Anthologies of African American Literature

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Anthologies of African American Literature

The African-American Audio Experience [sound recording] (2003): A collection of the works of African American authors and poets recorded during the 1950s and 1960s includes selections from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Richard Wright's Black Boy, and the poetry of Nikki Giovanni and Langston Hughes.
The African American West: A Century of Short Stories edited by Bruce A. Glasrud & Laurie Champion (2000): An anthology of short stories by African American writers with settings in the West features such authors as Charles Chesnutt and Walter Mosley.
Beloved Harlem: A Literary Tribute to Black America's Most Famous Neighborhood: From the Classics to the Contemporary edited by William H. Banks, Jr. (2005): Celebrating the rich diversity of Harlem life and culture, from the early twentieth century to the present day, a literary anthology features a compilation of essays, short stories, and novel excerpts by Ossie Davis, Rosa Guy, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois, Walter Dean Myers, and other notable authors.
Call and Response: The Riverside Anthology of the African American Literary Tradition, general editor, Patricia Liggins Hill (1998): More than a decade in the making, Call and Response is a ground-breaking anthology of African American literature, unique in its placing equal emphasis on the written and the oral dimensions of the black aesthetic. It traces the centuries-long emergence of this distinct literary tradition from its earliest roots in African proverbs, folktales, and chants to its latest flowering in the works of such writers as Rita Dove, August Wilson, and Terry McMillan. Here, in 2,000 pages and 550 selections, is (in the words of Richard Wright) the "long black song" of African American life, sung in a great choir of voices, from the slaves of the 1600s to the rap artists, orators, novelists, and poets of today.
Catch the Fire!! A Cross-Generational Anthology of Contemporary African-American Poetry edited by Derrick I.M. Gilbert (a.k.a. D-Knowledge) with the special editorial assistance of Tony Medina (1998): A celebration of African American poetry captures the works of modern writers, while June Jordan, Amiri Baraka and other notable authors discuss their feelings in regard to their generation of poets and the works presented by their peers.
Centers of the Self: Stories by Black American Women from the Nineteenth Century to the Present edited and with an introduction by Judith A. Hamer and Martin J. Hamer (1994): A collection of twenty-six pieces of short fiction by America's finest black women writers includes both famed authors of the nineteenth century and the finest writers of today, each of whom has a special insight and artistic vision to communicate.
Children of the Night: The Best Short Stories by Black writers, 1967 to the Present edited by Gloria Naylor (1995): A collection of contemporary short works combines the writings of such noted African American authors as Maya Angelou, Jamaica Kincaid, Terry McMillan, and Alice Walker.
Colored Contradictions: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Plays edited by Harry J. Elam, Jr., and Robert Alexander (1996): Twelve plays, written and produced in the 1990s, reveal the energy and innovation of contemporary black theater in works ranging from traditional family dramas to openly gay plays to post-modern experimental dramas, all celebrating the richness of African American experience and expression.
Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing edited by Marita Golden and E. Lynn Harris (2002): A benefit for the Hurston/Wright Foundation, a literary anthology of short fiction from some of today's finest African American writers features contributions by such acclaimed authors as Edwidge Danticat, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kenji Jasper, John Edgar Wideman, E. Lynn Harris, Terry McMillan, Marita Golden, David Anthony Durham, and Bertice Berry.
Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor edited by Paul Beatty (2006): A sampling of humorous African American writings is comprised of poetry, prose, political speeches, hip-hop, the blues, and other literary forms by Toni Cade Bambara, Henry Dumas, Harryette Mullen, Langston Hughes, Darius James, Mike Tyson, the Reverend Al Sharpton, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. Du Bois, and others.
Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology edited by Barbara Smith (1983): An anthology of writings by black and lesbian activists.
Honey, Hush! An Anthology of African-American Women's Humor edited by Daryl Cumber Dance ; foreword by Nikki Giovanni (1998): Compiled by a Professor of English at the University of Richmond in Virginia, a collection of humorous quotes and writings of African American women throughout history ranges from slave narrators to Toni Morrison and Whoopi Goldberg.
Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of Resistance, Reform, and Renewal: An African American Anthology edited by Manning Marable, Leith Mullings (2000): One of America's most prominent historians and a noted feminist bring together the most important political writings and testimonials from African-Americans over three centuries.
Mojo: Conjure Stories edited by Nalo Hopkinson (2003): A collection of original stories, edited by the award-winning author of Brown Girl in the Ring , draws on African magic, folklore, and history; and features contributions by such writers as Neil Gaiman, Tananarive Due, and Barbara Hambly.
Moon Marked & Touched by Sun: Plays by African-American Women
edited by Sydné Mahone (1994): Mahone's comprehensive introduction is invaluable for its description of the roles played by African Americans in contemporary theater. Although the focus is on women, the discussion is placed within the context of theater as a whole. Mahone documents opportunities in all areas of publication, performance, and production of African American theater and includes biographies for the 11 female playwrights featured. Includes plays by Black American authors, Laurie Carlos, Thulani Davis, Anna Deavere Smith, and others.
My Soul Has Grown Deep: Classics of Early African-American Literature compiled by John Edgar Wideman (2001): This powerful compilation of African American literature through the centuries focuses on classic works by notable authors from Frederick Douglass to W.E.B. DuBois. The poetry of 18th-century writers Phillis Wheatly and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave join a chorus of eloquent voices chronicling the black experience in America. My Soul Has Grown Deep includes such landmark works as A Red Record by Ida B. Wells, a Harlem Renaissance writer; Lyrics of a Lowly Life by the prolific playwright, poet, and novelist Paul Lawrence Dunbar; Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington; and The Autobiography of Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out by the heavyweight boxing champion. Each writer is introduced in an informative biographical essay by editor John Edgar Wideman.
Nikki Turner Presents Street Chronicles: Tales from da Hood (2006): A collection of street-smart tales embued with the sharpness, violence, and danger of urban life includes "Big Daddy" by Seven, Akbar Pray's "Vicious Cycle," Nikki Turner's "Gotta Have a Ruffneck," and Y. Blak Moore's "Thicker Than Mud," in which a man returns to his old neighborhood haunts after a stint in prison.
The Norton Anthology of African American Literature Henry Louis Gates, Jr., general editor (2004): This anthology presents selections from African American literature beginning with the spirituals and folktales of the oral tradition and continuing through the writings of contemporary authors such as Jamaica Kincaid and Colson Whitehead. It features 11 complete longer works, including the Narrative of the Live of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and Amiri Baraka's Dutchman.
The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader edited and with an introduction by David Levering Lewis (1994): A gathering of poetry, manifestos, speeches, essays, reminiscences, short stories, and drama from forty-five leading writers surrounding the New Negro Movement, Harlem's intellectual and artistic community of the twenties and thirties.
Proverbs for the People [sound recording] edited by Tracy Price-Thompson and TaRessa Stovall (2004): From the church pew to the dinner table, the stories and lessons handed down from one generation to another impart the messages that guide and shape our lives. The contributors to this collection distill that age-old wisdom into rich and varied tales of life's lessons. Various narrators.
Rise Up Singing: Black Women Writers on Motherhood edited by Cecelie S. Berry (2004): An anthology of short fiction, poems, and personal essays by top African American women shares their experiences as mothers and daughters in their homes and communities, in a volume that includes contributions by Alice Walker, Faith Ringgold, and Maya Angelou.
The Unforgetting Heart: An Anthology of Short Stories by African-American Women, 1859-1993 edited by Asha Kanwar (1993): Features unknown tales from the nineteenth century as well as works by contemporary authors.
Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought edited by Beverly Guy-Sheftall (1995): Tracing African-American feminist thought from the early 1800s to the present, an anthology combines the works of more than sixty African-American women, including Sojourner Truth, Lorraine Hansberry, and Shirley Chisholm.

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