S6 Ep. 30: Ralph Yarl, Defunding Libraries, and (Re)Writing Kansas City: José Faus, C.J. Janovy, and Desideria Mesa on the Importance of Crafting New Narratives in a Divided City

fiction/non/fiction

Visual artist and poet José Faus, journalist C.J. Janovy, and writer Desideria Mesa, join host Whitney Terrell live from the Unbound Book Festival in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss Kansas City’s literary legacy and its future. The group focuses on new book ban legislation, as well a white homeowner’s recent shooting of Black teenager Ralph Yarl, who mistakenly knocked on his door. Mesa reflects on the Mexican boxcar community and how that history is still relevant and present in the city today. Faus talks about the Latino Writers Collective and The Kansas City Defender, two prominent Kansas City literary forces. Janovy discusses recent legislation restricting the rights of transgender people in Kansas and Missouri and a vote by the Missouri House of Representatives to defund libraries. Each author reads a short section of their work.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This episode of the podcast was produced by Rachel Layton and Anne Kniggendorf.

José Faus

• The Life and Times of José Calderon
• “This Town Like That”

C.J. Janovy

• No Place Like Home

Desideria Mesa

• Bindle Punk Bruja

Others:

• Unbound Book Festival
• Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5 Episode 12 - Intimate Contact: Garth Greenwell on Book Bans and Writing About Sex
• Fiction/Non/Fiction, Season 5 Episode 13 - Censoring the American Canon: Farah Jasmine Griffin on Book Bans Targeting Black Writers
• “In Kansas City, Wrong Door Shooting Reopens Questions About Racism” - New York Times
• “Missouri House Republicans Want to Defund Libraries. Here’s Why” - PBS News Hour
• Latino Writers Collective
• Dan Jaffe
• Sharat Chandra
• Michelle Boisseau
• David Ray
• Ernest Hemingway
• Langston Hughes
• Gordon Parks
• Gwendolyn Brooks
• William Stafford
• Evan Connell
• Glenn North
• Hadara Bar-Nadav
• Anne Boyer
• The Kansas City Star
• Calvin Trillin
• The Kansas City Defender
• Emanuel Cleaver II
• Quinton Lucas
• Richard L. Berkeley
• Kansas City (Movie)
• Jay McShann
• William (Count) Basie
• Bennie Moten
• Charlie Parker
• Strawberry Hill
• “ACLU Sues Missouri Over Book Ban Law that Pushed School Libraries to Remove Hundreds of Titles” - KCUR
• “Racism and Fascism” by Toni Morrison
• “Kansas Bans Transgender Athletes from Women’s, Girls’ Sports” - Associated Press
• Westboro Baptist Church
• “Caitlyn Jenner: The Full Story” - Vanity Fair
• “Local Organizations Promote Understanding of Transgender Residents with Billboard” - The Collegian, Kansas State University

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