Gallery

From radio broadcasts, to the spoken word, to comics— Al has explored nearly every aspect of COMMUNICATION in his diverse portfolio.

Interested in downloading a Press Kit?

GET ONE

al_letson

Repost from @mothstories • In this week’s #Mot

Repost from @mothstories
•
In this week’s #MothRadioHour, Al travels to Malawi for a job and finds unexpected human connection in a prison.

Listen to Al’s story and more in this special episode with stories about wedding dress shopping, prison choir, and a hot dog. #LinkInBio

#TheMoth #Storytelling

⚡ OUT NOW: Episode 3 of #MississippiGoddam⁠
⁠
In episode 2, we talked about one theory that came out after Billey Joe Johnson Jr. died — that he might have taken his own life. His friends and family don’t believe it, which brings us to this week’s episode: The Autopsy. ⁠
⁠
In Sept. 2008, three months before Billey Joe died, the Mississippi legislature issued a damning report. It concluded that the state medical examiner’s office lacked the staff and resources to ensure that suspicious deaths could be “resolved competently.”⁠
⁠
When Billey Joe died in December, the office was “absolutely in transition,” said Tucker Carrington, the founding director of the Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi’s School of Law. “Things were still messy. They’re still messy now.” ⁠
⁠
So Billey Joe’s autopsy was outsourced to a private company of forensic pathologists out of Tennessee that conducted autopsies. Dr. Adele Lewis was one of their pathologists, and conducted Billey Joe’s autopsy.⁠
⁠
What Dr. Lewis found would help convince the grand jury that Billey Joe’s death was an accidental shooting. But questions have been raised about her findings. ⁠
⁠
In episode 3, Reveal’s @Al_Letson and Jonathan R. Jones travel to Nashville to interview Dr. Lewis, who is now the chief medical examiner for Tennessee. They present her with another report that calls her conclusions into question.⁠
⁠
🎧 What does she have to say? Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also listen via the link in our bio.

When I first heard about Billey Joe Johnson Jr.’

When I first heard about Billey Joe Johnson Jr.’s death, something about it wouldn’t let me go. A Black high school football star in Mississippi had died after being pulled over by a White police officer.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Our investigation into Billey Joe’s story is our new seven-episode series, #MississippiGoddam. But you should know, this podcast doesn’t get the “true crime” treatment. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
“I am not interested in commodifying Black death,” Letson said. “I am interested in looking at the system and understanding it, so that change may be implemented. … Billey Joe Johnson is not a character in a podcast you love, but he was a human being whose life mattered. And that's why we want to understand his death.”⁠⁠
⁠⁠
🔗 Episode 1 is out now. Tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts. Listen links are also available in our bio.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#BilleyJoeJohnsonJr #BilleyJoeJohnson #Lucedale #LucedaleMS #GeorgeCounty #GeorgeCountyMS

I heard a story ten years ago. I started reporting

I heard a story ten years ago. I started reporting on it 3 years ago with the crew @revealnews

This by far is the hardest thing I’ve ever worked on.

Today, finallywe launch our 7 part series “Mississippi Goddam: The Ballad of Billey Joe” link in bio.

10 years ago I was told about a Black kid who died

10 years ago I was told about a Black kid who died at a traffic stop with a white police officer. It's haunted me ever since.

3 years ago @Reveal & I started investigating.

1 week from now @Reveal presents Mississippi Goddam: the Ballad of Billey Joe.

Link in bio

#HorrorNoire casting has been announced. My story

#HorrorNoire casting has been announced. My story #Sundown has a banger of a cast! I’ve watched these actors for years and loved them, never imagined they’d be in one of my pieces. @lavellsthacomic , @tonebell, @therealstormare, and @theericaash thank you! Can’t wait for ppl to see what we made!

Earlier this year I was in a writer’s room for a

Earlier this year I was in a writer’s room for a new show #Moonhaven on AMC. I am so excited by all the casting, but to see @kadeemhardison be cast as one of my favorite characters, Arlo, is a dream. An actor who’s work I love, playing a character, I (with the rest of the writers in the room), got to write and shape is thrilling. Can’t wait for you all to see the show!

My peoples @errricanicole9 and @desire_yay have a

My peoples @errricanicole9 and @desire_yay have a comic out! I love it sooooooo much! Check it out! On Hoopla and Comixology! Seriously, it’s good and the writers are my favorites. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

“October of 1962. The Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union is at its peak when the unthinkable happens: nuclear war. Sixty years later, the remaining 13 states rose from the ashes to form the American Union, governed by the authoritarian Joint Chiefs of Staff and protected by a border wall to keep out nuclear radiation . . . and the individuals who were enhanced by it. Nuclear Power is a darkly poignant alternate history of the Cuban Missile Crisis that posits the lengths to which a government will go to protect (or deceive) its citizens. When the Joint Chiefs’ dark secrets are revealed, will survivors on both sides of the wall join forces to fight for their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, or will their differences forever divide them?”

