Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, known for her compelling explorations of race and history, joins for a thought-provoking discussion. She delves into her latest play, 'Sally & Tom,' which examines the complex relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. The conversation tackles America’s tendencies to gloss over its past, the importance of revising historical narratives, and how art can foster dialogue about uncomfortable truths. Parks emphasizes that confronting history with honesty is an act of love.
45:35
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Inspiration for Sally & Tom
Suzan-Lori Parks was inspired to write "Sally & Tom" while working on another play about enslaved people.
The title's pattern, mirroring her earlier work "Lincoln and Booth," intrigued her.
insights INSIGHT
A Play Within a Play
"Sally & Tom" uses a play-within-a-play structure to explore how narratives are shaped.
This highlights the collaborative process of making history and the complexities of truth and reconciliation.
insights INSIGHT
Jefferson's Choices
Thomas Jefferson's actions cannot be solely attributed to his time period.
His contemporaries, like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, made different choices regarding slavery.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In 'Erasure', Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison, a professor of English literature and novelist, struggles with the publishing industry's expectations of what constitutes 'black enough' literature. Frustrated, Monk writes a parody of ghetto novels, titled 'My Pafology' or 'Fuck', which unexpectedly gains widespread acclaim and financial success under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh. The novel explores themes of identity, alienation, and the commodification of black experiences, while also delving into Monk's personal life, including his family's struggles and his own identity crisis[1][3][5].
Getting Mother's Body
Suzan-Lori Parks
Getting Mother's Body is Suzan-Lori Parks's debut novel, published in 2003. It follows Billy Beede, a pregnant teenager in 1960s Texas, as she navigates her complicated life and family dynamics. The story is a reimagining of William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, set in an African American context. Billy's journey involves exhuming her mother's body, rumored to be buried with valuable jewels, accompanied by a cast of eccentric characters each with their own motivations.
In her latest play, Sally & Tom, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks tackles what is, arguably, one of the most complicated and personal chapters in American history: the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman who gave birth to at least six of his children.
Kara and Parks discuss the play in the context of her past work, as well as our nation's trend of revising history to sand down its rough edges, and why wrestling with our nation’s past is a sign of love.
On with Kara Swisher 
