Tag Archives: African-American
On the Road Again! Mahogany Bookstore and Drifting
A few years ago I visited Washington, DC expressly to visit the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. At the time, there were still plenty of crowds, but I had waited until the initial rush had passed. So, … Continue reading
The Revolution Continues: Alligator Woods Now
In naming this blog Alligator Woods way back in 2009 I sought to uplift and share the revolutionary spirit that was alive in the enslaved men and women who declared liberty or death that fateful night in August 1791 in … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, culture, Haiti, history, literature
Tagged african diaspora, African-American, Haitian Revolution
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2019
2019 will long be remembered by many of us, not only for the great voices that we’ve lost just this month, but also because it is a year of significant historical anniversaries and commemorations. Two that immediately come to mind are: … Continue reading
Posted in African-American, culture, history
Tagged 1619 Project, 2019, African-American, history, news, Red summer 1919
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Repost: How African-American Chefs Are Revitalizing the Baltimore Food Scene
The city of Baltimore has been through a lot—it has received a reputation for violent crime over the past few decades, and has been the center of a battle against police brutality since the death of Freddie Gray in 2015. But amidst … Continue reading
Tagged African-American, Baltimore, food, travel
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Review of The Green Book: Guide to Freedom: The Essential Travel Guide for a Segregated America
A few weeks ago I momentarily considered laying my hard-earned cash down to see Green Book in the theatres. Fortunately for me, I thought to check out reviews of the film ahead of time. The ones I paid attention to were … Continue reading
Posted in African-American, business, culture
Tagged A.G. Gaston, African-American, documentary, film, history, The Green Book, Victor Green, Yoruba Richen
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Review of The Chicken Chronicles by Alice Walker
The Chicken Chronicles by Alice Walker, 208pp. The New Press, 2012, $13.56 paperback Alice Walker’s The Chicken Chronicles’ full title is The Chicken Chronicles: Sitting with the Angels who have returned with My Memories: Glorious, Rufus, Gertrude Stein, Splendor, Hortensia, … Continue reading
Posted in African-American, literature, Writer
Tagged African-American, Alice Walker, black women, memoir, review
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Review of The Coming by Daniel Black
The Coming: A Novel by Daniel Black, 210 pp.St. Martin’s Press, 2015, $11.94 paperback Daniel Black’s The Coming: A Novel is less a novel as we normally think of it, as a fictional piece of literature, than a sustained meditation on … Continue reading
Posted in African-American
Tagged Africa, african diaspora, African-American, Daniel Black, review, The Coming
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Review of Dwayne Alexander Smith’s Forty Acres: A Thriller
Forty Acres: A Thriller by Dwayne Alexander Smith, 384 pp. Atria Books, 2015, $10.00 paperback Several years ago I fell in love with Rod Serling. Yes, the very same Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame. At the time I was … Continue reading
Review of God Help the Child: A Novel
God Help the Child: A Novel by Toni Morrison, 192 pp. Alfred A. Knopf 2015. $16.58 hardcover The ostensible protagonist of writer and critic Toni Morrison’s latest novel, God Help the Child, is Bride, a young woman who is described … Continue reading
Posted in Writer
Tagged African-American, black women, creative writing, God Help the Child, toni morrison
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“Swing Both Ways, Do You?”: Octavia Butler’s Shori as Liminal Transgressor
*This little essay has seen numerous iterations over the past five years. While the final product is by no means perfect, my hope is that it honors some of the amazing and brave work that Octavia Butler undertook during her lifetime to … Continue reading
Posted in literature, Speculative Fiction, Writer
Tagged African-American, black women, Dracula, Fledgling, Octavia Butler, vampire
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Alligator Woods 