About the Book
Publication: 2026
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
This post is part of the Books in Brief series, which features concise conversations with scholars about their books in African American literary studies.
1. What inspired you to pursue the lines of research and writing that resulted in this book?
On the one hand, I’ve been interested in Coates’s work for quite some time, and on the other hand, I have an interest in comic books. I realized that by merging those interests, I could usefully contribute to African American literary studies.
2. What surprised you most during your research or writing process?
I hadn't fully considered that writing comic books unlocked dimensions of Coates's creativity in a wide range of ways. He's understandably famous for his nonfiction, but I was surprised, and ultimately motivated to write this book, by how essential comics became to showcasing his imagination and storytelling abilities.
I hadn't fully considered that writing comic books unlocked dimensions of Coates's creativity in a wide range of ways. He's understandably famous for his nonfiction, but I was surprised, and ultimately motivated to write this book, by how essential comics became to showcasing his imagination and storytelling abilities.
3. What part of this project took the longest to figure out?
The hardest decision was figuring out the book's overall organization. I went through roughly 70 versions of the table of contents, experimenting with different structures before arriving at a ten-chapter, loosely chronological approach.
The hardest decision was figuring out the book's overall organization. I went through roughly 70 versions of the table of contents, experimenting with different structures before arriving at a ten-chapter, loosely chronological approach.
4. What's one lesson you learned while producing this book that you'll carry into future projects?
I made a conscious effort to present my findings earlier and more incrementally than is typical in literary scholarship. Too often, we postpone central insights until well into a chapter or even near the end of a book, seemingly unaware that many audiences prefer early insights and a clear sense of where the discussion is headed.
I made a conscious effort to present my findings earlier and more incrementally than is typical in literary scholarship. Too often, we postpone central insights until well into a chapter or even near the end of a book, seemingly unaware that many audiences prefer early insights and a clear sense of where the discussion is headed.
5. If any come to mind, are there books in African American literary studies that you see your work in conversation with?
Although I don't cite them in the book, I continually found myself thinking about Courtney Thorsson's The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture (2023) and Elizabeth McHenry's To Make Negro Literature: Writing, Literary Practice, and African American Authorship (2021). Thorsson's project, which is inspired in part by a single photograph, modeled for me how one compelling object can anchor a larger scholarly argument, while McHenry continues to show how careful attention to archival and seemingly subtle sources can produce transformative literary history. I also kept returning to Farah Jasmine Griffin's Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (2021), especially during the many hours I spent reading and rereading Black Panther comics.
Although I don't cite them in the book, I continually found myself thinking about Courtney Thorsson's The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture (2023) and Elizabeth McHenry's To Make Negro Literature: Writing, Literary Practice, and African American Authorship (2021). Thorsson's project, which is inspired in part by a single photograph, modeled for me how one compelling object can anchor a larger scholarly argument, while McHenry continues to show how careful attention to archival and seemingly subtle sources can produce transformative literary history. I also kept returning to Farah Jasmine Griffin's Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (2021), especially during the many hours I spent reading and rereading Black Panther comics.
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