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a Black man wearing a navy suit and light-colored shirt with an open collar stands in front of a blurred cityscape
Courtesy Joshua Johnson

The 21st Show

Joshua Johnson: Embrace conflict, not contempt

Joshua Johnson was the host NPR’s flagship talk program, 1A. He also had shows on MSNBC and NBC News Now. Today he’s delivering satirical news for The Onion.

Beyond that work, Johnson is also thinking through the ways Americans can better connect across some of our deepest divides. To that end, he created “The Resolution Game,” and gave a TED Talk earlier this year titled “Idiots Are Everywhere. Here’s How to Cope.”
 

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a collage of McBride's book covers includes The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, The Color of Water, The Good Lord Bird, and Miracle at Saint Anna; the author is also pictured: a light-skinned black man rests his head on his chin in a thoughtful pose; he has a narrow salt-and-pepper goatee and is wearing a dark blue sweater with a matching blue beret
Chia Messina

The 21st Show

Author James McBride on seeking the good in dark times

James McBride is a man of many talents: musician, screenwriter, and an award-winning author. His latest novel, “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” was a huge bestseller. He’s also written the memoir “The Color of Water,” about growing up in Brooklyn as one of twelve Black children raised by a white, Jewish mother.

McBride will be featured as part of the Great Authors at the Library series Thursday (Oct. 8, 2026) at the Champaign Public Library.

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Illinois Arts Council Agency

These programs are partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.