Synopses & Reviews
A rich Minnesota literary tradition is brought into the spotlight in this groundbreaking collection of incisive prose and powerful poetry by forty- three black writers who educate, inspire, and reveal the unabashed truth.and#160;Historically significant figures tell their stories, demonstrating how much and how little conditions have changed: Gordon Parks hitchhikes to Bemidji,Taylor Gordon describes his first day as a chauffeur in St. Paul, and Nellie Stone Johnson insists on escaping the farm for high school in Minneapolis. A profusionof modern voicesandmdash; poet Tish Jones, playwright Kim Hines, and memoirist Frank Wildersonandmdash; reflect the dizzying, complex realities of the present.and#160;Showcasing the unique vision and reality of Minnesotaandrsquo;s African American community from the Harlem renaissance through the civil rights movement, from the black power movement to the era of hip- hop and the time of Americaandrsquo;s first black president, this compelling anthology provides an explosion of artistic expression about what it means to be a Minnesotan.
Alexs Pate, an award-winning novelist, playwright, and writing professor, is the president of Innocent Technologies, LLC. Pamela R. Fletcher, associate professor of English at St. Catherine University,and#160;has published works of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. J. Otis Powell! is a poet, performance artist, and curator working in an aesthetic rooted in Afrocentric lore and culture.
Co-published with the Minnesota Humanities Center
Synopsis
A surprising and compelling anthology that reveals complex realitiesandmdash;beautiful, infuriating, painful, and upliftingandmdash;as described by African American writers in Minnesota over the past century.