“The syntax of a sentence equals the structure of your consciousness." -June Jordan. From her essay, “Nobody Mean More to Me Than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan.” In June Jordan’s university course, “The Art of Black English,” Jordan and her students explored Black English as a unique living language, “a system constructed… Continue reading
Category: Books and Writers
https://youtu.be/N2XPKRP7eSI “You got to make your own worlds, you got to write yourself in. Whether you were a part of the greater society or not, you got to write yourself in.” -Octavia E. Butler on why she became a writer. Charlie Rose interview. June 1, 2000.
Links For The Voracious
“To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.” -bell hooks, “Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics.” Are you an early-career writer from a community that’s underrepresented in publishing? The PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship is accepting applications through January 31, 2023. The… Continue reading Links For The Voracious
Autumn is Here
“But the grandeur of life is that attempt:” Toni Morrison on what survival can look like
At a literary talk, moderator Juan Williams asked Toni Morrison and Frank McCourt this question: “How do you survive whole in a world where we are all victims of something?” Morrison’s answer offers an approach to living that can be shaped by hopefulness and imagination. She said, “Sometimes you don’t survive whole, you just survive… Continue reading “But the grandeur of life is that attempt:” Toni Morrison on what survival can look like
Happy Birthday, Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks was born on June 7, 1917. In honor of her birthday, enjoy one of her poems. “Speech To The Young” is timeless. The sampling of the line "Even if you are not ready for day it cannot always be night." has even become a hit on Tik Tok. Speech to the Young: Speech… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Gwendolyn Brooks