As I read Ernest Gaines’ “Bloodline” recently, the interactions between ‘Malia and Frank Laurent stood out. The story, essentially, centers around Copper, the son of Frank’s brother Walter who raped Copper’s mother. Copper has returned to the Laurent plantation to claim what is his, by birth. Essentially, he arrives to overthrow the system that denies him an existence due to the fact that his mother was Black. It does not matter that Walter raped Copper’s mother. What matters, for Frank and others, is that his mother was Black.

While Copper’s return and the ways that Frank and the other characters…

Last post I discussed «Lett å være rebell i kjellerleiligheten din» (“Easy to be a rebel in your basement light”) from Karpe’s Heisann Montebello (2016)and the ways that the song addresses xenophobic, Islamophobic, and racist rhetoric. Today, I want to continue some of that same discussion by looking at another song on the album, «Attitudeproblem» (“Attitude Problem”). This song confronts how we use language and directly points out the metaphorical use of language in hip hop. As well, it addresses the trappings of modern society, trappings that hinder us from ignoring the suffering around us.

An important aspect to remember…

My research into Norwegian hip hop is ever evolving. I keep finding new artists and songs everyday, but the one group that has really caught my attention is Karpe Diem, a group that consists of Magdi (Egyptian/Norwegian) and Chirag (Indian/Norwegian). Their 2015–2016 project Heisann Montebello (Hello Montebello) exists as a political statement on behalf of individuals who ask, as Pumba puts it, «Hvor faen jeg ifra?» Heisann Montebello consists of seven songs, released over the course of two years, with accompanying music videos for each one. …

In Soledad Marimbo’s Retazos Una conversación con Sylvia Molloy, the Argentinian writer speaks about memory, writing, and the passage of time. When talking about two of the houses where she lived — her parent’s house in Argentina and one she owned in Long Island — Molloy talks about their similarities, specifically the courtyards. The two houses, due to some of the similarities, mingle within her mind, joining together into a memory that did not actually occur but that arose out of events that actually took place. …

A couple of years ago, I read David F. Walker’s Nighthawk series “Hate Makes Hate.” This was the first time I had heard of Nighthawk (Raymond Kane), so I didn’t know much about his backstory except what I looked up online. Even without that knowledge, Walker’s series can stand on its own because it focuses on current issues that plague our nation today: police brutality, the rise of white nationalism, class divisions, gentrification, and countless other issues. I do not want to delve into each of these topics today; instead, I want to look at a couple of aspects from…

On January 20, Mat Johnson posted on Twitter about his insulin falling out of the refrigerator and his kid picking it up and placing it in the freezer, thus ruining it. Insurance would not replace the insulin, which costs $800, and Johnson pointed out that luckily he has enough to cover it. However, if he could not cover it, he may actually die, as one of his former students did, from not having access to the insulin he needs. …

My final lecture for the American literature course at the University of Bergen was on Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. A couple of years ago, I wrote about the presence of Big Walter on stage during a performance in Boston that was directed by Liesl Tommy. As well, I have discussed my other lectures from the American Literature class: Introductory Lecture for American Literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Great Gatsby. Today, I want to briefly look at my lecture for Hansberry’s play. As usual, you can find it over on Google Docs.

Since I lectured…

Last Friday, I sat down with Marie Cochran, curator of the Affriclacian Artist Project, at the Lillian E. Smith Center to record an episode of “Dope with Lime.” We sat there, on the ground where Smith worked, on what would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 92nd birthday and talked about King, Smith, and memory. Preparing for our discussion, I read King’s “A Testament of Hope” which was published posthumously in Playboy in 1969. As I read King’s essay, I could not help but think about this current moment and the importance of his words to us today in 2021…