In this week’s episode, Kendra talks with Crystal Wilkinson about her book, Perfect Black, which out now from the University of Kentucky Press. Thanks to our sponsors! Sign-up now and browse more Literary Events and Workshops at literatureandpen.com! Check out our Patreon page to learn more about our book club and other Patreon-exclusive goodies. Follow along over on Instagram, join the discussion in our Goodreads group, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more new books and extra book reviews! Books Mentioned The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson Perfect Black by Crystal Wilkinson Crystal Recommends In Pursuit of Flavor by Edna Lewis Love Child’s Hotbed of Occasional Poetry by Nikki Finney The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw Horsepower by Joy Priest Affrilachia by Frank X Walker Spaces Between Us: Poetry, Prose and Art on HIV/AIDS by Kelly Norman Ellis Just Lookin' Out of the Window: Life's Lessons From My Mother by Kieth Wilson dying in the scarecrow's arms by Mitchell L. H. Douglas About the Author Crystal Wilkinson is the award-winning author of The Birds of Opulence (winner of the 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence), Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. Nominated for both the Orange Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, she has received recognition from The Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Kentucky Arts Council, The Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and is a recipient of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and her short stories, poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including most recently in the Oxford American and Southern Cultures. She currently teaches at the University of Kentucky where she is Associate Professor of English in the MFA in Creative Writing Program. Website | Instagram | Twitter CONTACT Questions? Comments? Email us hello@readingwomenpodcast.com.  SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website Music by Miki Saito with Isaac Greene Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices