Remarkable Receptions
A podcast about popular and critical responses to African American novels, artistic productions, and more.
Episodes
236 episodes
The Case for Coates as a Comic Book Writer -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s move into Marvel Comics, highlighting how his Black Panther run bridges African American literary continuums and comic storytelling while expanding the scope of Black artistic production across forms....
Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s entry into comics, examining how his rise to prominence with Black Panther highlights the double-edged nature of representation—simultaneously expanding visibility while reinforcing disparities ...
Star Wars for Black People -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, tracing how “Star Wars for Black people” becomes a framework for merging Afrofuturism, slave narrative traditions, and large-scale Black representation in comics. ...
Rumors of Scipio Moorhead -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Phillis Wheatley’s tribute to Scipio Moorhead, interpreting surviving poem and portrait as fragmentary “rumors” of early Black artistic collaboration in eighteenth-century America. Written by Howard Rambsy IIRead...
Painting the Enslaved as Liberated -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Kerry James Marshall’s portraits of John Punch, Scipio Moorhead, and Harriet Tubman, reimagining enslaved figures as liberated subjects through contemporary Black artistic interpretation. Written by Howard Rambsy II<...
Phillis Wheatley Across Time -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Phillis Wheatley’s portrait, tracing Scipio Moorhead’s 1773 image, Kerry James Marshall’s reinterpretation, and its circulation on a 2026 U.S. Postal Service stamp.Written by Howard Rambsy IIRead by Kassandra Timm
Naming Black Poetry -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on evolving labels for Black poetry, tracing shifts from Negro poetry to Black poetry to African American poetry through anthology titles reflecting changing cultural identities.Script by Howard Rambsy IINarration by Kas...
Racialized Anointments -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on racialized anointments, tracing how media repeatedly elevate one Black writer at a time, narrowing attention while obscuring the broader landscape of African American literary production.Script by Howard Rambsy II
Toni Morrison from Nine Appearances to Thousands -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on Toni Morrison’s rise in graduate research, showing how dissertation data tracks her shift from minimal attention in the 1970s to central prominence in African American literary studies. Script by Howard Rambsy II&nbs...
Free Books -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on free book distribution at SIUE, showing how giving students hundreds of titles and hosting browsing sessions sparked excitement and expanded opportunities for reading, conversation, and engagement with arts and humanities. ...
The Fantastic Findings Forum -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on the Fantastic Findings Forum, showing how short reflections demonstrate that brief insights can open new interpretive pathways in African American literary studies.Script by Howard Rambsy IIRead by Kassandra Timm
Subfields in African American Literary Studies ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on subfields in African American literary studies, showing how areas like the Harlem Renaissance, Richard Wright studies, the Black Arts Movement, and Toni Morrison Studies emerged over time to organize research, debates, and...
Alliteration as Cultural Strategy ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on recurring alliteration in African American language practices, tracing how phrases like Sorrow Songs, Freedom Fighters, and New Negro Movement, use sound, rhythm, and repetition to enhance memorability, circulate ideas, an...
Masking in The Boondocks -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on layered metaphorical masking in The Boondocks, showing how Aaron McGruder’s satire stacks voices and cultural references, linking Samuel L. Jackson’s role in Pulp Fiction, Donald Rumsfeld’s infamous “unknown un...
How Three Black Women Changed Toni Morrison’s Story ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on three Black women, June Jordan, Carolyn Denard, and Oprah Winfrey, whose literary advocacy, scholarly institution-building, and mass-media influence helped elevate Toni Morrison’s work into enduring cultural and academic central...
Viewing Amy Sherald
A brief take on how SIUE Promise Prize Scholars Nia Roy and Al Smith respond to Amy Sherald’s portraiture, showing how students articulate the power of her grayscale technique, vibrant color contrasts, and confident subjects to reshape percepti...
Hearing African American literary studies -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on how African American literary knowledge has long circulated through sound as well as print, showing how Remarkable Receptions extends that oral tradition by calling listeners into an audio archive of Black literary hist...
A Different Review Model -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on reimagining scholarly book reviews in African American literary studies, exploring how cluster reviews could illuminate broader developments across subfields more effectively than single-volume assessments.Written by Howa...
Pronouncing Du Bois -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on the varied pronunciations of W. E. B. Du Bois’s name, revealing how letters, scholars, and shifting preferences reflect the ongoing reception of one of Black America’s most influential intellectuals.Written by Howard Ramb...
Paul Laurence Dunbar school names -- ep. Howard Rambsy II
| A brief take on the nationwide naming of schools after Paul Laurence Dunbar, tracing how the poet’s enduring influence led communities to commemorate Black educational excellence through his name.Written by Howard Rambsy II ...
Names in African American Short Stories -- ep. by Kenton Rambsy
A brief take on the memorable names that shape African American short fiction, showing how writers from Chesnutt and Hurston to Baldwin and Bambara use naming to capture voice, region, history, and character across generations of stories.
Names in African American Novels -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on the unforgettable names found throughout African American novels, exploring how Black writers use naming to reveal character, history, irony, and identity across generations of novels.Written by Howard Rambsy IIRea...
Novelizing Black Panther -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on the expanding world of Black Panther novelizations, tracing how writers from Jesse J. Holland to Sheree Renée Thomas extend Wakanda’s remarkable literary legacy.Written by Howard Rambsy II Read by Kassandra Ti...
Seeing Nigerian Writers -- ep. by Howard Rambsy II
A brief take on how perspective shapes categorization in Nigerian literature, tracing shifting views from Igbo and Yoruba writers to global recognition of figures like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.Written by Howard Rambsy IIRead by Ka...
Why Read Edward P. Jones Right Now -- ep. by Kenton Rambsy
A brief take on Edward P. Jones’s vivid portrayals of Washington, D.C., revealing the city’s complexity, resilience, and humanity beyond the caricatures found in politics and media.Written by Kenton RambsyRead by Kassandra Timm