Aug 20, 2026
In this deeply personal episode of Black Market Reads, host Lissa Jones sits down with revered Twin Cities educator, social worker, author, and community elder Katie Sample to discuss her memoir, All Things Work Together for Good (In Black Ink 2026). Sample reflects on more than nine decades of faith, family,...
Aug 10, 2026
In this special episode of Black Market Reads, Lissa Jones turns the conversation from the authors who write our stories to the young readers who will carry them forward. Recorded at Benjamin E. Mays Afrocentric Magnet School in St. Paul, the episode begins with Freedom School scholars sharing the books they love and...
Jun 25, 2026
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...
Jun 23, 2026
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...
Jun 16, 2026
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...