An interview with DeAsia Paige, author of The College Diaries Pt. 2

[ By: Shawna Shipley-Gates ] In Part II DeAsia Paige and Shawna Shipley-Gates hold a conversation on the impact Black feminism has had on each of their lives and its continued use their everyday experiences. Paige also discusses her current work and plans for the future. *This conversation has been edited for length and clarity* Shipley-Gates: I’m glad you brought up feminism because I found […]

An interview with DeAsia Paige, author of The College Diaries Pt. 1

[ By: Shawna Shipley-Gates ] The College Diaries: How a Budding Black Feminist Found Her Voice, by HBW alum DeAsia Paige was released in 2020. When Shipley-Gates published the review, during Women’s History Month, she and Paige began an important conversation. The Project on the History of Black Writing hopes that sharing that conversation can help shed light on the culture that too many young […]

Book Review: ‘The College Diaries: How a Budding Black Feminist Found Her Voice’

[ By Shawna Shipley-Gates ] Announcing the publication of The College Diaries by DeAsia Paige, former HBW Social Media Coordinator (2018-2020). Her memoir follows her journey through a predominantly white institution as she explores the intersection of race, gender and culture. This blog is an in-depth review of Paige’s book provided by Shawna Shipley-Gates.   DeAsia Paige, HBW alum and author of The College Diaries: How […]

Joyce Ladner’s ‘Tomorrow’s Tomorrow’: A Model for Imagining Possibilities of American Womanhood

[ By Shelia Bonner ] Tomorrow’s Tomorrow: The Black Woman by Joyce Ladner celebrates its 50th anniversary of publication this year. Dr. Ladner, author and sociologist, spent four years (1964-1968) working as a research assistant interviewing, observing, and socializing with more than one hundred girls. Those interviews provided the framework for Tomorrow’s Tomorrow: The Black Woman (1970) which examines womanhood through the lens of young […]

ZORA! Festival Recap

[ By: Christopher Peace ] The Project on the History of Black Writing staff member, Christopher Peace, recently attended the 2021 ZORA! Festival of the Arts and Humanities as a third time graduate intern. Due to COVID-19, the festival was different from past years, taking on a hybrid zoom and socially distanced format. Peace recaps his experience with the festival this year, noting the differences […]

Book Review: Richard Wright’s The Man Who Lived Underground (2021)

[ By: Morgan McComb ]  Last fall, during HBW’s 2020 Black Literary Suite “Black Writing in Reel Time,” we received the news from Julia Wright, regarding the forthcoming publication of unpublished novel by her father Richard Wright (1908-1960). A portion of that novel had first appeared in 1942, but most readers first learned of it in Wright’s short story collection, “Eight Men” (1960). We are […]

“Lest We Forget” Hank Aaron: Blueprint for Grace

[By: Ernie Shelby, f’59] This month, HBW will focus on literary and cultural history and continue to move toward the idea of Black Liberation Month (BLM). For our first blog we are featuring a piece on baseball star, Hank Aaron, written by artist, musician, athlete, and KU alum, Ernie Shelby.  This is part one of the “Lest We Forget” series, where we consider impactful figures. […]