Shows
Hopeton Hay PodcastsStories Collection Explores Culture, Community, and Agency from Houston to LahoreDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Tayyba Kanwal about her debut story collection, TALKING WITH BOYS. In the conversation, Kanwal shared how her stories explore themes of cultural identity and female agency through the lens of Pakistani-Americans. With linked characters, the tales span Houston, Lahore, Pakistan; and Dubai, going as far back as 1950 to 2020. Tayyba Kanwal is a Pakistani-American writer from Houston, TX. Her award-winning work has appeared injournals such as Witness, Gulf Coast and Meridian. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, and raised in the United Arab Emirates, she holds an MFA from the University of H...
2026-01-0337 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsElizabeth MacBride Explores Challenges and Needed Reforms to Capitalism in AmericaDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Elizabeth MacBride, co-author with Seth Levine of CAPITAL EVOLUTION: The New American Economy. In the interview MacBride explores how the evolution of capitalism in America has led to systemic inequalities, discusses the impact of shareholder primacy and neoliberalism, and highlights the need for reforms that restore the middle class, promote shared ownership, and address challenges like CEO pay, and environmental externalities.Elizabeth MacBride is a journalist, author and consultant in finance, women’s rights, and technology. She is an advocate for a fair, accessible financial system and policies that sup...
2025-12-3153 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMona Awad Pens Dark Comic Thriller in MFA WorldDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay and contributor Maya Hay interviewed Mona Awad, author of the novel WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY, the prequel-sequel to her 2019 novel BUNNY. WE LOVE YOU BUNNY is a darkly comic thriller set in the world of an elite MFA program, where a successful young author is kidnapped by her former classmates and forced to hear their point of view of the account of secret rituals, monstrous creations, and dark academia originally spun in BUNNY. In the interview Awad discussed her evolving approach to character development, deepening the inner lives of her creations by...
2025-12-3137 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsSecret Lives of Fairy Tales: What Might Be Queer About the Fairy TaleThis is the final of three episodes in the Diverse Voices Book Review Limited Podcast Series: Secret Lives of Fairy Tales. Created and hosted by fairy-tale scholar and professor Kimberly J. Lau, the third episode features Kay Turner, a fairy tales scholar and editor of Transgressive Tales: Queering the Grimms. In the episode, Turner shares how she uses queer theory and the legacy of liberation movements to inform a reimagining of Grimm’s fairy tales, highlighting queerness, alternative relationships, and exploring how these tales offer new ways of being and thinking beyond traditional norms.Be sure to che...
2025-12-3054 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsInequality Unveiled: Chuck Collins on the Cost of Concentrated WealthDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Chuck Collins, author of BURNED BY BILLIONAIRES: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives And Planet. The interview explored the impact of extreme wealth concentration on society, covering topics such as the racial wealth divide, climate disruption, affordable housing, and the influence of billionaire dynasties. Collins also addressed tax avoidance by billionaires, the effects of private equity on communities, and practical steps individuals and governments can take to counteract these trends.Chuck Collins is the Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the I...
2025-12-1738 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsJarvis Givens Reframes Myth of Education Historically for Blacks and Native AmericansIn this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay interviewed Jarvis R. Givens, author of AMERICAN GRAMMAR: Race, Education, and the Building of a Nation. Jarvis reframes the origin story of U.S. education by centering Black and Native experiences. He explains how early schooling was directly tied to land dispossession, slavery, and laws restricting literacy, showing education as a tool of empire-building rather than pure democratic inclusion. Givens also highlights Indigenous and Black resistance, the role of Christianity, and figures like Booker T. Washington to illustrate the complex intersections of race, education, and nationhood. To visit hi...
2025-12-0835 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMarc Egnal Challenges Comforting American Historical NarrativesDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviews history professor Marc Egnal about his book CHALLENGING THE MYTHS OF US HISTORY: Seven Short Essays on the Past and the Present. In this conversation, Egnal challenges the idea that American history is driven by lofty ideals. Instead, he argues that the demands of the upper class for growth and expansion have shaped the nation’s trajectory — from the Revolution to today’s tech oligarchs.Marc is Professor of History Emeritus at York University and author of CLASH OF EXTREMES: The Economic Origins of the Civil War.
Auth...
2025-12-0144 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAmran Gowani’s Novel Leverage Uses Satire to Expose the Dark Side of FinanceDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviews Amran Gowani, author of the financial thriller and satire LEVERAGE. Gowani, a former organic chemist and financial analyst, draws from his personal experiences to create a social satire set in high finance. The protagonist, Ali “Al” Jafar is a rising star at notorious hedge fund Prism Capital, but fortunes change fast on Wall Street. When his biggest investment goes up in smoke, Al loses $300 million—and his fragile sense of self-worth—in a single afternoon. The book's chapters are named after 90s rap songs, reflecting Gowani's love for hip hop and its relevan...
2025-11-2357 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsJustice in the Shadows: Aaron Philip Clark on Malibu, Memory, and The Bluest NightIn this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, Hopeton Hay welcomes back Aaron Philip Clark to discuss THE BLUEST NIGHT, the third installment in his Trevor Finnegan crime series. Set in the seemingly idyllic yet shadowy enclave of Malibu, the novel explores themes of justice, race, and fractured family ties as Trevor and his estranged father, Sean, are forced into an uneasy partnership to investigate a murder that hits close to home. Clark delves into the evolving dynamics of policing, the haunting realities of missing persons cases, and the personal costs of justice, all while continuing to develop Trevor’s...
2025-11-1646 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFamily History Inspires Historical Novel Set in Post World War 2 ParisDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed David Wright Faladé, author of the novel, THE NEW INTERNATIONALS. Set in post–World War II Paris, Faladé’s novel explores a love triangle between Cécile, a young French Jewish woman; Seb, an ambitious Black student from a French West African colony; and Mack, an African American GI navigating the city’s vibrant yet fractured landscape. Faladé discussed how the novel was inspired by his personal family history.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_review
2025-11-1236 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsThe Mexican American Roots in the Novels of Rudy RuizIn this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay welcomes back Rudy Ruiz, the author of THE BORDER BETWEEN US, which was just released in paperback. In the interview, Ruiz delves into his Mexican American roots and how they have profoundly influenced his writing. He discusses how his personal experiences growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border have shaped the themes and characters in his novels.Rudy Ruiz is the author of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows. He is a winner of the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best...
2025-09-2940 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsEasy Rawlins Returns: Walter Mosley Insights on His Latest Novel, Gray DawnIn this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay welcomes back the acclaimed author Walter Mosley for an insightful discussion about his latest novel, GRAY DAWN, the 17th installment in the Easy Rawlins series. In the interview, Walter Mosley discusses the origins and development of his character Easy Rawlins, emphasizing the importance of representing the struggles and resilience of Black Americans through his novels. Additionally, Mosley reflects on writing about characters who strive to live their best lives despite the obstacles they face.Walter Mosley is one of America’s most celebrated writers. He was gi...
