Shows
Free Library PodcastNicholas Boggs | Baldwin: A Love StoryThe Author Events Series presents Nicholas Boggs | Baldwin: A Love Story
In Conversation with Rachel L. Swarns
Baldwin: A Love Story, the first major biography of James Baldwin in three decades, reveals how profoundly the writer's personal relationships shaped his life and work. Drawing on newly uncovered archival material and original research and interviews, this spellbinding book tells the overlapping stories of Baldwin's most sustaining intimate and artistic relationships: with his mentor, the Black American painter Beauford Delaney; with his lover and muse, the Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger; and with his collaborators, the famed Turkish actor Engin Cezzar and the...
2025-12-0953 min
The Watchung Booksellers PodcastEpisode 51: From Newspapers to BooksIn this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, Kate Zernike and Rachel Swarns talk about their professions as journalists and authors, and how they developed their long-form articles into books. Rachel L. Swarns is a journalism professor at New York University and a contributing writer for The New York Times. She is the author of The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church and American TapestryThe Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama, and a co-author of Unseen. Her work has been recognized and supported b...
2025-09-0955 min
Pouring Over Books5 Book Suggestions for Black History MonthSend us a textIn this episode of the Pouring Over Books podcast, LaShawn celebrates Black History Month by sharing a curated list of book recommendations by Black authors. She discusses the importance of recognizing Black history as an integral part of American history and highlights various genres, including biography, romance, fantasy, and classic literature. The Fifth Season By N.K. JemisinDisappearing Acts By Terry McMillan Legendborn By Tracey DeonnThe Color Purple By Alice WalkerThe 272 By Rachel SwarnsParable of the Sower By...
2025-02-0418 min
JesuiticalThe Jesuits sold 272 enslaved people. How can the church make amends with their descendents?[CLICK HERE to complete the 2024 Jesuitical listener survey]This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by journalist Rachel Swarns to discuss her latest book, The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church. Rachel shares her wisdom about this important issue for U.S. Catholics and her experience as a Black Catholic, opening up a wide-ranging conversation about the work being done to repair such a grave injustice and promote racial justice in the church.They discuss:The history of Cath...
2024-06-2157 min
WCTV PodcastingBook Stew Episode 124 - Rachel SwarnsOn this episode of Book Stew, our host Eileen MacDougall talks with Rachel Swarns, the author of The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.
2024-04-0137 min
Biographers International OrganizationPodcast #154 – Rachel L. SwarnsThis week we interview Rachel L. Swarns, a New York University Professor of Journalism and journalist who writes about race and race relations as a contributing author to The New York Times. Her latest book, The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the Catholic Church, was published by Random House in May 2023. She also authored American Tapestry: The Story of the Black and White and Multicultural Ancestors of Michelle Obama and co-authored Unseen: Unpublished Black History from the New York Times Photo Archive. Swarns’s work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, th...
2023-12-0129 min
Deep Dive with ShawnFrom Numbers to Narratives: Dr. Dan Bouk on the U.S. Census and American DemocracySend us a textPromising an enlightening journey through the historical and contemporary significance of the U.S. Census, I'm joined by esteemed scholar Dr. Dan Bouk - professor of History at Colgate University and author of the book Democracy's Data: The Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and How to Read Them. This episode unearths the nuanced power dynamics and biases inherent in the census process. With a focus on the 1940 Census, a task monumental in scale, we uncover the detailed process of transforming raw data into a compelling narrative about who we value as...
2023-10-011h 02
Shelf MotivatedEpisode 10Join us as we discuss Fall and Winter reading, our takes on what gets published when, and some of Sarah's least favorite things about how books look. Sarah discusses: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray The Fraud by Zadie Smith Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward Rouge by Mona Awad TBR: Dracula by Bram Stoker Paperbacks From Hell series, particularly The Nest of Nightmares by Lisa Tuttle Eric discusses: The Last Devil to Die (A Thursday Murder Club book) by Richard Osman TBR: Julia by Sandra Newman Prophet Song b...
2023-09-2945 min
CUNY TV's Black America"Is it Ever Too Late to Correct the Wrong?"Rachel L. Swarns discusses her latest book, "The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Church". A story of the American Catholic Church and one family's will to survive.
2023-09-2128 min
The Way of Improvement Leads Home: American History, Religion, Politics, and Academic life.Episode 114: How Slavery Helped Grow the American Catholic ChurchDid you know the Jesuits were some of the largest slaveholders in colonial America? Our guest in this episode is Rachel L. Swarns, author of The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved And Sold to Build the American Catholic Church. We discuss the Jesuit's 1838 sale of 272 men, women and children for the purpose of saving Georgetown University and the implications of this sale for one enslaved family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2023-08-0746 min
Louisiana ConsideredExploring the untold stories of families enslaved in LouisianaThis Saturday, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library will hold a day-long symposium examining the efforts of genealogists to uncover the untold stories of families enslaved in Louisiana. Much of the symposium will be based on research by Rachel Swarns, a professor at New York University, a contributing writer for The New York Times and the author of The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.
