On today’s episode of From the Vault we exhibit another round of rediscovered recordings which further showcase the amazing talent pool represented within Pacifica Radio Archives. First, we join WBAI host Wesley Brown in-studio to interview Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison shortly after the 1981 release of her novel Tar Baby, which explores issues of African American self-acceptance and reconciliation. Then we check out a surprise studio performance by legendary Pacifica programmer Julius Lester – previously best-known for his insightful late 1960’s interviews of Muhammad Ali, June Jordan, and Vincent Harding among others – but perhaps also to be known in the future for this striking rendition of the folk classic Stagger Lee. Finally, we settle down to an interview with writer Walter Mosley following the 1997 release of Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, which introduces the character Socrates Forthlow – who encourages young readers to think about the consequences of their decisions.
From the Vault is presented through the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project, funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, past grants from the Grammy Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the American Archive funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with the generous support of Pacifica Radio Listeners.
First broadcast on Friday, October 7, 2011.
PRA metadata view