2025-09-2743 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsThe 2025 Texas Book Festival Author LineupOn the latest episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay welcomed Texas Book Festival’s Literary Director Hannah Gabel and Chief Operations Officer Dalia Azim for an inside look at the upcoming festival, set to take place November 8–9 in downtown Austin. With more than 300 authors slated to appear, the Texas Book Festival 2025 Authors include acclaimed voices such as Ada Limon, Imani Perry, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Brian Washington.Gabel and Azim also shared insights into how the festival curates its author selections, highlighted TBF’s year-round literary programming, and discussed the organization’s ongoing efforts to champ...
2025-09-2526 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsExploring East Texas: Joe Lansdale on Writing, Inspiration, and the Hap and Leonard SeriesDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Joe Lansdale, author of HATCHET GIRLS, his 14th Hap and Leonard mystery novel. In this podcast episode, Joe Lansdale discusses his prolific writing career, the inspiration behind the Hap and Leonard series, and how his personal experiences and the unique setting of East Texas shape his storytelling.Joe R. Lansdale is the author of nearly four dozen novels, including Rusty Puppy, the Edgar-award winning The Bottoms, Sunset and Sawdust, and Leather Maiden. He has received nine Bram Stoker Awards, the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the...
2025-09-2037 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBlack Existential Freedom: A Conversation with Nathalie EtokeDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Nathalie Etoke, author of BLACK EXISTENTIAL FREEDOM. Published in 2022, BLACK EXISTENTIAL FREEDOM explores how Black freedom transcends political and economic success and lies in affirming one's humanity in the face of systemic dehumanization. Etoke draws on historical experiences, Black cultural expressions, and philosophical traditions to highlight the inner and collective struggles of people of African descent across the diaspora. She emphasizes that existential agency—making choices even under oppressive conditions—is a form of resistance and a testament to enduring hope. Nathalie Etoke is a Professor of Francophone and Africa...
2025-09-151h 03
Hopeton Hay Podcasts1968: A Tumultuous Year in the LBJ PresidencyIn October 2018, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Kyle Longley, author of LBJ's 1968: Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America's Year of Upheaval. 1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Kyle Longley is a Professor of History at Chapman University and the director of the M.A. in War and Society program. He served as the director of the LBJ Presidential Library from 2018 to 2019 before happily returning to...
2025-09-0726 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFast Food and the Black CommunityDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Naa Oyo Kwate, author of WHITE BURGERS, BLACK CASH: Food from Black Exclusion to Exploitation.In the interview, they discussed the fast-food industry and its impact on health disparities in the Black community. They also explored the complex relationship between Black communities and fast food and the industry history.Naa Oyo A. Kwate is a nonfiction writer and interdisciplinary scholar focused on African American urban life. She has previously served on the faculties of Columbia and Rutgers University.
2025-09-0447 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBest Of: Manisha Sinha's Expansive View of the History of ReconstructionIn May of 2024, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed historian Manisha Sinha, author of THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SECOND AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Reconstruction, 1860-1920. In the interview, Manisha explained her idea that Reconstruction is a defining moment in the history of American democracy. She also asserts that Reconstruction was unwinding until 1920, ending with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote--and which Sinha calls the "last Reconstruction amendment."Manisha Sinha is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and a l...
2025-08-2349 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsCarrie Moore Writes Stories Centered in the Black SouthDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Carrie R. Moore, author of the story collection MAKE YOUR WAY HOME. In the interview, Moore explained that her story collection pays "homage to the diversity of the Black South...There are mountains, there are beaches, there are cities, there are small towns, and I really just wanted to write about the South, but do so in a way that would resist a single definition." Carrie R. Moore’s fiction and essays have appeared in One Story, The Sewanee Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, For Harriet, The Southern Review, and oth...
2025-08-1744 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTochi Onyebuchi's Harmattan Season Is Hard-Boiled Fantasy Noir NovelDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Tochi Onyebuchi, author of the novel HARMATTAN SEASON. Set in a dust-choked West African city, tensions rise between French occupiers and indigenous factions. The protagonist, private eye Bouba, caught between two cultures, uncovers secrets that challenge his identity and past. Blending noir grit with fantasy, the novel explores justice, memory, and postcolonial unrest.Tochi Onyebuchi is the author of Goliath, a Locus Award and Dragon Award finalist, the young adult novel Beasts Made of Night, which won the Ilube Nommo Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel by an African...
2025-08-0938 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMadeliene Thien's Young Protagonist Explores the Lives and Ideas of Timeless ThinkersDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Madeleine Thien, author of the novel THE BOOK OF RECORDS. The novel tells a time-bending, seven-year philosophical journey of a young girl named Lina, who is taught by her father and neighbors about the lives of three historical figures. They live in a surreal enclave, where Lina and her father have sought refuge after escaping a disaster in China. In the interview, we talked about how she weaves together the stories of three historical figures: Du Fu, an 8th-century Chinese poet; Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century Dutch Jewish philosopher; and Hannah Arendt...
2025-08-0344 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsDenise Mina Thriller Explores Forensic Scientist ChoicesDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Denise Mina, author of THE GOOD LIAR. The story follows a blood spatter expert who faces ethical dilemmas similar to historical cases where discredited forensic techniques led to wrongful convictions. THE GOOD LIAR publishes on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.Denise Mina is the author of twenty novels, including the Reese's Book Club pick Conviction and its sequel Confidence, as well as The Second Murderer, The Less Dead, The Long Drop—winner of the 2017 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish crime book of the year. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media: ...
2025-07-2827 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsPaul Thomas Chamberlin Peels Back Mythology Around World War IIDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin, author of SCORCHED EARTH: A Global History of World War II. In the interview, we discussed how World War II fits into a larger story of the rise and fall of empires, the creation and destruction of colonial systems, and the reconfiguration of imperial power. The most surprising thing I discussed with Chamberlin is how the United States, in 1943, and the United Kingdom, in 1945, had developed plans to fight the Soviet Union using Nazi troops. Paul Thomas Chamberlin is an associate professor in history at Columbia University.
