BPL Podcast

In this episode, WIR Cynthia Amoah sits down with Ghanaian-American poets Claudia Owusu and Tasha Lomo for a layered conversation about language, place, and what it means to write and create from the in-between. Together, they explore how heritage shapes creative voice, the role of poetry as both resistance and refuge, and the ways they each build community through art—from spoken word albums to f...

Dr Jack Marchbanks and Gamal Brown sit down with us to talk about the legacies of Four Women: Maya Angelou, Lorraine Hansberry, Abbey Lincoln, and Nina Simone. These icons of African American artistic achievement, activism, courage and vision will be highlighted at the Lincoln Theatre’s Community Conversation on March 6th at 6pm ! Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Ne...

Happy New Year! Explore the Y2K scare with technology librarian, Josh, as he interviews Marley Mcdonald and Brian Becker, directors of the HBO documentary Time Bomb Y2K. We'll revisit the global panic, technological fears, and lessons learned from the turn of the millennium. More about Time Bomb Y2K As the clock counted down to the 21st century, the world faced a potential technological disaster:...

We are excited to invite Hanif Abdurraqib back to the podcast to discuss writing, building community around art, and basketball! Hanif is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio whose new book "There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension" is both an Indie and New York Times bestseller.  Hanif will return to the library on June 6th , in conversation with poet and essayis...

The first part of this episode is an interview with Dr. Wayne Schlingman and Dr. Stephan Frank from the OSU Astronomy Department to talk about the eclipse: the science, the history, and general coolness of having a eclipse past through our backyard!  The second part is a discussion between BPL Director Ben Heckman and the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk, Astronaut Kathy Sullivan. She d...

The best of 2023!  Timestamps Adult Fiction (:24) The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldtree System Collapse by Martha Wells Even though I knew the End by C. L. Polk Adult Non-Fiction (7:38) Birth: Three Mothers, Nine Months and Pregnancy in America by Rebecca Grant  Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara Youth (14:11) Just Becau...

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read. The theme for Banned Books Week 2023 is “Let Freedom Read” and it’s being celebrated from October 1-7. A PEN America report for the first half of the 2022-2023 school year tracked 1,477 instances of individual book bans that have affected 874 unique titles. Book bans disproportionately target authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, and o...

Ohio State Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor, Ness B. Shroff, and BPL Technology Librarian, Josh Bryant, discuss the fascinating world of artificial intelligence (AI), including its history, applications, ethics, and future implications. Whether you are a complete newcomer to the world of AI or a seasoned expert, there will be something for everyone in this enlightening and informative...

For Holocaust Remembrance Day we pulled an episode from one of our most recent author events with Elizabeth Petuchowski. Elizabeth Petuchowski shares her life story growing up as a young Jewish girl in Germany amidst the rise of Nazism and mandatory antisemitism. She reflects on the effects these universally known events had on her life and read from her memoir, Where From and Where To: One of the...

A celebration of Toni Morrison with two of Ohio’s most revered poets and authors as Hanif Abdurraqib and Dionne Custer Edwards discuss the influences of Toni Morrison’s work on their own and celebrate the importance of her legacy as writers and Ohioans. Toni Morrison Day is celebrated on February 18th in Ohio, commemorating the birth of the literary giant and possibly “the greatest Ohioan we’ve ev...

The best of 2022!  Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the podcast! Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at https://www.bexleylibrary.org Follow Bexley Public Library across platforms @bexleylibrary   Here is the list of highlighted items from the BPL staff: Fiction Books Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez Flung Out of Space - Grace Ellis T...

Vampire Week is here! Plucked from our blog , Julianna tells us about her favorite vampire movies and everything the library has to offer this week. Julianna mentions some of her favorite vampire movies. Here’s a list of them:  Interview with the Vampire Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust The Lost Boys A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Nosferatu Only Lovers Left Alive Let the Right One In Hotel Transylvan...

Owen dives into the history of banning books, reasons books are challenged, and he even recommends his favorite challenged title. Here is a list of all the books Owen mentions: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Catcher in the Ry...

