Episode 108 - Justin Ellis, The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Release Date: 06/25/2026
Episode 108 - Justin Ellis, The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
In this powerful hometown conversation, journalist Justin Ellis returns to Minneapolis to discuss his debut book, The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America. Joined by host Lissa Jones, Ellis unpacks the contradiction at the heart of Minnesota's reputation: how a place celebrated for progressivism, politeness, and quality of life can also produce some of the nation's deepest racial disparities. Drawing from history, personal family stories, and the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, Ellis examines the hidden costs of "Minnesota Nice," the legacy of housing...
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Episode 109 - 100 Years of Black Freedom with performance by Phillis Wheatley
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
To mark the 100th Anniversary of Carter G. Woodson's Black History Month (previously known as Negro History Week) and the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence the community came together to join The Givens Foundation for African American Literature and The Givens Collection of Literature and Life in celebration. In this episode Lissa welcomes esteemed guests, and leads a tour with curator Davu Seru of the traveling exhibit "The African American Freedom Tradition" which begins with the oldest book by an African American poet and moves through the autobiographies of...
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Episode 107 - Kevin Lindsey, Minnesota Humanities Center
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Welcome to a very special edition of Black Market Reads, brought to you by the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, in proud partnership with the Minnesota Humanities Center. In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson introduced Negro History Week to build a durable, year-round engagement with Black history and cultural memory. One hundred years later, we are honoring that exact vision by activating a public humanities initiative that proves Black history lives all year long, not just in February. This season, we are charting a unique course at the exact intersection where African American...
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Episode 106 - Michael Richards, Are You Down?
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Recorded live at Franconia Sculpture Park, this episode of Black Market Reads brings listeners into a powerful, place-based conversation about the life, work, and legacy of artist Michael Richards. Host Lissa Jones is joined by curator Esther Callahan and book editors Alex Fialho and Melissa Levin to explore Are You Down?, Richards’ monumental sculpture created during his 2000 residency at Franconia. Grounded in the physical presence of the work and shaped by reflections from Richards’ own artist statement—read by his cousin and steward Dawn Dale—the conversation weaves together art,...
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Episode 105 - Michael Kleber-Diggs, Worldly Things
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
In this powerful episode of Black Market Reads, host Lissa Jones sits down with award-winning poet Michael Kleber-Diggs to explore the depth and intention behind his collection Worldly Things. Their conversation moves fluidly between poetry, fatherhood, community, and the responsibility of bearing witness, as Diggs reflects on writing as an act of care—rooted in intimacy, empathy, and presence. From reimagining masculinity in his poem “Coniferous Fathers” to interrogating media narratives and honoring lived experience, Diggs invites listeners to slow down and engage more fully with the...
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Episode 104 - Vanessa Riley, Fire Sword & Sea
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
In this episode, recorded during Women's History Month, Lissa talks with author Vanessa Riley about her latest historical novel. Riley—whose works have received high praise from New York Times, NPR, Washington Post, and Entertainment Weekly, among others—pushes historical fiction into bold new territory. She reveals the often-erased stories of Black, Indigenous, and women pirates, weaving in diverse communities of gender expression, sexuality, class, and race too often silenced in traditional narratives. In addition to being a novelist, Vanessa Riley holds a doctorate in...
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Episode 103 -Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy and Black Cherokee
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Antonio Michael Downing is an author, speaker, and musical artist. His memoir Saga Boy was called “singularly dazzling” by Kiese Laymon and “the triumph of Blackness everywhere” by Scotiabank Giller Prize–winner Ian Williams. He is also the author of the children’s picture book Stars in My Crown and his debut novel, Black Cherokee. He writes and performs music as John Orpheus. In this Episode Lissa and Antonio travel the world in their far reaching conversation from Trinidad, to Canada, to Brooklyn, to the Cherokee Nation- discussing his memoir Saga Boy: My...
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Episode 102 - Ethelene Whitmire, The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram by Ethelene Whitmire tells the true story of Reed Peggram, a brilliant Black, queer Harvard scholar who went to Paris in 1937 and stayed through World War II for love, eventually escaping Nazi-occupied Italy with his partner, Arne Gerdahn Hauptmann, with the help of an all-Black American regiment. This episode was recorded before a live audience at in Minneapolis. Lissa talks with author Whitmire about her research, her quest for untold stories, and the remarkable life of Reed Peggram. For GO DEEPER information about this episode, and to learn...
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Episode 101 - C.J. Farley - Who Knows You By Heart
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Kicking off Season 11 and Black History Month- This conversation could not be more timely. Part social thriller, part modern love story, Who Knows You by Heart by CJ Farley is a sly, witty, and endlessly discussable tale of Big Tech, new money, relationships, race, and discovering what’s real in an age of artificial intelligence. C.J. (Christopher John) Farley is a Jamaican-born author, journalist, and editor known for works spanning fiction, YA, and biography, including and . A Harvard graduate and former and editor, his novels often explore...
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Episode 100: A Landmark Celebration of Black Stories, Voices, and Legacy
Givens Foundation | Black Market Reads
Hosted by Lissa Jones, the 100th episode is an expansive, deeply moving celebration that honors the elders, the artists, the activists, and the community that built—and continues to fuel—the Black literary tradition. Highlights include: • A newly released archival segment featuring J. California Cooper Recorded before the podcast officially launched, this rare conversation hosted by elder storyteller Beverly Cottman with renowned author J. California Cooper offers timeless reflections on writing, wisdom, and the purpose of storytelling. • A segment honoring the legacy of George Floyd...
info_outlineIn this powerful hometown conversation, journalist Justin Ellis returns to Minneapolis to discuss his debut book, The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America. Joined by host Lissa Jones, Ellis unpacks the contradiction at the heart of Minnesota's reputation: how a place celebrated for progressivism, politeness, and quality of life can also produce some of the nation's deepest racial disparities.
Drawing from history, personal family stories, and the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, Ellis examines the hidden costs of "Minnesota Nice," the legacy of housing segregation, the concentration of power and wealth, and the ways white politeness can prevent meaningful reckoning with injustice. Through a deeply personal exploration of Black life in Minneapolis, Ellis challenges listeners to move beyond comfort, confront difficult truths, and imagine a more honest future.
This conversation is a meditation on memory, power, belonging, and the enduring resilience of Black families who built lives and communities despite systems designed to exclude them.
Black Market Reads is a product of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, produced in partnership with iDream.TV. Find us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and on www.BlackMarketReads.com with Go Deeper bonus content.