The book publisher Verso has brought back its podcast. Hosted by Eleanor Penny, The Verso Podcast feature thinkers published by Verso discussing their works and the big ideas that are effecting the planet and the people, animals, and plants that inhabit this hurtling rock. Founded in the late 1970s, Verso is "the largest independent, radical publishing house in the English-speaking world."
The first episode, "Against Nature", featured "Raj Patel, an author, filmmaker and academic, and Tina Ngata, a Maori activist and human rights advocate, join Eleanor Penny to discuss the connections between colonialism, environmental destruction, and the ongoing fight for climate justice." In the second episode, a timely release ahead of the Coronation of King Charles, "Tariq Ali and Priyamvada Gopal delve into the cult of Winston Churchill. It is a call to confront the painful and uncomfortable truths of the British Empire's past – and its ongoing influence on the world today."
Though I often listen to interviews or presentations with the upcoming guests I will definitely be tuning in as the first two episodes have already seared quotes in my mind.
"In the coming months, we have a lineup of exciting guests and topics that we can't wait to share with you. This includes Professor Ruth Wilson Gilmore in conversation with Dalia Gebrial about abolitionist politics, and Robin DG Kelley and Kevin Ochieng Okoth discuss the life and work of Walter Rodney."
Click here for a history of Verso press, from its origins in the New Left Review and New Left Books. Verso is the technical publishing term for the left-hand page of a book.
