These stories are featured in the 2023 Kresge Eminent Artist Monograph: The Book of Melba, featuring Melba Joyce Boyd.

Sound Story No. 1

Melba reflects on the legacy of daring abolitionist poet Frances Harper.

Sound Story No. 2

Melba recalls the sounds that enlivened her Detroit upbringing.

Sound Story No. 3

Travel with Melba as she revisits how a little unknown slice of Canada on the Georgian Bay became both a creative muse and a source of rejuvenation for generations of her family.

Sound Story No. 4

Listen to Melba reflect on author James Baldwin’s early influence on her writing.

Sound Story No. 5

Melba recalls her life-changing encounter with her mentor Dudley Randall, the trailblazing founder of Detroit’s Broadside Press.

Sound Story No. 6

Melba pays a visit to one of her favorite public artworks in Detroit.