2025-07-1952 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsIvy Pochoda's Novel Ecstasy Tackles Female Oppression and Marital PatriarchyDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ivy Pochoda, author of ECSTASY. Based on a Greek tragedy by Euripides, Pochoda explained how she wanted to address difficult truths about female oppression and marital patriarchy. As described on her website, "Ecstasy is a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them." Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media: Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review
2025-07-0638 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsDana Williams Recounts Impact of Toni Morrison on Black Writers As EditorDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Dana A. Williams, author of TONI AT RANDOM: The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship. In the interview, Dr. Williams discussed Toni Morrison's path to becoming a book editor, some of the Black writers she edited at Random House including Angela Davis and Toni Cade Bambara, and what inspired her to write the book.Dana A. Williams is Professor of African American Literature in the Department of English and Dean of the Graduate School at Howard University. She is former president of the College Language Association and the Modern Languages Association...
2025-07-0439 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsNaomi Xu Elegant Debut Novel Gingko SeasoDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Naomi Xu Elegant, author of the debut novel GINGKO SEASON. Set in Philadelphia, Elegant examines the friendships and the love life of a neurotic young woman in her 20s. The novel also is a homage to Philadelphia, where the author lived while attending the University of Pennsylvania. In the interview, Naomi discussed the struggle of finding the voice of her protagonist, writing in the first person, and her journey to becoming a novelist. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media: Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @dive...
2025-06-2937 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsRickey Fayne's Debut Novel Weaves a Multigeneration Tale from Slave Ship to Contemporary TimesDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Rickey Fayne about his debut novel, THE DEVIL THREE TIMES. Covering eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee, from the slave ship to contemporary times, Fayne creates a narrative rich with historical context, emotional depth, and Black folklore. In the interview, he talked about how his writing reflects his Black Southern upbringing and aims to honor the experiences of his ancestors. Fayne also revealed how his novel was influenced by Zora Neale Hurston's folklore collection, OF MULES AND MEN.You can see Rickey Fayne on book tour...
2025-06-1759 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTwain Scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin Explores Huckleberry Finn’s Character JimDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Shelley Fisher Fishkin, author of JIM: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade. In the interview she highlights the irony in Twain's portrayal of Jim, contrasting Huck's limited understanding with Twain's deeper critique of society. Fishkin emphasizes the need for teachers to be well-prepared to teach "Huckleberry Finn," addressing its complex themes. Fishkin also discusses the contributions of notable Black writers Ralph Wiley and Ralph Ellison to the interpretation of Twain's work.Shelley Fisher Fishkin is the Joseph S. Atha Professor of the Humanities, professor of English, and (by...
2025-05-1439 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsJesse Q. Sutanto's Latest Cozy Mystery Featuring Vera WongDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of the mystery novel VERA WONG'S GUIDE TO SNOOPING (on a DEAD MAN). This is the second book in the series featuring Vera Wong, a 61-year-old tea shop owner in San Francisco. Vera, based on Sutanto's mother, investigates a murder involving a missing person social media personality. The book explores themes of social media, human trafficking, and the complexities of online personas. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media: Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review Email: hbh@d...
2025-05-1029 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsPreston Lauterbach Explores Black Musicians Who Made Elvis PresleyDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Preston Lauterbach, author of BEFORE ELVIS: The African American Musicians Who Made the King. In the interview Lauterbach highlighted the influence of African American musicians on Elvis Presley. He noted that Elvis's first hit, "That's All Right," was originally recorded by Arthur Crudup, and songs like "Hound Dog" and "Mystery Train" had African American origins. Lauterbach also explored the economic exploitation of Black artists and the cultural appropriation by white artists. He shared insights into the evolution of R&B and its impact on pop music in the 1970s, emphasizing the...
2025-05-0639 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsThe Northern Ireland U.S. Civil Rights ConnectionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Forest Issac Jones, author of GOOD TROUBLE: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972. Jones discovered the connection between the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland and the Black Civil Rights Movement during a 2021 visit to Belfast. He highlights the parallels between the movements, including how the 1969 Belfast to Derry Catholic Civil Rights March in Northern Ireland was influenced by the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March. Forest Issac Jones is an award-winning author of non-fiction and essays, specializing in the study of Irish History, the US...
2025-04-1845 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsKimberly Lau Examines the Manifestation of Race in European Fairy TalesDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Kimberly J. Lau, author of Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale. In stories retold for generations, wondrous worlds and magnificent characters have defined the genre of European fairy tales with little recognition of yet another defining aspect—racism and racialized thinking. Engaging four classic fairy-tale collections, author Kimberly J. Lau connects close readings of the tales to the cultural discourses, scholarly debates, and imperial geopolitics that established and perpetuated ideas about racial difference and white superiority. Kimberly J. Lau is a professor of...
2025-03-3044 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFernando Flores's Dystopian Tale Brother BrontëDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Fernando A. Flores, author of the novel Brother Brontë. Set in Texas in 2038, it is a dark tale of a future where books are burned, the libraries are closed, and your neighbor may turn you in for having books. In the interview, Flores said, "...for those of us who have traveled to the valley by car, we've been through Three Rivers many times. And it's frightening because you posit an authoritarian police city-state with people that are coopted by the city-state, with people that resist the city-state, and with people that a...
2025-03-2850 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsLilliam Rivera Novel Explores Darkness in Illusory World of Glamour and FashionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviews Lilliam Rivera about her 2024 novel Tiny Threads, a dark thriller set in Vernon, California, in the fashion world. Rivera discusses the novel's blend of horror, fashion, and personal trauma. She explores the connection between fashion and violence, drawing from her experience as a fashion editor. Rivera delves into the protagonist Samara's journey, her struggle with addiction, and the themes of generational trauma and class issues. Lilliam Rivera is a MacDowell fellow and an award-winning author of nine works of fiction: a dark thriller, four young adult novels, three middle g...
2025-03-1534 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBetsy Leondar-Wright Co-Authors Book That Examines How Inequalities PersistDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Betsy Leondar-Wright, co-author of Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Two questions that seem simple on their face, but which invite a host of tangled responses. In this book, Jessi Streib and Betsy Leondar-Wright offer a new way of understanding how inequalities persist by focusing on the individual judgment calls that lead us to decide what's racist, what's sexist, and what's not.Betsy Leondar-Wright, PhD, has been a community organizer, a diversity workshop facilitator, and a sociology professor teaching critical race theory and economic inequality. She is co-author of...
2025-03-1143 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsWalter Mosley's Latest Novel Explores a Son's Search for His FatherDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed legendary author Walter Mosley about his latest novel Been Wrong So Long It Feels Like Right, his third novel featuring New York private detective Joe King Oliver. In the novel, Oliver's 92-year-old grandmother asks him to find his father, her son, after she discovers she has a tumor that could be fatal. Oliver has been estranged from his father since he was a young boy. He swore to never speak to the man again when he was taken away in handcuffs. Through his hunt, he gains a deeper understanding of his...