Happy Birthday to the High Priestess of Soul. I

Happy Birthday to the High Priestess of Soul.

I comisssioned @jeremyokaiart for this Nina Simone painting and he came thru🙏🏾

I finally get to talk about one of my TV projects👻👹💀 Horror Noire is gonna be a lot of fun. My dude @ezracdaniels has a story in it too. So good! Peep it on Shudder later this year.

Instagram post 18089548117231949

Instagram post 18089548117231949

The University of North Florida asked me to give a

The University of North Florida asked me to give a commencement speech to the class of 2020. Awesome opportunity. To see it check the link in the bio.

But also Room Rater gave me a 10/10. 👏🏾You👏🏾can 👏🏾not👏🏾tell👏🏾me👏🏾anything 😂 shootout to my man @hatheadhair for doing such a great job filming and editing.
#swooptogether

Instagram post 18170516152011522

Instagram post 18170516152011522

After two years of reporting, @revealnews launched

After two years of reporting, @revealnews launched its first serial American Rehab. This series is so damn good! It’s the story of how a work-based Rehab came to be (it’s crazy) and how they have clients working for no pay. A very American solution to drug addiction. Link in bio or go to @revealnews! Listen! Listen! Listen!

From the latest Reveal episode. Peep it on your po

From the latest Reveal episode. Peep it on your podcast app or listen for it on your local NPR station. Big thanks to @jennell_borderless 🙏🏾♥️👊🏾for the graphics.

I have no words for the sorrow in my heart.

I have no words for the sorrow in my heart.

🤔h/t @billycorben

🤔h/t @billycorben

While reporting in Mississippi went to a Christmas

While reporting in Mississippi went to a Christmas parade. This is after my reporting partner and I got stuck behind a truck and trailer with ppl dressed in all black, their organization... the Coon Hunters.
#thisisamerica

@addonohue and I @revealnews White Men Can’t Jum

@addonohue and I @revealnews White Men Can’t Jump. (Actually he plays ball better than me 😂) but I got to be the GOAT @realwesleysnipes

Personal best. 225 Came a long way from barely ben

Personal best. 225 Came a long way from barely benching 135.

Instagram post 17847800026700467

Instagram post 17847800026700467

I came up in the School of Hardknocks with these t

I came up in the School of Hardknocks with these two authors @basseyworld & @staceyannchin They both have excellent books out, I couldn’t be more proud and happy to call them my sisters. They have always been amazing writers and performers, but they are even better human beings. I love them deep. Peep their books!

Got to interview Malcolm Gladwell about his new bo

Got to interview Malcolm Gladwell about his new book #TalkingtoStrangers for @cityartssf really great night.

@patenlocke You were always the most talented in

@patenlocke
You were always the most talented in any room you were in. I love you homie. I’m 💔 you’re gone. Been thinking a lot about your impact on my life. I’m not sure I’d be where I am w/o having started some 20 years ago with you. So many ppl have that same story. That’s how big your impact was in life, you did the damn thing.

Ozzy Davis memorializing Malcolm X keeps running in my head: “Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man—but a seed—which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us.

And we will know him then for what he was and is—a prince—our own black shining prince!” I know you’d roll your eyes at all that, but also secretly love it. Lol. I’m filled with gratitude that I called you my friend.🙏🏾♥️👊🏾 #Asamovforever #fullplatefam #smilerays #patenlockeforever

Yooooo. Send some love my man’s way. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾❤️❤️❤️👊🏾

I love you fam👊🏾♥️ @patenlocke

I love you fam👊🏾♥️ @patenlocke

@willieev claims he doesn’t look like @thegr8kha

@willieev claims he doesn’t look like @thegr8khalid clearly this isn’t true. Please explain to Willie he does. And please tell Khalid they should make a song together (featuring me).

Great time @peabodyawards thankful 🙏🏾 @revea

Great time @peabodyawards thankful 🙏🏾 @revealnews

I’m in a Good Place.

I’m in a Good Place.

From the Peabody’s 😭❤️👊🏾🔥 Shout

From the Peabody’s 😭❤️👊🏾🔥 Shout out to @Al_Letson! On Saturday, the radio/podcast impresario will receive a rare two #Peabody Awards for "Kept Out" and "Monumental Lies" from @Revealnews at the 78th Annual Awards Ceremony. Back in 2014, he and his "State of the Re:Union (@Sotru)" team were honored "for energizing radio and podcasting with grassroots reporting of phenomenal quality and value." For a full list of winners, visit our site (link in bio). #StoriesThatMatter

I’m guest hosting @deathsexmoney I get to interv

I’m guest hosting @deathsexmoney I get to interview one of my heroes (and my peeps!) Nikole Hannah-Jones! New ep drops 5/15/2019 just search for @deathsexmoney in whatever app you use for podcasts!

