Weekend Writing: Celebrating African-American Writers

February is Black History Month, therefore today's blog post is celebrating the African-American writers--poets, playwrights, novelists and scholars--who, together, helped capture the voice of a nation. These artists have fearlessly explored racism, abuse, violence, love, beauty and even music in works still read today.

They are the voices of their generation, and have helped inspire the generation of writers that followed them. These ten individuals left a mark on the literary world...forever. We must read them and celebrate their work.

1. Maya Angelou 

Maya Angelou (photo/Poetry Foundation)

Maya Angelou is a prolific poet, with her writing often depicting Black beauty and the strength of the human spirit. Angelou was one of those writers who explored the African-American culture and presented it as a powerful dynamic for readers. She is often referred to as a spokesman for African-Americans and women in her works, particularly in her most famous collection, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou is one poet you need to read and celebrate. She endured trials, but like her famous poem claims, "But still, like dust, I'll rise."

2. James Baldwin 

James Baldwin (photo/bio.com)

I never even heard of James Baldwin until one of my literature courses in college. Isn't that a shame?  The novelist spent most of his life traveling abroad to escape the racial prejudice in the United States. He is best known for writing about his experience as an openly gay African-American man in a white culture. His novels and essays share the pain and struggle of individuals like him. His most popular works include Go Tell it On the Mountain and Giovanni's Room--two books I have read and would recommend to anyone wishing to add books to their multicultural literature list.

3. Richard Wright 

Richard Wright (photo/Encyclopedia Britannica)

It is only appropriate to follow James Baldwin with Richard Wright, who helped support Baldwin in his writing career. Richard Wright is best known for writing Native Son and Black Boy--two novels that mirror Wright's personal struggle with poverty and the coming-of-age journey. I first read Native Son in high school, and it was one of the first multicultural texts I was exposed to in my studies. The book became the first one by an African-American writer to be selected for the Book-of-the-Month Club, and it deserved that prestigious honor. Wright wrote about what it was like to be a young African-American boy in a culture that repeatedly pushed against him. Thank goodness we have that book.

4. Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison (photo/newyorker.com)

Ralph Ellison was a literary critic, writer and scholar, in which he taught at a variety of colleges and spent two years abroad as a Fellow of the American Academy. Even though he was a teacher, he identified himself as an artist first. He pursued universal truths through his writing, and we could always use that type of writing. I remember reading his first novel, Invisible Man, in high school. The novel established his voice as one of the leading American literary figures in the 1950s. Ellison wrote about the coming-of-age story about being an African-American man in the 20th century. I continue to be amazed at the opening lines, "I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids--and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." Wow. 

 5. Alex Haley

Alex Haley (photo/Encyclopedia Britannica)

Alex Haley is perhaps best known for popularizing African-American history and family genealogy, particularly with The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Haley was selected to do a series of interviews with prominent African-Americans in Playboy, thus introducing him to Malcolm X. The autobiography he soon wrote became an international bestseller and Haley became a literary success.

But, Haley is perhaps best known now for tracing his ancestor's journey from Africa to America as slaves in the epic novel, Roots. The book was a national sensation and won the Pulitzer Prize, eventually becoming a television miniseries that shattered television viewing records when 130 million viewers tuned in to watch the family history in 1977. It's hard to think of other writers who inspired that level of success, and it's amazing to think that Haley started his career as a freelance writer (just like me).

6. Langston Hughes 

Langston Hughes (photo/bio.com)

Langston Hughes is the writer of the Harlem Renaissance literary era. He was one of the first poets to use jazz rhythms in his works--becoming an early innovator of jazz poetry. His poetry addresses people using language, themes, attitudes and ideas readers could easily relate to, and they do. Hughes's work is committed to his African-American themes and heritage, which is why he is so important to celebrate during Black History Month. He was the voice of a generation, and many other artists during the Harlem Renaissance era dedicated their work to the literary icon. Even Lorraine Hansberry, another African-American playwright celebrated this month for her play, A Raisin in the Sun, credits a line from Hughes's poem, Harlem, for the title of her play. Hughes wrote, "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore--and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?"

7. Gwendolyn Brooks 

Gwendolyn Brooks (photo/Poetry Foundation)

I can't write about Langston Hughes and not include another literary poet credited for writing some of the most beautiful African-American poetry ever to be written. Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize, and is one of the most widely read poets of the 20th century. Many of her works display a political consciousness and reflect the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The author of more than 20 books of poetry, Brooks reflected on the inclusion of African-Americans in society--writing that demanded to be read. After all, she once wrote, "Each body has its art." Each body, regardless of color, has a beautiful art. Appreciate it.

8. Alice Walker 

Alice Walker (photo/Sweatpants and Coffee)

You probably recognize Alice Walker's name, and you should. The novelist is known for her novel, The Color Purple. The novel explores the female African-American experience through the life and struggle of its narrator, Celie. The woman suffers abuse from her father, and then later her husband. The book won the author the Pulitzer Prize and acclaimed director Steven Spielberg adapted the book into a movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover. The Color Purple has been referred to as one of the most beloved African-American works of literature, and all credit goes to Alice Walker for being brave and writing from her heart.

9. Zora Neale Hurston 

Zora Neale Hurston (photo/The Guardian)

It is said that Zora Neale Hurston's apartment in the 1930s was a popular spot for social gatherings with other well-known African-American artists during the Harlem Renaissance era, including Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes. I would have loved to have been a fly on that wall! Of her more than 50 published novels, short stories, plays and essays, Hurston's most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, remains a classic. Unlike other writers, she focused on the culture and traditions of African-Americans through the poetry of their speech. I read the book in high school, and I have made a promise to myself to reread it. I like to keep promises, therefore I will one day return to the book and read Janie Crawford's story as she journeys from being a voiceless teenager into a woman on the cusp of her own destiny.

10. Toni Morrison 

Toni Morrison (photo/colorlines.com)

After I wrote last week's blog post celebrating Toni Morrison in honor of her birthday, I realized something: I forgot to mention anything about Black History Month! It's the main reason why I decided to write this week's post, celebrating other African-American writers. I'm not going to spend much time on Morrison because I have already celebrated her (therefore you should have an idea why I love her writing), but it's important to note that Morrison, at least in The Bluest Eye, wrote about young African-American children. These adolescent children are growing up in a culture telling them they aren't beautiful. But, as Morrison writes, "Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do." I love Morrison for writing this message for her readers. It's one of the reasons why she has remained one of the prominent African-American writers in contemporary literature.

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There are so many other African-American writers and scholars to highlight for Black History Month: W.E.B. Du Bois, Frederick Douglass, Lorraine Hansberry, Malcolm X, Phillis Wheatley, Rita Dove, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Toni Cade Bambara, and more. Just because I didn't highlight them in the post doesn't mean you shouldn't read their works. Read everything you can get your hands on. All of these writers and artists have voices (beautiful ones, at that), and it's important for us to listen to what they had to say.

The more multicultural literature I read, the more I see that the issues these historic writers were reflecting on years and years ago are not going away. We are still living in a culturally dynamic environment. We still need to listen and learn from their writing. I celebrate them this month, and every month that follows. Join me in the celebration.

Read on.

-KJL-