The Case for Contemporary Fiction

The Case for Contemporary Fiction

Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga [https://choicecuts.substack.com/] and Tembe Denton-Hurst [https://tembe.substack.com/]. In episode 13, we’re making the case for contemporary fiction and engaging with the present. Our culture is obsessed with nostalgia, and it often feels like we’re stuck in a loop of reboots and sequels. In the literary world, that nostalgia manifests in a reflexive distrust of contemporary novels or an insistent belief that books are getting worse. To counter that narrative, we created a list of 10 excellent contemporary novel recommendations, just in time for summer reading. You’re welcome. Listen to the full episode on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2es8mv92DWUIsMSh4NDB5V?si=5ad7eb5fd4234c93] or Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sylly/id1796242704?i=1000732173763]. Subscribe to Sylly on Substack [https://syllypod.substack.com/] TEN GREAT BOOKS FROM THE LAST TEN YEARS The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett [https://rep.club/products/vanishing-half?_pos=1&_psq=The+Vanishing+Half+by+Brit+Bennett&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans [https://rep.club/products/office-of-historical-corrections?_pos=1&_sid=f0c444a12&_ss=r] The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw [https://rep.club/products/secret-lives-church-ladies?_pos=1&_psq=The+Secret+Lives+of+Church+Ladies+by+Deesha+Philyaw&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires [https://rep.club/products/heads-of-the-colored-people?_pos=1&_psq=Heads+of+the+Colored+People+by+Nafissa+Thompson-Spires&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead [https://rep.club/products/nickel-boys?_pos=1&_psq=Nickel+Boys+by+Colson+Whitehead&_ss=e&_v=1.0] The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-rachel-incident-a-novel-caroline-o-donoghue/7daa86ae389b6135?ean=9780593469446&next=t&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&utm_content={adgroupname}&utm_term=dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12440232635&gbraid=0AAAAACfld41K60cxXQEQczpZ3M4kkQXUv&gclid=CjwKCAjw857RBhAgEiwAI-1yKLz1EC0N6PZVGaIRm4MmkFDFcDoa7zX-PhektcHIZytTAbnPu4FhUhoCsBcQAvD_BwE] Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi [https://rep.club/products/transcendent-kingdom?_pos=1&_psq=Transcendent+Kingdom+by+Yaa+Gyasi&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn [https://rep.club/products/patsy-nicole-dennis-benn?_pos=1&_psq=Patsy+by+Nicole+Dennis-Benn&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar [https://rep.club/products/martyr?_pos=1&_psq=Martyr%21+by+Kaveh+Akbar&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde [https://rep.club/products/necessary-fiction?_pos=1&_sid=e743fecee&_ss=r] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Axes of Power Are Shifting

Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga [https://choicecuts.substack.com/] and Tembe Denton-Hurst [https://tembe.substack.com/]. In episode 12, we’re taking stock of 2026 so far, and it’s been a disrespectful ass year, to say the least. Jerome Powell revised jobs numbers and told us what we already knew: there are no jobs [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/powell-job-creation-is-near-zero-202637723.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKtTtx6TWTHGgU4p3LYdWjED7RPKEIcQqT5j7_kqfP9ufoj9BItwb1f8HKjdCj5lAuefrfTOPU8A5R9zcIfUcYi58Bpe-wJjBT66CpnfII82kVUWOv_0yWlu12DGje-pDryd5QrWO6LyLeVRU0oEmSXORmatxuEh2uXQqJxaY3lt]. White ladies are playing majhong [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/realestate/game-room-decor-mahjong-trend.html#:~:text=That's%20the%20case%20with%20the,mahjong%20tiles%2C%20mats%20and%20tablecloths.] (again) and celebrating the Lunar New Year [https://www.tiktok.com/@emilyascari/video/7607678872489889026?_r=1&_t=ZT-94CpSoFKwu6]. Watching the movie Her [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_(2013_film)] feels like watching a documentary (what did Spike Jonze know?!). Watching Ex Machina [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Machina_(film)] feels like watching Melania [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sHSBgU5p4Y]. And through it all, someone online is telling you that your nervous system needs to be reset. We don’t really have any answers in this episode, but we do have a lot of jokes.  Subscribe to Sylly on Substack [https://syllypod.substack.com/] As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email us at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back with a new episode in a couple of weeks! BOOKS WE TALKED ABOUT * Seduction Theory [https://bookshop.org/p/books/seduction-theory-emily-adrian/666d74f1e04427cc?ean=9780316584517&next=t&] by Emily Adrian * Loved One [https://rep.club/products/loved-one] by Aisha Muharrar * The Wedding [https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-wedding_dorothy-west/268537/#edition=2381701&idiq=2841549] by Dorothy West * Sugar [https://bookshop.org/p/books/sugar-a-novel-bernice-l-mcfadden/d4959ea4a39bd186] by Bernice McFadden * Best Woman [https://bookshop.org/p/books/best-woman-a-novel-rose-dommu/14e277048afd9223] by Rose Dommu * What I Talk About When I Talk About Running [https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-a-memoir-haruki-murakami/82a40a23a12eb99d?ean=9780307389831&next=t&] by Haruki Murakami ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Three Good Things From 2025

Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga [https://choicecuts.substack.com/] and Tembe Denton-Hurst [https://tembe.substack.com/]. In today's episode, we're reflecting on 2025 and giving winter reading recommendations. Thank you for listening. Stay tuned for more in 2026! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Dating Dowry

Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga [https://choicecuts.substack.com/] and Tembe Denton-Hurst [https://tembe.substack.com/]. In episode 11, we’re discussing the transactional nature of modern dating. We’ve noticed a trend of women online who post content about finding rich men to date and marry, alongside conversations about how couples split their finances, and we wanted to explore the macro trends that might be informing this behavior.  We leveraged two primary texts for this conversation. The first is a journal article by Megan Sawey that explores the reasons why women engage in sugar dating [https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/8811], while the second is, of course, Toni Childs. We use both of these ‘texts’ as a vehicle to discuss the dating market, how women invest in beauty to increase their perceived value, and how, ultimately, the “sprinkle sprinkle” mindset is a class mobility fantasy that could have negative outcomes for women. As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email us at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back with a new episode in a couple of weeks! BOOKS WE TALKED ABOUT * Heartburn [https://bookshop.org/p/books/heartburn-nora-ephron/e444db28514a647e?ean=9780679767954&next=t] by Nora Ephron * Exit Lane [https://bookshop.org/p/books/exit-lane-an-831-stories-romance-erika-veurink/afdf73402fc56ae6?ean=9798893310610&next=t] by Erica Veurink * The Wilderness [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wilderness-a-novel-angela-flournoy/7d93440f3cc3ee98?ean=9780063318779&next=t] by Angela Flournoy * Perfection [https://bookshop.org/p/books/perfection-vincenzo-latronico/6981f7e9ec53bba8?ean=9781681378725&next=t] by Vincenzo Latronico ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

A Close Reading of Dominion by Addie Citchens

Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga [https://choicecuts.substack.com/] and Tembe Denton-Hurst [https://tembe.substack.com/]. In episode ten, we’re diving deep into our favorite contemporary fiction read of 2025 so far: Dominion. In this spoiler-filled episode, we delve into the book’s intricate characterizations, thematic complexity, and how it offers a rich commentary on patriarchy and gender roles within a tight-knit community. We also touch on Citchen’s compelling depiction of women’s roles in the church and their struggle for autonomy and self-worth. Thank you for listening! As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email us at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening, and we’ll be back with a new episode in a couple of weeks! BOOKS WE TALKED ABOUT Dominion [https://bookshop.org/p/books/dominion-addie-e-citchens/21862550?ean=9780374609337&next=t] by Addie Citchens Lonely Crowds [https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=lonely+crowds] by Stephanie Wambugu Gwyneth [https://bookshop.org/p/books/gwyneth-the-biography-amy-odell/05570a5d2d68cb47?ean=9781668005774&next=t] by Amy Odell Anna: The Biography [https://bookshop.org/p/books/anna-the-biography-amy-odell/6b6e23dad2de1c0d?ean=9781982122645&next=t] by Amy Odell The Power Broker [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-power-broker-robert-moses-and-the-fall-of-new-york-robert-a-caro/d422fb89e9efb810?ean=9780394720241&next=t] by Robert Caro Babel [https://bookshop.org/p/books/babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence-an-arcane-history-of-the-oxford-translators-revolution-r-f-kuang/f3bd39e4724ae085?ean=9780063021433&next=t] by R. F. Kuang The Mothers [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mothers-a-novel-brit-bennett/903603ebc9073db2?ean=9780399184529&next=t] by Brit Bennett Sula [https://bookshop.org/p/books/sula-toni-morrison/6c235bd3b1db2992?ean=9781400033430&next=t] by Toni Morrison Song of Solomon [https://bookshop.org/p/books/song-of-solomon-a-novel-toni-morrison/cc4bc904544610b5?ean=9781400033423&next=t] by Toni Morrison Erasure [https://bookshop.org/p/books/erasure-a-novel-percival-everett/a3a79b5e714169f8?ean=9781555975999&next=t] by Percival Everett My Sister, the Serial Killer [https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-sister-the-serial-killer-oyinkan-braithwaite/73dfb4ca90065e61?ean=9780525564201&next=t] by Oyinkan Braithwaite ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.