NPR's Book of the Day — "Black Bag" by Luke Kennard
Episode Date: March 25, 2026
Host: Scott Simon
Guest: Luke Kennard
Overview
This episode delves into Luke Kennard's new novel, Black Bag, a work inspired by a real classroom experiment about anonymity and human behavior. The story follows an unnamed, struggling actor hired to zip himself into a black leather bag and observe a university class — a setup that sparks deep questions about identity, masculinity, and the projections we make onto each other. Kennard joins Scott Simon to discuss the book's origins, themes, and the mysterious power of the “black bag.”
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Novel and Its Mysterious Opening
- The narrator is a nameless, out-of-work actor who is offered a peculiar role: zip into a black bag at the back of a lecture hall to become part of a classroom experiment.
- Kennard reads from the opening:
"I am in Black Bag and I'm lying on a desk at the back of the lecture theater... But why shouldn't I imagine the room to be far nicer than it may in fact be?" [01:57]
Inspiration: The Original 1967 Black Bag Experiment
- Scott Simon brings up the inspiration from a documented experiment by Charles Goetzinger at Oregon State University in 1967.
- Kennard explains:
- The experiment tested the “mere exposure effect” — repeated presence breeds familiarity, even affection, no matter how strange the stimulus.
- Goetzinger's black bag sat silently in classes; students initially disliked it, but by term’s end, they grew fond and even protective of it.
- Notable quote:
"They ended up standing up for him if anyone criticized his appearance or his silence. And by the end of the semester they were sort of inviting him out, kind of end of term party." [02:35]
Motives of Dr. Bland — The Professor in the Novel
- Dr. Bland, the experiment’s orchestrator in Kennard’s version, is an aging academic seeking rejuvenation in his teaching.
- He has rerun the experiment 25 times, and it always ends badly; this is his last attempt.
- Notable quote:
"He's towards the end of his career... he's become obsessed with this particular experiment and he's reiterated it... but it always goes wrong in some terrible way." [03:25]
The Actor's Dilemma: Is Sitting in a Bag a Role?
- Simon asks if acting from inside a bag poses a unique challenge.
- Kennard comments on the narrator’s disappointment and theatrical snobbery:
- The narrator hates the roles he gets—“murder mystery dinner theatre” or “experimental issues-based theatre”—and sees Black Bag as both protest and retreat.
- "To be Black Bag is to kind of just try to remove himself from the equation in some way and just play a non role, a non self." [04:07]
The Story’s Love Angle: Justine and the Theme of Masculinity
- An attraction develops between narrator and Justine, a professor of posthumanism.
- Justine is curious about ideas of “erasure,” especially in relation to masculinity.
- She consults for tech companies dealing with “toxic” young men and wonders if “putting them in a bag” could spark self-awareness.
- Notable quote:
"She is fascinated by, I suppose, this idea of erasure, but particularly as it relates to masculinity... maybe... silencing them for a little bit, putting them in a bag for a bit." [05:10]
Projecting onto the Other — “Black Bag” as Metaphor
- Simon reflects that we often treat people like black bags—projecting onto them without really knowing them.
- Kennard agrees:
- The bag becomes a canvas for everyone’s desires and assumptions.
- The narrator’s passivity allows others to create meaning around him.
- "Everybody is inwardly as confused, as occasionally brilliant, as awful, as conflicted as we are... there's always that risk of other people being reduced to flatter characters for us." [06:30]
Satire and University Life
- Simon quotes a line from Dr. Bland:
- “We're supposedly the finest minds in our respective disciplines, but we're required to spend most of our time boring, hungover teenagers to sleep.” [07:15]
- Kennard adds an ironic note:
- He insists his real-life students are “brilliant and surprisingly committed,” but recognizes the oddities of academia.
Memorable Moments & Lighter Notes
- Simon asks if any of Kennard’s students have shown up in a black bag.
- Kennard laughs, referencing an invitation to a reading where he was asked to dress as a black bag:
"I would have trouble either seeing the book or turning the pages... waiting for somebody to turn up to a lecture next week in full, full black leather, oblong, oblong bag. That would please me greatly." [08:00]
Notable Quotes
-
Luke Kennard on the experiment:
"They ended up standing up for him if anyone criticized his appearance or his silence. And by the end of the semester they were sort of inviting him out..." [02:35]
-
Kennard on the narrator’s role:
“To be Black Bag is to kind of just try to remove himself from the equation in some way and just play a non role, a non self.” [04:07]
-
Simon on the bag as metaphor:
“We often regard people as black bags, don't we? Filling in the blanks for suppositions we make without really knowing.” [06:21]
-
Kennard on our subjectivity:
"Everybody is inwardly as confused, as occasionally brilliant, as awful, as conflicted as we are... there's always that risk of other people being reduced to flatter characters for us.” [06:30]
Important Timestamps
- 01:57: Kennard reads from the opening of Black Bag.
- 02:35: Kennard describes the 1967 black bag experiment.
- 03:25: Discussion of Dr. Bland and his motivations.
- 04:07–04:50: The narrator’s struggles with ambition, identity, and acting.
- 05:10: Justine’s view on masculinity and the symbolic use of the bag.
- 06:21–06:30: Projection, subjectivity, and the metaphor of the black bag.
- 07:15–07:38: Satire about academic life.
- 08:00: Kennard jokes about readings and students in black bags.
Tone & Style
The conversation is thoughtful and lightly ironic, with deep dives into philosophy and academia, leavened by humor and literary insight. The tone is accessible for a general audience but layered for those who appreciate metafiction and satire.
For listeners, this episode offers insight into how a surreal classroom experiment becomes a lens onto masculinity, self-erasure, and the ways we project onto others, all with Kennard’s signature wit and literary panache.
