An

In the wake of the killing of Freddie Gray and the subsequent uprising, many media outlets focused on tired stereotypes about black criminality rather than the years of oppression that sparked the protests. Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange, and Stacey Patton, reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, will talk about how dehumanizing media coverage can reinforce bias and negatively impact black communities.Since 2005, ColorOfChange, the nation's largest online civil rights organization, has been a leading force in holding government and corporations accountable to black people and advancing visionary solutions for building a just society. From fighting for justice for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Renisha McBride and Trayvon Martin to battling attempts to suppress the black vote and helping shape the successful strategy in the fight to protect a free and open Internet, ColorOfChange has been at the forefront of the most critical civil rights issues of this century.Before joining The Chr

Objective Troy tells the story of Anwar al-Awlaki, the once-celebrated American imam who called for moderation after 9/11, a man who ultimately directed his outsized talents to the mass murder of his fellow citizens. It follows Barack Obama's campaign against the excesses of the Bush counterterrorism programs and his eventual embrace of the targeted killing of suspected militants. And it recounts how the president directed the mammoth machinery of spy agencies to hunt Awlaki down in a frantic, multi-million dollar pursuit that would end with the death of Awlaki by a bizarre, robotic technology that is changing warfare -- the drone.Scott Shane is a national security reporter for the New York Times based in Washington, DC. From 1983 to 2004, he was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Monday, September 21, 2015

When he was 12 years old, Freeman Hrabowski heard Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. talk about a children's march for civil rights and opportunity. Hrabowski convinced his parents to let him participate in the famed Children's Crusade. He spent five terrifying nights in jail and became a leader for the younger kids.Dr. Hrabowski went on to fuse his passion for education and for equality. As president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, he founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which has been one of the most successful programs for educating African Americans who go on to earn doctorates in the STEM disciplines. In Holding Fast to Dreams, Hrabowski recounts his journey as an educator, a university president, and a pioneer in developing successful, holistic programs for high-achieving students of all races.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Monday, September 28, 2015

When Mark Zuckerberg announced his $100 million pledge to transform the Newark Schools -- and to solve the education crisis in every city in America -- it looked like a huge win for then-mayor Cory Booker and governor Chris Christie. But their plans soon ran into a constituency not so easily moved: Newark's key education players, fiercely protective of their billion-dollar-per-annum system. It's a prize that, for generations, has enriched seemingly everyone, except Newark's students.Journalist Dale Russakoff delivers a story of high ideals and hubris, good intentions and greed, celebrity and street smarts, as reformers face off against entrenched unions, skeptical parents and bewildered students. The growth of charters forces the hand of Newark's school superintendent Cami Anderson who closes, consolidates, or redesigns more than a third of the city's schools.The Prize is a portrait of a titanic struggle over the future of education for the poorest kids, and a cautionary tale for those who care about the shap

Best-selling author James Patterson is Pratt's very special guest at the Central Library. He donated 25,000 books to Baltimore City Public Schools and spoke to over 300 5th graders in the Main Hall of the Central Library on Wednesday, September 16.This event is a partnership with BCPS. We are happy that they chose the library to host James Patterson for the students.James Patterson spoke about his newest book for young adults, Public School Hero. Recorded On: Wednesday, September 16, 2015

This debut novel from the author of The Drunken Botanist is based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation's first female deputy sheriffs.Constance Kopp doesn't quite fit the mold. She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or domestic affairs, and has been isolated from the world since a family secret sent her and her sisters into hiding fifteen years ago.One day a belligerent and powerful silk factory owner runs down their buggy, and a dispute over damages turns into a war of bricks, bullets, and threats as he unleashes his gang on their family farm. When the sheriff enlists her help in convicting the men, Constance is forced to confront her past and defend her family -- and she does it in a way that few women of 1914 would have dared.Amy Stewart has written six nonfiction books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world, including four New York Times bestsellers: The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants and Flower Confidential. She is the recipient of a National Endowment f

Honoring the Memory, Career and Bequest of Henry Louis MenckenThe 2015 Mencken Memorial Lecture, "H. L. Mencken: Anti-Semite?" is presented by David S. Thaler and introduced by last year's lecturer, Larry Gibson.Recorded On: Saturday, September 12, 2015

Miss Jessie's is a memoir and business guide full of inspirational life lessons and unique business advice from Miko Branch, the CEO of Miss Jessie's, the company that revolutionized the hair-care industry.When Miko and her sister, Titi, were children, their grandmother Miss Jessie taught them independence and showed them the value of being "do it yourself" women, all while whipping up homemade hair concoctions at her kitchen table. As a co-founder of Miss Jessie's, Miko reveals how she and Titi applied their grandmother's lessons to create a successful business from scratch.A charming and enlightening look at the women behind the brand, Miss Jessie's is full of entertaining stories and invaluable instruction that can be applied to any business.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Wednesday, August 12, 2015

In the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre, many expected a broad strengthening of gun control laws and a reconsideration of America's gun culture. Yet the gun rights movement, headed by the National Rifle Association, has gained ground in its fight against gun control laws. Gun rights advocates argue that firearms are essential in maintaining freedom. In Do Guns Make Us Free?, Firmin DeBrabander examines the ways that proliferation of guns impacts freedom and finds that a heavily armed citizenry diminishes core freedoms for all of us.Firmin De Brabander is an associate professor of philosophy at Maryland Institute College of Art.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Wednesday, July 29, 2015

