Many Lumens with Maori Karmael Holmes
BlackStar founder Maori Karmael Holmes chats with the most groundbreaking artists, change makers, and cultural workers — finding meaning in the intersections of art, social change, and popular culture.
Episodes
34 episodes
Season 3 Returns October 11
Season 3 returns on Oct 11, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday through Nov 8. From Invisible Beauty 's producer Lisa Cortés and co-director Bethann Hardison, to Till actress Danielle Deadwyler, we have five exci...
Season 3 - Trailer
Everyone's talking about Season 3 of Many Lumens! Get excited for the return of the podcast — premiering April 19, 2023 — and 10 new conversations between host Maori Karmael Holmes and the most groundbreaking arti...
Sterlin Harjo
Maori talks with filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, the brilliant co-creator and showrunner of FX’s breakout hit Reservation Dogs. Filmed in this home state of Oklahoma, the sitcom follows the lives of four Native teenagers living on a reservati...
Cherien Dabis
In this episode, Maori talks with critically-acclaimed director, writer, and actor Cherien Dabis. Cherien is known for directing episodes of Only Murders In the Building, Ozark, and Ramy. In addition to her work in te...
D'Lo
In this episode, Maori talks with her friend, D’Lo, a Tamil-Sri Lankan-American actor and writer who uses humor to discuss family, gender, and sexuality. Beyond his stand-up and multi-character solo shows, D’Lo has appeared on popular TV ...
Meg Onli
Maori talks with LA-based curator and writer Meg Onli, whose work attends to the intricacies of race and the production of space. She is the co-curator of the 2024 Whitney Biennial, previously served as the director and curator of the now-shutt...
Michael "Cambio" Fernandez
Maori chats with cinematographer Michael "Cambio" Fernandez. Cambio's credits as a DP include the award-winning projects The Burial of Kojo, directed by Blitz Bazawule; Beyoncé's Black Is King; Walter Thompson-Hernandez's ...
Life without roadmaps with Bethann Hardison and Lisa Cortés
Maori talks with award-winning producer/director Lisa Cortés and model and advocate turned filmmaker Bethann Hardison, who worked together on the documentary Invisible Beauty, about Bethann’s life. In the episode we hear how they both ...
Centering Community Care with J Wortham
Bonus episode! This special episode was recorded live this summer at the 2023 BlackStar Film Festival. Maori and guest co-host, multimedia artist, Rashid Zakat interview New York Times Magazine writer and community care worker J Wortha...
Moving past fear with Fariha Róisín
Maori chats with multidisciplinary artist and author Fariha Roísín (Like a Bird, Who Is Wellness For?). Fariha talks about growing up Bangladeshi in Australia, what it’s like to have a Marxist parent, and her journey towards b...
Embodying icons with Danielle Deadwyler
Maori chats with award-winning actor and multimedia artist Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall, Till, Station Eleven). The two discuss Danielle’s experience growing up in Atlanta, her mother’s determination to give her access to t...
Reflecting on artistry, legacy, and mid-life with Jason Moran
Maori talks with multi-talented musician, composer, and artist Jason Moran. Jason shares his early influences growing up as a young musician in Houston—the John T. Biggers’ painting hanging in his parent’s home, Public Enemy on the radio, and T...
Finding Black foodways with Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate
Maori talks with Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate, renowned chefs and founders of Honeysuckle Provisions, an Afro-centric grocery and cafe in West Philadelphia. In this conversation, Omar reflects on the food surrounding his childhood neighb...
Season 2 - Trailer
A sneak peek at Season 2 of Many Lumens with Maori Karmael Holmes. Produced by BlackStar Projects, this season premieres May 11, 2022 and will feature 12 new conversations with the most groundbreaking artists, change makers,...
Yaba Blay
Maori sits down with close friend Dr. Yaba Blay, a producer, professor, cultural consultant, self-described “maroon academic,” and author of the award-winning book, One Drop: Shifting the Lens on Race. The two discuss beauty and the pr...
Jeff Chang
Maori chats with kindred spirit and prolific writer Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. In their conversation they time travel back to the 80’s and 90’s, looking at how hip-hop transformed ...
Imani Perry
In this episode, Maori talks with Princeton African American Studies Professor and prolific author Imani Perry (South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation). The two talk about shared geographie...
Sky Hopinka
Maori chats with visual artist, filmmaker, writer, and photographer Sky Hopinka, director of maɬni – towards the ocean, towards the shore and a co-founder of the Indigenous film collective COUSIN. They discuss creating work that isn’t ...
Tunde Wey
Maori chats with writer, artist, and chef Tunde Wey, known for his gastronomic projects that critically poke fun at and examine gentrification, economic inequality and the enduring neo-colonial politics of food today. Tunde shares how stepping ...
Deniese Davis
Maori chats with powerhouse producer Deniese Davis (Insecure, A Black Lady Sketch Show), founder of two media companies — Color Creative and Reform Media Group — that seek to uplift and champion Black and brown voices. In thei...
Terence Nance
Maori and guest co-host Rashid Zakat chat with their friend, artist, musician, and filmmaker Terence Nance (An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, Random Acts of Flyness). The three talk about Terence’s childhood and the long te...
Amy Sherald
Maori chats with renowned painter Amy Sherald, who documents contemporary Black American experiences through otherworldly figurative paintings. Amy talks about what life was like for her growing up in a small Southern city and her process of se...
Sonia Sanchez
Maori chats with poet, activist, mother, and professor Sonia Sanchez (Homecoming, We a Baddddd People, Homegirls and Handgrenades, Morning Haiku). Sister Sonia’s accomplishments are vast and include being named Philadelphia's first poe...
Astria Suparak
Maori talks with Oakland-based, artist, writer, and curator, Astria Suparak. Astria’s curated exhibitions, screenings, and performances have appeared at art institutions and festivals worldwide, as well as far more unconventional spaces, includ...
Camae Ayewa – Moor Mother
Maori chats with musician, poet, artist, cultural worker, and professor Camae Ayewa, also known by her stage name Moor Mother. Camae talks about her early life growing up in Aberdeen, Maryland and her formative influences. They also discuss her...
