Dancers on the Shore
Podcast Description
Based on William Melvin Kelley’s 1964 short story collection, Dancers on the Shore is an anthology series exploring the lives of Black families in Harlem and The Bronx. The series draws from Kelley’s original sixteen stories about three families; the Careys, the Dunfords and the Bedlows—some interlinked and spanning generations from Reconstruction-era South to 1980s New York—as well as additional works he published elsewhere. ADAPTED and DIRECTED by Yhane Washington Smith, STORY EDITING by Jesi Kelley, and PRODUCED BY The Family Eye. The theme song “Through the fire” is produced by Rikko 009.
Season 1 follows the Dunfords, a middle-class family living in Harlem’s Sugar Hill in the 1950s. Dr. Charles Dunford and his wife Eleanor raise three children: Chig, the thoughtful eldest; Peter, the sharp-tongued middle child; and Connie, whose path takes an unexpected turn. Their stories explore identity, privilege, and the quiet struggles of being human.
ABOUT WILLIAM MELVIN KELLEY:
Born in Seaview hospital, a sanitorium for tuberculosis patients in New York’s Staten Island in 1937, William Melvin Kelley was raised on Carpenter Avenue in the Bronx. He attended the Fieldston School and Harvard University. His first and most well-known novel “A Different Drummer” was published in 1962 when he was just 23 years old. In his lifetime, Kelley was the recipient of a number of awards; the Dana Reed Literary prize, Harvard University, 1960; Bread Loaf Writers Conference grant, 1962; Whitney Foundation award, 1963; Rosenthal Foundation award, 1963; Transatlantic Review award, 1964; Black Academy of Arts and Letters award, 1970; and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2008. In 2021 both he and his wife, Aiki Kelley were awarded the American Book Award for the illustrated re-issue of “Dunfords Travels Everywheres,” which Aiki illustrated.
Dubbed “the lost giant of American literature” by The New Yorker, Kelley was a professor of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in Harlem. He died in 2017.
Learn more about William Melvin Kelley here: www.williammelvinkelley.com
We have merch! Check out https://hipassist.dashery.com/ for t-shirts, hats magnets! Your purchase goes directly to funding more episodes.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The series delves into themes of identity, privilege, and familial dynamics, with episodes such as 'A Visit To Grandmother' exploring colorism and emotional legacies within a Southern family and the other stories linking the narratives of the Careys, the Dunfords, and the Bedlows across generations.
Based on William Melvin Kelley’s 1964 short story collection, Dancers on the Shore is an anthology series exploring the lives of Black families in Harlem and The Bronx. The series draws from Kelley’s original sixteen stories about three families; the Careys, the Dunfords and the Bedlows—some interlinked and spanning generations from Reconstruction-era South to 1980s New York—as well as additional works he published elsewhere. ADAPTED and DIRECTED by Yhane Washington Smith, STORY EDITING by Jesi Kelley, and PRODUCED BY The Family Eye. The theme song “Through the fire” is produced by Rikko 009.
Season 1 follows the Dunfords, a middle-class family living in Harlem’s Sugar Hill in the 1950s. Dr. Charles Dunford and his wife Eleanor raise three children: Chig, the thoughtful eldest; Peter, the sharp-tongued middle child; and Connie, whose path takes an unexpected turn. Their stories explore identity, privilege, and the quiet struggles of being human.
We have merch! Check out our merch store, The Hip Assist for t-shirts, hats magnets! Your purchase goes directly to funding more episodes. https://hipassist.dashery.com
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ABOUT WILLIAM MELVIN KELLEY:
Born in Seaview hospital, a sanitorium for tuberculosis patients in New York’s Staten Island in 1937, William Melvin Kelley was raised on Carpenter Avenue in the Bronx. He attended the Fieldston School and Harvard University. His first and most well-known novel “A Different Drummer” was published in 1962 when he was just 23 years old. In his lifetime, Kelley was the recipient of a number of awards; the Dana Reed Literary prize, Harvard University, 1960; Bread Loaf Writers Conference grant, 1962; Whitney Foundation award, 1963; Rosenthal Foundation award, 1963; Transatlantic Review award, 1964; Black Academy of Arts and Letters award, 1970; and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2008. In 2021 both he and his wife, Aiki Kelley were awarded the American Book Award for the illustrated re-issue of “Dunfords Travels Everywheres,” which Aiki illustrated.
Dubbed “the lost giant of American literature” by The New Yorker, Kelley was a professor of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in Harlem. He died in 2017.
Learn more about William Melvin Kelley here: www.williammelvinkelley.com
Meanwhile down south, Chig’s grandmother Nanny Eva shares a midrashic tale about Jochebed, Moses’ mama, after overhearing Chig, his uncle, and father seemingly dismiss the importance of women at dinner.
Moses Mama is Adapted for Audio and Directed by Yhane Washington Smith from a chapter of William Melvin Kelley’s 2024 novel DIS//INTEGRATION. Story Editing by Jesi Kelley, Executive Produced by Aiki Kelley and Cira Kelley. Our cast is ANDRIETTA SIMMS as Nanny Eva, JOSHUA KELLEY-KAPAJ as Chig and as the Pharoah’s Guard, BLOSSOM
KELLEY WASHINGTON as Jochebed, VICTORIA MORALES as Miriam, JENLING STEWART as Sarah, NINA SMITH as Eve and as Pharoah’s Daughter. Jesi Kelley sings the Sh’ma. Audio engineering is by Emanie White-Heard, Sound Design by Xperience J, Dialect Coach is Blossom Kelley Washington. Theme song is produced by Rikko 009. This episode was mastered by Noxie Studio.
A special thank you to Shira Kline and the folks at Lab/Shul for their help and guidance on this episode. Lab/Shul is an everybody-friendly, artist-driven, God-optional, experimental Jewish community based in New York City. Visit Lab/Shul at www.labshul.org.
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