Our editorial staff put together 15 Design Matters conversations worth listening to this month. They are writers, artists, comedians, filmmakers, and musicians. Activists, mentors, educators, and journalists. They all sat down with Debbie Millman and revealed essential truths about their creative sources, what moves them, where they came from, and much more.
Saeed Jones
Jones has lived an extraordinary life of adversity and achievement—and in his memoir, How We Fight For Our Lives, he pulls no punches as he boldly brings it all to the page. Listen.
Jacqueline Woodson
In her inspiring creative journey, author Jacqueline Woodson went from struggling with words as a child to mastering them today. Listen.
Jason Reynolds
The award-winning author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature discusses his prolific writing career that inspires young readers to discover their own stories. Listen.
Audie Cornish
The legendary anchor, correspondent, journalist, host, and interviewer, joins Debbie live to talk about her two-decade career covering national, political, and breaking news. Listen.
Antwaun Sargent
The writer, editor, and curator joins to talk about his remarkable career, positioned at the center of the explosion of interest in art made by Black Americans. Listen.
Candace Carty-Williams
The author of the bestselling book Queenie joins a guest host, Roxane Gay, to talk about her latest novel People Person which follows five half-siblings forced together in the wake of a dramatic event. Listen.
Ashley C. Ford
Joining to discuss her memoir, Somebody’s Daughter, Ford has captured a complex childhood shaped by family secrets, incarceration, and resilience. Listen.
Michael R. Jackson
The Pulitzer Prize playwright, composer, lyricist and self-described “trash talker” riffs on race, identity and sexuality as he discusses his life on and off the page. Listen.
Mickalene Thomas
Known for her elaborate paintings composed of rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel, Thomas draws on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power. Listen.
Amy Sherald
Before her portrait of Michelle Obama took the world by storm, Sherald persevered through an incredible set of obstacles to become the brilliant artist that she is today. Listen.
Bisa Butler
The fiber artist discusses the AfriCOBRA tradition, the artistic breakthrough that led to her finding her voice, and the process behind her amazing life-size works. Listen.
Dario Calmese
The artist, urbanist, director, and brand consultant shares his thoughts on photography and the design of the world around us. Listen.
Anita Hill
More than thirty years ago, she became a household name and a hero for many women when she told the world about how Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her at work. Hill joins to talk about her extraordinary life and her book, Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence. Listen.
Maurice Cherry
From Selma to corporate America to the launch of his own ventures, Cherry has faced extreme adversity and emerged as a brilliant mind at the forefront of design. Listen.
Cey Adams
He went from stealing paint and throwing up tags in the Bronx to happening upon a brilliant career in art direction and design—one that would brand the burgeoning movement of hip hop in New York City. Listen.