Josie Wells is an award-winning journalist and founder of Footnotes and Indexes, a New York-based book club that aims to initiate personal growth and foster critical thinking through works by Black writers. Making academia accessible, her accompanying online newsletter provides space for people to address social issues and dig deeper into Black culture and Black feminism.  

Started in January 2020, Footnotes and Indexes [a book club and newsletter] combines text with music, videos, and documentaries to move seamlessly between history and modern contemporary pop culture. In response to the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, Josie also created a free introductory online masterclass on Black feminism, which has been transformative for those who joined in from around the world.

In this Open/Ended conversation, Josie speaks with us about the origins of Black feminism /not dismissing your own ability to foster change/ and the transformative effect of great writers such as Audre Lorde, James Baldwin and Bell Hooks in her own life.

Listen or watch the Open/Ended conversation with Josie on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.