Search Interviews

Akiba Shabazz talks with her daughters Naja and Zuri about her life growing up with her parents in Memphis, her marriages and travels.

Akili Brown talks to his friend Alexis Peskine about their time at Howard University together, the Jamaican school system, their favorite music and how they want to be remembered.

Atem Da’Hajhock (28) and John Kuai (27) talk with Joan Hecht (57) about their experiences as one of the many young refugees from Sudan called the Lost Boys.

A woman interviews her husband about growing up in rural Georgia and moving to Detroit where he joined a band. He then interviews her about her childhood in Brooklyn, and the blending of their two families.

Carlissia, 21, interviews Sylverna, 57, about growing up in Virginia and Baltimore during the Civil Rights Movement, her interest in libraries, becoming Dean of Libraries at the University of Memphis, and the problems facing African Americans today.

Friends Natasha Herring (47) and Milton Washington [no age given] discuss their origins of inspiration as writers. They begin the conversation with how they met as writers and the similarities between their experiences as children who experienced housing instability/being orphans....

Diane Mack (74) interviews her friend and mentee Margaret McCaskill [no age given] about her childhood memories, her passions for reading books and writing poetry, and her hopes for the future.

Troy Grant (41) talks to his former student, Alexis Saunders (17), about how he started teaching, his educational philosophy, and some of his favorite classroom memories.

Christina Mongomery (25) talks to facilitator Eloise Melzer (29) about being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 2 years ago and how it has affected her life.

Melvin Taylor (49) asks his associate Doris Green about her career as an ethnomusicologist, her creation of Greenotation (an integrated score of percussive music and dance notation), and the time she spent traveling in Africa to learn more about the...

Chandra Blackwell, 40, interviews her mother Nadine Blackwell, 80, about her memory and involvement in Brown vs. the Board of Education, integrating the Topeka Fire Department, and integrating the downtown Topeka restaurants.

Vernell talks to her granddaughter about her childhood, early adult life, travels to West Africa and advice on family life. Her parents were strict and also sacrificed so their children could attend a private Methodist school. The school was attended...

Two friends discussing growing up in Columbus, Georgia around the downtown area.

Friends and co-organizers Nureaka Ross (28) and Lynette Mejia (51) discuss their involvement in advocating for their local library system and obstacles they have faced along the way.

Sarah Padgett (24) interviews new friend Brandy Tolbert (34) about Brandy’s childhood, her family, and her children. Brandy also talks about her role as the director of the Literacy Alliance and how she discovered her passion for literacy work.

Coworkers Silvia Bunn (67) and Deborah Clark (60) gather to honor and appreciate Deborah's years of service at the Mildred L. Terry Public Library, the first public library for African Americans in Columbus, GA. Deborah reminisces about coming to the...

Deborah Davidson (68) sits down with her friend Patricia Thomas Ivery (63) to ask about Patricia's childhood, the wisdom that she has gained throughout her life, and the dreams that she still hopes to achieve.

Friends Timothy D. Holley, 36, and Marcus M. Williams, 25, discuss comemorating Martin Luther King Day, their careers and spirituality.

Sheila Smith is interviewed by her daughter, Dana White about her ex husband, Damon White, his death, and being a single parent and raising two.

Lynette D. Bates (47) talks with her brother Larnell Bates, Jr. (51) about family, parenting and good teachers.

Jodie Reams tells his sister Lula Reams about growing up in TN and WI, and his experience at the SE Johnson Wax company.

Sisters Hinde Muya and Amina Osman are interviewed by McKenzie Wren. The pair discuss the path that brought them to the United States from a refugee camp in Somalia. Hinde shares her views about the differences between Somali Bantu culture...

Spouses Wanja Ngugi (35) and Steve Rutledge (49) sit down together to tell their love story and express their deep appreciation for one another.

Friends and colleagues, Erma Banks [no age given] and Callie McGinnis (77), discuss their former workplace: Columbus Area Library Association (CALA). They talk about the formation of the organization, pivotal characters in its development, and the events they created to...