author, There Will Be No Miracles Here (Riverhead Books) | The Black Art of Escape (NYMag) instagram.com/caseygerald
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Articles by Casey Gerald
THE GREAT REFUSAL
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular... A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former.
Deep in the Heart of Darkness
A BASTION OF SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S LAST TRULY DARK SKIES, TEXAS IS THE PLACE TO LOOK UP AND SEE WHAT THE UNIVERSE HOLDS. Many years ago, when I still held my old religion with a pinky tip, I joined a sister-friend for Watch Night service, in Harlem. That night, her pastor, Pastor Mike, revealed his theme for the coming year: “I Am the Dawn and the Dark,” inspired by the creation story, found in those first few lines of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Writer and Chairman of the Kickstarter Board Casey Gerald on why your life is your greatest creative project
Casey Gerald author, Chairman of Kickstarter's Board of Directors Casey Gerald is a writer and Chairman of Kickstarter’s Board of Directors. He is at work on his second book, , with support from the New America Foundation and the Marguerite Casey Foundation. A native of Oak Cliff, Texas, he currently lives between Austin and Waxahachie.
The Black Art of Escape
You run to the sea Sea won’t you hide me He runs. He leaps—hurls himself through the air, really—one spin, two, three, perfect soaring spins, electric, arms outstretched then clasped, legs flung then gathered, damn. Hold the flying dancer in your mind. Photo: Paul Kolnik I first saw Revelations, which Ailey created as a tribute to the African-American experience, 4 December 2015. No snow fell that evening in Manhattan, nor much that month.
A Four-Hour Phone Call With Erykah Badu
Malakai Third Eye Accessory, at malakai.com. Custom-made grill is Badu’s own. She stood alone atop a black staircase before a megascreen that had all night projected many curious symbols — digital mitochondria, ancestral totems, a beetle — but would soon show a giant moon. Till then, it was just her. Just her and me, just thousands of Mes watching their own private Her.
A Photographer's Celebratory Chronicle of Black College Life
Adraint Bereal is in a tight spot. He spent much of 2021 on the road, taking more than a dozen flights, plus Amtraks, buses, and rental cars. He lived out of his suitcase for months, lugging along eight cameras—point-and-shoot, Polaroid, medium-format, “everything you could think of”—until the weight of all that gear wore him down. He shipped all but two home and kept going.
The Stars Aligned for This Writer’s Classic Portrait of Leon Bridges
Editors’ note: In celebration of our fiftieth anniversary, in February 2023, we will, every week, highlight an important story from our past and offer some perspective on it. You have no idea how many things must go right to produce a great profile—in this case, Texas Monthly‘s August 2021 cover story on Fort Worth–born R&B singer Leon Bridges. First, the writer has to stay alive. I almost screwed that up.
The Stars Aligned for This Writer’s Classic Portrait of Leon Bridges
You have no idea how many things must go right to produce a great profile—in this case, Texas Monthly‘s August 2021 cover story on Fort Worth–born R&B singer Leon Bridges. First, the writer has to stay alive. I almost screwed that up. I’d arrived in Los Angeles on a Friday afternoon, boyfriend at my side, and had immediately taken advantage of the gift of legal drugs. Drug-laced chewy treats, to be exact. I knew my history.
Baldwin Lee’s Unsentimental Portraits of Black Southern Life Original
One of the first photographs I fell in love with was Robert Frank’s Fourth of July, Coney Island (1958). Night has fallen on Coney Island. The sky, which stretches across the top third of Frank’s photograph, looks to be painted solid black. In the foreground, far from the crowds in the distance, lies a beautiful young Black man, his back to debris left in the sand. He lies alone, asleep, curled up in a fetal position, prayer hands tucked between his knees.
What Celebrating Juneteenth Means to Me, as a Black Texan - The New York Times
I won’t pretend Juneteenth has always meant a lot to me. I was born in Texas, as were my parents and most of my kin, all the way back to at least the 19th century, when some of them were enslaved. Still, for most of my life, the day was just another holiday marked on the community calendar — even if it was our day, a day for Black Texans. Perhaps one sign that a thing belongs to you is that you take it for granted. The past few years have forced some stronger feelings to the surface.
How the Photographer Baldwin Lee Made Stars of His Black Subjects
The afternoon I spoke with Baldwin Lee about his photographs, I thought of Little Richard. Specifically, a short clip from a 1973 documentary about Jimi Hendrix, whose early career included a stint in Little Richard’s band. In the clip, Little Richard holds court from a piano bench. He wears a periwinkle-blue jumpsuit. A gray, sequined headband keeps his wild curls at bay, kinda. His face is beat. As the clip opens, Little Richard’s fantastic face and hair fill the frame.