2025-02-2453 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFavorite Novels of 2024Diverse Voices Book Review hosts Hopeton Hay and Amanda Moore discuss their favorite novels of 2024 that were featured in author interviews. For Hopeton, his favorite novels were 54 Miles by Leonard Pitts, Jr., Guide Me Home by Attica Locke, and Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat. Amanda's favorite novels were Flores and Miss Paula by Melissa Riverro, Skin & Bones by Renee Watson, and What You Leave Behind by Wanda Morris. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media: Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review Twitter - @diversebookshay Email: hbh...
2025-02-1540 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAlex Segura Thriller Examines Conflict Between Art and CommerceDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Alex Segura, author of the thriller Alter Ego. In the story, Annie Bustamante, a celebrated filmmaker and comic book artist, gets a chance to work on her favorite superhero, The Lethal Lynx. Despite her excitement, she's wary of the offer, and her suspicions grow when she receives anonymous warnings not to trust anyone. The novel also explores Annie as a single mother with a precocious teenage daughter who has a tumultuous relationship with her own mother. Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, winner of...
2025-02-1332 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsHistory Professor Joe Trotter Jr. Explores Building the Black CityDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Joe William Trotter, Jr., author of Building The Black City: The Transformation of American Life. Building The Black City explores the history of African Americans in cities across America from the colonial era to recent times. He emphasized the agency of African people in building their own infrastructure and institutions despite being dispossessed of their labor. Trotter highlighted the importance of understanding the regional dimensions of black urban life, using New Orleans, Charleston, and Savannah as examples.Joe William Trotter, Jr., is Giant Eagle University Professor of History and...
2025-02-0639 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsThe Damascus Events: An Interview with Eugene Rogan on the 1860 Massacre and the Ottoman Empire Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Eugene Rogan, a professor of modern Middle Eastern history at the University of Oxford and the director of the Middle East Center at St. Anthony's College, Oxford. Rogan discusses his book, The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Making of the Modern Middle East." The conversation touches on the historical context of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, highlighting its decline and the reforms it undertook to modernize and compete with European powers. These reforms, however, led to social unrest and violence, including the 1860 mas...
2025-01-2433 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsNikki Giovanni: An Interview from November 15, 2020Black cultural icon and poet Nikki Giovanni died on December 9, 2024, at the age of 81. On November 15, 2020, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed her about her book of poetry and prose, Make Me Rain, which was just published the month before. In Make Me Rain, Giovanni calls attention to injustice and racism, celebrates Black culture and Black lives, and gives readers an unfiltered look into her own experiences. In our wide-ranging interview, Giovanni read some of her poetry, discussed an amazing conversation she had with James Baldwin in 1971 that was taped for the public TV show Soul!, and...
2024-12-1641 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFrom Crime to Fantasy: Rachel Howzell Hall Discusses Her Genre-Bending New Novel 'The Last OneDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Rachel Howzell Hall, author of the fantasy novel The Last One. Best known for writing crime fiction, Hall was approached by a publisher to write a fantasy novel series, which resulted in her new book. In the interview, Hall discussed how writing the fantasy novel required her to build an entire world from scratch, including creating new languages, creatures, religions, and social structures. She said it was very different from writing crime fiction where she could draw from real-world events and laws.Rachel Howzell Hall is the critically acclaimed...
2024-12-0741 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFabienne Josaphat's Historical Novel Explores Black PanthersDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Fabienne Josaphat, author of Kingdom of No Tomorrow. Kingdom of No Tomorrow is a historical novel that delves into a the Black Panther Party from 1968 to 1969 through the perspective of protagonist Nettie Boileau. She volunteers at the Black Panthers' Free Health Clinics in Oakland and develops a romantic relationship with Melvin Mosley, a defense captain in the Black Panther Party. Their move to Chicago to assist in founding the Illinois chapter exposes them to J. Edgar Hoover's secret operations against civil rights activists.In the interview, a discusses her j...
2024-11-2941 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsLeonard Pitts Jr. Explores Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March in Novel 54 MILESDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Leonard Pitts Jr., author of the novel 54 MILES. Continuing with characters from his earlier work, THE LAST THING YOU SURRENDDER, set during World War II, "54 Miles" is a historical novel that unfolds during the crucial weeks of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 in alabama. The story revolves around characters grappling with past trauma. Pitts delves into the challenges of weaving these characters' stories into the larger tapestry of the Civil Rights Movement. He also explores the intricacies of interracial relationships during the era of Jim Crow laws and the complex...
2024-11-2633 minHopeton Hay PodcastsThe Border Between Us: A Conversation with Rudy Ruiz on Family, Identity, and StorytellingDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Rudy Ruiz, author of the novel THE BORDER BETWEEN US. Set in Brownsville, Texas, the novel follows Ramon Lopez's life from fifth grade to college, exploring themes of family dynamics, immigration, and coming of age. Ruiz draws heavily from his own experiences, fictionalizing real events and characters, such as his grandmother and a chili-selling story from his childhood. He emphasizes the importance of mentors and the universal themes of parent-child relationships and generational gaps. Rudy Ruiz is the author of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows. H...
2024-11-0347 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsRuben Reyes Jr. Debut Short Stories Collection Leans into Speculative FictionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ruben Reyes, Jr., author of the short stories collection THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN. THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN, Reyes's first book, blends speculative fiction with themes of Salvadoran immigration. Reyes describes his book as speculative fiction about Salvadoran immigrants, ranging from domestic family dramas with weird elements to stories set on Mars. In the interview he shares how he was influenced by writers like Michael Crichton and Ray Bradbury, and that he aims to entertain while addressing issues like exploitation and privilege.
2024-10-1329 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsKrimstein Graphic Narrative Explores Einstein and Kafka Formative Months in PragueDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ken Krimstein, the author of the graphic narrative EINSTEIN IN KAFKALAND: How Albert Fell Down the Rabbit Hole and Came Up with the Universe. During the year that Prague was home to both Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka from 1911-1912, the trajectory of the two men's lives wove together in uncanny ways-as did their shared desire to tackle the world's biggest questions in Europe's strangest city. In stunning words and pictures, Einstein in Kafkaland reveals the untold story of how their worlds wove together in a cosmic battle for n...
2024-09-2929 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMegan Kimble Examines The Impact of Urban Highways in TexasDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Megan Kimble, author of CITY LIMITS: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America’s Highways. CITY LIMITS examines the impact of urban highways on American cities. In the interview, Kimble discussed how highways were sold as progress in the 1950s and 60s, driven by car companies and oil industries. She argues that highways often disproportionately affect black and brown communities, citing examples like Houston's Fifth Ward. She also addresses the paradox of increased traffic due to induced demand and the environmental and economic costs of car-centric cities. Kimball advocates for the re...
