‘Left of Black’ Season 14 starts on October 19th
The Left of Black Season 14 has arrived! The new season of Mark Anthony Neal’s Webby Award-nominated series produced by Duke University’s John Hope Franklin Institute for the Humanities. The season is scheduled to begin on October 19th.
Our first guest this season is Jasmine Nicole Cobb, professor of African and African American studies and art, art history, and visual studies at Duke University. The episode is directed by Eric Barstow, a graduate of the Duke MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts.
Their discussion will center around her groundbreaking book. New Growth: Black Hair Art and Texture (2022) explores the significance of Afro-textured black hair and its complex relationship with bodies, spaces, and visual culture. Additionally, season 14 will feature Deirdre Cooper Owens, Jennifer Nash, Theme Bryant, and more.
This season of “Left of Black” features a lineup of scholars whose research explores various aspects of Black life, creativity, scholarship, activism, resilience, and Black excellence. This year, the series launches a new subseries, “Hip-Hop @50,” featuring conversations with leading musicians and producers who have made groundbreaking contributions to the genre.
“Left of Black Presents: Small Talk at FHI” is another subseries that begins with a live in-person event on October 25th. At this event, Mark Anthony Neal will host Nabil Ayers, son of his famous R&B legend Roy Ayers and author of the book. My life in the sunshine: looking for my father, finding my family (2022).
The event and live recording will be held in the main auditorium of the John Hope Franklin Institute for the Humanities. Stay tuned for more details and registration link.
Additionally, this season welcomes the arrival of Jakia Glass, the newest addition to the Left of Black production team. Glass, a recent graduate of North Carolina Central University with a degree in mass communications, currently serves as the series’ associate editor.
Her partnership with the Franklin Humanities Institute began with the Charmaine McKissick Melton Communications Fellowship, a partnership between Duke University and NCCU for students in the School of Mass Communication.
Undergraduate students at Duke and UNC should look out for new course offerings related to the production process of the Black Left taught by Neal. Course details will be announced soon.
