Episodes 21
Avg. Duration 33m
Activity Dormant
Apple Rating 4.7 (844)
Since Aug 2023
Latest Episode Feb 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Serial
Hosting
feeds.simplecast.com

About This Podcast

Ali Velshi brings you “Velshi Banned Book Club,” an act of resistance against the book banning and censorship epidemic sweeping the nation. In each episode, a different author joins Ali to discuss why their work is being targeted and what is so crucial about the literature itself. “Velshi Banned Book Club” is a series rooted in literary and cultural analysis, in the notion that reading is resistance. Read along with Ali.

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Recent Episodes

S2 MS NOW Presents: Clock It with Symone and Eugene

Feb 05, 2026 2m Bonus

Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels were once at odds as White House staffer and White House reporter. Now they’re friends and colleagues—each co-hosting their own shows at MS NOW. But their…

S2 Preview of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order”

Dec 01, 2025 9m Bonus

Rachel Maddow’s new series lays bare one of the most shocking decisions in American history. It’s story that reveals how an executive order authorizing the mass roundup of innocent Japanese Americans…

S2E8 The Power of Poetry

Oct 24, 2024 41m

This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club will confront the barrier to entry that surrounds poetry and tear it down by closely examining a masterclass in poetic storytelling:  “Brown Girl Dreaming”…

S2E7 Reading Rites of Passage

Oct 17, 2024 36m

There is one thing that connects the disparate generations of Americans: books. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club will look at two novels that don’t just capture the spirit of growing up…

S2E6 Star-Crossed Lovers

Oct 10, 2024 42m

At first glance, the two books that make-up this episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club have very little similarities. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is a critical keystone to both the English…

S2E5 Memoir as a Medium

Oct 03, 2024 32m

What is braver than sharing your own story with the world? Nothing. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club will examine two true stories: “Hunger” by Roxane Gay and “The Glass Castle” by…

S2E4 War in Literature

Sep 26, 2024 37m

Heralded as one of the most enduring and salient novels in American history, “The Things They Carried”, written by Tim O’Brien, is a fictionalized account of O’Brien’s very real time as an infantry…

S2E3 Coming to America

Sep 19, 2024 38m

The story of this country is told through the eyes of immigrants. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club will explore two critically acclaimed additions to the American immigration literary…

S2E2 The Power of Dystopian Literature

Sep 12, 2024 44m

Good dystopian literature forces its readers to confront ideas of government, culture, community, and identity. This episode of the "Velshi Banned Book Club" will examine two of the most celebrated…

S2E1 A Legacy of Advocacy

Sep 12, 2024 38m

We are starting Season 2 of the "Velshi Banned Book Club" with a very special featured book: Ali Velshi’s own “Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy.” Exploring…

S2 Introducing: Season 2 of “Velshi Banned Book Club”

Sep 05, 2024 1m Trailer

MSNBC's Ali Velshi brings you a second season of the “Velshi Banned Book Club.” Book banning is happening more and more. Removing literature from library shelves, school syllabi, and summer reading…

S1E9 The Constitution of the United States: A Complete Reading

Oct 12, 2023 1h 1m

Is there a work of writing more influential than the Constitution of the United States? Is there a work of writing more weaponized, more debated, and more quoted and misquoted? On this special…

S1E8 The Black Literary Canon

Oct 05, 2023 50m

Few authors have changed American culture more than the unparalleled Toni Morrison and the amazing Zora Neale Hurston. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club examines two crucial books in the…

S1 BONUS: How to Win 2024: The “Kiddie Table” Debate

Sep 29, 2023 32m Bonus

Debate guru Ron Klain joins Claire McCaskill and Jennifer Palmieri on their new podcast “How to Win 2024” to discuss the winners and losers of the 2nd GOP debate and what it could mean for President…

S1E7 Reclaiming “Chick-Lit”

Sep 28, 2023 26m

There is a persistent and damaging sexist trope that books written by women and for women are frivolous, light, and devoid of true meaning. On this episode of Velshi Banned Book Club Podcast we…

S1E6 The Latino Identity in Literature

Sep 21, 2023 22m

Latino representation in the literary and publishing community is startlingly low -- a survey conducted by Lee & Low Books and Boston University in 2020, found that a mere 6% of publishers…

S1E5 Reexamining and Reframing U.S. History with Nikole Hannah-Jones

Sep 14, 2023 14m

“The 1619 Project”, named for the year the first enslaved African people arrived on the shores of Virginia, began as an editorial franchise for the New York Times. Since its inception, “The 1619…

S1E4 Using Literature to Grapple with School Shootings

Sep 07, 2023 24m

School shootings can feel inescapable -- especially if you're an American. Authors Jodi Picoult and Todd Strasser grapple with school shootings through literature. Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes” is…

S1E3 The Prodigious Margaret Atwood

Aug 31, 2023 57m

Most everyone knows Margaret Atwood’s name for her seminal work “The Handmaid’s Tale”. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is more relevant with each passing day – exploring women’s bodily autonomy, the…

S1E2 Coming of Age as a Black Teen in America

Aug 31, 2023 25m

The stakes are high when you’re a Black teenager in America – they can be life or death. Both books featured on this episode of Velshi Banned Book Club couple pulled-from-the-headlines urgency with…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Velshi Banned Book Club have?

Velshi Banned Book Club has published 21 episodes since August 2023, covering topics in Arts, Books.

Is Velshi Banned Book Club still active?

Velshi Banned Book Club is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 33m.

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