Synopses & Reviews
Drawing on her experiences as a professor of English and the author of sixteen highly acclaimed books, critic bell hooks presents an insightful collection of essays on the process and politics of writing. Centrally, many of the essays raise provocative questions about the feminist movement and women's writing--the kinds of voices women have established in the wake of the demand for more writing by women, the politics of confession and the type of standards being set for women writers by critics. Several essays explore hooks's personal relationship to publishing, explaining the impact success has had on her work as she highlights her movement from writing in relative isolation to writing in New York City amidst the publishing industry, in a world full of writers. Other essays focus on the dearth of nonfiction writing by Black women, contrasting that with the rise in their published fiction. More general essays focus on writing as healing, raising issues about the function of writing; the extent to which readers inspire writers; and how race, ger, and class can determine one's relationship to words. Remembered Rapture offers a fresh and lively discussion of living with words.
Review
"Each offering from bell hooks is a major event, as she has so much to give us."--Maya Angelou
Review
bell hooks reveals the heart of her writing life and the process through which she has come to be known as a "visionary feminist." (Essence)
"Each offering from bell hooks is a major event, as she has so much to give us." (Maya Angelou)
"hooks infuses the best of these essays with a personal tone that sheds warm light on this particular writer's life." (Publishers Weekly)
Synopsis
With grace and insight, celebrated writer bell hooks untangles the complex personae of women writers. Born and raised in the rural South, hooks learned early the power of the written word and the importance of speaking her mind. Her passion for words is the heartbeat of this collection of essays. Remembered Rapture celebrates literacy, the joys of reading and writing, and the lasting power of the book. Once again, these essays reveal bell hooks's wide-ranging intellectual scope; she is a universal writer addressing readers and writers everywhere.
About the Author
Bell Hooks is the author of sixteen books, including Killing Rage (Owl Books, 0-8050-5512-6, $12.95), Bone Black, (Owl Books, 0-8050-5027-2, $11.95) and Wounds of Passion (see Owl catalog, p. 47). She is Distinguished Professor of English at City College in New York. She lives in Greenwich Village.
Table of Contents
preface: rapture from the deep
writing from the darkness
women who write too much
a body of work: women labor with words
remembered rapture: dancing with words
writing without labels
writing to confess
telling all: the politics of confession
writing autobiography
from public to private: writing bone black
class and the politics of writing
a life in the spirit: faith, writing, and intellectual work
divine inspiration: writing and spirituality
intellectual life: in and beyond the academy
catalyst and connection: writers and readers
the writer's true home
black women writing: creating more space
zora neale hurston: a subversive reading
emily dickinson: the power of influence
the legacy of ann petry
hansberry: the deep one
writing with grace: the magic of morrison
writer to writer: remembering toni cade bambara