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Fresh Air Weekend: 'Rustin' star Colman Domingo; Cord Jefferson on 'American Fiction'

"The realities of my life are a lot of the things that I put into the film," Cord Jefferson says of <em>American Fiction.</em>
Claire Folger
/
Orion Releasing LLC
"The realities of my life are a lot of the things that I put into the film," Cord Jefferson says of American Fiction.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

'Rustin' star Colman Domingo says the civil rights activist has been a 'North Star': Domingo plays Bayard Rustin, who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, but was forced into the background because he was gay. Domingo also stars as the abusive husband in The Color Purple.

In a year of book bans, Maureen Corrigan's top 10 affirm the joy of reading widely: Fresh Air's book critic says 2023 was an outstanding year for reading. Corrigan shares 10 of her favorite titles – a wide-ranging list of fiction and nonfiction.

What does it mean to be Black enough? Cord Jefferson explores this 'American Fiction': The film is a satire based on Percival Everett's novel Erasure. It's about a Black author whose editors want him to write clichéd stories of Black life — that rang true to director Cord Jefferson.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

'Rustin' star Colman Domingo says the civil rights activist has been a 'North Star'

In a year of book bans, Maureen Corrigan's top 10 affirm the joy of reading widely

What does it mean to be Black enough? Cord Jefferson explores this 'American Fiction'

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