Writer Ekow Eshun on James Baldwin’s History | 'Notes on a Native Son' | Podcast

“Notes on a Native Son” is an audio series about how and why the writer James Baldwin continues to matter. We hear from people who turn to his words again and again for ideas and inspiration.

Our guest on the final episode of “Notes on a Native Son” is British writer Ekow Eshun. He has been described as a cultural polymath. At a startlingly young age, 29, he became the first Black editor of Arena, a mainstream magazine in the UK. He continued to break new ground when he became the first Black director of a major cultural institution, London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. These days, as chair of the Commissioning Group for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, he leads one of the world's most famous and sometimes controversial public art projects, always worth a visit if you're in London.

Eshun’s choice of Baldwin's work for our conversation is informed by a book he's recently written called “The Strangers,” about five prominent Black figures and their sense of isolation and exile. Host Razia Iqbal meets with Eshun at Princeton University where he was lecturing about art, curation, and happily for us, James Baldwin.

Hosted by journalist Razia Iqbal, each episode explores a Baldwin passage chosen and beloved by her guests. Their conversations underline Baldwin's lasting power and remind us of his prescience and acuity on issues such as race, class, sexuality, power, belonging and love.

Listen to the whole series here:    • 'Notes on a Native Son,’ A Celebration of ...  

This project was made possible through partnership between Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, Sea Salt & Mango Productions and WNYC Studios.

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Notes from America with Kai Wright is a live public radio show and podcast from WNYC about the unfinished business of our history and how we break its grip on our future. It airs every Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on WNYC, on-air across the country, online at wnyc.org, and available wherever you get your podcasts.

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