Remembering Anne Moody (Sept. 15, 1940 - Feb. 5, 2015)

[by Jerry W. Ward, Jr.]

Four years after graduating from Tougaloo College, the young Anne Moody published Coming of Age in Mississippi (1968).  It is noteworthy that this autobiography has been “in-print” and acclaimed since its initial publication.  Similar life histories of civil rights workers, both autobiography and biography, have come and gone, getting enthusiastic receptions when they first appear.  But after a few years, enthusiasm wears thin. The eagerly received life histories age rapidly and virtually disappear.

Moody’s autobiography escaped this fate. 

HBW Emerging Scholars: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the "Slave Narrative" Genre

[by Amanda M. Sladek]

The HBW Emerging Scholars series offers graduate student scholars the chance to share pieces that speak to their own critical interests in more depth than usual blog posts. Today's post is by University of Kansas graduate student Amanda M. Sladek, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition.


Toussaint L’Ouverture is known as the father of Haitian independence and the leader of the most successful slave rebellion in world history. He is also considered one of the most prolific writers of the Haitian Revolution, authoring hundreds of letters and political documents. Foremost among these documents is The Memoir of General Toussaint L’Ouverture. Today, this text is often regarded as an example of the “slave narrative” genre, but this label reflects the history of American abolitionism more than L’Ouverture’s own life and legacy.

ICYMI: This Week in Black Writing (2/14 - 2/20)

- Jerry W. Ward, Jr. told us how Shakespeare lives on in FOX's new show Empire.

- We previewed the upcoming HBW event Black Literary Suite: Black Writers with a Kansas Connection, kicking off on Wednesday, February 25, from 3 - 4:30 p.m., on the fourth floor of Watson Library.

- NPR Code Switch blogger and Tufts University professor of history Peniel E. Joseph put together a list of works that explore "the importance of radical black political self-determination in the face of state violence and institutional racism."

- Rutgers professor of Women and Gender Studies and Africana Studies Brittney Cooper celebrates the life and work of Pauli Murray, who coined the term "Jane Crow" and helped break legal ground for women of color and queer folks in the middle decades of the last century.

- On February 18, Toni Morrison celebrated her 84th birthday. Audre Lorde would have been 81.

- Anne Moody, author of the memoir Coming of Age in Mississippi, passed away at the age of 74.

Black Literary Suite: Black Writers with a Kansas Connection

Langston Hughes.  Gwendolyn Brooks.  Frank Marshall Davis.  Kevin Young.

What do they have in common?

At various points in their lives, each of them lived in Kansas. Brooks stayed for mere weeks, only living here for a month after she was born, while the others lived in Kansas for years.

Next week, on Wednesday, February 25, help close out Black History Month by joining HBW at Watson Library for a celebration of Black Writers with a Kansas Connection.  From 3 - 4:30 p.m., come enjoy refreshments while you learn about the legacy of African American writers in the Sunflower State.

RSVP at our Facebook event page, and we'll see you there!