

Sylly
Mbiye Kasonga
Sylly, as in syllabus - a biweekly show from Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton Hurst. Every other week we'll dive into a primary text, using it as a starting point for big conversations, syllabus included. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 25, 2025 • 1h 24min
Soft Life, Hard Times Ahead
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 13min
A Humanist Take on Generative AI
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 24, 2025 • 1h 20min
The Power of Illegibility
Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week we’re talking about legibility from a different perspective, thinking through how it protects us. We do this by examining the work of two artists: Simone Leigh and Amy Sherald, thinking of what they’re work is saying and how it impact us. It’s worth mentioning that Amy Sherald has a major show on right now at The Whitney and it’s brilliant. Everyone should see it.As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.Books We Talked AboutFriends of the Museum by Heather McGowanLong Division by Kiese LaymonMartyr! by Kaveh AkbarErasure by Percival EverettBabel by R.F. KuangYellowface by R.F. KuangThe Poppy War by R.F. Kuang Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 5, 2025 • 1h 17min
The Cost of Legibility
Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week we’re thinking about legibility and what it costs us, as human beings and more specifically, as Black women. To investigate we dove into two primary texts. Tembe brought Sula to the table (again), and Mbiye analyzed a TikTok by kadencecentana, which asks the question—is content creation the new hoop dreams? (yes).As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.For a full list of the books we discussed, check us out on Substack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 14, 2025 • 1h 36min
What Do We Owe Each Other?
Welcome to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week, we talked about community. more specifically, we spent some time with Mbiye’s primary text, What is Community Anyway, an article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review. In a world where community is diluted by the internet and weaponized by brands to get us to buy stuff, it’s important that we come to a shared understanding of community. Tembe’s text, Sula, rounds out our discussion of community and friendship, helping us dive deeper into the question underneath it all: what do we owe each other?As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.Books We Talked AboutDream State by Eric PuchnerSula by Toni MorrisonPachinko by Min Jin LeeYellowface by R.F. KuangThe Power Broker by Robert CaroIf you loved the episode, please rate, like, and subscribe on your platform of choice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 1, 2025 • 1h 36min
A Close Reading of All Fours
The podcast navigates the complexities of identity and personal growth amidst societal challenges. It humorously critiques young adult literature while addressing representation and diversity. The discussion on the portrayal of race and privilege in literature reflects deeper societal issues. Conversations around the Met Gala highlight the struggles of representation, particularly for Black men. Themes of truth, goodness, and the absurdity of pop culture add depth to the dialogue, providing a thought-provoking blend of humor and seriousness.

Feb 13, 2025 • 41min
Welcome to Sylly
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.