The Rediscovery of Monkeys’ Moon
Richard Deming, critic, writer, and lecturer in the Yale Department of English describes the silent film Monkeys Moon. (18:41)
The Van Vechten Paradox: The Harlem Renaissance, a White Man, and his Black Story
Emily Bernard, Professor of English and Ethnic Studies at the University of Vermont, and the 2008/2009 James Weldon Johnson Fellow in African American Studies at the Beinecke Library, chronicles the life of Carl Van Vechten. (40:55)
Living Distance: The Life and Papers of James Welch
An audio essay by Eric Ward ‘09, read by Presca Ahn ‘09, exploring the life, legacy, and archive of James Welch, the American writer of Blackfeet and Gros Ventre heritage. (15:28)
Jane Wodening and Stan Brakhage Scrapbooks, 1958-1967
Richard Deming, lecturer in the Department of English at Yale University, describes a collection of scrapbooks that document the work and family life of Jane Wodening and her husband, the avant-garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage. See images from the scrapbooks in the Beinecke Library’s Digital Collections. (16:31)
Looking for Richard Wright
Caryl Phillips, Professor of English at Yale University describes his process of writing the introduction to the Vintage Books, British edition of Richard Wright’s landmark text, Native Son. (15:27)
Richard Wright, Native Son, and the Beinecke: Being Brought to My Senses
Jonathan Holloway, Yale Professor of History, African American Studies, and American Studies recounts visiting the Beinecke Library in his first month of graduate school and the transformative experience that grew out of his surprise encounter with Richard Wright’s landmark text, Native Son. (7:27)
Unfolding the Corners: Intimacy in the Archive of Margaret Anderson
Famous for her strong opinions about art as well as for her beauty and wit, radical editor Margaret Anderson was a key figure in American and European Modernism. Archivist Molly Wheeler speaks with Nancy Kuhl, Curator of the Yale Collection of American Literature, about this archival collection. (23:06)
Metaphor Taking Shape: Poetry, Art, and the Book
In this podcast, Nancy Kuhl, Associate Curator of the Yale Collection of American Literature discusses highlights from the exhibition, Metaphor Taking Shape. (7:47)
Documenting Slavery
A podcast describing highlights of the 2007 exhibition Documenting Slavery. (6:41)
American Letters
Readings from Yale Collection of American Literature archives.
Yale Collection of American Literature Reading Series
Podcasts of poetry readings by contemporary American poets. The current schedule of reading is available online through Poetry at Beinecke Library: Readings at Beinecke. Recordings from past readings are available from the Yale Collection of American Literature Reading Series finding aid.