Archives & Things podcast brings to the forefront the experiences of Black people who create, work with, and care for archival materials across North America. Your host, Melissa J. Nelson, is an archivist and educator based in Toronto, Canada. In these episodes, Melissa interviews members of her network who come from diverse backgrounds. What connects them is their interest in Black cultural memory, archives, and history. These episodes amplify the significance of archival possibilities and liberatory work for creating alternative futures. Learn more: www.melissajnelson.com
Archives & Things
Claim This Podcastby Melissa J. Nelson
4.9(12 reviews)
33 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇨🇦
56
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality63
Social94
YouTube0
Engagement77
Podcast Overview
Archives & Things podcast brings to the forefront the experiences of Black people who create, work with, and care for archival materials across North America. Your host, Melissa J. Nelson, is an archivist and educator based in Toronto, Canada. In these episodes, Melissa interviews members of her network who come from diverse backgrounds. What connects them is their interest in Black cultural memory, archives, and history. These episodes amplify the significance of archival possibilities and liberatory work for creating alternative futures. Learn more: www.melissajnelson.com
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/27/2022
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56
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality63
Social94
YouTube0
Engagement77
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excellent
Episode Length
37 minutes
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Every 42 days
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Recent Episodes
October 14, 2025
33 | BONUS: Openings
<p><strong>Summary:</strong></p><p>It's the last episode of the Archives & Things podcast. In this bonus episode, I say goodbye to the last chapter of my journey and move forward into openings. I also bring light to the current Archivaria Editor Team’s acts of violence as a “humiliation ritual” and means for exclusion, gatekeeping, and destruction. I call on the Association of Canadian Archivists to honour their commitment to address the culture of white supremacy and violence against Black people in the archival profession. </p><p><strong>Episode Resources:</strong></p><p>(Editors) Rebecka Taves Sheffield and Mario H. Ramirez. Call for Papers for Archivaria 100: Legacies of Critical Theory in Archives (Fall 2025). <a href="https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/announcement/view/83" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://archivaria.ca/index.php/archivaria/announcement/view/83</a> </p><p>Melissa J. Nelson. (2025). “Archives Association of Ontario’s virtual conference. Critical Hope in a Time of Uncertainty.” <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hd3Ae6epKudfk36YOz89Vq-a7U9nZTzq/view?usp=drive_link" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hd3Ae6epKudfk36YOz89Vq-a7U9nZTzq/view?usp=drive_link</a> </p><p>Dr. Carol Anderson (2016). “White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide.” <a href="https://www.professorcarolanderson.org/white-rage" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.professorcarolanderson.org/white-rage</a> </p><p>Jarrett M. Drake (2017). “I’m Leaving the Archival Profession: It’s Better This Way.” <a href="https://medium.com/on-archivy/im-leaving-the-archival-profession-it-s-better-this-way-ed631c6d72fe" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://medium.com/on-archivy/im-leaving-the-archival-profession-it-s-better-this-way-ed631c6d72fe</a> </p><p>@joixlee [Instagram] Ubuntu. “What dehumanizes you, dehumanizes me.” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM71LZ1Io7E/?igsh=MTcyeGpndDV0bXM3aQ==" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM71LZ1Io7E/?igsh=MTcyeGpndDV0bXM3aQ==</a> </p><p>@black.memory.co [Instagram] “Archival Turn. The Future is decentralization and redistribution. The Future is communal. The Future is repair.” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPMKSOYkeSD/?igsh=YXdtdG1qemx2dnlt" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/p/DPMKSOYkeSD/?igsh=YXdtdG1qemx2dnlt</a> </p><p>@Kathomi Gatwiri (2025). [LinkedIn] “Have you ever read the peer review feedback of a manuscript you spent months if not years working on and you literally had to shut down your laptop immediately…because the reviewers (your *supposed* peers) were just so of-the-scale unhinged, hostile and vile?” <a href="https://lnkd.in/p/g-QYfWwr" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://lnkd.in/p/g-QYfWwr</a> </p><p>Roger McKenzie (2025). “The Rebirth of the African Phoenix: A View from Bablyon.” <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rebirth-of-the-african-phoenix-a-view-from-bablyon-roger-mckenzie/1147334742#" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rebirth-of-the-african-phoenix-a-view-from-bablyon-roger-mckenzie/1147334742#</a> </p><p><strong>Stay Connected:</strong></p><p>If you enjoyed listening to this podcast you can follow, rate, and share it on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1L2wadHsEHFv52o5VBFpmP" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/archives-things/id1608090727" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Apple Podcasts</a>, and<a href="https://www.audible.ca/pd/Archives-Things-Podcast/B0CM3PTZPB?eac_link=rsrraeNkkSc1&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0CM3PTZPB&qid=BmhEoBkYL4&eac_id=136-5209279-3982127_BmhEoBkYL4&sr=1-1&fbclid=PAAaYIe_Rpyt7W1_i0w4aVC4XbZquUxNSfnTdYoltRMndfqbwHLa5jXvFmTo8_aem_AdqXJSchGtbpK7R3tWqtxc8k7xgGMbHC64-FsE_OTbi0chq93qC1W2LkxrYWfstuHzY" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> Amazon</a>.</p><p>To learn more about my work, visit my website at<a href="https://melissajnelson.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> https://melissajnelson.com</a>. You can connect with me on<a href="https://ca.linkedin.com/in/melissanelsonja" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mel_j_nelson/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> contact me at <a href="mailto:melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com. </a></p>
September 29, 2025
32 | Petrina Jackson, Schlesinger Library, Harvard University
<p><strong>Summary:</strong></p><p>In this episode, I welcome Petrina Jackson, Executive Director of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University. Petrina joined us to speak about advocacy and navigating the politics of white institutions.</p><p><strong>Episode Resources:</strong></p><p>W.E.B. Du Bois (1903). The Souls of Black Folks. <a href="https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2282858/Du-Bois,-Souls-of-Black-Folk.Chapters-1-to-4.pdf"><u>https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2282858/Du-Bois,-Souls-of-Black-Folk.Chapters-1-to-4.pdf</u></a> </p><p>Ruha Benjamin (2024). Imagination: A Manifesto. <a href="https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/imagination-a-manifesto"><u>https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/imagination-a-manifesto</u></a></p><p>Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Robyn Maynard (2022). Rehearsals for Living. <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/675719/rehearsals-for-living-by-robyn-maynard-and-leanne-betasamosake-simpson/9781039000650"><u>https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/675719/rehearsals-for-living-by-robyn-maynard-and-leanne-betasamosake-simpson/9781039000650</u></a> </p><p>Jarrett M. Drake (2019). “‘Graveyards of Exclusion:’ Archives, Prisons, and the Bounds of Belonging.” Medium. <a href="https://medium.com/community-archives/graveyards-of-exclusion-archives-prisons-and-the-bounds-of-belonging-c40c85ff1663"><u>https://medium.com/community-archives/graveyards-of-exclusion-archives-prisons-and-the-bounds-of-belonging-c40c85ff1663</u></a> </p><p>@this.cypher [Instagram] “All Skin Folk Ain’t Enemies.” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKkpWFbxeNj/?igsh=NWtoeWUzYzY4eXJw"><u>https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKkpWFbxeNj/?igsh=NWtoeWUzYzY4eXJw</u></a> </p><p><strong>Stay Connected:</strong></p><p>If you enjoyed listening to this podcast you can follow, rate, and share it on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1L2wadHsEHFv52o5VBFpmP">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/archives-things/id1608090727"><u>Apple Podcasts</u></a>, and<a href="https://www.audible.ca/pd/Archives-Things-Podcast/B0CM3PTZPB?eac_link=rsrraeNkkSc1&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0CM3PTZPB&qid=BmhEoBkYL4&eac_id=136-5209279-3982127_BmhEoBkYL4&sr=1-1&fbclid=PAAaYIe_Rpyt7W1_i0w4aVC4XbZquUxNSfnTdYoltRMndfqbwHLa5jXvFmTo8_aem_AdqXJSchGtbpK7R3tWqtxc8k7xgGMbHC64-FsE_OTbi0chq93qC1W2LkxrYWfstuHzY"><u> Amazon</u></a>.