DC Public Library Podcast

Feb 19 2025 98 ep. 44 mins 29
DC Public Library Podcast artwork

Hear book talks, conversations, special presentations, stories about the happenings in the library, the Labs, and Washington, DC, and much more! This show is recorded from the Labs Recording Studio at the historic, modernized, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington, D.C. This podcast was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Episode transcripts may be requested by emailing [email protected], please include the episode name and date in your request.

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All Things Local:Uncovering Roots: Genealogy and the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland

Feb 19 2025 89 mins  
It's our 100th episode! Yay! In this episode, Carla Wills and Negest Rucker joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss their connection to Jesuit enslavement and the legacy of slavery in Maryland. The speakers delve into the complex history of slavery, the significance of descendant-led research, and the personal connections that arise from exploring family histories.

DC Public Library Presents: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Jan 21 2025 50 mins  
In honor of Dr Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, we revisit a previously aired episode. Reverend Martin Luther King’s 1963 "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" was performed annually as a staged reading in the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library prior to the library's renovation. Today, we continue that tradition in virtual form, blending voices familiar and new,

Get Lit: Hannah Grieco and Rose Solari

Jan 14 2025 56 mins  
Join us with the opening episode of the year as we join local writers Hannah Grieco and Rose Solari as we discuss writing, teaching, and running a small press in Washington, DC.

All Things Local: Love DC GO-GO

Nov 27 2024 37 mins  
In celebration of Go Go preservation week at the DC Public Library, Montu Mitchell joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss his Love DC Go Go clothing campaign and its connection to the culture of Washington, DC.

Get Lit: Kristi Ferguson and Stephanie Parent

Sep 04 2024 46 mins  
In this episode DC based writer Kristi Ferguson discusses writing, growing up in Brazil and the DC writing scene. Also joining the podcast is Baltimore based writer Stephanie Parent. She talks about sex work and her memoir My Dungeon Love Affair.

All Things Local: Paul Coates

Aug 20 2024 42 mins  
*Original air date: January 29, 2020.*Paul Coates is owner and operator of Black Classic Press, one of the oldest Black publishing companies in the U.S. He joins host Olubunmi Bakare to discuss his life, publishing company and how books shaped his life.

Get Lit: Michael Don and Jessica Harris

Aug 07 2024 41 mins  
Join us for our August episode, featuring interviews with George Mason Professor Michael Don and DC Library worker and poet Jessica Harris. Also, the bulk of the music on this episode comes from C. Scott's album Beats Vol. 3, a trip hop album in CCO, often used in tween games.

Get Lit: Lauren Woods and Andrew Bertaina

Jul 02 2024 42 mins  
Join us this month as we hear from DC literary power couple Lauren Woods and Andrew Bertaina. Lauren Woods is the 2024 Autumn House Press fiction and prize for her book The Great Grownup Game of Make-Believe, due out October 2025. Andrew Bertaina just released his collection of gorgeous essays The Body is a Temporary Gathering Place with Autofocus. His first book “One Person Away

Get Lit: George Koors and LJ Pemberton

Jun 04 2024 47 mins  
Join us as we explore what librarians and libraries do. Did you know for example that you can read The Paris Review on PressReader if you have a library card? Also, keeping in theme, we hear from Takoma Park librarians, Writer and Adult Librarian George Koors about his novel Always the Wanderer, and writer LJ Pemberton, whose acclaimed novel Still Alive is in our digital collection

All Things Local: Diving With a Purpose

Feb 21 2024 55 mins  
In this episode, host Olubunmi Bakare speaks with Kamau Sadiki. Kamau is a Board of Directors member and Lead Instructor with Diving With A Purpose (DWP), an organization committed to resurrecting the stories of shipwrecks involved in the Transatlantic Era of African Enslavement (TEAE) through maritime archaeology. They discuss his mission to find and document vessels of enslavemen