Untangling the History of “Hair Story” with authors Ayana Byrd + Lori Tharps

On episode 59 of the podcast, we’re having a birthday party for a very special book. And that book is, Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. Hair Story is the first book that I ever wrote, with my good friend, the journalist and author, Ayana Byrd. Hair Story covers the history, politics, business and culture of Black hair from 15th century Africa to modern-day America. And today, we’re going behind the scenes and looking back at how Hair Story came to be.

Ayana and I birthed Hair Story 20 years ago and it debuted on February 1, 2001. Our publisher, St. Martin’s press, re-released the book in 2014 when we added two additional chapters and updated the text to incorporate all of the massive changes that had happened in the decade since the book’s debut. Namely the Internet became a thing in the world of Black hair and the Natural Hair Movement exploded.

Ayana Byrd joins me on the show as we look back at the journey to get this groundbreaking book into the world and the massive impact Hair Story has had in its two decades of life. From college syllabi to high school classrooms, from beauty salons to documentary films, Hair Story has gone global. 

Literary Links from the Show

You can buy Hair Story anywhere books are sold, including Bookshop.org and Amazon.com.

To find out more about Ayana Byrd, visit her website.

Listen to the audio documentary recently produced by the Canadian Broadcast Company about the history of Black hair where I was interviewed.

To order your copy of Cicely Tyson’s memoir, Just As I Am, check to see if Amazon has them back in stock. Or try Bookshop.org.

Check out debut author J. Elle’s exciting new YA novel called Wings of Ebony.

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