We just won, not one, but two @peabodyawards‼️

We just won, not one, but two @peabodyawards‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ So proud of the team, the collaborators, and everyone who helped us get there. As the host, I get way more of the praise than I should. Every day this team works their butts off and makes me look good. I’m so grateful to be with these dedicated ppl. God is good all day errday! #unbelievable #reveal #podcast

Three Peabody Nominations for @revealnews ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ We did the damn thing‼️‼️‼️Congrats to the whole team‼️

I started performing Summer in Sanctuary, 10 years

I started performing Summer in Sanctuary, 10 years ago. This marks the end of the journey. I’m retiring the show after an amazing run that took me Off-Broadway, all around the country, and extended run in San Francisco. The story of working at the Sanctuary on 8th St. change my life
and my perception of the world. The people I met there, and all the ppl who worked on the show, have become family. I am forever grateful.

The very last Summer in Sanctuary Tech Rehearsal.

The very last Summer in Sanctuary Tech Rehearsal. @willieev

Soooo Ear Hustle and Errthang end up in a fancy re

Soooo Ear Hustle and Errthang end up in a fancy restaurant... 😂😂😂The food was excellent tho!

I’ve been on the road now for a few weeks, deali

I’ve been on the road now for a few weeks, dealing with some really hard stuff involving a family member. To be honest it’s breaking my heart. I’m also doing speaking engagements. Today when I walked into the school of Journalism at University of South Carolina I was hit with a wave of gratitude. If I could go back in time I wouldn’t change anything but I’d tell that dyslexic kid I was, it was all gonna be alright. Keep dreaming, do the work to make the dream come true and keep believing. I barely graduated high school. Never went to college, but now they bring me into speak. Still a hard journey ahead, but God is good, all day errday.

Been writing a lot of poetry lately... This one’

Been writing a lot of poetry lately... This one’s title is “Siachen”

@radioike is one of the best producers I’ve ever

@radioike is one of the best producers I’ve ever worked with and an even better person. He’s big time now at the New York Times, but he came to visit and I didn’t want to let him go 😩😢😩

I can’t put into words how amazing @alicesmithmu

I can’t put into words how amazing @alicesmithmusic was last night. She sung “I put a spell on you” and I looked around the crowd and knew she had. We were all, and will always be hers. If she’s in your town, go!

The hard truth we don’t want to talk about, when

The hard truth we don’t want to talk about, when we talk about immigration. Photo by @tmannphoto

It’s Fathers Day! What better time to listen to

When @benadair sends you a shirt from @westernsoun

When @benadair sends you a shirt from @westernsound that matches your decor, you gotta take a pic.

New Errthang! John Coffey Refuses to Save the Worl

New Errthang! John Coffey Refuses to Save the World! We go to the room of magical negroes, and ask are we all destined to play the parts we’re cast in? Link in bio!

@iamfy I have questions. Do you own these lyrics?

@iamfy I have questions. Do you own these lyrics? Is the artist who wrote this getting paid? Is it hip to steal from someone else’s culture, make money on it, and give nothing back? I grew up on this song it means something to me and I’m tired, bone tired, of pop up fly by night companies commodifying my culture and giving nothing back. If you haven’t paid Wonder Mike, you’re in violation of copy right. And @instagram you’re ok with this?!? 🤬😡🤯

New Errthang dropped Friday. Couldn’t be more pr

New Errthang dropped Friday. Couldn’t be more proud of it. Written by Kiese Laymon, performed by one my of my mentees and music by @willieev peep this ep! Link in the bio.

New podcast! Errthang: No Ordinary Love. Stories a

New podcast! Errthang: No Ordinary Love. Stories about Fatherhood! @willieev and get down son! Link in bio!

New Errthang Ep!!! Where @willieev asks “What th

New Errthang Ep!!! Where @willieev asks “What the hell is wrong with Al?” Special appearance by my man Jaayyy Breezzzy! @jimbriggs3! On @radiotopia’s showcase! Link in bio!

New Season of Errthang launches today! @willieev &

New Season of Errthang launches today! @willieev & I are telling stories of heartbreak!... and Terry Gross... don’t ask just listen! Link in bio.

Load More... Follow on Instagram

DSC04645-Edit

DSC04582-Edit

old school 1

DSC04882-Edit

DSC04604-Edit

old school 3

DSC04872-Edit-Edit

Griot3

DSC04873-Edit

DSC04706-Edit

Griot4

DSC04728-Edit

DSC04914-Edit

DSC04933-Edit

DSC04592-Edit

DSC04686-Edit-Edit

DSC04611-Edit

GET CONNECTED

CONTACT