Soraya Nadia McDonald

Kurt Vonnegut Radio with Gabe Hudson

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Soraya Nadia McDonald

O hey peoplen the musical genius of Aretha Franklin

Gabe Hudson

Feb 16, 2023

Hey People,

Hope you’re doing as well as can be in the middle of the apocalypse. That chemical spill in Ohio is a true American nightmare. Apparently some blue collar workers who live in that part of Ohio were extras in the recent film version of Don DeLillo’s White Noise. If your head is spinning after reading that line, don’t worry, mine is too, from writing it. Then there’s the recent shooting at Michigan State. One of my former students from Yonsei University in Seoul is doing their PhD at Michigan State. And the building on campus where one of the shootings took place is my former student’s department building, where they hold TA office hours and teach their classes. Can you imagine? Meanwhile our government is using fighter jets to shoot unidentified flying objects out of the sky. Hey 2023, slow your roll.

Anyway, today on the show we have the very fabulous Soraya Nadia McDonald. Soraya is the senior cultural critic for Andscape (formerly known as The Undefeated). Soraya has received a ton of honors for her writing: she won the George Jean Nathan Prize for dramatic criticism, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, and the runner-up for the Vernon Jarrett Medal for excellence in reporting on Black life. Soraya talks to me about Aretha Franklin’s powerful artistry and how Aretha went from feeling like a revered celebrity to a family member. Soraya also talks about her decision to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis and how her online community helped her beat breast cancer. Plus we get into some other cool stuff.

I had a ton of fun chatting with Soraya. Was thrilled/honored to have her on the show. And I’m excited for you to hear our convo. So please enjoy!

Stay safe out there, people.

Love,
Gabe

Episode Notes:

Soraya Nadia McDonald is the senior cultural critic for Andscape (formerly known as The Undefeated). She won the George Jean Nathan Prize for dramatic criticism, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, and the runner-up for the Vernon Jarrett Medal for excellence in reporting on Black life. Soraya tells Gabe about her decision to go public with her cancer diagnosis and the bond she formed with her Twitter followers who are cancer survivors. Soraya also talks about Aretha Franklin's powerful artistry and how Aretha went from feeling like a revered celebrity to a family member.

Produced by Lit Hub

Read Soraya Nadia McDonald on Andscape

Visit Soraya's website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram

Watch Soraya on YouTube

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