Black Chick Lit

Episode 14: “Hunger”

We recorded this episode the same day as the Charlottesville attacks and, boy, could you tell. We have no patience this week for racism, rape culture and body hatred. (Or for checking our own audio, apparently. Sorry, yo.)

We funnel that frustration into a discussion of Roxane’s Gay Hunger. Listen in as we talk (and try to deal with) rape culture, harmful reality TV shows and America’s overall wretchedness in 2017.

(Note: While we don’t go into detail, we do discuss the themes raised in this book, including rape and sexual violence against children. If needed, listen with care.)

BCL Chat: Book Buying with Special Guest Alysia of Mocha Girls Read

This episode, we’re joined by Alysia, founder of Mocha Girls Read. She shares how she started her popular book club, how it has grown, and her own thoughts on book buying.

Thanks to all of you who shared you got your books! We got more responses to this question than any other BCL Chat.

Join us as we live-tweet the first two episodes of OWN’s Queen Sugar at 6 p.m. PDT/8 CDT Saturday, Aug. 19.

Read up and join us for our next episode when we discuss Roxane Gay’s Hunger.

Episode 13: “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life”

 

2017’s been hard. We didn’t make things any better by reading Beloved. We needed some cheering up, so we decided to read Samantha Irby’s darkly funny We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.

Listen in for a discussion of Midwestern college life, evil cats and Dani’s aversion to strangers’ bodily fluids. Next month, read up and tune in when we discuss Hunger, by Roxane Gay.

And don’t forget to share your thoughts in the next bonus episode. We want to know: How do you acquire the books you read? Buy new? Buy used? Library? Other … less legal means? Share your thoughts by tweeting us at @blackchicklit.

Thanks for listening and be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us on iTunes.

Giveaway Winner Announcement

Congratulations to giveaway winner Charell! She received a free copy of Queen Sugar and an Amazon gift card courtesy of Mocha Girls Read. Alysia, founder of Mocha Girls Read, will be joining us at our next bonus episode. Get excited!

 

BCL Chat: What’s Your Favorite Adaptation?

As we prep for our first birthday celebration (whoop! whoop!), we asked you what your favorite adaptation of a book was. We share your responses, and also have a really passionate discussion about how everyone has been messing up lately. Listen in!

Thanks to @thisonevanessa, @chanellshorter, @charelliam, @LocPressedBooks, @ellisromance and @Everywoman98 for taking part in this month’s chat!

Don’t forget: We’re celebrating our first birthday with the lovely ladies at @MochaGirlsRead! We’re going to record a special collab episode with them and have a virtual movie night/live Tweet session on Twitter.

We asked you to vote on which book-turned-movie you wanted featured. Your pick? Queen Sugar!  Visit the Mocha Girls Read website, enter the special code and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Queen Sugar and a $5 Amazon gift card. Thanks, ladies!

Links

• “Getting In and Out,” by Zadie Smith for Harper’s Magazine
• “In Defense of Cultural Appropriation,” New York Times

Episode 12: “Beloved”

We finally did it, y’all. We finally read Beloved, the literary classic we should’ve read in high school. Better late than never, right? And after all that hullabaloo, what did we think of it? It was depressing af.

Join us as we try and figure out if Stamp Paid/Baby Suggs were a Thing, debate if Beloved was a legit ghost and make a special announcement: We’re celebrating our first birthday with special episode and live-tweet movie night with Mocha Girl Reads. Visit us on Twitter to vote on which book will be featured as part of the event.

Then, be sure to subscribe, listen and share your thoughts by tweeting us at @blackchicklit. Read up and tune in for the next episode when we discuss We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, by Samantha Irby.

Links

• “48 Black Writers Protest By Praising Morrison,” The New York Times
• “11 Haunting Facts about Beloved,” Mental Floss