Podcast Summary: All Of It on WNYC

Episode: New York Public Library Celebrates 100 Years of James Baldwin

Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Barry Brown (Curator, Schomburg Center), Charles Carter (Curator, NYPL)
Air Date: August 7, 2024

Episode Overview

This special episode of “All Of It” honors the centennial celebration of literary icon James Baldwin. Host Alison Stewart welcomes Barry Brown and Charles Carter, curators of new James Baldwin exhibits at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the New York Public Library's main branch. The conversation explores Baldwin’s life, his legacy as an uncompromising voice on race, sexuality, and society, as well as the deep New York roots that shaped his worldview and work. The episode includes reflections from the curators, callers sharing their Baldwin experiences, and a powerful archival reading of Baldwin himself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Baldwin’s Enduring Legacy (01:33 – 02:56)

• Context: Recognition of Baldwin as a novelist, essayist, playwright, public intellectual, and civil rights activist.
• Highlight of centennial exhibits at the Schomburg Center ("God’s Black Revolutionary Mouth") and NYPL’s Treasures Gallery ("James Baldwin: Mountain to Fire").
• Both exhibitions give rare insights into Baldwin’s creative process—early writings, photographs, manuscripts (notably an early draft of “Giovanni’s Room”).

2. First Encounters: Personal Impact (03:39 – 05:59)

• Barry Brown:
  • Read “The Fire Next Time” as a college sophomore.
  • “The essay that stood out to me the most was a letter to my nephew... it really spoke to what it means to be Black in America.” (03:58)
  • Felt surprise at not encountering Baldwin’s work earlier, highlighting educational gaps.
• Charles Carter:
  • First read “Giovanni’s Room” in a queer literature class, while closeted—found the depiction of same-sex love deeply authentic and validating.
  • “It was very important to me in terms of queer representation at a really important moment of my life.” (05:42)

3. Baldwin’s Papers and Manuscripts: Journey Home (05:59 – 07:11)

• Barry Brown:
  • Baldwin’s dying wish: his papers to the Schomburg Center—his home library.
  • “He’s quoted as saying that he visited that library at least three or four times a week and that he read every book in this library.” (06:26)
  • Papers arrived 30 years after his death, in 2017.

4. Listener Memories & Baldwin’s Clarity (07:11 – 08:41, 12:30 – 13:22, 19:18 – 20:16)

• Jerry (caller):
  • First read “Notes of a Native Son” at age 15, found it “revelatory”.
  • “Baldwin’s work... he was so clear. He was so on point and direct. I loved his language, and I loved his ability to manage the essay as an art form.” (07:47)
• Maria (caller):
  • Latina from Puerto Rican diaspora, sees Baldwin alongside Malcolm X and Neruda as most inspiring minds of the 20th century.
  • “Every time that I see his videos and listen to his speeches, he just presents a view of humanity... galvanizes me as a person.” (13:03)
• Jojo (caller):
  • “Go Tell It on the Mountain” resonated during a difficult time at boarding school.
  • “His writing was just so incredible, the way he got into the...crevices of people's minds... Completely changed my life reading these books.” (19:52)

5. Baldwin’s Early Years: High School Prodigy (08:41 – 10:57)

• Charles Carter:

  • Baldwin’s DeWitt Clinton High School yearbook: “Fame is the spur”—showed early ambition and sense of destiny.
  • Encouraged by teachers, staged early plays; wrote school song.

• Barry Brown:

  • Editor-in-Chief of “The Magpie,” the school literary journal.
  • Topics included war reflections, poetry, short stories, interviews—showcased wide-ranging interests and experimentation.
  • “He interviews Countee Cullen...and there are some themes of race...and faith.” (11:13)

6. Baldwin & Place: New York Roots (15:34 – 17:15)

• Barry Brown:
  • Deep Harlem and New York roots evident in his work and life.
  • “He often traveled... between Paris and New York... he really was recharged every time he would come back to Harlem.” (16:28)
  • Family connections preserved in letters, photos.

