Tag Archives: James Baldwin           

Aunt Jemima and Uncle Tom Redux

In “Many Thousands Gone,” one of James Baldwin’s essays in Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin writes about white America’s favorite aunt and uncle, Jemima and Tom: “There was no one more forbearing than Aunt Jemima, no one stronger or … Continue reading

Posted in James Baldwin, Justice Chronicles, Politics, race | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Final” Touches on The Black Blood of Poetry

Early this morning I put the “final” touches on my title poem, “The Black Blood of Poetry.” I wasn’t going to post it, but it is timely, and I’d rather not wait until the collection is published to put this … Continue reading

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, crime, James Baldwin, Lest We Forget, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Murder, Nation of Islam, Poetry, Politics, race, raising black boys, Revolution, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, Sonny's Blues, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Being Bruce Jenner

Just the other day Olympian Bruce Jenner said he identifies as a woman.  As a teenager interested in all things sports, the Summer of ’76 featured  the Olympics in Montreal, in which my namesake, William Bruce Jenner, even though he, … Continue reading

Posted in Family, Fathers, James Baldwin, Relationships, Short Stories, Sonny's Blues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Gift of Story and Song” — From my book, “Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass

From Griots to the Last Poets From Phillis Wheatley             to Gwendolyn Brooks. From highly imitative                     to Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry. From Various Subjects, Religious and Moral             to Annie Allen. From Zora Neale Hurston             to Toni Morrison. From … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment