Rough Drafts
Rough Drafts is a Black digital salon hosted by Maurice Rippel and Luke McGowan-Arnold. Maurice and Luke, classmates from their time at a small liberal arts college in the 2010s, reconnected after their respective odyssey in the early 2020s. Through their work facilitating writing groups and public events at a bookstore in Philadelphia, the idea for this podcast emerged, and in fact, was requested. Rough Drafts is exactly what it sounds like: ideas in their nascent stages, first impressions, best foot forward. The concept of each episode is simple: we bring a topic, present a question, or a works-in-progress; we do some research, then have a conversation (often with a guest who commits to reading, research and hot takes). The goal is to start a conversation, and commit to learning, growing, and building for the next draft.
Episodes
On this episode of Rough Drafts, L and M interview political cartoonist Ben Passmore about his newly released graphic novel Black Arms to Hold You Up, a book about Black armed struggle histories in the United States. L introduces Ben at the beginning of the episode and talks about his involvement as a researcher for the book. Ben talks about inserting himself into the novel (15:55) as a character in relation to Black radical histor...
What does war mean in the context of the 21st century? How has 9/11 and the so-called War on Terror shaped American life? And, what do the conflicts of the future look like?
M reflects on his brief stint at the United States Military Academy, and L shares about the military’s influence on the manosphere. They think about the role of technological innovations like drones, artificial intelligence, and robot...
What is a parasocial relationship, and have you ever been in one? In this episode, Luke and Maurice invite Dimo back to the pod to define and share stories about their primary social relationships (with references to One Direction, Frank Ocean, Bob Dylan and Tyler the Creator). They break down the historical evolution of parasocial relationships–mediated by different medium forms such as radio, television, and social media–as well ...
Major Eason is a PhD student at Harvard University in the Department of Sociology who studies environmental racism and environmental justice. In a wide-ranging conversation with L+M, Major addresses attacks on DEI, the relationship between race, sport and childhood (17:00), and American car culture (31:00). They also discuss the phenomenon of Dr. Umar (42:50), Black Lives Matter Global (48:50), and grifting/black misleadership more...
In this episode, Luke and Maurice sit with Vinson Cunningham’s novel, Great Expectations (2024). The novel follows the campaign of a historic presidential campaign narrated by a young Black man who works on the campaign. The hosts reflect on their own memories of the campaign, with Maurice reflecting on having to “act” as Obama for a school performance, and Luke sharing his own school reminiscences. They put Cunningham’s text in co...
In this episode, we interview Vernon Jordan III, a Philly born and bred writer, filmmaker and poet. For this episode, we read Vernon’s feature film script “Lavender Boy” which is currently in development as their feature film debut. We discuss the project and talk about their inspirations, afro-futurism and queer cinema.
If you want more, check out Vernon's acclaimed short proof of concept film ONE MAGENTA AFTERNOON (2022), which ...
In a conversation recorded after Valentine’s Day, ZekeUltra joins Rough Drafts for a conversation about music, political formation, and intellectual trajectories.
Zeke is a musician based in Dover, Delaware. A friend of Luke’s, the two reminisce on how they met and shows performed together over the years. During the conversation Zeke reflects on his perseverance in his music journey. He talks about the influence of SoundCloud, “ab...
What constitutes a martial art? In this episode recorded in Nov. 2024, L and M work out their respective understandings of what a martial art is; they swap stories about their early experiences with martial arts, thinking about visual representations (in television, movies, anime, etc.) or from personal experience. They draw on historical figures such as Jack Johnson, and think with the legacies of Jet Li and Bruce Lee on Black cul...
What would it look like if there was a civil war conflict, and how would journalists cover it in the United States? In a conversation recorded November 1, 2024 L and M invite their friend Dimo Ortiz to the podcast to reflect on the film ‘Civil War’ which portrays the experiences of journalists covering a domestic conflict in the mainland United States. In a wide-ranging conversation, they reflect their respective relationships with...
In a conversation recorded on New Years Eve 2024, L and M reflect on artistic and cultural highlights of the year, their respective “ins” and “outs” for 2025, and forecast what the year/second half of the 2020s will hold.
Episode 5: Hope and Nihilism (Jan. 20)
L and M ask: what roles do hope and/or nihilism play in shaping political culture. In a meditative discussion held shortly after the US 2024 General Election, they reflect on how social movements and artistic expression hold potential to counter the isolation/alienation/exhaustion of the season ahead.
Tressie Cottom, Daily Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nno64FGj8d0
How has Amtrak shaped American transit historically and in the contemporary period? L and M share their experiences riding the rail; they reflect on trips they’ve taken up and down the coast, and cross country. They swap stories about folks they’ve met, and look at the local and national impact of the Biden Infrastructure bill on Amtrak.
Sources:
“All Aboard Obama Express”, CBS News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2GRwvk8EmI...
What is the state of the Black Bourgeoisie? And who even is the Black Bourgeoisie? L gives M a preliminary entrance exam to see if he can make it (he fails). They reflect on common misconceptions of the Black bourgeoisie, with particular attention to the distinctions between “class” and “status”, and “wealth versus “income.” They swap examples from family and their dating lives, and pose questions about the future vitality of the B...
What is the state of jazz in contemporary American culture? Maurice and Luke reconnect with their friend Seth, an independent jazz scholar and musician who shares his perspective cultivated by his reading and practice. Seth gives a historical overview of how the genre evolved through some of its most impactful contributors. In addition, he provides commentary on the relationship between jazz and white spectatorship and imitators (J...
Maurice and Luke, old friends from college, reconnected after their respective odysseys of the early 2020s, through their work at a bookstore. They decided to finally start that podcast they always talked about. They prepared three questions each for this episode to (re)introduce themselves to listeners and give a personal meditation on what Rough Drafts is | can | and could be!
The podcasts’ Founding Fathers started with the questions: what does it mean to be a man in the 21st century American context? And, how are these different types of masculinities being formed?
Perhaps apropos, they started with bell hooks. They reflect on the legacies of brothers, friends, and formative men in their lives. Critiques were had of Andrew Tate, Fresh and Fit, Kevin Samuels, and the (Black) Manosphere.
Sources:
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