Swarns, who will deliver Saturday’s keynote address, joins us to discuss how she uncovered stories many thought were lost to history. She is joined by...
2023-07-2624 min
Tales In Our TimesEP06. Historical Fiction NarrativesIn the first episode outside of our test group, Janet and George dive into the history behind histories. Or, sort of. We look at the genre of historical fiction, our personal experiences with books under its umbrella, and the importance of getting multiple different narratives into one story. We recorded this at the end of June, so while we catch up to our current release schedule, please pardon late updates on the WGA strike. Also, we had a bit of microphone trouble for Mum this time, but the episode is so good, we thought we’d upload anyway. We’ll b...
2023-07-2452 min
The Last Negroes at HarvardThe 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic ChurchRachel Swarns She is a journalism professor at New York University and a contributing writer for The New York Times. Swarns has been a foreign correspondent for the Times while reporting from Cuba, Russia and southern Africa (where she was the Johannesburg bureau chief). Swarns wrote the book American Tapestry (2012) about the history of Michelle Obama's ancestors. Her new book is titled The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.
2023-07-231h 01
Areva Martin in Real TimeHow American Universities and Churches Benefited From SlaveryAreva has a conversation with Rachel L. Swarns, New York University Professor & Author of “The 272: The Families who were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church,” and Calvin Shermerhorn, Professor of History at Arizona State University, about the reckoning many American Universities are experiencing because of their long history of profiting from slavery. Plus, Dr. OmeKongo Dibinga, Senior Professional Lecturer at American University, and Dr. Raphael Sonenshein, Executive Director of the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundations, break down the latest headlines, including the Georgia Supreme Court denying Donald Trump’s request that the investigation of his interf...
2023-07-191h 26
Just the Right Book with Roxanne CoadyJTRB Shorts #10 - A quick look at what's newIn this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about.
Buy the books from RJ Julia
The 272 - Rachel L. Swarns
Just Kids - Patti Smith
Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
Fires in the Dark - Kay Redfield Jamison
Sign up for our podcast newsletter
Just The Right Book Subscription
Promo Code (15% off): Podcast
Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com
2023-07-0620 min
Absorb The Sensational Full Audiobook Now, Thriller Fans!The 272 by Rachel L. SwarnsPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/214625to listen full audiobooks.
Title: The 272
Author: Rachel L. Swarns
Narrator: Karen Murray
Format: mp3
Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
Release date: 06-13-23
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 55 ratings
Genres: Black & African American
Publisher's Summary:
In 1838, a group of America’s most prominent Catholic priests sold 272 enslaved people to save their largest mission project, what is now Georgetown University. In this groundbreaking account, journalist, author, and professor Rachel L. Swarns follows one family through nearly two centuries of indentured servitude and enslavement to uncover the harrowing origin story of the Catholic Church in the United St...
2023-06-139h 32
First EditionJune "It" Book Knockout & Reading Stories with S.A. CosbyRebecca Schinsky is back to help Jeff pick the "it" book of June, and S.A. Cosby, author of the forthcoming All the Sinners Bleed, tells a reading story.This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Discussed in this episode:Check out First Edition on Twitter, on Substack, and on Instagram.And if you have a moment to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, please and thank you!I Am Homeless If This is...
2023-05-3157 min
Rain On Your ParadeEpisode 176: Schrodinger's PublicistOn this week's episode J-L discusses his specials, his last show, the books he is reading and not much else.J-L's Patreon: www.Patreon.com/JLCauvinLinks to pre-order The 272: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/550959/the-272-by-rachel-l-swarns/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
2023-04-3044 min
Time To Say GoodbyeWars in East Asia and Los AngelesHello from Tammy’s surfing hagwon! This week, we’re celebrating 1 MILLION DOWNLOADS! Sounds fake, we know, but Substack doesn’t lie. Thanks for tuning in to our ramblings for the past two and a half years—long live TTSG!At the top of the show, we listen to a posthumous podcast with New Yorker editor John Bennett and several of his writers. We reflect on “Bennettisms” about the editor-writer relationship and how writers can help their readers. Next, Tammy reports on the heightened military tensions in Korea and across Asia. What makes this moment fe...
2022-10-191h 05
The American ProjectAmerican Universities & SlaveryThe history of America's elite schools is the history of slavery. We look at how Georgetown and Brown Universities are trying to come to terms with their long-hidden origins. Guests include NYT reporter Rachel Swarns who broke the Georgetown story in 2016.
