The Roxane Gay Agenda

Latest Episodes:

Twitter (w/Janicza Bravo) Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

How Janicza Bravo turned a hilarious Twitter thread into a hilarious movie. Aziah King’s epic Twitter thread about a road trip gone bad took the internet by storm in 2015. Several years and a pandemic later, Janicza Bravo translated it into “Zola.” Here, she explains some of the creative decisions she made—like not showing the nudity.

Mentions:

● Aziah King’s original Twitter thread. https://www.dontdiewondering.com/check-out-the-full-zola-twitter-thread-ahead-of-jaw-dropping-new-movie/

● “Zola” the movie on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5439812/

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Our researcher is Yessenia Moreno. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams and Meg Pillow. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

English With an Accent (w/ Sanaz Toossi) Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Sanaz Toosi channeled her anger about the Muslim travel ban into comedy. Her play “English,” set in Iran, explores the lives of an English teacher and her students. She talks to Roxane about the experience of so many immigrants–imperfectly speaking a second language, never fully fitting in. Plus, Roxane reflects on her own parents’ accents.

Mentions:

● “English” at the Atlantic Theater Company. https://atlantictheater.org/production/english/

● Eleven Madison Park https://www.elevenmadisonpark.com/

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Our researcher is Yessenia Moreno. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams and Meg Pillow. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So Many Bad Apples (w/ Cerise Castle) Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Cerise Castle broke the first extensive investigation about alleged gangs in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in a 15-part series for KNOCK LA. Now, Cerise Castle reports with a bodyguard by her side. Roxane and Cerise discuss the shocking details of Cerise’s investigative series and political, and personal, consequences of her work. Plus, Roxane reflects on the frustrated ambitions of the movement to change the police.

Mentions:

● KNOCK LA: A Tradition of Violence: The History of Deputy Gangs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department https://knock-la.com/tradition-of-violence-lasd-gang-history/

● Database of LASD employees affiliated with deputy gang activity: https://lasdgangs.knock-la.com

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Our researcher is Yessenia Moreno. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams and Meg Pillow. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Tax Code is Racist (w/ Dorothy A. Brown) Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Dorothy Brown says she got into tax law precisely because it had nothing to do with race. After twenty years of research, Dorothy discovered—and this is going to shock you—the tax system is racist as hell. Roxane and Dorothy explore how the tax code caters to white Americans in almost every way, from home ownership to marriage. Plus, Roxane reflects on the collective responsibility of paying Uncle Sam.

Mentions:

● Dorothy A. Brown: The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—and How We Can Fix It https://dorothyabrown.com/whiteness-of-wealth/

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams and Meg Pillow. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Medium-Thick (w/ Randa Jarrar) Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

Randa Jarrar says her skin is neither thick or thin when it comes to attacks on her writing. Roxane and Randa explore how to stay creative under difficult circumstances. Plus, Roxane reflects on the toll her haters have taken on her and her writing.

Mentions:

Randa Jarrar’s books: https://randajarrar.com/home/books/

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams and Meg Pillow. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Undeniably Good (w/ Nicole Byer) Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

Comedian and actress Nicole Byer on the ups and downs and ups of her young career, and why things are looking up for fat, Black performers. Plus, Roxane waxes poetic about her cake catastrophes.

Mentions:

● Killing Eve https://www.bbcamerica.com/shows/killing-eve/seasons/season-1--1010619

● Nailed It! https://www.netflix.com/title/80179138

● Grand Crew https://www.nbc.com/grand-crew

● Zola (MOVIE) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5439812/

● Big Beautiful Weirdo https://www.netflix.com/title/81489095

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Not Just the Dukes of Hazard (w/ S.A. Cosby) Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Crime novelist S.A. Cosby on tragic masculinity, growing up poor, and what he wants people to understand about the South. Plus, Roxane talks about the important escapist pleasures of genre fiction.

Mentions:

● Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250252708

● Abbott Elementary: https://abc.com/shows/abbott-elementary

● The Clan of the Cave Bear, by Jean M. Auel. https://bookshop.org/books/the-clan-of-the-cave-bear-9780609610978/9780609610978

● Angel Eyes, by Eric van Lustbader https://www.ericvanlustbader.com/thrillers/angel-eyes/

● The Town (movie): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/

● Requiem for a Glass Heart, by David Lindsey

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pots and Cakes (w Seth Rogen) Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

What do pottery and pot do for Seth Rogen? The writer and actor talks to Roxane about the pleasures of making something that doesn’t matter, the secrets of his longstanding collaborations, and about what he brings to the weed business. Plus, Roxane tells how she got eaten by an edible.

Mentions:

● Euphoria: https://www.hbo.com/euphoria

● Houseplant: https://www.houseplant.com

● Yearbook, by Seth Rogen: https://www.yearbookthebook.com

● Empire Records movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112950/?ref_=vp_back

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Permission to Be Uncomfortable (w/ Terry McMillan) Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

Novelist Terry McMillan set the table for so many Black creative women working today. She tells Roxane about how she became a writer without knowing she was one, and how she continues to write narratives that so many Black women identify with.

Mentions:

● Roxane’s Story “North Country” is in her book Difficult Women: https://roxanegay.com/books/difficult-women/

● Terry McMillan’s Website: https://www.terrymcmillan.com/

● New York Times article, The Joys (and Challenges) of Sex after 70: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/12/magazine/sex-old-age.html

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earn Your Mullet (w/ Tressie McMillan Cottom) Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

Roxane introduces the new podcast with her former co-host, Tressie McMillan Cottom. They talk about the new year, new endeavors (including a new dog), Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s vacuity, and the real meaning of Morgan Wallen’s mullet.

Mentions

Tressie's New York Times newsletter: https://www.nytimes.com/column/tressie-mcmillan-cottom

Credits: Curtis Fox is the producer. Yessenia Moreno is the intern. Production help from Kaitlyn Adams. Theme music by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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