WPR

Chapter A Day

Started in 1931, “Chapter a Day” is WPR’s longest-running program. Jim Fleming, Norman Gilliland, Michele Good, Melvin Hinton, Baron Kelly and Susan Sweeney read a chapter from a book for a half hour each weekday. Genres are predominately contemporary and range from works of fiction, history and biography.

Schedule

WPR Music, 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., WPR News, 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Hosted by

Michele Gerard Good

Cover of "Notes Of A Native Son" — Version 1.0.0

CURRENTLY READING

Notes Of A Native Son by James Baldwin

Thursday, February 13 through Friday, February 28, 2025

Read by Melvin Hinton

Written during the 1940s and early 1950s, when James Baldwin was only in his twenties, the essays capture a view of black life and black thought at the dawn of the civil rights movement and as the movement slowly gained strength through the words of one of the most captivating essayists and foremost intellectuals of that era.

THEME: “Ticklin’ Toes” and “Dances In the Cane Breaks” by Florence Price, performed by Kirsten Johnson

(Beacon Press; ISBN-10: 9780807006238 / ISBN-13:‎ 978-0807006238)

LISTENER ADVISORY: THIS BOOK CONTAINS LANGUAGE THAT LISTENERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE OR TRIGGERING.

Readings are archived for just one week after their broadcast due to publisher  copyright restrictions.

Latest Episodes

Notes Of A Native Son 7 of 12 – Notes Of A Native Son Pt. 1
The most personal of the essays in this book, it begins on the day of Baldwin’s father’s death which also happens to be the day his sister was born and […]
February 21, 2025
Notes Of A Native Son 6 of 12 – Journey To Atlanta
The 1947 Progressive Party was hiring Black entertainers to help them get out the vote. Baldwin’s brother was hired to perform in Atlanta. He recounts the trip.
February 20, 2025
Notes Of A Native Son 5 of 12 – The Harlem Ghetto
Baldwin widens his scope to geography — the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City to be exact. Here, Baldwin explores the social and psychological impact of living in an […]
February 19, 2025
Notes Of A Native Son 4 of 12 – Carmen Jones / Encounter On The Seine
In the essay, “Carmen Jones,” Baldwin turns his critical eye to the portrayal of African Americans in the film. “Encounter On The Seine” finds Baldwin in Paris where he is […]
February 18, 2025
Notes Of A Native Son 3 of 12 – Many Thousands Gone, Pt. 2
Baldwin continues his criticism of the portrayal of African Americans in literature, focusing particularly on Richard Wright’s “Native Son.”
February 17, 2025

Chapter A Day Booklist

View information about every book we’ve read in the past 30 years!

View Booklist

Coming Next

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

monday, march 3 through friday, march 7, 2025
Read by Jim fleming

In Celebration Of Aldo Leopold Day on March 1st! Many credit ASCA with launching a revolution in land management. Written as a series of sketches based principally upon the flora and fauna in a rural part of Wisconsin, the book gathers informal pieces written by Leopold over a forty-year period as he traveled through the woodlands of Wisconsin.