Christopher Freeburg — Soul: A Brief History of Black Cultural Life - with Tamika Smith

Christopher Freeburg presents *Soul: A Brief History of Black Cultural Life*, an exploration of soul as hard-won wisdom and a sustaining form of Black cultural expression. The book considers how Black individuals and communities transformed experiences of oppression, alienation, and defeat into moral courage, shared belonging, and visions of a more equal American life.

Freeburg traces this idea through musical, religious, and political traditions, drawing on figures including Phillis Wheatley, Nina Simone, Barack Obama, and disco owner Jewel Thais-Williams. He describes soul as a continuing exchange between individuals and communities, organized around four qualities: resonance, revelation, resilience, and transcendence. He will discuss the book with Tamika Smith.

When: October 3, 2026

Showtime: 3:00 p.m.

Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Format: Christopher Freeburg will be in conversation with Tamika Smith, the local host of WAMU’s *All Things Considered* and *Consider This*. Smith joined WAMU in 2014 and has also worked as a host and reporter for WAMU/DCist. Her previous work includes producing the *Russ Parr Morning Show* and launching the award-winning *Question of the Day with Murray and Tamika* interactive trivia program on Amazon Alexa.

Speaker: Christopher Freeburg is the Presidential Humanities and Social Sciences Chair in English at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His previous book is *Counterlife: Slavery after Resistance and Social Death*.

Tickets: Free

Seating: Seating is first come, first served.

Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. The organizers will make an effort to accommodate requests submitted up to the event time.

Related book: *Soul: A Brief History of Black Cultural Life* is available in hardcover for $28.00. The book’s listed publication date is September 22, 2026.