[ By: Victoria Garcia Unzueta ] Yvonne Brown (April 18, 1977 – November 26, 2021) The Project on the History of Black Writing mourns the passing of author and educator Yvonne Brown who passed away recently due to COVID-19. Yvonne Brown was the author of the acclaimed novel, Crying Girl (2019) and the founder of the Crying Girl Movement, which started as a marketing campaign […]
[ By Dr. Brian Daldorph ] Antonio Sanchez-Day (July 21, 1974 – March 5, 2021) Anthony Sanchez-Day was born on 21 July, 1974, in Topeka, Kansas, and died 5 March, 2021, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. He had a number of serious health issues. He graduated from Grand River Academy in Ashtabula, Ohio, and attended Haskell University in Lawrence, Kansas. […]
[ By: Victoria Garcia Unzueta ] “Among her many professional friends and colleagues, we consider Miriam DeCosta-Willis the godmother of Afro-Hispanic Literature and culture. Her footprints and magnanimous contributions as a scholar-civil rights activist will forever be inspirational and trailblazing to those of us who regard her as one of Maya Angelou’s phenomenal women.” – Dr. James Davis, Associate Dean, Academic & Student Affairs & […]
[ By: Morgan McComb ] “If I can help somebody as I pass along”: Remembering the Life and Work of Naomi Long Madgett On November 4, 2020, we lost Detroit Poet Laureate, Lotus Press founder, and lifelong educator, Naomi Long Madgett. With a career that spanned over five decades, Madgett’s work was dynamic and unencumbered by critical expectations—especially critical expectations of Black writers. She published […]
[ By: Kai Hansen ] “Randall Kenan’s work was a beautiful thing. Randall Kenan’s life was a rare gift.” Dr. James A. Crank Photo Credit: University of North Carolina The Project on the History of Black Writing mourns the passing of Randall Kenan, who […]
The Project on the History of Black Writing mourns the passing of Kamau Brathwaite. The Barbadian poet and academic was 89 when he died in his home on Tuesday, February 4. Brathwaite’s writing mainly celebrated Caribbean voices and greatly contributed to the Caribbean’s literary landscape. Born in Bridgetown, Bahamas in 1930, Brathwaite’s poems examined African roots in the Caribbean, affirming the Afro-Caribbean identity and amplifying […]
[By: Lenard D. Moore] I need to visit those who weigh heavily on my mind. As a result of the progression of years and the busyness of daily living, I don’t always get the opportunity to reach out. For the past two or three months, however, I have constantly considered stopping by my former poetry professor’s house, which is only about eight minutes from mine. […]