I wasn't able to record our Zoom session, but I have compiled a list of authors we discussed, along with additions. You'll also find two links: one to an interesting article on LitHub about expanding the canon of Black writers, and links to the podcast I referenced during our session. 

Chinua Achebe, Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jericho Brown, Octavia Butler, Edwidge Danticat, W.E.B Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, Alex Haley, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Marlon James, Naguib Mahfouz, Toni Morrison, Helen Oyeyemi, Claudia Rankine, Tayeb Salih, Zadie Smith, Natasha Tretheway, Derek Walcott, Alice Walker, Jesmyn Ward, Colson Whitehead, John Edgar Wideman, Richard Wright

And consider this article posted at LitHub:

Toward an Expanded Canon of Black Literature

The panel discussion I mention from Stanford Humanities Center (first link is to the website, the second is to the same as a podcast):

https://shc.stanford.edu/multimedia/representations-race-and-ethnicity-art-and-literature

Representations of Race and Ethnicity in Art and Literature

Here's a link to the audio recording of our discussion and review:

Sunday audio:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hbuj8gcotuit69z/Recording_04-26-20__05_14_PM_20200426_76488.m4a?dl=0

Gilgamesh

See our Feb. 19th post: 
https://www.brilliantminds.info/2020/02/miscelgilgamesh.html

Rumi

John Paul Lederach, conflict resolution, and Rumi:
https://youtu.be/vFYTlJUwdH8

Relating Rumi to Islam:
Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses--Annotated & Explained Paperback – February 1, 2004 by Ibrahim Dr. Ibrahim Gamard

King Lear

Here's a link to an audio recording of our Q&A:

Mostly Dostoevsky

Two more video commentaries on Lear:

Act 1, Scene 2, Edmund (some audio issues in the beginning)

Act 3, Scenes 2 & 4, Lear in the storm

Concluding comments on our Tuesday discussion of Euripides' Helen. Click on the player bar, below (approx. 16 min):

Helen_Conclusion

Peter considers 5 answers proposed by Euripides drama.

Brilliant Minds Podcast #2

Download Transcript

Transcript:
Over the Summer during the first of our August Classes, I introduced the idea that every Great Book asks and answers all of the following 5 Big Questions of life. Those 5 Big Questions are:

1. Who am I?
2. Why am I here?
3. What kind of a world is this?
4. What is my place in it?
5. What do I do about it?

We can apply this to Helen by Euripides, and consider these possible answers:

1. Who am I? I am a mortal with limited knowledge, subject to fate and the gods.
2. Why am I here? I am fighting to survive and to preserve my honor, my reputation, and to gain glory. I am here to be recognized.
3. What kind of a world is this? It is a world of unreliable appearances, full of deceit and injustice, but it is also a world of free will, possibilities, and opportunity.
4. What is my place in it? My place depends entirely on my relationships with others, whether they are gods, society, or family. I am responsible for my actions.
5. What do I do about it? I am to respect the gods and to use all my physical & mental resources to achieve my goals through strategic thought, speech, & action.

How would you answer these questions, based on your reading of the play?

Welcome to the first Brilliant Minds podcast!

A brief comment about drama, presence, perception and Euripides' Helen.

You can also download a pdf transcript here:

Brilliant Minds Podcast