Poetry, race relations, and MLK

Listen 50:28

Guests: Tracy K. Smith, Jonathan Rieder, Michael Eric Dyson

For today’s Martin Luther King Holiday, we’re going to revisit some of the best interviews from Radio Times past. First, we’ll listen to America’s newest poet laureate, TRACY K. SMITH, who joined us on the show to talk about how she first became interested in poetry, and to read some of her work. Her upcoming collection of poetry is called Wade in the Water. We’ll also honor the legacy of Dr. King when we hear from King scholar JONATHAN RIEDER. He joined us to talk about Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which some argue is a more accurate portrayal of King’s politics than his more famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Rieder wrote about the letter in his book Gospel of Freedom. And, we’ll hear from Georgetown University professor of sociology and author, MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, who joined us to talk about his book Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, which discusses the nature of American race relations that have long-caused the African-American community grief, rage, and frustration.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal