60 acast.com Sylly https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/sylly en Mbiye Kasonga Mbiye Kasonga syllabus - a biweekly show from Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton Hurst. Every other week we'll dive into a primary text, using it as a starting point for big conversations, syllabus included.

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]]> syllabus - a biweekly show from Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton Hurst. Every other week we'll dive into a primary text, using it as a starting point for big conversations, syllabus included.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> false Mbiye Kasonga hello@moyomedia.me 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa sylly episodic https://assets.pippa.io/shows/67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa/1739486230349-784c1b8a-7b22-4651-9d85-c8100612b6a9.jpeg https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/sylly Sylly The Axes of Power Are Shifting The Axes of Power Are Shifting Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:06:01 GMT 1:28:52 69d40c86b76468caac7766f6 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/69d40c86b76468caac7766f6 69d40c86b76468caac7766f6 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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. White ladies are playing majhong (again) and celebrating the Lunar New Year. Watching the movie Her feels like watching a documentary (what did Spike Jonze know?!). Watching Ex Machina feels like watching Melania. 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


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


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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. White ladies are playing majhong (again) and celebrating the Lunar New Year. Watching the movie Her feels like watching a documentary (what did Spike Jonze know?!). Watching Ex Machina feels like watching Melania. 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


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


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]]> Three Good Things From 2025 Three Good Things From 2025 Thu, 08 Jan 2026 17:33:11 GMT 1:02:53 695fea583b4587aaa3429622 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/695fea583b4587aaa3429622 695fea583b4587aaa3429622 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. In today's episode, we're reflecting on 2025 and giving winter reading recommendations. Thank you for listening. Stay tuned for more in 2026!

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]]> Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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 for more information.

]]> The Dating Dowry The Dating Dowry Thu, 16 Oct 2025 17:18:06 GMT 1:30:29 68f128cea17170c2a9d1ad44 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/68f128cea17170c2a9d1ad44 68f128cea17170c2a9d1ad44 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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, 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


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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, 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


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]]> A Close Reading of Dominion by Addie Citchens A Close Reading of Dominion by Addie Citchens Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:28:01 GMT 1:19:14 68d40e015f6bcc1129b688ca false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/68d40e015f6bcc1129b688ca 68d40e015f6bcc1129b688ca 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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 by Addie Citchens

Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu

Gwyneth by Amy Odell

Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell

The Power Broker by Robert Caro

Babel by R. F. Kuang

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Sula by Toni Morrison

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Erasure by Percival Everett

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. 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 by Addie Citchens

Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu

Gwyneth by Amy Odell

Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell

The Power Broker by Robert Caro

Babel by R. F. Kuang

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Sula by Toni Morrison

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Erasure by Percival Everett

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite


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]]> Deep Reading and Deep Writing with Tembe Denton Hurst Deep Reading and Deep Writing with Tembe Denton Hurst Fri, 29 Aug 2025 16:59:39 GMT 58:02 68b1dc7ce9dcbdcab9537125 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/68b1dc7ce9dcbdcab9537125 68b1dc7ce9dcbdcab9537125 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. In episode nine, we’re throwing it back to the very first podcast we ever recorded together. I (Mbiye) interviewed Tembe for my book podcast Unbound last summer. We dove deep into Tembe’s debut novel, Homebodies, her early reading habits, and her writing practice.


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


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]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. In episode nine, we’re throwing it back to the very first podcast we ever recorded together. I (Mbiye) interviewed Tembe for my book podcast Unbound last summer. We dove deep into Tembe’s debut novel, Homebodies, her early reading habits, and her writing practice.


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


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]]> The Sylly Summer Reading Special The Sylly Summer Reading Special Fri, 08 Aug 2025 15:30:24 GMT 58:12 68961810f9482328d0101ecf false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/68961810f9482328d0101ecf 68961810f9482328d0101ecf 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. In episode eight, we each share three book recommendations perfect for summer reading in August, emphasizing literature that explores deep relationships, identity, and personal transformation.


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.


Subscribe on Substack

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. In episode eight, we each share three book recommendations perfect for summer reading in August, emphasizing literature that explores deep relationships, identity, and personal transformation.


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.


Subscribe on Substack

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]]> Soft Life, Hard Times Ahead Soft Life, Hard Times Ahead Fri, 25 Jul 2025 19:06:39 GMT 1:24:15 6883d5c0e0a86cc3ab1aa8db false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/6883d5c0e0a86cc3ab1aa8db 6883d5c0e0a86cc3ab1aa8db 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full

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]]>

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]]> A Humanist Take on Generative AI A Humanist Take on Generative AI Tue, 15 Jul 2025 16:36:10 GMT 1:13:15 6876837a12713a20e100735f false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/6876837a12713a20e100735f 6876837a12713a20e100735f 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full

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]]>

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]]> The Power of Illegibility The Power of Illegibility Sat, 24 May 2025 04:17:32 GMT 1:20:05 6831485ce57506ea9721a877 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/6831485ce57506ea9721a877 6831485ce57506ea9721a877 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week we’re talking about legibility from a different perspective, thinking through how it protects us. We do this by examining the work of two artists: Simone Leigh and Amy Sherald, thinking of what they’re work is saying and how it impact us. It’s worth mentioning that Amy Sherald has a major show on right now at The Whitney and it’s brilliant. Everyone should see it.

As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.


Books We Talked About


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]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week we’re talking about legibility from a different perspective, thinking through how it protects us. We do this by examining the work of two artists: Simone Leigh and Amy Sherald, thinking of what they’re work is saying and how it impact us. It’s worth mentioning that Amy Sherald has a major show on right now at The Whitney and it’s brilliant. Everyone should see it.

As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.


Books We Talked About


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]]> The Cost of Legibility The Cost of Legibility Sat, 05 Apr 2025 17:29:35 GMT 1:16:44 67f1685be0f1f8da2724eba8 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/67f1685be0f1f8da2724eba8 67f1685be0f1f8da2724eba8 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week we’re thinking about legibility and what it costs us, as human beings and more specifically, as Black women. To investigate we dove into two primary texts. Tembe brought Sula to the table (again), and Mbiye analyzed a TikTok by kadencecentana, which asks the question—is content creation the new hoop dreams? (yes).

As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.


For a full list of the books we discussed, check us out on Substack.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome back to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week we’re thinking about legibility and what it costs us, as human beings and more specifically, as Black women. To investigate we dove into two primary texts. Tembe brought Sula to the table (again), and Mbiye analyzed a TikTok by kadencecentana, which asks the question—is content creation the new hoop dreams? (yes).

As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.


For a full list of the books we discussed, check us out on Substack.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> What Do We Owe Each Other? What Do We Owe Each Other? Fri, 14 Mar 2025 14:38:48 GMT 1:35:34 67d43f78aaba807fb7ad8e65 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/67d43f78aaba807fb7ad8e65 67d43f78aaba807fb7ad8e65 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Welcome to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week, we talked about community. more specifically, we spent some time with Mbiye’s primary text, What is Community Anyway, an article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review. In a world where community is diluted by the internet and weaponized by brands to get us to buy stuff, it’s important that we come to a shared understanding of community. Tembe’s text, Sula, rounds out our discussion of community and friendship, helping us dive deeper into the question underneath it all: what do we owe each other?

As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.


Books We Talked About


If you loved the episode, please rate, like, and subscribe on your platform of choice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome to Sylly, a podcast for the curious and critical. We’re your hosts, Mbiye Kasonga and Tembe Denton-Hurst. This week, we talked about community. more specifically, we spent some time with Mbiye’s primary text, What is Community Anyway, an article from the Stanford Social Innovation Review. In a world where community is diluted by the internet and weaponized by brands to get us to buy stuff, it’s important that we come to a shared understanding of community. Tembe’s text, Sula, rounds out our discussion of community and friendship, helping us dive deeper into the question underneath it all: what do we owe each other?

As always, if there’s anything you want us to talk about on the pod during our office hours, email at: syllythepod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening.


Books We Talked About


If you loved the episode, please rate, like, and subscribe on your platform of choice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> A Close Reading of All Fours A Close Reading of All Fours Sat, 01 Mar 2025 01:25:47 GMT 1:36:04 67c2621ba7ca43b05e9c11a4 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/67c2621ba7ca43b05e9c11a4 67c2621ba7ca43b05e9c11a4 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full Thank you for listening to Sylly! Keep up with us on Substack.



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]]> Thank you for listening to Sylly! Keep up with us on Substack.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Welcome to Sylly Welcome to Sylly Thu, 13 Feb 2025 19:54:02 GMT 41:23 67ae4ddab859f4e0dbcb0a51 false https://shows.acast.com/sylly/episodes/67ae4ddab859f4e0dbcb0a51 67ae4ddab859f4e0dbcb0a51 67ae4d906addc7890b4dcdaa full

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