2024-09-2135 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsGabino Iglesias Novel Blends Horror and Crime FictionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Gabino Iglesias, author of the novel HOUSE OF BONE AND RAIN. In the interview, Iglesias explained how the novel was inspired in part by his personal experiences as a teen in Puerto Rico. The story follows a group of friends seeking revenge after a friend's mother is killed. Iglesias highlights the complexities of masculinity and the impact of colonialism, using Hurricane Maria as a metaphor for systemic issues. He emphasizes the deep bond among friends and the internal struggle between staying in Puerto Rico and seeking better opportunities elsewhere. The novel...
2024-09-0839 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAttica Locke: The Final Chapter of Black Texas Ranger Darren MathewsDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Attica Locke, the New York Times Best Selling author, about her latest novel, GUIDE ME HOME, the final installment in her Edgar Award-winning "Highway 59" trilogy. Set in east Texas, the novel explores themes of race, integrity, and family dynamics through the character Darre Matthews, a black Texas Ranger. In the interview, Attica reflects on the impact of the evolving political landscape on her writing and the themes of her Highway 59 trilogy.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book...
2024-09-0332 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsNicola Yoon's New Thriller Set in a Black UtopiaDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Nicola Yoon, author of ONE OF OUR KIND. Yoon describes her novel as "somewhere between a thriller and a horror. It's about a woman named Jasmine who, along with her husband and young son, moved to a suburb of Los Angeles that builds itself as a black utopia. And when Jasmine gets there, she expects to find safety and community, and at first, she does, but then things quickly shift..."Nicola Yoon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, THE SUN IS ALSO A...
2024-08-2437 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTragedy, Race and a Painful Past Frame John Vercher's Latest NovelDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed John Vercher, author of the novel DEVIL IS FINE. The novel is described by its publisher: "Still reeling from a sudden tragedy, our biracial narrator receives a letter from an attorney: he has just inherited a plot of land from his estranged white grandfather. He travels to a beach town several hours south of his home with the intention of selling the land immediately and moving on. But upon inspection, what lies beneath the dirt is far more complicated than he ever imagined. In a shocking irony, he is...
2024-07-2929 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsLarry Tye Book Narrates How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed AmericaDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Larry Tye, author of THE JAZZMEN: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America. From the publisher: This is the story of three revolutionary American musicians, the maestro jazzmen who orchestrated the chords that throb at the soul of twentieth-century America.. What is far less known about these groundbreakers is that they were bound not just by their music or even the discrimination that they, like nearly all Black performers of their day, routinely encountered. Each defied and ultimately overcame racial boundaries by opening America’s eyes and souls to t...
2024-07-1832 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsDanielle Allen Book: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of EqualityIn 2014, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Danielle Allen about her newly published book, OUR DECLARATION: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality. Featured on the front page of the New York Times, her book publisher writes in its description of the book: "Our Declaration is already regarded as a seminal work that reinterprets the promise of American democracy through our founding text. Combining a personal account of teaching the Declaration with a vivid evocation of the colonial world between 1774 and 1777, Allen, a political philosopher renowned for her work on justice and citizenship...
2024-07-0425 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsREPLAY: Meg Gardiner Thriller ShadowheartIn June 2024 Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Meg Gardiner, author of the thriller SHADOWHEART. It’s now available in paperback.SHADOWHEART is the fourth book in Gardiner's UNSUB thriller series featuring FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix. In the thriller, Hendrix is tracking a serial killer that appears to be following the modus operandi of a jailed serial killer. In the interview Gardiner discussed the vulnerability of her protagonist, how she drives the pace of her novels, and how she uses different point of view characters to allow readers to understand and empathize with both the good...
2024-06-2639 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAnnette Gordon-Reed Explores History of JuneteenthDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed award winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed, author of ON JUNETEENTH. In the interview, Gordon-Reed discussed the historical significance of Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas. She also shared her personal experiences and perspectives on the holiday's origins, evolution, and cultural significance. Born and raised in Texas, Annette Gordon-Reed is a history professor at Harvard University and the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO. Her web site is https://annettegordonreed.com/. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @d...
2024-06-1631 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsHunted A ThrillerDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Abir Mukherjee, author of the new thriller Hunted. Hunted, Mukherjee's sixth novel, follows the paths of a terrorist group in the U.S. planning and executing bombings in the U.S., the efforts of the FBI to stop them, and the search for two of the young adults in the group by their parents who hope to prevent catastrophe. The novel has a multicultural cast of characters providing points of view from a U.S. and international perspective. In the interview, Mukherjee discussed the use of crime fiction as a medium for...
2024-06-0653 minHopeton Hay PodcastsManisha Sinha Explores Reconstruction: The Rise and Fall of the Second American RepublicDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed historian Manisha Sinha, author of The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920. In the interview, Manisha explained her decision to focus on Reconstruction as the central theme, tying it to various other historical events and movements including the women's suffrage movement, the destruction of indigenous sovereignties, the Industrial Revolution, and labor conflict.Manisha Sinha is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and a leading authority on the history of slavery and abolition and the Civil W...
2024-05-2749 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsHistorian Steven Hahn's Chronicle's History of Illiberalism In AmericaDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Steven Han, author of Illiberal America: A History. In the interview they discussed the realities behind American history's myths, touching on progressive thinking's complexities, wealth concentration, and public good concepts. They also examined the impact of political strategies like the Southern strategy, and the Supreme Court's role in economic rights protection and the aftermath of Obama's election. Steven Hahn is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian who studies American political and social movements. His acclaimed works include A Nation Under Our Feet and A Nation Without Borders. He teaches at New...
2024-05-2045 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMarie Arana's LatinoLand: A Portrait of America's Largest and Least Understood MinorityDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Marie Arana, author of LatinoLand. LatinoLand is an all-encompassing overview of Hispanic America based on personal interviews, deep research, and Marie Arana’s life experience as a Latina. At present, Latinos comprise 20 percent of the US population, a number that is growing. By 2050, census reports project that one in every three Americans will claim Latino heritage. Marie Arana draws on her own experience as the daughter of an American mother and Peruvian father who came to the US at age nine, straddling two worlds, as many Latinos do. Learn more about Latin...
2024-03-3047 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsNovel By Ayana Mathis Explores Family Legacy and Black Self-DeterminationDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ayana Mathis, author of the novel The Unsettled. "The Unsettled is a spellbinding portrait of two fierce women reckoning with the steep cost of resistance: What legacy will we leave our children? Where can we be free? Learn more about the novel at The Unsettled — Ayana Mathis.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.comWeb site: https://diversevoicesbookreview.wordpress.com/
2024-03-2547 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBLACK HISTORY: Koritha Mitchell, Author of From Slave Cabins to the White HouseIn 2020 Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Koritha Mitchell, author of FROM SLAVE CABINS TO THE WHITE HOUSE. As part of our continuing recognition of Black authors for Black History this year, I'm reposting this interview that was originally posted on the podcast site on October of 2020. In the book Dr. Mitchell argues that it is Black success that is most likely to draw the ire of white mobs. Using characters in literature by black female writers from Zora Neale Hurston to Lorraine Hansberry, and the role in the White House of former first lady Mi...
