Here at The Root we’ve always loved, praised, and centered Black literature in the broader conversation. Each week host Maiysha Kai sits down with an author we love to talk about their work, what inspires them, and what they hope to contribute to the culture at large. Guests so far include Nikole Hannah Jones, Brittney Cooper, Stacey Abrams, Ibram X. Kendi, Ijeoma Oluo, Morgan Jerkins, and Claudia Rankine.
This week we're speaking with the brilliant Salamishah Tillet to talk about her latest book, In Search of The Color Purple: The Story of an American Masterpiece, which is a deep dive into the history of Alice Walker’s famous novel, as well as an examination of the cultural response to the book, and the movie and musical that followed. Listen to hear Salamishah talk about how the project came to her, the process of researching the beloved book's backstory, and what it was like to interview Alice Walker herself.
In addition to being an author, Salamishah is also a professor at Rutgers University, a contributing critic-at-large for the New York Times, and is the co-founder of A Long Walk Home, which is an organization focused on empowering young artists and activists to end violence against all girls and women.
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