© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Princess Joy L. Perry’s award-winning novel ‘This Here is Love’ continues Harriet Beecher Stowe’s legacy of literary activism

This year's winner of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism, Princess Joy L. Perry. Her debut novel, 'This Here is Love,' follows multiple characters as it depicts slavery in 1690s Virginia and the complex hierarchies that form there.
Mariangie Pena
/
The Stowe Center for Literary Activism
This year's winner of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism is Princess Joy L. Perry. Her debut novel, 'This Here is Love,' follows multiple characters as it depicts slavery in 1690s Virginia and the complex hierarchies that form there.

Princess Joy L. Perry’s novel This Here is Love tells the interlocking stories of an array of characters in Tidewater Virginia. It’s a complex narrative that takes place in the 1690s as the hierarchies of slavery are still developing. Those hierarchies are complicated by further hierarchies— indentured servitude and gender also shape the way characters are perceived. This Here is Love is a book that isn’t afraid to delve into the messiest questions around how discrimination developed in the U.S. It’s a book about human nature and the moral questions we continue to face today. And above all it’s a gripping debut from an author whose assured voice guides us through a world where cruelty and love seem to coexist.

This hour, we’re talking to Princess Joy L. Perry about This Here is Love.

We’ll also speak with Casey Grambo from the Stowe Center for Literary Activism. They've awarded the novel with their annual Stowe Prize for Literary Activism.

2026 winner of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism, Princess Joy L. Perry and her debut novel, “This Here is Love.”
Jennifer Natalie Fish
/
The Stowe Center for Literary Activism
2026 winner of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism, Princess Joy L. Perry. She won for her debut novel, “This Here is Love.”

GUESTS:

You can find more information about the celebration of the Stowe Prize for Literary Activism in Hartford at the Stowe Center for Literary Activism's website.

Disrupted is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Kevin Chang Barnum is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio’s weekly show Disrupted. Kevin grew up in Connecticut and started his radio work at his graduate university’s radio station, KUCI. He has also worked for HRN, a network of food and beverage podcasts.
Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean is an award-winning scholar at Wesleyan University, author, and host of 'Disrupted' on Connecticut Public.
Erica McIntosh is Senior Regional Editor for Southern Connecticut. Erica was born and raised in Connecticut.
Robyn Doyon-Aitken is the Deputy Director of Audio Storytelling and Talk Shows
Meg Fitzgerald is the senior manager of projects and radio programming.

Funding provided by:
The Connecticut Office of Film, Television and Digital Media

Related Content