2024-03-0328 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBLACK HISTORY MONTH: Lisa B. Thompson, author of Underground, Monroe, and the Mamalogues: Three PlaysDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Lisa B. Thompson, author of Underground, Monroe, and the Mamalogues: Three Plays. She was interviewed in August of 2020. In these plays, the black feminist playwright and scholar thoughtfully explores themes such as the black family, motherhood, migration, racial violence, and trauma and its effect on black people from the early twentieth century to the present. The works showcase Thompson’s subversive humor and engagement with black history and culture through the lens of the black middle class. In addition to being an award-winning playwright, Dr. Thompson is a professor of African and...
2024-03-0128 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBLACK HSTORY MONTH: Historian Peniel E. Joseph, Author of the Third ReconstructionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Peniel E. Joseph, author of THE THIRD RECONSTRUCTION: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century. In THE THIRD RECONSTRUCTION Joseph weaves in his personal experiences growing up in segregated neighborhood of New York City with three critical periods in American history he describes as reconstruction periods: 1865-1898, 1954-1968, and 2008 to the present. In the book he writes, “There is the America that we might call reconstructionist, home to champions of racial democracy, and there is the America that we might call redemptionist, a country that papers over racial, class, and...
2024-03-0146 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsKarin Cecile Davidson Stories Contemplate Love and BelongingDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Karin Cecile Davidson, author of the short stories collection THE GEOGRAPHY OF FIRST KISSES. "The fourteen ethereal stories are tethered to the bays and backwaters of southern Louisiana, the fields of Iowa and Oklahoma, the pine woods of Florida, places where girls and women seek love and belonging, and instead discover relationships as complicated, bewildering, even sorrowful." Learn more about Karin and her books at the Karin Cecile Davidson web site.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_re...
2024-02-2543 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBLACK HISTORY MONTH: Randal Maurice Jelks, author of FAITH AND STRUGGLE IN THE LIVES OF FOUR AFRICAN AMERICANS: Ethel Waters, Mary Lou Williams, Eldridge Cleaver, and Muhammad AliIn July of 2019 host Hopeton Hay interviewed Randal Maurice Jelks, author of Faith and Struggle in the Lives of Four African Americans: Ethel Waters, Mary Lou Williams, and Eldridge Cleaver and Muhammad Ali. In the book Dr. Jelks examined their autobiographical writings, interviews, speeches, letters, and memorable performances to understand how each of these figures used religious faith publicly to reconcile deep personal struggles, voice their concerns for human dignity, and reinvent their public image.Randal Maurice Jelks is an award-winning author, documentary film producer, and professor. He is the author of four books. His writings have a...
2024-02-2227 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBlack History Month: Actor Tembi Locke Memoir From ScratchBack on December 1, 2019, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed actor Tembi Locke who had just published her memoir, FROM SCRATCH:A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home. The daughter of Black student activists in Houston, Locke penned a courageous story of love, family, and healing through the story of the romance between her and her Sicilian husband Saro, and his untimely death. In our interview we discussed how she met her husband while in Italy on a semester abroad from college, his family’s opposition to their marriage, and how her Sicilian mother-in-law’s love after Saro...
2024-02-1828 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsBlack History Month: Attica Locke's 2019 Novel Explores Race and Justice in East TexasIn September of 2019 Diverse Voice Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Attica Locke, author of HEAVEN, MY HOME. Republishing this interview is part of DVBR's Celebration of Black Authors for Black History Month. Attica was the first African American writer to win the Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America with her 2017 novel, BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD.With HEAVEN MY HOME, Locke continues her exploration of race and racism in America through the prism of her crime novels. She displays it through her protagonist’s reception by the local towns people in Jefferson, Texas. She als...
2024-02-1727 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsCadwell Turnbull's Novel Explores World Where Monsters Come Out of HidingDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Cadwell Turnbull, author of the speculative novel WE ARE THE CRISIS. WE ARE THE CRISIS is the second novel in a planned trilogy focusing on a world where monsters live secretly among humans. The second book explores the aftermath of monsters being revealed to society and centers around on movements for civil rights and community organizing, all while posing philosophical inquiries about creation, existence, and power dynamics in a society adjusting to its new reality with monsters.Learn more about the book and author at Cadwell Turnbull's web site.
2024-01-2951 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMike Tomlin BiographyDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed John Harris, author of TOMLIN: The Soul of a Football Coach. In just his second season as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009, Mike Tomlin became the second African American coach to win the Super Bowl. With interviews from former players, coaches, and executives, Harris lets readers in on what it’s like to play for Tomlin, why he is (or is not) beloved in Pittsburgh, and how his continued success has helped change the landscape of what NFL franchises look for in hiring a head coach. Learn more about the...
2024-01-1543 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsThe Struggle for Equality And Building A Multiracial DemocracyDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Steve Phillips, author of HOW WE WIN THE CIVIL WAR: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good. The conversation between Hopeton Hay and the author revolves around the themes of civil rights, the ongoing struggle for racial equality, and the political tactics that have been used historically to suppress the rights of marginalized communities, particularly African Americans. Learn more about the book on his web site at https://www.stevephillips.com/.
2024-01-1143 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsNavigating History and Heart in "The Madstone": Elizabeth Crook's Earnest Tale of Adventure in Reconstruction Era TexasDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Elizabeth Crook, author of the novel THE MADSTONE. Set during Reconstruction in Texas in 1868, THE MADSTONE is an adventure story of a young frontiersman who helps a pregnant young mother and her child flee across Texas from outlaws bent on revenge. The outlaws are based on the historically true Swamp Fox gang which terrorized and killed blacks, and agents of the Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal agency which provided relief and helped formerly enslaved people become self-sufficient. In the interview we discussed Crook's commitment to tell the whole truth about Texas hist...
2023-12-3150 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsExploring the Cultural Impact and Legacy of the Black Panther ComicsDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ytasha Womack, author of BLACK PANTHER: A Cultural Exploration. In the interview, Womack discussed the impact of the Black Panther comics, and its significance within the context of Afrofuturism. She also related the history of the Black Panther in Marvel comics, and how different writers have handled the character over the years, each bringing their own perspectives and cultural references to the stories. Ytasha L. Womack is a critically acclaimed author, filmmaker, dancer, independent scholar, and champion of humanity and the imagination. Her book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fan...
