Wild Women in the Whirlwind: Afro-American Culture and the Contemporary Literary Renaissance

Publisher Marketing: "Pays an impressive tribute to the new renaissance in African-American literature." --New York Times Book Review "The cultural and literary achievements of black American women are examined and celebrated in some 20 enjoyable, erudite essays by prominent scholars, critics, and activists." --Publishers Weekly This book is the first comprehensive collection of critical and theoretical essays to explore the literary and multi-cultural traditions of Black American women in many genres over a broad span of time. The essays explore cultural and literary experience in a wide context and offer a variety of critical theoretical constructs in which to view that experience. The editors have written excellent introductions providing both historical and comparative discussions of the contemporary literary renaissance. The book also includes a valuable bibliography of selected English-language works by Black women in the Americas from the 1970s to the present. Contributors: Angela Y. Davis, June Jordan, Gloria I. Joseph, David Ames Curtis, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Robert J. Fehrenbach, Daphne Duval Harrison, Billie Jean Young, Regine Altagrace Latortue, Calvin Hernton, Barbara Smith, Joanne V. Gabbin, Nellie Y. McKay, Barbara Omolade, Vashti Crutcher Lewis, Barbara Christian, Zala Chandler, Rudolph P. Byrd, Chinosole, Gale P. Jackson. Joanne M. Braxton is Cummings Professor of American Studies and English at the College of William and Mary and the author of Sometimes I Think of Maryland, a collection of poetry, and Black Women Writing Autobiography: A Tradition Within a Tradition. Andree Nicola McLaughlin is Professor or Humanities at Medgar Evers College/CUNY and author of Through the Barrel of Her Consciousness: Contemporary Black Women's Literature and Activism in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Contributor Bio:  Lorde, Audre Audre Lorde (1934-1992) published nine volumes of poetry and five works of prose. She was a recipient of many distinguished honors and awards, including honorary doctorates from Hunter, Oberlin, and Haverford Colleges, and was named New York State Poet (1991-1993). Contributor Bio:  Davis, Angela Angela Davis has spent more than 20 years working as a social work case manager helping at risk populations in the Philadelphia and Camden areas. Having worked in both Camden County Jail and Mercer County jail just outside of Trenton, she has dedicated her life to fighting for those most marginalized in our society. She currently works as a community activist fighting for tenants' rights for New Jersey's poor. Contributor Bio:  Jordan, June June Jordan (1936-2002) was a poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist, activist, and educator known for challenging oppression through her inspirational words and actions. She was the founder of Poetry for the People at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught for many years. The author of over twenty books, including the young adult novel HIS OWN WHERE, her poetry is collected in DIRECTED BY DESIRE; her selected essays in Some of Us Did Not Die. Contributor Bio:  Curtis, David David Curtis is one of the UK's best-known painters. He is the author of the bestselling Light and Mood in Watercolours and Capturing the Moment in Oils. Contributor Bio:  Gates, Henry Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research and holder of the distinguished title of Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University. He is the author of twelve books, including several award-winning works of literary criticism as well as the memoir "Colored People; The Future of the Race", co-authored with "Cornel West; Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man"; and "Tradition and the Black Atlantic". Gates has hosted ten PBS television specials, including "Looking for Lincoln" and the two part series, "African American Lives", upon which his book "In Search of Our Roots" (2009) was based. He is winner of the 2009 Ralph Lowell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Television and the 2010 NAACP Image Award for Non-Fiction. Contributor Bio:  Christian, Barbara Barbara Christian (1943-2000) was an acclaimed professor of African American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Contributor Bio:  Smith, Barbara B. Smith is a former fashion model turned restaurateur, television host, author, entrepreneur and entertainer extraordinaire renowned for her casual yet elegant approach to living. In 1999, she hosted "B Smith with Style "which aired nationwide and in 40 countries. A native of western Pennsylvania (where she was raised by a bunch of Southerners who went north), B started her career as a fashion model, gracing the covers of 15 magazines, before moving on to restaurants and televison. She lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York with her husband and partner, Dan Gasby, and their daughter. Contributor Bio:  Braxton, Joanne M Braxton is the Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Professor of American Studies and English at the College of William and Mary.