In 1985, a year before his death, James Baldwin told Shaun Henderson in an interview conducted in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, his final home, that he didn’t trust his memory, and this was the reason that he never wrote an autobiography. This admission appears early in the prologue of Baldwin: A Love Story, an encyclopedic biography of Baldwin’s work as told through the lens of his intimate relationships, written by Nicholas Boggs.

The formerly incarcerated Native-rights activist leaned on art-making during his decades in prison. His sentence was commuted by President Biden early this year, the newly freed artist discusses his paintings and his unwavering commitment to justice for all.

Ed Dwight, who trained as an engineer and Air Force test pilot, was the first African American officer selected for the Air Force astronaut training program in 1961. Yet despite his achievements at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, racial barriers of the 1960s blocked his entry into NASA’s Astronaut Corps.

Irvin Weathersby Jr. on Racist Cops, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the Traumatic Memory of Spending a Night in Chains

Mateo Askaripour’s novel Black Buck skewers racism in startup culture.

At long last, the Brevity Podcast's episode of One-Minute Memoirs, including 15 amazing micro-essays and a talk between host Allison K Williams and Audio Editor Kathryn Rose. Show notes at the Brevity Blog.

Religion, redemption and reconciliation are among the many themes running through the rapper's album, "Damn."

Lamar grapples with damnation—and he wants to deliver us.

What the musical genre reveals about America’s racially charged times and how it can serve as a valuable teaching tool   

Why it's important to lift formerly incarcerated black men out of the crime cycle