Hanif Abdurraqib and Javier Zamora both float between poetry, memoir, essay, spoken word and more -- finding the right form to explore their personal experience within American history. They join Jody Avirgan to discuss their work and its impact.

For the past 250 years of America’s existence, books have been fundamental instruments through which we preserve, interpret, and engage in history as an ongoing practice of free expression.

At “This Day”, we’re partnering with Random House, the legendary book publisher, to bring you a special, month-long series called “A Nation of Readers.” In this series, we’ll be talking to an all-star cast of authors -- all published by Random House --- about how books and the act of distributing ideas through publishing shape and reshape American history.

We'll have new episodes every Sunday in the This Day feed, and a special two-part episode in the final week of June.

Find out more about A Nation Of Readers here.

Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.

This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.

If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.com

Get in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypod

Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A Nation Of Readers: Poetry, Essay, Hanif and Javier

This Day (An America 250 History Show)

A Nation Of Readers: Poetry, Essay, Hanif and Javier