2023-12-0448 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsThe Hidden History of Civil Rights - Unveiling Grassroots Contributions and Black Self-Governance in AmericaDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed historian Dylan C. Penningroth, author of BEFORE THE MOVEMENT: The Hidden History of Civil Rights. In the interview, the discussion revolves around the presentation of black civil rights history and the importance of grassroots movements and everyday people's contributions. The conversation also delves into the start-up of Black associations and organizations, and the success of their organizations proving, contrary to the belief of white Americans, that Blacks have the capacity for self-governance, and were worthy of the vote and American democracy. Penningroth’s research for the book focused on county re...
2023-11-2645 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsDid the Bishop Kill His Wife? In New Mystery Novel A Church's Dark Secrets Are RevealedDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Femi Kayode, author of the novel GASLIGHT. The novel explores the story of the disappearance of the wife of the bishop of a mega church in Nigeria and the subsequent arrest of her husband on suspicion of murder. The novel delves into the church politics, corruption, and social and economic circumstances surrounding the rise of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. In the interview Kayode said he aimed to create a character-driven story that sheds light on the complexities of the church. He added that the novel explores themes of spirituality, religion, economics...
2023-11-2040 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsLangston Collin Wilkins Explores Houston's Hip Hop Culture in New BookDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Langston Collin Wilkins, author of WELCOME 2 HOUSTON: Hip Hop Heritage in Hustle Town. A native of Houston, Wilkins returns to the city where he grew up to illuminate the complex relationship between place, identity, and music in Houston’s hip hop culture. Langston Collin Wilkins is an Assistant Professor of Folklore and African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include African American folklife, African American music, urban folklore, car culture and public folklore.
2023-11-1349 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTexas Civil Rights Leader Coming of Age with SNCC: Ernest McMillanDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ernest McMillan, author of the memoir STANDING: One Man's Odyssey During the Turbulent '60s. “This memoir of one man's coming-of-age through the Civil Rights movement follows his childhood innocence of white supremacy during the 50’s to his awakening as a full-time organizer in the deep south, and the petrifying costs he was bound to pay.”Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com
2023-10-2456 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsDenise Mina Writes Philip Marlowe NovelDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Denise Mina, author of the Philip Marlowe novel THE SECOND MURDERER. "In THE SECOND MURDERER, Denise Mina becomes the first woman to recreate Raymond Chandler’s infamous detective, delivering a clever and timely new take on Philip Marlowe, as well as a propulsive, dark, and witty mystery all its own."Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com
2023-10-0743 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsNancy Bilyeau's Historical Mystery Novel Set in 1920sDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Nancy Bilyeau, author of THE ORCHID HOUR. Set in 1923 in New York City, THE ORCHID HOUR is a historical mystery novel that brings to life the age of alcohol prohibition, the rise of violence, gangs, and police corruption through the eyes of its 23 years-old female protagonist Zia, an Italian immigrant and widower whose father-in-law is murdered. The novel is populated with historical figures including Salvatore Luciana, better known as Lucky Luciano, J. Edgar Hoover, and others.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview...
2023-09-3042 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsPoet Amanda JohnstonDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed poet Amanda Johnston, author of the poetry collection ANOTHER WAY TO SAY ENTER. She is a writer, artist, and the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate. Born in East St. Louis, IL, and raised in Austin, TX, she began writing poetry while living in Kentucky. Her writing is published widely, and she has presented at numerous literary conferences and events. Johnston is also founder of Torch Literary Arts, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook...
2023-09-1132 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsLatest Rachel Howzell Hall Crime Novel Addresses Trauma, Rage, and RaceDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Rachel Howzell Hall, author of WHAT NEVER HAPPENED. Set on the Catalina Islands in California, the protagonist "Colette “Coco” Weber has relocated to her Catalina Island home, where, twenty years before, she was the sole survivor of a deadly home invasion. All Coco wants is to see her aunt Gwen, get as far away from her ex as possible, and get back to her craft—writing obituaries." In the interview Hall explained how her novel explored the problematic issues that can plague friendships between black and white women, and the barriers erecte...
2023-09-0343 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsHistorian Eli Merritt Exposes The Perilous Politics of the American RevolutionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Eli Merritt, author of DISUNION AMONG OURSELVES: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution. DISUNION AMONG OURSELVES tells the story of the deep political divisions that beset the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. So fractious were the founders’ political fights that they feared the War of Independence might end in disunion and civil war. In our interview, Merritt discussed the relevance of this history to the challenges American democracy faces today, and the dark path demagogues our driving America to. Eli Merritt is a political historian at Vanderbilt University where he...
2023-09-0345 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsJames Lee Burke’s Civil War Novel Examines Race and Class in LouisianaDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed James Lee Burke, author of FLAGS ON THE BAYOU. Set in Civil War era Louisiana, Burke’s novel provides a kaleidoscope of narrators that reveals the violence, pain, suffering, conflict, and beliefs that haunt the characters in this epic story. Be sure to click on the hotlink of James Lee Burke to learn more about the novel and author.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com
2023-08-2646 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsLatino Horror StoriesIn a two-part show, Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay first interviews Richard Z. Santos, editor of A NIGHT OF SCREENS: Latino Horror Stories, and Ruben Degollado, who contributed the story Migrants to the collection. In part two of the show, he interviewed Flor Salcedo, who authored the story La Llorona Happenings for the collection. The horror stories—and four poems—contains a wide range of styles, themes and authors. Creepy creatures roam the pages, including La Llorona and the Chupacabras in fresh takes on Latin American lore, as well as ghosts, zombies and shadow selves.Dive...
2023-08-1243 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAfrofuturism Book and Exhibition Explores Connection to Black EmpowermentDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Kevin Strait and Kinshasha Holman Conwill, co-editors of AFROFUTURISM: A History of Black Futures. The book is based on the exhibition of the same name at the National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. The exhibition, according to its web site “immerses visitors in a conversation that reimagines, reinterprets and reclaims the past and present for a more empowering future for African Americans.” Kevin Strait is a museum curator who has worked on the permanent exhibitions "Musical Crossroads" and the "Power of Place,”...
2023-08-0340 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsRace, Justice, & Faith Are Key Themes in Latest S.A. Cosby NovelDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed S.A. Cosby, author of the novel ALL THE SINNERS BLEED, published June 2023. In the novel, the first Black sheriff of a small town in Virginia responds to a school shooting but discovers there are even more sinister town secrets and a serial killer on the loose. Cosby said in our interview that ALL THE SINNERS BLEED was his attempt to talk about justice, race, and violence in the face of evil, and faith. With faith, he wanted to explore how the Sheriff, who is agnostic, and his father, who is a...