7. Family, Faith, and Conflict (14:17 – 15:34)

• Charles Carter:
  • Difficult relationship with his stepfather informed much of Baldwin's writing, starting with “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
  • “Just like John Grimes in the novel... he was sort of at a crossroads... deciding, am I going to follow my father into the life of the church, or am I going to branch out...” (14:35)
  • Manuscript on display shows scenes set around NYPL—blending personal with public geography.

8. Baldwin’s Writing Process: Precision, Doubt & Courage (17:15 – 23:02)

• Charles Carter:
  • On “Giovanni’s Room” title page draft:
    “He starts with a typed quote from the biblical Book of Job...crosses through that...and then in big, almost crayon-like...writes in a Whitman quote: ‘I am the man, I suffered, I was there.’” (18:11)
  • This epitomizes Baldwin’s process—revision, risk, commitment to authenticity, coded meaning for queer readers.
• Barry Brown:
  • Baldwin’s correspondence shows vulnerability, self-doubt, reaching out for support from peers.
  • On a letter to Lorraine Hansberry:
    “He really valued her thoughts and opinion as another Black writer...he often expressed a concern and an anxiousness.” (21:07)
  • Letter to Maya Angelou:
    “He’s pouring his heart out...talks about how scared he was to even start this next project... I thought to myself: this is incredible. This is James Baldwin...how is he anxious and nervous?” (22:02)
  • Affirms Baldwin’s humanity and deep bond with fellow Black writers.

Notable Quotes

• Barry Brown (on “Letter to My Nephew”):
  “It really spoke to what it means to be Black in America. And, you know, that’s when I knew that, you know, James Baldwin was someone that I needed to read more of.” (03:58)

• Charles Carter (on Baldwin’s courage in “Giovanni’s Room”):
  “On the title page we’re seeing him build up through starting with Job and then finally arriving at Whitman. He’s building up the courage to be bold enough to quote Whitman...and thereby sort of being out right at the beginning to those who are paying attention.” (18:40)

• Maria (caller):
  “In my book, the measure of success is how much you impact other people and Baldwin’s at the top.” (13:17)

• Barry Brown (on Baldwin’s doubt):
  “I was like, this is James Baldwin...he is a brilliant genius to me...how is he so, like, afraid and how is he anxious and nervous?...but, I mean, he was a person just like you and I...he certainly had those feelings sometimes of doubt about his work.” (22:13)

Memorable Moments & Highlights by Timestamp

• Baldwin’s relationship to the Schomburg Center (06:07 – 07:11)
• First caller, Jerry, shares the power of Baldwin’s language (07:17 – 08:41)
• Charles Carter: Fame and ambition from Baldwin's yearbook (08:59 – 09:55)
• Barry Brown: Young Baldwin experiments across genres (10:57 – 11:57)
• Caller Maria: Baldwin’s impact on the Puerto Rican diaspora (12:35 – 13:22)
• Charles Carter: Faith, family, and “Go Tell It on the Mountain” (14:17 – 15:34)
• Barry Brown: The importance of returning to Harlem (15:43 – 17:15)
• Charles Carter: Tracing revisions in the manuscript of “Giovanni’s Room” (17:22 – 18:51)
• Caller Jojo: Baldwin’s work as transformative (19:22 – 20:16)
• Barry Brown: Baldwin’s worried letters to Hansberry and Angelou (20:49 – 22:13)

Baldwin in His Own Words

• Archival Recording (23:14 – 25:43):
  Baldwin reads from “Another Country,” capturing the internal wrestling and psychological acuity that defines his fiction.

  “[Rufus] stood on the platform now, alone with all these people who were each of them alone, and waited in a quiet calmness for the train. But suppose something, somewhere failed and the yellow lights went out… Everything gone out of them but murder. Breaking limb from limb and splashing in blood with joy.”

Conclusion

This episode is a dynamic, moving celebration of James Baldwin’s indelible influence. Through vivid curatorial insight, heartfelt listener memories, and Baldwin’s own voice, the program contextualizes his relentless honesty, artistic innovation, and the ways his work continues to galvanize today’s readers and writers. The exhibitions—free and open to the public—offer a rare window into the making of a literary legend, reaffirming Baldwin’s place as a central figure in America’s cultural, racial, and queer histories.