Monday, April 29, 2013

A Golden Age of Inspiration for Black Men Writers, 1977 - 1997

[Initially published on February 17]


On April 26, I gave a presentation entitled "A Golden Age of Inspiration for Black Men Writers, 1977 - 1997" at the University of Oregon as part of a symposium, "Racial Representations: African American Literature Since 1975," organized by scholar Courtney Thorsson.

My presentation was part of my research and writing project on the works and careers of four prominent writers -- journalist and blogger Ta-Nehisi Coates, comic strip author and cartoonist Aaron McGruder, novelist and essayist Colson Whitehead, and poet and editor Kevin Young. As a supplement to the formal presentation and the symposium, I produced several entries here that provide background information, images, and other related items.

Post-symposium entries:
Keeping up with Erica Edwards
The Lit. Scholar as Organizer: The Case of Courtney Thorsson
The value of a small scholarly gathering
Talking African American poetry at the University Oregon
Evie Shockley and the Music
The downside of outliers?
Final overall claim for the presentation

Pre-symposium entries:
The Presentation
Presentation focus & overall claim
Updated overall claim for presentation

Notes on the 4 focal writers 
Huey Freeman as Jedi Knight 
From Rita Dove to Kevin Young to Lucille Clifton  
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Aaron McGruder & the Kitchen Sink
NYC as Colson Whitehead's Muse & Canvas
Notes on the creative domains of Coates, McGruder, Whitehead & Young

Lists
Accomplished black men in the arts born between 1965 - 1975
A Timeline of Select Inspiration for Black Males, 1977 - 1997
Kevin Young's book publications
Colson Whitehead's book publications  
African American poetry since 1976 (a timeline)
African American novels and novelists since 1975 (timeline)  

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