Category: gwendolyn brooks

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Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisn in the Sun” Lecture: Part I

My final lecture last fall for the American literature course at the University of Bergen was on Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. A couple of years ago, I wrote about the presence of Big Walter on stage during a performance in Boston that was directed by Liesl Tommy. As well, I have discussed my other lectures fro the American Literature class: Introductory … Read More Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisn in the Sun” Lecture: Part I

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LES Center Videos: I

Over the past few months, I have been making brief videos for Twitter. These videos are for the Lillian E. Smith Center’s profile, and each video focuses on some aspect of Smith’s work, usually connecting it to other authors and artists. Over the next couple of posts, I want to share a few of these videos. I will include the scripts I wrote and … Read More LES Center Videos: I

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Dante in T.S. Eliot, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Flannery O’Connor

Ten years ago, I participated in an NEH Summer Institute at Grambling State University on teaching the Western classics at HBCUs. There, I read, for the first time I might add, Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Christine De Pazan, and others. During the institute, I learned about the connections between African American authors and some of the classics, specifically from Patrice Rankine, … Read More Dante in T.S. Eliot, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Flannery O’Connor

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Jackie Ormes’ “Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger” Part 3

In the past two posts, I have written about a few of installments of Jackie Ormes’ Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger. (You can find these posts here and here.) Today, I want to wrap up my discussion of Ormes’ strip by examining one final panel. As I did in the previous post, I want to think about these panels in a broader pedagogical conversation, thinking about … Read More Jackie Ormes’ “Patty-Jo ‘n’ Ginger” Part 3

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Dorie Miller, Joe Louis, and World War II

Last week, we remembered December 7, 1941, and that commemoration made me think about the ways that the government used African Americans, during World War II, to boost morale and support the war effort. Two instances of the government’s deployment of African Americans in “propaganda” posters comes to mind: Dorie Miller and Joe Louis.   When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Dorie Miller served … Read More Dorie Miller, Joe Louis, and World War II