Writer Casey Gerald on being available for the work you were meant to do
Casey Gerald is the author of , a memoir that stands the American Dream narrative on its head, while straddling the complex intersection of race, class, religion and sexuality.
"Just be his friend"
Casey Gerald and I are writing buddies. We read each other’s drafts. We offer honest, brutal comments. I counseled him through the writing of his magnificent memoir, “There Will Be No Miracles Here.” He returned the favor in reading an early draft of my book “Winners Take All,” telling me it was too angry and strident and that I had to “find the love in it.” It took me a minute, but I came to learn what he meant, and it changed so much.
How Going Home Helped Inspire Leon Bridges’s New Album-And Saved His Life
I can’t escape Leon Bridges. He’s been playing almost everywhere I go: in the salon I visit for a post-vax manicure; at JuiceLand as I wait to overpay for my smoothie. Somebody’s painted his Texas Sun cover art on a brick wall near my local Target, in Austin. It’s been this way since last summer, since Leon Bridges first forced his way into my life. I’d been asked to write this story and said no.
9 Books to Awaken the Activist in All of Us
Given our nation's current climate and the looming election, discussions of equality have entered the forefront of our political discussions. This selection of books discusses equality on all fronts and how each of us can become a catalyst for positive change.
Author Casey Gerald on Frederick Douglass and the Meaning of July 4
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech titled "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" -- calling attention to the hypocrisy of the Declaration of Independence and its claim that "all men are created equal.” Today, amid protests against racism and a growing Black Lives Matter movement, equality is still a goal in progress.
Phillip Youmans’s Louisiana | The New York Review of Books | Daily
Heat, Haunting & Heartache: A Young Filmmaker’s Louisiana ARRAYBraelyn Kelly as Jeremiah in Phillip Youmans’s Burning Cane, 2019 The temperature is ninety degrees, with seventy-two percent humidity. Do you know how hot that feels? The National Weather Service tells us 107 degrees, warns that prolonged exposure or strenuous activity will put you in danger of serious illness.
WSJ Women in Series
Women in the Workplace: Women Of Color and the Way Ahead women-in-the-workplace-2019-new-york Women in the Workplace: Women Of Color and the Way Ahead WOMEN OF COLOR AND THE WAY AHEAD — SOLD OUT Four percent of c-suite positions are held by women of color, and on average they receive fewer promotions and are paid less than white women for comparable work*.
Casey Gerald Presentation
« Back to Schedule page Date and Location When: Saturday, August 31, 2019 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm EDT Add to calendar Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center - History & Biography 801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Washington, DC 20001 Get Directions External Part of National Book Festival Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov. Casey Gerald discusses "There Will Be No Miracles Here: A Memoir" (Riverhead) with Colleen Shogan.
The Black Art of Escape: A New Vision for Black Americans
Photo: Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos Photo: Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos Photo: Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos There is a moment in Alvin Ailey’s dance masterpiece, Revelations — “Sinner Man” is the song — when, suddenly, from the far-right wing, a boy comes running. You run to the sea Sea won’t you hide me He runs. He leaps — hurls himself through the air, really — one spin, two, three. Perfect, soaring spins — electric, arms outstretched then clasped, legs flung then gathered, damn.
The Black Art of Escape: A New Vision for Black Americans
race Aug. 8, 2019 400 years have passed. Where do we go from here? Photo: Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos Photo: Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos Photo: Bruce Gilden/Magnum Photos There is a moment in Alvin Ailey’s dance masterpiece, Revelations — “Sinner Man” is the song — when, suddenly, from the far-right wing, a boy comes running. You run to the sea Sea won’t you hide me He runs. He leaps — hurls himself through the air, really — one spin, two, three.
Diverse Voices in Nonfiction
If you'd like to build your own online magazine or website then be sure to checkout web hosting, themes, and all the supplies you need from MiniEmpire.com About Author Steve Janes Former magazine editor of Dissident, Get Rhythm, and Bullit magazines. Former Music PR and Radio Plugger. Now running WithGuitars ezine.
Casey Gerald: Embrace your raw, strange magic
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20 songs for reading ‘There Will Be No Miracles Here’
Dec 27, 2018 2:33 PM EST Our December pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club, “Now Read This,” is Casey Gerald’s memoir “There Will Be No Miracles Here.” Become a member of the book club by joining our Facebook group, or by signing up to our newsletter. Here, Gerald shares a playlist of songs to accompany you while reading his memoir. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify.