News headlines, social media and talking heads paint a problematic picture of black womanood. In The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America, Tamara Winfrey-Harris  points out the warped prejudices behind that narrative and replaces them with the complex, hopeful reality of what it's actually like to be a black woman in America. She explores the impact of stereotypes on black somen's experiences with marriage, motherhood, health, sexuality and beauty.Tamara Winfrey-Harris' work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, In These Times, Ms. magazine, and a variety of online publications.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Tuesday, July 28, 2015

In celebration of Baltimore Pride 2015, the Pratt Library presents a conversation with Joe Wenke, author of The Human Agenda: Conversations About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Gisele Alicea (aka Gisele Xtravaganza), fashion model; and Y-Love, hip-hop artist.Despite the progress in the movement toward marriage equality, the LGBT community continues to face difficult, and often heartbreaking, odds. With The Human Agenda, Joe Wenke got people to talk with, not at, each other about a whole range of issues -- growing up, coming out, finding one's identity, family, marriage, parenting, careers and much more.Joe Wenke is a writer, social critic and LGBT rights activist. He is the founder and publisher of Trans Uber, a publishing company with a focus on promoting LGBT rights, free thought and equality for all people.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Presented in partnership with GLCCB (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central M

A panel of career-changers share their experiences. In collaboration with Maryland New Directions.Recorded On: Saturday, July 18, 2015

In Injustices, constitutional law expert Ian Millhiser argues that the Supreme Court routinely bent the arc of American history away from justice. He explains how the Court seized power for itself that rightfully belongs to the people's elected representatives and ignored rights that are explicitly protected by the Constitution. Millhiser tells the history of the Court through the eyes of the everyday people who have suffered the most, from Reconstruction to the present day.Ian Millhiser is a senior constitutional policy analyst at the Center for American Progress and the editor of ThinkProgress Justice.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Wednesday, July 8, 2015

A black teenage boy is dead. A white man kiled him. Was he standing his ground or was it murder? Using the Trayvon Martin case as the foundation for her story, Victoria Christopher Murray weaves a tale about the two women who are dealing with the tragedy: Janice Johnson, the mother of the victim, and Meredith Spencer, the wife of the accused.Victoria Christopher Murray is the Essence bestselling author of more than 20 novels, including The Ex Files; Lady Jasmine; and The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil. She is a three-time NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Fiction.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Far from the trendy cafes, designer boutiques, and political protests and crackdowns in Moscow, NPR host David Greene found the real Russia. Midnight in Siberia chronicles Greene’s journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a 6,000-mile cross-country trip from Moscow to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. In four-bunk cabins and stopover towns sprinkled across the country’s snowy landscape, Greene speaks with ordinary Russians about how their lives have changed in the post-Soviet years.David Greene is cohost of NPR's "Morning Edition." Former Moscow bureau chief for NPR, he has spent more than a decade covering politics and events from the White House and abroad.Writers Live programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Welcome to Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, the finest soul food restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Halia Watkins has her hands full cooking, hosting and keeping her boisterous young cousin, Wavonne, from getting too sassy with customers. One customer, the fast-talking entrepreneur Marcus Rand, is annoying enough when he’s alive – but finding him dead on her ceramic tile floor after hours is much worse.A. L Herbert grew up in Prince George’s County and Charles County. This is his debut novel, the first in the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery series.Recorded On: Tuesday, June 23, 2015

In his debut novel, Jabari Asim explores urban life in the first years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, using the intertwined stories of a retired “leg breaker,” an aging kingpin, an altruistic pediatrician, and a foster child turned college student. Set against the grim backdrop of a deteriorating neighborhood, Only the Strong features strong characters, whose stories are deeply rooted in the book’s time and place.Jabari Asim is the author of many works of fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, and drama. He is the executive editor of The Crisis, and is an associate professor of creative writing at Emerson College.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Through her photographs and personal experiences, Maria Drumm takes us on a journey through the ancient countries of Sagdiana, Burma, and Ceylon, across China and the Taklamakan desert and into the rock-cut caves of India. Drumm follows the caravan trading routes of the “Silk Road,” as well as the maritime routes around the straits of Malacca, Cambodia and Vietnam.After a 20-year career in law, Maria Drumm retired to teach at Anhui University in Bengbu, China from 2002-2005. She has also taught in India and won awards for her teaching and her photography.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a grant from PNC Bank.Recorded On: Monday, June 15, 2015

Join us for the Baltimore book launch of Kimberla Lawson Roby’s new Rev. Curtis Black book. It’s been four years since Alicia Black, daughter of Rev. Curtis Black, divorced her second husband. Since then Alicia has been dating her first husband who has asked her to marry him again. But Levi Cunningham, the drug dealer who caused the breakup of marriage number one, has just been released from prison, and Alicia can’t get him out of her mind.Kimberla Lawson Roby has won numerous awards for her writing, including a 2013 NAACP Image Award for The Reverend’s Wife.Writers LIVE programs are supported in part by a generous grant from PNC Bank. Recorded On: Tuesday, June 9, 2015