Báyò Akómoláfé : Selah

The episode opens with a heartfelt tribute to Michael Silverblatt, the late host of Bookworm, whose meticulous preparation and generosity set a benchmark for literary podcasts. Host David Naiman frames the conversation by honoring Silverblatt’s influence on the community of book‑nerd podcasters, then introduces philosopher‑poet Bayo Akomolafe. Akomolafe’s new work, Selah, is presented as a radical departure from conventional essay collections, reshaping long‑form pieces into a collage of aphorisms that invite readers to linger in uncertainty and generative incompleteness.

Selah’s structure draws on Walter Benjamin’s three‑stage writing process and Jalal Tufik’s call for “quantum tunneling” between aphorisms, creating a text that feels both musical and architectural while remaining deliberately fragmented. Akomolafe’s trickster poetics and fugitive thought echo the work of Fred Moten, Karen Barad, and post‑humanist theorists, positioning the book as a portal to ecological agency and a critique of entrenched narratives. The discussion highlights how the aphoristic form destabilizes fixed meanings, encouraging readers to experience ideas as mutable, koan‑like prompts rather than definitive arguments.

Beyond literary form, the conversation expands to broader cultural stakes. Akomolafe links intra‑action theory to contemporary challenges such as AI insurgencies, climate crisis, and systemic injustice, arguing that individuals emerge through relational processes rather than as isolated agents. This perspective resonates with business leaders seeking innovative, systems‑thinking approaches: embracing post‑humanist and eco‑feminist frameworks can reshape organizational narratives, foster resilient decision‑making, and inspire new models of justice and power. By foregrounding trickster strategies and the notion of “fugitive” thought, the episode offers a compelling roadmap for reimagining how enterprises engage with complexity and uncertainty.