Great Grief Archives – Scalawag

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Grief is in the kitchen

by Scalawag Editors December 26, 2024

Grief comes to live with us all eventually, and she needs no invitation. In this episode of Great Grief, Nnenna Freelon appreciates the quiet moments shared with her late father and wonders aloud how to curate her space for the holidays now that grief has made a home in her home.

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Grief doesn't celebrate the holidays

by Scalawag Editors December 23, 2024December 23, 2024

Holiday Season—Episode 4 of Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon, Season 2: Seasons of Change. Listen and read along with the podcast transcript. When Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanza and family gatherings of all kinds—the musical, cultural, food traditions—collide against a backdrop of losses, challenges, and major life shifts, the holidays can be a confusing time to welcome grief back home.

Holiday Season

by Nnenna Freelon December 14, 2023

In this episode of Great Grief, Nnenna Freelon pleads with the moon, the sun, and the leaves about how to get in touch with her beloved Phil again. If grief isn’t linear, then maybe sorrow is more than a season—perhaps it’s a portal to the unknown.

The World Since You Left

by Nnenna Freelon December 12, 2023December 14, 2023

The World Since You Left—Episode 3 of Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon, Season 2: Seasons of Change. Listen and read along with the podcast transcript.

Ashes, Ashes

by Nnenna Freelon December 7, 2023December 14, 2023

Nnenna Freelon, the voice behind Great Grief, shares her family recipe for sweet potato pie, memories of her late grandmother, and how she has found ways to cope with the grief that always seems more present around the holidays—through baking.

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On grief and sweet potato pie: A holiday meditation

by Nnenna Freelon November 29, 2023

The changing seasons are an apt metaphor to talk about the shedding, withering, and falling away that accompanies the most painful parts of grief. Nnenna Freelon takes us on a walk through the woods to contemplate autumn and the possibility of renewal.

Falling

by Nnenna Freelon November 28, 2023December 14, 2023

A wife for nearly 40 years, Nnenna Freelon now wonders what to make of the term widow when she still feels the significance of her marriage well after her husband's death in Black Widow, the final installment in the season of Great Grief, Wailing Women.

Black Widow

by Nnenna Freelon November 21, 2023November 28, 2023

Hair holds our history, personality, identity—and our grief. In episode 3 of Great Grief, Nnenna Freelon visits her mother’s beauty salon, where generations of Black women have gathered to discuss their hairstory—the grief over it, and the grief under it.

Hairstory

by Nnenna Freelon November 21, 2023November 28, 2023

No woman makes it through life without a sister. Through faith, family, and struggle, we inhabit a deep solidarity that allows us to hold one another close, even at the very end. In episode 2 of Great Grief, Nnenna Freelon walks us through her journey of losing her sister, Debbie. Listen and read along with the podcast transcript.

Sister Sister

by Nnenna Freelon September 27, 2023November 13, 2023

When Grief Speaks—Episode 1 of Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon, Season 1: Wailing Women. Grief is a woman with plenty to say. In the first episode of Great Grief, Nnenna Freelon asks us to consider what happens if we stop running from our grief, sit down, and listen to her for a change. Listen, subscribe, and read along with the podcast transcript.

When Grief Speaks

by Nnenna Freelon September 13, 2023September 29, 2023

Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon is partnering with Scalawag to bring our audiences three fresh seasons of Great Grief, her original podcast honoring the stories and songs of Black women who have faced grief and loss.

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'Great Grief' finds a new home at Scalawag

by Alysia Nicole Harris and Scalawag Team August 23, 2023September 13, 2023

A Grief of Our Own

by Alysia Nicole Harris August 4, 2023September 29, 2023