2020-08-1400 min
Maybe You Can RelateListening & LearningResources for Listening & Learning Voices & Stories: Jackie Hill- Youtube Channel With the Perrys: So… about Racism Lucretia Berry: Brownicity Latasha Morrison: Be The Bridge Stephanie Broussard Embo Tshimanga Jo Saxton Dr. Eric Mason Dr. Tony Evans Derwin Gray AND Campaign Podcasts: Lets Talk Be a Bridge Builder Word of the Week : TGC I can’t Breathe: A sermon by Charlie Dates 5/31/20 MYCR: E...
2020-07-3005 min
Escape From Plan AEp. 99 (Preview): Modern [Yellow] Love, Pt. 2 (ft. John "Baiceps" Bai)This is Pt. 2 of the "Modern [Yellow] Love" episode that had Mark, Teen, Oxford, and guest John Bai talking about Andrew Lee's NYT Modern Love article on the experience of dating, and then getting engaged to, an Asian American woman who had avoided dating Asian men before.
*This is a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, please go to: www.patreon.com/planamag
TWITTER:
John (@bohnjai)
Mark (@snbatman)
Oxford (@oxford_kondo)
Teen (@mont_jiang)
REFERENCED RESOURCES:
When a Dating Dare Leads to Months of Soul Searching by Andrew Lee: www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/style/…ut-different.html
For Asian-American Couples, a Ti...
2019-07-1611 min
Escape From Plan AEp. 98: Modern [Yellow] Love, Pt. 1 (ft. John "Baiceps" Bai)Emergency brake! We had plans to release another episode this week, but on Friday, July 12 the Modern Love section of the NYT published an article by Andrew Lee ("When a Dating Dare Leads to Months of Soul Searching), in which he talks about getting engaged to an Asian American woman who had avoided dating Asian men before. Mark, Teen, Oxford, and guest John "Baiceps" Bai talk about the underlying message of this article and what it says about the future of Asian America.
Note: "Pt. 2" will be released as the next bonus episode
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com...
2019-07-151h 03
Art Works PodcastRachel L. Swarns and Darcy EveleighRachel L. Swarns and Darcy Eveleigh are two of the four editors of Unseen: Unpublished Black History from The New York Times Photo Archives. In Unseen, the editors took on the monumental task of going through millions of unpublished photos in the archives (or morgue) of The New York Times. They were looking for pictures of African Americans--both the ordinary and the famous. They then tried to get the story behind the photo centering around two major questions: why was the photo taken and why wasn't it used. The process was like unraveling a mystery taking a lot of...
2019-02-1927 min
UncivilThe AssetsRachel Swarns of the New York Times joins us to discuss what she discovered when she followed the money trail of one of the nation's top financial institutions all the back to the 19th century. Further reading:You can read more of Rachel Swarns's reporting here, and check out her book, American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama. For further reading on slave insurance we recommend Investing in Life: Insurance in Antebellum America by Sharon Ann Murphy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
2017-12-2029 min
Inside The TimesRace Matters. It’s Time to Listen.What is Race/Related? Editors Marc Lacey and Damien Cave and reporter Rachel Swarns discuss a new Times newsletter on racial issues. Susan Lehman is host.
2016-08-3019 min
Inside The TimesRace Matters. It’s Time to Listen.What is Race/Related? Editors Marc Lacey and Damien Cave and reporter Rachel Swarns discuss a new Times newsletter on racial issues. Susan Lehman is host.
2016-08-3019 min
CUNY TV's Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TVRachel L. Swarns on Georgetown & SlaveryWhen we think of Georgetown University, the Catholic faith, & Jesuit priests, we don’t usually think of the slave trade, but that’s what Rachel Swarns confronts us with in her New York Times article, and she visits Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TV to explain.
2016-05-0225 minCUNY TV's Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TVRachel L. Swarns on "The Working Life" of NY's PoorThe working poor and lower-middle class are the subject of this conversation, as Rachel L. Swarns, who writes "The Working Life," column for The New York Times, joins Bob Herbert's Op-Ed.TV and gives us a peak inside the struggles many New Yorkers face.
2015-03-0226 min
Enoch Pratt Free Library PodcastRachel L. SwarnsIn American Tapestry, Rachel Swarns unearths the hidden story of First Lady Michelle Obama's multiracial ancestors, a history that she herself did not know. It traces the black, white and multiracial forebears of the nation's first African American first lady back to the 19th century and reveals, for the first time, the identity of Mrs. Obama's white great-great-great grandfather, a man who remained hidden for more than a century in her family tree.Rachel L. Swarns has been a reporter for the New York Times since 1995. She has written about domestic policy and national politics, reporting on...
2012-07-2457 min