Episodes – Page 6

Season 2, Episode 25: Author of ReJane, Patricia Park

April 24, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

RECORDED 5/11/15: I loved speaking with writer Patricia Park who has a wonderful new debut novel called ReJane. ReJane is described as “a fresh, contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre and a poignant Korean-American debut novel that takes its heroine Jane Re on a journey from Queens to Brooklyn to Seoul—and back.” The protagonist is a biracial young woman (a half-Korean, half-American orphan) from Flushing, Queens, looking for where she belongs in the world only to discover that she has to feel like she belongs in her own skin before she finds a landscape that will fit her. I read the book in one-sitting and loved it! I know you’ll enjoy this too! You can listen to the interview here or download it from itunes.–Heidi Durrow, Host of The Mixed Experience podcast

The book is already generating some great buzz:

“The Korean Americans of Queens find a daring new voice in Patricia Park’s debut novel, as she takes a story we know and makes it into a story we’ve not seen before—a novel for the country we are still becoming.” —Alexander Chee, author of The Queen of the Night 

A great interview with @patriciapark718 about her book ReJane! #multiracial

“Patricia Park’s Re Jane is packed with authenticity, poignancy and humor. I was enchanted by this modern retelling of Jane Eyre as the tough yet vulnerable narrator captured my heart.”—Jean Kwok, bestselling author of Girl In Translation and Mambo in Chinatown

PATRICIA PARK was born and raised in Queens and is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. She earned her BA in English from Swarthmore College and an MFA in Fiction from Boston University. A former Fulbright Scholar and Emerging Writer Fellow at the Center for Fiction, she has published essays in The New York Times, Slice, and the Guardian. She has taught writing at Boston University, CUNY Queens College, and Ewha Womans University in Seoul. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

.@patriciapark718 biracial narrator in ReJane will capture your heart! #multiracial

PATRICIA PARK WILL BE TOURING TO:

rejane

May 6th Brooklyn, NY BookCourt / 7:00PM

May 9thBayside, NY Barnes & Noble Bayside / 2:00PM

May 11thBoston, MA Harvard Book Store In Conversation with MargotLivesey/ 7:00PM

May 12th San Francisco, CA Bookshop West Portal / 7:00PM

May 13th Seattle, WA Third Place Books / 7:00PM

May 14th Los Angeles, CA Vroman’s Bookstore / 7:00PM

May 16th Hackensack, NJ Barnes & Noble Hackensack / 11:00AM

May 20th Brooklyn, NY WORD Brooklyn In Conversation with Lisa Lutz/ 7:00PM

May 26th New York, NY The Center for Fiction In Conversation with Pamela Dorman/ 7:00PM

Season 2, Bonus Episode 4: Writer Jim Grimsley, How I Shed My Skin

April 17, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Recorded 4/29/15: I had a great talk with writer Jim Grimsley, author of How I Shed My Skin: Unlearning the Lessons of a Racist Childhood. In the memoir, Grimsley looks back at his own childhood, growing up poor and white in the South, and how he experienced the desegregation of schools in the aftermath of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Now decades later, he has written about coming into his own understanding of his own prejudices and looks at how far we have come as a nation in our understanding of the racial and cultural connectedness of different races. You can listen here, or download the episode from itunes.-Heidi Durrow

An interview with Jim Grimsley on his new book. “A powerful meditation on race.” —Natasha Trethewey, US Poet Laureate

Jim Grimsley is the author of four previous novels, among them Winter Birds, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award; Dream Boy, winner of the GLBTF Book Award for literature; My Drowning, a Lila-Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writer’s Award winner; and Comfort and Joy. He lives in Atlanta and teaches at Emory University.

An interview with .@JimGrimsley1 : Unlearning Lessons of a Racist Childhood #multiracial

Season 2, Episode 23: Listener Spotlight Mixed Chick Peg Bolduc

April 14, 2015 by admin 1 Comment

RECORDED 4/27/15: I was so excited to speak with Peg Bolduc, a listener and mixed chick. We learned more about her upbringing as an adoptee and about her now adult family and how she has journeyed through identity through the years. You can listen to the interview here or download it from itunes.-Heidi Durrow

The true story of a mixed chick adoptee seeking truth & creating a home for foster children. #multiracial

Peg Maus Bolduc is a 42 year old mixed chick, wife and mother of three amazing kids who is actively pursuing her dream of creating a place for foster children where they will be loved, nurtured and given every chance to create the life they want.

Peg is the biological daughter of a young, white American mother and a black father (who said he was from Trinidad) and was placed for adoption at birth. In March 2014 she was successfully reunited with her biological mother. Through DNA testing Peg discovered she is 34% African, 61% European and 5% West Asian (Middle East/Caucasus).

Listen to mixed Peg Bolduc talk about being an adoptee & her journey toward a whole identity. #multiracial

Happy Spring Break! I’m back on 4/13 with a new episode!

March 30, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Hello from far away on my much-needed spring break! I hope you’re enjoying some down time too. I will be back with a new episode on 4/13 and it’s a great show too! I’ll be interviewing Jennifer Teege a biracial woman who has a new memoir out about how she discovered that her grandfather was a notorious Nazi officer. Don’t miss it!–Heidi Durrow

Next episode of The Mixed Experience podcast 4/13! Tune in!

