Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,505,807 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

African American Writers: Portraits and Visions. (eye).


African American Writers:
Portraits and Visions
by Lynda Koolish
University Press of Mississippi, November
2001, $40.00, ISBN 1-578-06258-6


Imagine having a photo album that's not only filled with beautiful pictures of family members, but all of them are accompanied by short bios of their life's work Life's Work is a sitcom that aired from 1996 to 1997 on the American Broadcasting Company channel that starred Lisa Ann Walter as Lisa Ann Minardi Hunter, the assistant district attorney who had a husband named Kevin Hunter .

African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race.  Writers: Portraits and Visions is just that: A gallery of portraits and profiles of African-American literary lions along with lesser-known poets, writers and academics. The collection offers a thoughtful look at contemporary scholars currently influencing African-American culture.

Although this is not the first book of portraits of African-American writers This is a list of African American authors and writers, all of whom are considered part of African American literature.

Note: Consult Who is African American? to gain a better sense as to who can be listed as an African American writer.
 --Harlem Renaissance patron Carl Van Vechten Carl Van Vechten (June 17, 1880 – December 21, 1964) was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein.  featured writers of the 1920s and 1930s--Lynda Koolish has put together a "passionately subjective" collection of portraits of writers whose work she cares about. With a nurturing eye, she has selected those moments that capture her subjects revealing something meaningful about themselves. And it is the author's deeply personal response to each writer that underscores her choices. In addition to being a recognized photographer and scholar of African-American literature, Koolish is also an associate professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU), founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area (generally the City and County of San Diego), and is part of the California State University system. .

The distinguished list of individuals profiled--59 in all--is presented in alphabetical order, from poet Ai to poet/memoirist/screenwriter/novelist Al Young. A veritable Who's Who of 20th-century African-American poets, novelists, playwrights, and critics; the book features Angela Y. Davis, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Toni Morrison and August Wilson, as well as Haki R. Madhubuti Haki R. Madhubuti (born Don Luther Lee on February 23 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States) is a renowned African-American author, educator, and poet. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa, and served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1963.  and Ntozake Shange. The short biographical essay that accompanies each portrait offers some insight into the author's world, while the photo captures their spirit.

In the book's introduction, Atlanta Constitution columnist and PBS PBS
 in full Public Broadcasting Service

Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural,
 commentator Cynthia Tucker observes, "We know these authors. We know their words.... Now we can look at the eyes that ... transform our understanding of the world."

--E.D. Smith is an editor and design writer.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Cox, Matthews & Associates
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2002, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:Smith, E.D.
Publication:Black Issues Book Review
Article Type:Book Review
Date:Jan 1, 2002
Words:312
Previous Article:Different. (eye).(Brief Article)
Next Article:Ellen Gallagher. (eye).(Brief Article)
Topics:



Related Articles
Generations in Black and White: Photographs of Carl Van Vechten.(Brief Article)
New Essays on 'Their Eyes Were Watching God.'
Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore.(Review)
My Heroes, My People: African Americans and Native Americans in the West.(Review)
The New Red Negro: The Literary Left and African-American Poetry, 1930-1946.(Review)
Write Me A Few Of Your Lines: A Blues Reader.(Review)
Curator's Choice.(Review)(Children's Review)(Brief Review)
The Harlem Renaissance: The One and the Many.(Review)
Passed On: African American Mourning Stories.(Brief Article)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles