Tag Archives: literature

On the Road Again! Mahogany Bookstore and Drifting

Posted on August 25, 2021 by tonipressleysanon

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 →

Tagged African-American, black women, Caribbean, creative writing, Haiti, Katia Ulysse, literature, review | Leave a comment

3rd Annual Well-Read Black Girl Festival

Posted on September 12, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

Dear Lover of the Word, You’ll remember that a few months ago I did a review of Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves (2018), an anthology by Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl. I’ve been a big … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, black women, culture, history, literature, Writer | Tagged Afro American Literature, black and brown feminism, black women feminists, black women writers, festival, literature, Well-Read Black Girl, writers | Leave a comment

Paule Marshall Resting in Power 1929-2019

Posted on August 21, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

August has been a rough month for us lovers of the word. A couple of weeks ago, the great Toni Morrison took her place amongst the ancestors. A few days ago, on August 12th, the incomparable Paule Marshall joined her. … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Caribbean, culture, literature, Writer | Tagged Art, black woman, black writer, creative writing, literature, novel, Paule Marshall, short stories, women | 1 Comment

Toni Morrison Resting in Power 1931-2019

Posted on August 7, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

Rest in your power, Toni Morrison Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am documentary interview Morrison on what motivated her to write The Bluest Eye News of her life and transition: Nobel Prize-Winning Author Dies at 88 Toni Morrison: Nobel … Continue reading →

Posted in African-American, culture, history, lecture, literature, slavery, Writer | Tagged black women, creative writing, history, literature, novel, short stories, toni morrison, women | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday Octavia Butler!

Posted on June 22, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

Happy birthday Octavia Butler!! The genius writer Octavia Butler would have been 72 years today! An interview with Ms. Butler on “Transcending Boundaries” An NPR interview with Ms. Butler and an essay by her. She was the recipient of several … Continue reading →

Posted in African-American, literature, Speculative Fiction | Tagged black women, creative writing, literature, Octavia Butler | Leave a comment

Review of N.K. Jemisin’s How Long ‘Til Black History Month

Posted on April 30, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? (2018) by science/speculative fiction writer extraordinaire N.K Jemisin is another title that showed up in my Amazon recommendations this past December. The title itself had me hooked; it amazes me that the title had … Continue reading →

Posted in African-American | Tagged literature, N.K. Jemisin, science fiction, short stories, Speculative Fiction, women | 3 Comments

Review of Charles Johnson’s Taming the Ox

Posted on April 2, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

I am an admirer of the African American Buddhist writer cartoonist extraordinaire Charles Johnson. Johnson is the recipient of several awards including the coveted MacArthur “Genius Award” as well as Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. I was … Continue reading →

Tagged angel kyodo williams, black buddhist, black women buddhist, book review, charles johnson, creative writing, jan willis, literature, peace is every step, ruth king, taming the ox, thich nhat hanh, women, zenju earthlyn manuel | Leave a comment

Review of Nafissa Thomas-Spires’ Heads of the Colored People

Posted on March 19, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

Nafissa Thompson-Spires’ short story collection Heads of the Colored People (2018) is incredibly SMART!! All of the stories are amazing—expertly crafted and honed works of literary genius. Some of them are very clearly connected by the individuals who are their subjects … Continue reading →

Posted in African-American, literature | Tagged black and brown feminism, black feminism, black women, black women feminists, black women writers, creative writing, literature, Nafissa Thomas-Spires, short stories, women | Leave a comment

Bonus! Review of Well-Read Black Girl and If Beale Street Could Talk

Posted on February 19, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

I’ve been thinking a lot about service lately; more specifically, I’ve been thinking about how people serve their communities in ways that ring true to them and are impactful. While there are things that we do that we can easily … Continue reading →

Posted in African-American, culture, film, literature, Writer | Tagged A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich, Alice Childress, Barry Jenkins, bell hooks, black feminism, black women, black women writers, cinema, film, Glory Edim, Google, I Am Not Your Negro, If Beale Street Could Talk, James Baldwin, literature, novel, Raoul Peck, teaching, teaching to transgress, Well-Read Black Girl, women | 2 Comments

Review of Washington Black

Posted on February 5, 2019 by tonipressleysanon

The simply named Washington Black (2018) by Canadian Esi Edugyan , though expansive in its reach, takes place over a mere four-year period. In that short period of time young Washington, or Wash as he is called by Christopher (Titch) … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Afro-Caribbean, Britain, Caribbean, culture, history, literature, slavery, slavery. britain, Writer | Tagged barbados, Caribbean, creative writing, esi edugyan, literature, novel, review, washington black | Leave a comment