Aphrodite's Daughters: Three Modernist Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by
The Harlem Renaissance was a watershed moment for racial uplift, poetic innovation, sexual liberation, and female empowerment. Aphrodite's Daughters introduces us to three amazing women who were at the forefront of all these developments, poetic iconoclasts who pioneered new and candidly erotic forms of female self-expression. Maureen Honey paints a vivid portrait of three African American women--Angelina Weld Grimké, Gwendolyn B. Bennett, and Mae V. Cowdery--who came from very different backgrounds but converged in late 1920s Harlem to leave a major mark on the literary landscape. She examines the varied ways these poets articulated female sexual desire, ranging from Grimké's invocation of a Sapphic goddess figure to Cowdery's frank depiction of bisexual erotics to Bennett's risky exploration of the borders between sexual pleasure and pain. Yet Honey also considers how they were united in their commitment to the female body as a primary source of meaning, strength, and transcendence. The product of extensive archival research, Aphrodite's Daughters draws from Grimké, Bennett, and Cowdery's published and unpublished poetry, along with rare periodicals and biographical materials, to immerse us in the lives of these remarkable women and the world in which they lived. It thus not only shows us how their artistic contributions and cultural interventions were vital to their own era, but also demonstrates how the poetic heart of their work keeps on beating.
Countee Cullen: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance by
For a few shining years Countee Cullen seemed destined to define the African American urban experience. A gifted poet, Cullen wrote some of the outstanding works of the 1920s, and when he married Yolande Du Bois, in what was proclaimed the social event of the decade, his success and fame seemed assured. It was not to be. The marriage failed, and with it Cullen lost his best patrons and his poetic productivity declined sharply. After remarrying, Cullen was on the cusp of reinventing himself, as a writer for the theatre, when he died an untimely death. Through it all, he remained faithful to his vision of words, poetry, and the duty of a person who felt his blackness, but did not wish to be constrained by it.
Double-Take: a revisionist Harlem Renaissance anthology by
In this important new anthology, Venetria K. Patton and Maureen Honey bring together a comprehensive selection of texts from the Harlem Renaissance-a key period in the literary and cultural history of the United States. The collection revolutionizes our way of viewing this era, since it redresses the ongoing emphasis on the male writers of this time. Double-Take offers a unique, balanced collection of writers-men and women, gay and straight, familiar and obscure. Arranged by author, rather than by genre, this anthology includes works from major Harlem Renaissance figures as well as often-overlooked essayists, poets, dramatists, and artists. The editors have included works from a wide variety of genres-poetry, short stories, drama, and essays-allowing readers to understand the true interdisciplinary quality of this cultural movement. Biographical sketches of the authors are provided and most of the pieces are included in their entirety. Double-Take also includes artwork and illustrations, many of which are from original journals and have never before been reprinted. Significantly, Double-Take is the first Harlem Renaissance title to include song lyrics to illustrate the interrelation of various art forms.
The Harlem Renaissance by
The intellectual and cultural expansion of the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance deeply enriched American society. Recently freed from slavery, black Americans finally had an opportunity to freely express themselves even though they continued to face many hardships, including segregation and poverty. Through main text that features annotated quotes from primary sources and historical photographs, readers learn about the contributions people of color made to art, literature, and music in the 1920s. In-depth sidebars connect these past achievements with those of the present. Discussion questions ask readers to think critically about the impact of the Harlem Renaissance.
Harlem Speaks: a living history of the Harlem Renaissance by
Harlem Speaks showcases the lives and works of the artists, writers and intellectuals behind the stunning outburst of African American culture in the three decades after World War I. In the tradition of the New York Times bestseller Poetry Speaks, the book combines each subject's key works with biographical and critical essays by leading Harlem Renaissance authority Cary Wintz and other experts. The integrated audio CDs feature music, poetry and literary readings, interviews, radio broadcasts, discussions and speeches, bringing the Harlem of legend to vibrant life once again. Hear, see and read the best of: Langston Hughes Claude McKay Zora Neale Hurston Richard Wright Duke Ellington Ethel Waters Josephine Baker Marcus Garvey Alain Locke and more The audio also includes never-before-released interviews conducted by Pulitzer Prize-uwinning author David Levering Lewis. Evocative and encompassing, Harlem Speaks places you at the zenith of this vital cultural movement.
A History of the Harlem Renaissance by
The Harlem Renaissance was the most influential single movement in African American literary history. The movement laid the groundwork for subsequent African American literature, and had an enormous impact on later black literature world-wide. In its attention to a wide range of genres and forms - from the roman à clef and the bildungsroman, to dance and book illustrations - this book seeks to encapsulate and analyze the eclecticism of Harlem Renaissance cultural expression. It aims to re-frame conventional ideas of the New Negro movement by presenting new readings of well-studied authors, such as Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, alongside analysis of topics, authors, and artists that deserve fuller treatment. An authoritative collection on the major writers and issues of the period, A History of the Harlem Renaissance takes stock of nearly a hundred years of scholarship and considers what the future augurs for the study of 'the New Negro'.