Season 2, Episode 24: Mike Twitty, AfroCulinaria Blogger and Author

March 24, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

RECORDED 5/4/15: I was excited to talk with blogger and author Mike Twitty about his work, faith, food, and his forthcoming book The Cooking Gene. He really breaks it down in terms of claiming the Mixed experience through food. You don’t want to miss this interview. You can listen here. Or download it on itunes.–Heidi Durrow

Michael Twitty, blogger at Afroculinaria, speaks with us. Twitty (@koshersoul) is a food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian , and historical interpreter personally charged with preparing, preserving and promoting African American foodways and its parent traditions in Africa and her Diaspora and its legacy in the food culture of the American South. Michael is a Judaic studies teacher from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area and his interests include food culture, food history, Jewish cultural issues, African American history and cultural politics. Afroculinaria will highlight and address food’s critical role in the development and definition of African American civilization and the politics of consumption and cultural ownership that surround it.

Season 2, Episode 22: Pulitzer Prize Winner Tracy K. Smith & Her New Memoir

March 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Recorded 4/20/15: I was thrilled to speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith about her new memoir Ordinary Light. I met Tracy many years ago at Bread Loaf and it’s been a joy to see her star rise. She’s incredibly talented, warm and witty, and nice to boot. Listen in to our conversation. You’ll love her answer to the “What are you?” question. And make sure you get her book as well! You can listen to her interview here or download it from itunes—Heidi Durrow

I interviewed Pulitzer Prize Winner Tracy K. Smith!

TRACY K. SMITH is the author of three acclaimed poetry collections, including Life on Mars, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. She has received a Whiting Writers’ Award and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, and currently teaches at Princeton University.

When a poet of Tracy Smith’s considerable lyric talent turns her attention to prose, she sets the bar ever higher.” Julia Alvarez

Season 2, Episode 21: Writer Jennifer Teege My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past

March 22, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

RECORDED 4/13/15: I was so excited to speak with Jennifer Teege, author (with Nikola Sellmair) of My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past. She tells the fascinating and horrifying story of how she discovered that she was related to Amon Goeth, the vicious Nazi commandant depicted in Schindler’s List. In our conversation we talk about the book, Jennifer’s upbringing as “black” in Germany and her relationship to identifying as German, and we raise the very difficult subject of making peace with our ancestor’s violent past and how that relates to the African-American experience. She’s doing an extensive tour of the U.S. Don’t miss her. You can find the book tour information below. You can listen to the interview here or download it on itunes.-Heidi Durrow

An interview with Jennifer Teege, a black woman who discovered her family’s Nazi past. #multiracial

Jennifer Teege is the daughter of a German woman and a Nigerian father and was adopted at a young age by white parents. She has worked in advertising since 1999 and lives in Germany with her husband and two sons. In her twenties, she studied for four years in Israel, where she learned fluent Hebrew. She holds degrees from Tel Aviv University in Middle Eastern and African Studies. This is her first book.

“We can decide for ourselves who and what we want to be.” Jennifer Teege #multiracial

Jennifer Teege Book Tour Information

Season 2, Episode 20: Zindy Laursen, singer/actor/dancer & Afro-viking

March 17, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

zindytopimage 3/23/15: I had the best conversation with Zindy, a singer/actor/dancer and fellow Afro-Viking and truly my sister if not by blood then by spirit. Zindy grew up in Denmark and became a European singing sensation. She was the lead singer with Cut ‘n Move which had a string of hits. She’s performed live on stages across Europe in big Broadway originated hits and performed in several high-profile TV roles. She’s just released a really stirring song and video about domestic abuse. Zindy is a talented, beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. You will love hearing more about her story. Listen here or download the episode on itunes.–Heidi Durrow

A special interview w/the amazing Afro-Viking singer @officialzindy! #multiracial

P.S. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter too as @officialzindy!

Season 2, Episode 18: Mixed Bag Round-Up

March 8, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

RECORDED 3/9/15: Mixed Bag Round-up! This is a guest-free episode in which I talk about the week’s big Mixed news and some personal thoughts on blogging and showing up despite the fear, and despite the doubt, and despite the haters. You can listen here or download the episode from itunes.–Heidi Durrow

A mixed bag round up from The Mixed Experience podcast! #multiracial #mixedrace

Season 2, Bonus 3: Director/Writer Gina Prince-Bythewood Beyond the Lights

February 24, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

I was beyond excited to interview Gina Prince-Bythewood the director/writer of Beyond the Lights which is out on DVD and available on itunes now.

This film starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw–who plays a biracial pop superstar–is now one of my favorite films of all time. I saw it in the theatre on its opening weekend and remember asking my husband if he would be willing to sit through the next screening too. It was that good!

Thank goodness I can see #beyondthelights on DVD now! I love this film! #multiracial

Gina has had an incredible TV and film career that has included Love & Basketball (writer/director) (and another personal favorite), Secret Life of Bees (director), as well as A Different World and South Central.

We love you @GPBMadeit for telling this beautiful love story w/someone who looks like me. #multiracial

See this movie NOW! And listen to what Gina has to say about why she wrote it!

Listen here or download the interview from itunes.–Heidi Durrow

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