A Year in Reading: Casey Gerald
After two weeks of distractions, spotty internet service, and a massive dose of holiday merriment and madness, I am finally back in Los Angeles, which is why I can now move towards completing the year end list that you are all awaiting so patiently. Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum : Earlier in the year, Ryszard Kapuscinski's book Imperium had made me more fully aware of the vast Soviet prison system.
Opinion | T.M. Landry and the Tragedy of Viral Success Stories (Published 2018)
I was once a poster child for a certain version of the American dream. The one where poor black children need unforgiving discipline to overcome the inevitable obstacles in their lives so they can vault themselves into the meritocracy. It’s the same dream that led to tragedy at the T.M. Landry College Preparatory School in Louisiana, where The New York Times recently reported that administrators allegedly abused children in their quest to send them to elite universities.
How Does It Feel?
Dec/Jan 2019 A memoir questions the narrative of black exceptionalism Ismail Muhammad A Memoir by Casey Gerald Riverhead Books $27.00 List Price For more info visit: Amazon • IndieBound • Barnes & Noble Late in his memoir, Casey Gerald watches a video of George W. Bush fumbling his way through a story about meeting an underprivileged black youth from South Dallas.
Author Casey Gerald
On the face of it, Casey Gerald is a quintessential American, rising from a troubled childhood in Texas to the heights of academia and business. But over the course of what looked like a blessed life, Gerald says he realized that in reality, success in America is fraught with false promises. His new memoir is 'There Will Be No Miracles Here' and you told our Hari Sreenivasan why, despite defying all the odds, he refuses to be a poster child for the American dream.
This is the Author | Marcellus Wiley, Casey Gerald, and Bill Buford
This is the Author | Marcellus Wiley, Casey Gerald, and Bill Buford October 30, 2018 In this episode, meet Marcellus Wiley, author of Never Shut Up, Casey Gerald, author of There Will Be No Miracles Here, and Bill Buford, author of Among the Thugs. Football—the American and British variety—plays an important role in each of these authors’ lives.
There Will Be No Miracles Here
There Will Be No Miracles Here There Will Be No Miracles Here (Riverhead) opens with a climactic loss of faith in a Dallas church on New Year's Eve 1999, as 12-year-old Casey Gerald waits in terror and expectation for the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. It doesn't happen. He feels foolish. It will be the first of several crises of belief.
Author Casey Gerald on the fantasy of the American Dream
In his new memoir "There Will Be No Miracles Here," author Casey Gerald writes that the American Dream is real. Gerald doesn't preach from a place of blind optimism. He speaks from his own experiences. Casey Gerald knows what it means to be a child who needs more than you have, to grow up with parents who weren't there, to arrive on the campus of an Ivy League School and feeling excruciatingly out of place.
Our Favorite New Titles At Read It Forward
Is true love real? You never know until you know, and for Laurie, that day comes one winter in London, as she sees the man she knows, for a fact, is The One. But she doesn’t know his name, age, anything about him, really. Until about a year later when she sees him again—on her best friend Sarah’s arm. His name is Jack, and he’s Sarah’s new boyfriend.
Kiese Laymon and Casey Gerald Confront American Success
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon Scribner There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald Riverhead New England winters are brutal affairs, with dry, driving winds that lash at those walking from here to there.
Subtitles and Transcript
There we were, souls and bodies packed into a Texas church on the last night of our lives. Packed into a room just like this, but with creaky wooden pews draped in worn-down red fabric, with an organ to my left and a choir at my back and a baptism pool built into the wall behind them. A room like this, nonetheless. With the same great feelings of suspense, the same deep hopes for salvation, the same sweat in the palms and the same people in the back not paying attention.
The gospel of doubt
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The essential to-do list for the aspiring entrepreneur
From my perch at Harvard Business School, I can tell you one thing about the future of American business: it will be built by entrepreneurs with great visions and real grit, not just a fancy MBA. Before you change the world, though, there are a few things that you should do, which I have learned from my early career and the experiences of other dreamers and doers across America. A wise man (Jay Z) once said, “It ain’t for everybody.” He was right, and it doesn’t have to be.
A Year in Marginalia: Sam Anderson
The writing I enjoy doing most, every year, is marginalia: spontaneous bursts of pure, private response to whatever book happens to be in front of me. It's the most intimate, complete, and honest form of criticism possible - not the big wide-angle aerial shot you get from an official review essay, but a moment-by-moment record of what a book actually feels like to the actively reading brain. Here are some snapshots, month by month, of my marginalia from 2010.
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