[By Victoria Garcia Unzueta] The Project on the History of Black Writing has been focusing on Zora Neale Hurston’s literary work for many years. With our upcoming NEH Virtual Summer Institute “Hurston on the Horizon; Past, Present and Future”, we wanted to share a collection of past HBW blogs focusing on Hurston and her impact in the realm of Black literature. The blogs range from […]
In 1985-1986, I had the great fortune of winning an NEH Fellowship for Individual Study and Research. At the time, I was teaching at the University of Kentucky, with Zora Neale Hurston scholar Bob Hemenway, Callaloo editor Charles Rowell, and the ineffable scholar-teacher Sandra Y. Govan. It was an uplifting, timely gift, rescuing me from several life changes that had morphed into life challenges. The […]
[By: Maryemma Graham] Margaret Walker (1915-1998) would have turned 104 this past July 7, 2019. The poet, novelist, educator and cultural critic was part of a distinct tradition of writing that is too easily forgotten. A tradition of truth-telling that makes us see and understand ourselves and our relationship to others differently. Walker’s history may not be as well known to some, but she was […]
[By: Giselle Anatol] “Tell your heroes you love them.Thank you, Ms.Marshall. Rest well. If you don’t know her, read, Soul Clap Hands and Sing. Or anything she’s written. As a matter of fact, just read Black women, past and present. Period.” —Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author. Paule Marshall’s work has been a touchstone in my life. Attending suburban New Jersey public […]