Writing African American Women

This work discusses a range of novels, short stories and essays by black American women writers from the Harlem Renaissance to the present time. It begins with a survey of 19th-century black women's slave narratives, early sentimental novels and autobiographies and then focuses on six writers: Zora Neale Hurston, Paule Marshall, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and Maya Angelou. The text shows how these writers have developed the preoccupations, themes and narrative strategies of their literary ancestors.

"Contributors look at the writers and their works from a feminist-womanist perspective, and address issues relating to race, class, and gender. Topical entries, e.g., "Work," "Protest Tradition," "Religion," "The Use of Myth," and "Memory," provide a rich context for the literature."--Choice review.

"Black Women's Writing contains a lively and wide-ranging collection of critical essays on Black women's writing from Afro-American, African, South African, British and Caribbean novelists, poets, short-story writers and a dramatist. For the reader, student and teacher it provides a useful introduction to much of the range of writing by Black women." "The focus is on writing, producing, reading and teaching the texts as creative, imaginative and culturally engaged works which give a voice to a variety of Black women's experiences." "The contributors are Black and White, female and male, academics and readers who chart their engagement with and enjoyment of the texts of some of the key figures in Black women's writing across several continents. This is an exciting and accessible book which will stimulate the reader's interest in what is arguably some of the best contemporary writing."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Women have had a complex experience in African American culture. The first work of its kind, this encyclopedia approaches African American literature from a Women's Studies perspective. While Yolanda Williams Page's Encyclopedia of African American Women Writers provides biographical entries on more than 150 literary figures, this book is much broader in scope. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries on African American women writers, as well as on male writers who have treated women in their works. Entries on genres, periods, themes, characters, historical events, texts, places, and other topics are included as well. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and relates its subject to the overall experience of women in African American literature. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. African American culture is enormously diverse, and the experience of women in African American society is especially complex. Women were among the first African American writers, and works by black women writers are popular among students and general readers alike. At the same time, African American women have been oppressed, and texts by black male authors represent women in a variety of ways. The first of its kind, this encyclopedia approaches African American literature from a Women's Studies perspective, and thus significantly illuminates the African American cultural experience through literary works. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries, written by numerous expert contributors. In addition to covering male and female African American authors, the encyclopedia also discusses themes, major works and characters, genres, periods, historical events, places, and other topics. Included are entries on such authors as: ; Maya Angelou ; James Baldwin ; Frederick Douglass ; Nikki Giovanni ; June Jordan ; Claude McKay ; Ishmael Reed ; Sojourner Truth ; Phillis Wheatley ; And many others. In addition, the many works discussed include: ; Beloved ; Blanche on the Lam ; Iknow Why the Caged Bird Sings ; The Men of Brewster Place ; Quicksand ; The Street ; Waiting to Exhale ; And many more. The many topical entries cover: ; Black Feminism ; Black Nationalism ; Conjuring ; Children's and Young Adult Literature ; Detective Fiction ; Epistolary Novel ; Motherhood ; Sexuality ; Spirituality ; Stereotypes ; And many others. Entries relate their topics to the experience of African American women and cite works for further reading. Features and Benefits: ; Includes hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries. ; Draws on the work of numerous expert contributors. ; Includes a selected, general bibliography. ; Offers a range of finding aids, such as a list of entries, a guide to related topics, and an extensive index. ; Supports the literature curriculum by helping students analyze major writers and works. ; Supports the social studies curriculum by helping students use literature to understand the experience of African American women. ; Covers the full chronological range of African American literature. ; Fosters a respect for cultural diversity. ; Develops research skills by directing students to additional sources of information. ; Builds bridges between African American history, literature, and Women's Studies.

Women have had a complex experience in African American culture. The first work of its kind, this encyclopedia approaches African American literature from a Women's Studies perspective. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries on African American women writers, as well as on male writers who have treated women in their works. Entries on genres, periods, themes, characters, historical events, texts, places, and other topics are included as well. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and relates its subject to the overall experience of women in African American literature. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography.

Contains a collection of interviews with fourteen black women authors.

A bold exploration of the controversial role that black women writers have played in the making of African-American literature by the bestselling author of Sex and Racism in America. "Confirms that black women authors are celebrating a literary Fourth of July in America".--Plain Dealer. (Anchor)