<![CDATA[Books & Bars - A Lit(erary) Podcast]]>Books & Bars is where books, music, and real life collide. This is not your typical book club podcast. Each episode breaks down powerful books and classic albums—connecting literature, hip hop, philosophy, and culture to real conversations about growth, identity, discipline, and purpose.

We pair fiction and nonfiction books with influential music projects to explore deeper meaning, challenge perspectives, and answer one central question:

What does this mean for how we live?

From authors to culture-shaping artists, Books & Bars bridges timeless ideas with modern-day reality, turning content into clarity. Expect sharp analysis, storytelling, and raw, unfiltered dialogue that pushes beyond surface-level thinking.

Most people read books.
Most people listen to music.

We question and explore their deeper meanings.

If you’re looking for a podcast about:

  • Personal development and self-improvement
  • Book breakdowns and literary analysis
  • Hip hop, albums, and music culture
  • Philosophy, psychology, and mindset
  • Real conversations about life, discipline, and growth

You’re in the right place. Ideas get tested. Perspectives get challenged. Nothing gets a free pass.

New episodes monthly. Tap in.

]]>https://riverside.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Sat, 11 Jul 2026 23:40:37 GMTMon, 04 May 2026 17:52:09 GMT60Jordan Holbert<p>Books &amp; Bars is where books, music, and real life collide. This is not your typical book club podcast. Each episode breaks down powerful books and classic albums—connecting literature, hip hop, philosophy, and culture to real conversations about growth, identity, discipline, and purpose.</p><p></p><p>We pair fiction and nonfiction books with influential music projects to explore deeper meaning, challenge perspectives, and answer one central question:</p><p><b>What does this mean for how we live?</b></p><p>From authors to culture-shaping artists, Books &amp; Bars bridges timeless ideas with modern-day reality, turning content into clarity. Expect sharp analysis, storytelling, and raw, unfiltered dialogue that pushes beyond surface-level thinking.</p><p></p><p>Most people read books.<br />Most people listen to music.</p><p><b>We question and explore their deeper meanings.</b></p><p></p><p>If you’re looking for a podcast about:</p><ul><li>Personal development and self-improvement</li><li>Book breakdowns and literary analysis</li><li>Hip hop, albums, and music culture</li><li>Philosophy, psychology, and mindset</li><li>Real conversations about life, discipline, and growth</li></ul><p>You’re in the right place. Ideas get tested. Perspectives get challenged. Nothing gets a free pass.</p><p></p><p><b>New episodes monthly. Tap in.</b></p>episodicJordan Holbertcoach.jordanholbert@gmail.comno<![CDATA[Who Are You When The World Refuses to See You]]>Featuring

HIM: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison x Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly
HER: Rock My Soul by bell hooks x Solange’s A Seat at the Table

Description

Identity is not just who you are. It is who the world allows you to be, who it refuses to see, and who you fight to become anyway. In this episode of Books & Bars, we bring Ralph Ellison, Kendrick Lamar, bell hooks, and Solange into one conversation about invisibility, self-esteem, Black identity, beauty, belonging, and the long work of becoming whole in a world that profits from distortion.

Key question:
Who taught you how to see yourself—and what did they get wrong?

]]>e8fcb47a-5147-4bfd-9a68-676229a933d1Thu, 07 May 2026 13:16:57 GMT<h2><b>Featuring</b></h2><p><b>HIM:</b> <i>Invisible Man</i> by Ralph Ellison x Kendrick Lamar’s <i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i><br /><b>HER:</b> <i>Rock My Soul</i> by bell hooks x Solange’s <i>A Seat at the Table</i></p><h2><b>Description</b></h2><p>Identity is not just who you are. It is who the world allows you to be, who it refuses to see, and who you fight to become anyway. In this episode of <i>Books &amp; Bars</i>, we bring Ralph Ellison, Kendrick Lamar, bell hooks, and Solange into one conversation about invisibility, self-esteem, Black identity, beauty, belonging, and the long work of becoming whole in a world that profits from distortion.</p><p></p><p><b>Key question:</b><br />Who taught you how to see yourself—and what did they get wrong?</p>no01:07:33Who Are You When The World Refuses to See Youfull<![CDATA[What Gives Life Meaning When Life Gets Heavy?]]>Featuring

HIM: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl x Black Star’s Black Star
HER: The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison x Sade’s Love Deluxe

Description

Meaning is not found in comfort. It is shaped through suffering, language, memory, dignity, and the decision to keep living with purpose. This episode brings Viktor Frankl, Black Star, Toni Morrison, and Sade into conversation around pain, survival, self-regard, love, art, and the power of naming your life with care. This is about more than endurance. It is about meaning as a responsibility.

Key question:
What story about your life deserves a deeper meaning?

]]>545364de-88f8-46f1-b94d-a8d9923c856dThu, 07 May 2026 11:51:15 GMT<h2><b>Featuring</b></h2><p><b>HIM:</b> <i>Man’s Search for Meaning</i> by Viktor Frankl x Black Star’s <i>Black Star</i><br /><b>HER:</b> <i>The Source of Self-Regard</i> by Toni Morrison x Sade’s <i>Love Deluxe</i></p><h2><b>Description</b></h2><p>Meaning is not found in comfort. It is shaped through suffering, language, memory, dignity, and the decision to keep living with purpose. This episode brings Viktor Frankl, Black Star, Toni Morrison, and Sade into conversation around pain, survival, self-regard, love, art, and the power of naming your life with care. This is about more than endurance. It is about meaning as a responsibility.</p><p></p><p><b>Key question:</b><br />What story about your life deserves a deeper meaning?</p>no00:52:36What Gives Life Meaning When Life Gets Heavy?full<![CDATA[What's Going On When History Leaves People Out]]>Featuring

HIM: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho x Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
HER: A Black Queer History of the United States by C. Riley Snorton & Darius Bost x Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On

Description

Awareness starts with listening to yourself, to history, and to the voices that were pushed out of the room. This episode connects purpose and miseducation with Black queer history and Marvin Gaye’s urgent question: What’s going on?

Together, these works challenge us to examine what we know, what we inherited, what we ignored, and what truth demands once we finally see clearly.

Key question:
What are you pretending not to know?

]]>aa9fdcf9-9b5a-4501-9203-cd9a19cb0890Mon, 04 May 2026 18:12:02 GMT<h2><b>Featuring</b></h2><p><b>HIM:</b> <i>The Alchemist</i> by Paulo Coelho x Lauryn Hill’s <i>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill</i><br /><b>HER:</b> <i>A Black Queer History of the United States</i> by C. Riley Snorton &amp; Darius Bost x Marvin Gaye’s <i>What’s Going On</i></p><h2><b>Description</b></h2><p>Awareness starts with listening to yourself, to history, and to the voices that were pushed out of the room. This episode connects purpose and miseducation with Black queer history and Marvin Gaye’s urgent question: <i>What’s going on?</i> </p><p></p><p>Together, these works challenge us to examine what we know, what we inherited, what we ignored, and what truth demands once we finally see clearly.</p><p></p><p><b>Key question:</b><br />What are you pretending not to know?</p>no01:08:44What's Going On When History Leaves People Outfull