Revisiting the Harlem Renaissance with Victoria Christopher Murray [Audio + Video]

In this episode, we visit the glamour and grit of 1920s Harlem with New York Times bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray as we dive into her latest novel, Harlem Rhapsody.

No lie, I knew I was going to read this story as soon as I saw the title, the cover alone had me, and then I read the synopsis and my jaw dropped.

In 1919, a high school teacher from Washington, D.C, arrives in Harlem excited to realize her lifelong dream. Jessie Redmon Fauset has been named the literary editor of The Crisis.

The first Black woman to hold this position at a preeminent Negro magazine, Jessie is poised to achieve literary greatness. But she holds a secret that jeopardizes it all.

W. E. B. Du Bois, the founder of The Crisis, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year age difference can keep the two apart. Amidst rumors of their tumultuous affair, Jessie is determined to prove herself.

She attacks the challenge of discovering young writers with fervor, finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends. Under Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives…every African American writer in the country wants their work published there.

When her first novel is released to great acclaim, it’s clear that Jessie is at the heart of a renaissance in Black music, theater, and the arts. She has shaped a generation of literary legends, but as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.

Now tell me you didn’t just reread that synopsis and sit back to gather yourself lol. After reading Harlem Rhapsody, Jessie Redmon Fauset lingered in my thoughts—I sat with her for weeks. From power and politics to love, ambition, and betrayal—this story has it all.

Check out my interview with Murray below, and don’t forget to comment, rate, and share the podcast episode!