2023-07-2337 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTananarive Due Stories Aim To ScareDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Tananarive Due, author of THE WISHING POOL And Other Stories (April 2023). Due's second collection of stories includes offerings of horror, science fiction, and suspense. In the interview Due discussed how she focuses on scaring herself when writing her stories. We also conversed about how the roots of many of her stories come from personal or family experiences. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com
2023-07-1749 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTalking Books and Texas Book Festival With Literary Director Hannah GabelDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Hannah Gabel, Literary Director of the Texas Book Festival (TBF). Gabel, who joined TBF in March of 2023, discussed the process for selecting authors for the festival which is being held November 11 -12. She also shared some of her favorite books including BABEL by R. F. Kuong and THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY by Brendan Slocumb, and we also talked about her popular Instagram account bookmarkparty.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEm...
2023-07-0939 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsIvy Pochoda's Novel Sing Her Down Explores the Darkness of ItDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ivy Pochoda, author of the new novel SING HER DOWN. As described on her web site, "SING HER DOWN is a spellbinding thriller setting two indelible women on a path to certain destruction and an epic, stunning showdown."Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.comWeb site: https://diversevoicesbookreview.wordpress.com/
2023-06-2739 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsPrivate Investigator IQ Races to Save Girlfriend In Latest Joe Ide NovelDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Joe Ide, author of FIXIT, his latest crime novel featuring private investigator Isaiah Qunitabe, better known as IQ. In the interview, Ide discussed the arc of his IQ character over six books, and how the character has changed because of the trauma he has experienced through his PI exploits. FIXIT also looks deeply at the story behind the antagonist, assassin Skip Hanson. Ide also explained why he introduced the character homicide detective Winnie Hando in FIXIT.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @div...
2023-05-2942 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAuthor Silvia Rodriguez Vega Illuminates Impact of Separation Policy on Immigrant ChildrenDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Silvia Rodriguez Vega, author of DRAWING DEPORTATION: Art and Resistance Among Immigrant Children. In the interview Vega discussed her experiences working with immigrant children in Arizona and California, how detention and deportation were recurrent themes in the art of the children in Arizona, and the dark history of separation policies in the U.S. Vega is an Assistant Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in the Department of Chicana/o Studies. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_r...
2023-05-2934 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsFarah Jasmine Griffin’s Essay Collection Explores Black Culture, Politics, and LiteratureDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Farah Jasmine Griffin, author of IN SEARCH OF BEAUTIFUL FREEDOM: New and Selected Essays. IN SEARCH OF BEAUTIFUL FREEDOM brings together the best work from Farah Jasmine Griffin’s rich forays on music, Black feminism, literature, the crises of Hurricane Katrina and COVID-19, and the Black artists she esteems. Griffin is a professor of African American and African diaspora studies and English and comparative literature at Columbia University. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwit...
2023-05-0243 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsAuthor of The Wandering Mind Reveals Distractions Have Even Challenged MonksDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Jamie Kreiner, author of THE WANDERING MIND: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction."The digital era is beset by distraction, and it feels like things are only getting worse. At times like these, the distant past beckons as a golden age of attention. We fantasize about escaping our screens. We dream of recapturing the quiet of a world with less noise. We imagine retreating into solitude and singlemindedness, almost like latter-day monks..." from the book description for THE WANDERING MIND.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:
2023-04-2450 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsJoe Lansdale's Colorful Mystery Novel Explores UFO Cult and Murder in East TexasHost Hopeton Hay speaks with Joe Lansdale about his latest novel THE DONUT LEGION. In the interview, Joe discusses his deep dive into conspiracy theories and UFO cults in the book. In particular he discussed how normal people may get caught up in cults. Hopeton and Joe also discussed the unique characteristics of the main villain including his chimpanzee sidekick.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshayEmail: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.comWeb site: https://diversevoicesbookreview.wordpress.c...
2023-04-1545 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsMystery Set in ChinatownDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of the novel VERA WONG'S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS. In the novel, Vera Wong, an elderly but energetic widow, opens her tea shop in San Francisco's Chinatown one morning and discovers a dead body on the floor. Rather than leave the investigation to the police, she embarks in amateur sleuthing, luring the suspects one by one to her shop. In the wide-ranging interview, among the things Jesse discussed were the inspiration for the novel, how her mother was the model for the protagonist, and her journey as a w...
2023-04-0331 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsShirley Chisholm: The First Black Woman Elected to CongressDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Anastasia Curwood, author of SHIRLEY CHISHOLM: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics."Shaking up New York and national politics by becoming the first African American congresswoman and, later, the first Black major-party presidential candidate, Shirley Chisholm left an indelible mark as an "unbought and unbossed" firebrand and a leader in politics for meaningful change," from the publisher's web site, University of North Carolina Press.Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book_reviewTwitter - @diversebookshay
2023-03-1942 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsTip of the Iceberg Podcast: Travis County Commissioner Jeffrey Travillion Discusses 2023 AgendaIn their first podcast of 2023 Commissioner Travillion and host Hopeton Hay discussed some of the main issues he is focused on in 2023. These issues include medical care for the underinsured, job training and job creation, and developing affordable housing. Click the following links for more information on resources to assist Travis County, TX residents:
Central Health Medical Access Program
Workforce Solutions Capital Area
Commissioner Jeff Travillion, Precinct One
2023-03-1129 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsWalter Mosley's New Novel Examines White Nationalism, Class, and Love Through Eyes of Black ProtagonistDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Walter Mosley about his latest novel EVERY MAN A KING, the second featuring Black private detective Joe King Oliver. His first in the series, DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA, won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2019. On Mosley's web site it says: "In this highly anticipated sequel from Edgar Award-winning “master of craft and narrative,” Walter Mosley, Joe King Oliver is entangled in a dangerous case when he’s asked to investigate whether a white nationalist is being unjustly set up. (National Book Foundation)." Div...
2023-03-0636 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsChaitali Sen's Riveting Short Story CollectionDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Chaitali Sen, author of the story collection A NEW RACE OF MEN. Sen is a storyteller whose work pulls at the heartstrings of the readers while sharply examining the complexities of family, identity and culture in today's world, On the publisher's web site, they write: "In these quiet yet deeply knowing stories of migration, power, and longing, A New Race of Men from Heaven offers us, above all else, stories of enduring love and hope." Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram...
2023-02-1834 min
Hopeton Hay PodcastsPASSING NOTES Novel Addresses Passing for White in 1950sDiverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Courtney Duke Foster, author of the novel PASSING NOTES. Set in New York city in 1951, PASSING NOTES is about a young Black woman who is mistaken to be white on a new job, and with the support of her best friend, decides to keep passing. It addresses the daily anxiety of living a double life in the midst of racism, family, and romance at the office. Follow Courtney on Instagram at @bycourtneydukefoster. Diverse Voices Book Review Social Media:Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreviewInstagram - @diverse_voices_book...
2023-01-2840 min