The Drip

Episode 12 -- What About Tish?: Barry Jenkins' IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

There's just not much we don't like about Barry Jenkins' adaptation of James Baldwins' novel IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK. It's a layered, lush, beautiful depiction of black love that really touched us all. But if you know the Spoilers you know we are always going to have something contentious to talk about. This episode is no exception. We spend a lot of time talking about Tish, about the depiction of Christianity, about the lack of Oscar love for this movie. Along the way, Todd mansplains and Anita interrupts -- and then something falls off the table. Chaos reigns! But it's all good. We think you're going to love this thoughtful and lively episode. 

The Drip Episode 11 -- Be Loving This Book: Kiese Laymon's HEAVY

In this Episode, the Spoilers are back to gush over Kiese Layman's amazing new memoir, HEAVY. There's not much to say except we were pretty much knocked out by the audacity of Laymon's writing and we talk almost endlessly about the countless ways that we were amazed. The show is fifty minutes long, but we could have gone for another two. But you know Anita wasn't going to let that happen ('cause she's good at her job). We kept it reasonable for y'all. You can thank her later, but listen to the show now!

The Drip Episode 10 -- Food and Wine and We Feel Fine: Our Dinner With Yaa Gyasi's HOMEGOING

This special episode has a little bit of everything. The Spoliers, satiated by an unbelievable Ghaniain meal prepared by their friend Nasreen, fight through the haze of the itis to tackle some deep issues in Yaa Gyasi's wonderful novel HOMEGOING. And as they do it, they have plenty of trouble remembering the names of all those characters ("they" means "Todd"). They talk about genre, clock some literary allusions, and even take on the eminent Isabel Wilkerson's critique of the book. And maybe most important of all -- they argue for at least five minutes about whether Marcus and Marjorie are in love (Duh, of course they are). You may want to pour yourself a glass of wine as you listen to this snowy Saturday night show. It goes well white both white and red . . .

The Drip Episode 9 -- And We Have Another Thing to Say: THE HATE U GIVE, the movie

In this episode the Spoilers go another round with the THE HATE U GIVE, but this time it's the movie. In it we discuss what a Black Lives Matter movie might look like, question the apparently dwindling black lighting budget, and you knew we were going to complain some more about Chris. It gets a little rowdy, but we keep our Spoiler selves on point with a rash of academic-type hot takes that may or may not be brilliant or useful. We also pay tribute to the great Ntozake Shange, whose death caught us all off guard, but whose work made us who we are today. And finally we rep the Black Youth Project 100, whose music is restoring our spirits after a week of depression and pain. This is what real activist art looks like!

The Drip Episode 8 -- Roy, Celestial, and Don't Forget About Dre: Tayari Jones' AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

Do you hear what I hear? Yup -- THE DRIP is back and this time you can actually hear us talking! In this episode, the Spoilers work through how to think about representations of sexual violence in the wake of Kavanaugh; they talk marriage, mass incarceration, race and masculinity, and creepy Roy dolls; and they resist the desperate urge to line up on Team Roy or Team Celestial (no Team Dre).

This gem is packed full of delectable moments, mostly because it's the second time we've talked about this novel. You won't hear the first because no one could hear us over the raucous crowd at Heritage when we first tried to record this episode a couple weeks ago. This time we took it all back home to a quiet place, and if we don't say so, we are a little more thoughtful, generally brilliant, and much easier on the ears. Listen all the way to the end for the added treat of a sweet outtake from our first recording effort at Heritage -- that's right, it's Crystal rocking an impromptu performance of "Sorry" from FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/ WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF during sound check. It is so worth it.

The Drip Episode 7 -- The Spoilers Sidestep the Sexy Stuff in HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES

In this episode, Adriana proves how big her brain is by easily besting Todd in a literary genre battle, Crystal reveals which story "elicited the most emotional reaction," and Anita shouts out Todd's mom. Also, Carmen Maria Machado gives us an excuse to fan-folk LAW AND ORDER. All the while, we sip delicious drinks and listen to the same dulcet tunes we used to hear at Lake Cofee House. Wait - have we entered some sort of time-shift? Abler, is that you? Henson? Bonita?!!!??!!

The Drip Episode Six -- The Spoilers are Rumbling: Angie Thomas' THE HATE U GIVE

The All Spoilers Collective gets a little bit critical in this episode about a book we also like a lot. We find ourselves saying things like, "I cried but," or "the book is trying to do this, but." Let's just say there are a lot of "buts." While we praise this novel for putting black girls at the center, we have a lot of questions about the representation of radical activism and freedom movements, the consequences of snitching, and what it really means to move to the suburbs. There's also an aopologia for King, and Todd bags on the Fresh Prince maybe a little too much. You're going to love this hot little episode in which the Collective gets as prickly as they ever have. 

The Drip Episode Five -- Corsets, Shamblers, and Metaphors: Justina Ireland's DREAD NATION

In this episode, the All Spoilers Collective recognizes both Jane and Katherine's bad-assedness while also tackling zombies, the definition of YA literature, boarding schools, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, and the power of corsets. It is our first episode at Cahoots Coffee Bar in St. Paul and we're outside, so you, our loyal listeners get to hear us dodge planes, ambulances, and window air conditioners. Don't worry, you can hear the team brilliance (confusion?) pretty well. All aboard the train to Spoilerland!

Driplet #1: We Just Can't

In this extremely short episode, Anita and Todd talk about why the collective decided not to discuss Junot Diaz's book for our next show. We also discuss YA literature, the tragic closing of Lake Coffee House, and our fantastic new recording equipment. And fInally -- we announce the new books for July.

The Drip Episode Four: Audre Lorde's ZAMI: A NEW SPELLING OF MY NAME

In this episode we talk about everything Audre Lorde -- language and silence, anger and love, intersectionality, bermuda shorts and dungarees, historical texts and literary ones, and how every woman Audre ever loved left "her print" on her. Listen to the crew as we rediscover one of the great books of African American Studies.