Pamela Espinosa de los Monteros, Assistant Professor and the Latin American, Iberian, and Latino/a Studies Librarian at The OSU University Libraries, and Patti Vocal, The OSU Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) Outreach Coordinator, discuss the importance of bringing authentic Latinx and Latin American stories into K-12 classrooms through children's literature. Pamela and Patti talk to us abo...

Jack Marchbanks sits down with Dionne Custer Edwards , Scott Woods , and Is Said for a discussion about Black poetry using James Weldon Johnson's groundbreaking anthology The Book of American Negro Poetry as a springboard. Dionne Custer Edwards is a writer, educator, and the Director of Learning & Public Practice at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Scott Woods is a poet, writer, and the founder and...

Ohio State University Eastern European experts, Theodora Dragostinova, Marianna Klochko, and Mykyta Tyshchenko, to try and make sense of the evolving crisis in Ukraine following the Russian invasion. The panel discussed the history and progression of the conflict, the ensuing humanitarian crisis, and the international repercussions of the events. Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library event...

The best of 2021!   Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the podcast! Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at  https://www.bexleylibrary.org Follow Bexley Public Library across platforms @bexleylibrary   Here is the list of highlighted items from the BPL staff: Books American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears by Farah Stockman D...

New York Times best seller, Natalie D Richards, sat down with Josh to talk about Five Total Strangers becoming a Big Library Read, her book Seven Dirty Secrets coming out this month, and the inspiration for her writing. Visit her  website ,  instagram , and  twitter  for up-to-date information about her work. Special thanks to fo/mo/deep for lending us their song, "Bourbon Neat" for the podcast! F...

Kristopher and Gretchen Armstrong sit down with Josh to talk about their literary journal  Tomorrow and Tomorrow , how it highlights artists from Bexley, the importance of mixtapes, and ghost stories that are too unsettling for the campfire.  Join writers and artists highlighted in Tomorrow and Tomorrow's "Ghosts" issue at Austen & Company (or virtually!) on November 4th for an evening of readings...

LC Johnson, founder and CEO of Zora's House, shares her journey from the dream (literally!) of a co-working-community-space for women of color in Columbus to the bright future ahead for Zora's House. LC talks about how she, with the support of community, made it through one of the most challenging and uncertain times of her life.    Follow Zora's House across platforms @zorashouse614 and at https:...

Ron Holmes of fo/mo/deep talked to Josh about the ever-evolving sound of the band, expressing emotion instrumentally, and the beauty of 70s music. They listen to the songs "Bourbon Neat" and "Maple St" from their latest record Syzygy. Visit their  website ,  instagram , and  facebook  for up-to-date information about the band.   Find out about upcoming Bexley Public Library events at  https://www....

Seth Alexander and Frankie Wantuch of the Largemouth Brass Band sat down with Josh to talk about traditional New Orleans Jazz, working in a band with eight members, and deep listening. They listen to the songs "Night Lightning" and "Taracula" from their latest record Repilot. Visit their  website ,  instagram , and  facebook  for up-to-date information about the band. Find out about upcoming Bexle...

Dave and Leanna Buker, of Dave Buker and the Historians, talk with Josh about the evolution of their band, what makes a good cover song, and Ringo's biggest strength as a Beatle. They listen to the songs "It Moves in the Dark" and "Joanna" from their latest record, It Moves in the Dark.   Visit  www.davebukerhistorians.com  for up-to-date information about the band and follow them on their social...

Grace Ellis, a New York Times-bestselling comic book writer of The Lumberjanes, Moonstruck, Batwoman, and more, talks with Leann about writing comics for and featuring girls, how living in Ohio influences her work (she's not moving to LA), and her upcoming first foray into writing a graphic novel for adults. The Babysitter's Club also gets a special mention.    ----more---- Follow Grace Ellis acro...

Pulitzer Prize Winner Connie Schultz joins Leann for a discussion of her work as a journalist and columnist for over twenty years, the transition to fiction writing, and what it's like to be a living Ohio icon. After this episode the BPL Podcast will be on a brief hiatus for the summer! Join the BPL Virtual Book Club in discussing Connie Schultz's The Daughters of Erietown (out in paperback now) o...