</p><p>To learn more about my work, visit my blog at<a href="https://melissajnelson.com/"> <u>https://melissajnelson.com</u></a>. You can connect with me on<a href="https://ca.linkedin.com/in/melissanelsonja"> <u>LinkedIn</u></a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mel_j_nelson/"><u>Instagram</u></a> contact me at <a href="mailto:melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com"><u>melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com</u>. </a></p>
August 14, 2025
31 | Shane Laptiste & Tura Cousins Wilson, SOCA
<p><strong>Summary:</strong></p><p>In this episode, I welcome Shane Laptiste and Tura Cousins Wilson, leading architects of Studio of Contemporary Architecture (SOCA). Shane and Tura joined us to speak about Black geographies and Black built environments as sites of remembrance.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Resources:</strong></p><p>Studio of Contemporary Architecture (SOCA). <a href="https://socadesign.ca/"><u>https://socadesign.ca/</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p>(Eds.) Katherine McKittrick and Clyde Woods. (2007). Black Geographies and the Politics of Place. <a href="https://btlbooks.com/book/black-geographies-and-the-politics-of-place"><u>https://btlbooks.com/book/black-geographies-and-the-politics-of-place</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p>Tura Cousins Wilson and Shane Laptiste. (2025). “Conjay's First Walk Home.” In, Messy Cities: Why We Can't Plan Everything. <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/messy-cities-zahra-ebrahim/1146454519"><u>https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/messy-cities-zahra-ebrahim/1146454519</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p>Amanda Nkeramihigo (June 27, 2025). Afrofuturism and Postapocalyptic Subjectivity. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09593543251347548"><u>https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09593543251347548</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p>Michael McMillan. (2024). AGO. The Front Room: Diaspora Migrant Aesthetics in the Home. <a href="https://ago.ca/events/michael-mcmillan-front-room"><u>https://ago.ca/events/michael-mcmillan-front-room</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p>Azure Magazine. (October 26, 2023). Design/Community: The Collaborative Future of Canadian Architecture. <a href="https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/design-community-the-collaborative-future-of-canadian-architecture/"><u>https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/design-community-the-collaborative-future-of-canadian-architecture/</u></a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Stay Connected:</strong></p><p>If you enjoyed listening to this podcast you can follow, rate, and share it on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1L2wadHsEHFv52o5VBFpmP">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/archives-things/id1608090727"><u>Apple Podcasts</u></a>, and<a href="https://www.audible.ca/pd/Archives-Things-Podcast/B0CM3PTZPB?eac_link=rsrraeNkkSc1&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0CM3PTZPB&qid=BmhEoBkYL4&eac_id=136-5209279-3982127_BmhEoBkYL4&sr=1-1&fbclid=PAAaYIe_Rpyt7W1_i0w4aVC4XbZquUxNSfnTdYoltRMndfqbwHLa5jXvFmTo8_aem_AdqXJSchGtbpK7R3tWqtxc8k7xgGMbHC64-FsE_OTbi0chq93qC1W2LkxrYWfstuHzY"><u> Amazon</u></a>.</p><p>To learn more about my work, visit my blog at<a href="https://melissajnelson.com/"><u> https://melissajnelson.com</u></a>. You can connect with me on<a href="https://ca.linkedin.com/in/melissanelsonja"> <u>LinkedIn</u></a> and<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mel_j_nelson/"> <u>Instagram</u></a> or contact me at <a href="mailto:melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com"><u>melissa.j.nelson@outlook.com</u>. </a></p><p><br></p>
33 total episodes available
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