Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

"There's no way not to suffer. But you try all kinds of ways to keep from drowning in it." The men and women in these eight short fictions grasp this truth on an elemental level, and their stories detail the ingenious and often desperate ways in which they try to keep their head above water.

These autobiographical selections tell the poignant stories of nineteen Negro children who grew up in America during the past two centuries. Among the childhood accounts included are those of a slave owned by Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Walter White, Ethel Waters, Daisy Bates, Bill Russell, Richard Wright, Malcom X, Claude Brown and Dick Gregory.

3000 Years of Black Poetry

Includes roots of Black poetry in Africa, from primitive song, and extends to Egypt, Latin America, the West Indies, and the rural and urban streets of our country. The poetry of Black Africa speaks directly to us over time and distance.

Black Voices: An Anthology of Afro-American Literature

The Black Revolution has been happening for a long time. It began decades ago with the works of great artists such as Wright and Ellison, whose prophetic books defined the self-image of the Negro in America. An anthology of Afro-American Literature. Fiction, poetry, autobiography, and criticism reflecting a potent force in American writing today. Writers included are Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Le Roi Jones, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, Arna Bontemps, W.E.B. DuBois, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker and many others. In the powerful pose and. poetry presented here, each writer speaks with a distinctive voice-- each contributes to a growing body of work which is one of the most important and vital in American letters. The dynamic role of the Negro in the artistic life of our nation is at last being recognized: these are the spokesmen of a potent new force at a time of great controversy and creativity.

Black Fire: An Anthology of Afro-American Writing

The defining work of the Black Arts Movement, Black Fire is at once a rich anthology and an extraordinary source document. Nearly 200 selections, including poetry, essays, short stories, and plays, from over 75 cultural critics, writers, and political leaders, capture the social and cultural turmoil of the 1960s. In his new introduction, Amiri Baraka reflects — nearly four decades later — on both the movement and the book.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

The Black Woman introduced readers to an astonishing new wave of voices that demanded to be heard. In this groundbreaking volume of original essays, poems, and stories, a chorus of outspoken women -- many who would become leaders in their fields: bestselling novelist Alice Walker, poets Audre Lorde and Nikki Giovanni, writer Paule Marshall, activist Grace Lee Boggs, and musician Abbey Lincoln among them -- tackled issues surrounding race and sex, body image, the economy, politics, labor, and much more. Their words still resonate with truth, relevance, and insight today.

With penetrating insight, ZZ Packer helps us see the world with a clearer vision. Fresh, versatile, and captivating, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is a striking and unforgettable collection, sure to stand out among the contemporary canon of fiction.

Vintage short stories anthology.

Life Notes: Personal Writings by Contemporary Black Women

Life Notes is the first collection devoted exclusively to writings from the journals, diaries, and personal notebooks of contemporary Black women. These intensely personal testimonies illuminate the complexities of Black women's lives, offering unique reflections about self, family, intimacy, work, politics, life transitions, violation, and recovery.

Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives

Dr. Wyatt presents a well-researched and balanced perspective of the sexual experiences of African American women. It explodes the myths, examines our past, and sets the path for our healing and our future survival. This is a book that should be read by anyone who knows or cares about Black women.

Double Stitch: Black Women Write About Mothers & Daughters

Poetry, fiction, personal narrative, and essays explore the relationships between Black mothers and daughters.

Wild Women Don't Wear No Blues: Black Women Writers on Love, Men and Sex

Bringing together fourteen Black American women, Marita Golden has compiled saucy and spicy essays that serve as an exploration into the contemporary Black female psyche.

A magnificent collection of stories about ordinary women who discover that love sometimes comes when you least expect it.

This inspired collection of stories is cause for celebration. With stunning language and dazzling characters, Toure introduces Soul City -- a wholly imagined utopia where magic happens and black is beautiful. In a broad range of characterization and styles, The Portable Promised Land is filled with lighthearted humor and heavyhearted issues. Toure challenges form and what's considered politically correct in stories like The Sad, Sweet Story of Sugar Lips Shinehot and Afrolexicolgy: Today's Bi-Annual List of the Top 50 Words in African America. The Portable Promised Land marks the entrance of a new and wildly compelling voice to fiction.