Monday, July 7, 2014

And again Dr. Margaret Walker’s Birthday….July 7 2014




i sing  Birthday praises to
Dr. Mama Diva-Poet Margaret Walker

who spoke so they might hear in
the miasmic air of Mississippi who
wrote so we could get clear on
who we are from Alabama to New Haven.
i want to sing of her like she did of
Kissie Lee, and claim her as my literary
auntie - grandmomma and i don't think she
would mind  but ain't got the quality time right
now except to say

Dr. Margaret Walker sung me from
wannabe to done; took us all into
visions of splendor and love she 
" kissed the sky" and
formed our Universe.  Ashay.


- doris davenport 

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Afro-Nordic Update by Anthony Grooms

[By Anthony Grooms]

As I continue to explore Black American writers in Scandinavia, some delightful and interesting surprises have been revealed.  Here is a short report.  Recently, with funding from Kennesaw State University, I travelled in Sweden for two weeks in May 2014.  My research focused on the American deserter community of the 1970s as I continued to study materials to support my novel, “Burn the House,” about an African American deserter and his struggle with identity and adjustment to Swedish life.  Most of my time was spent reading in the archives of the Labor Movements Library,  which has two collections of deserter materials, but there was also time to meet with Afro-Swedes and talk about literary matters.