Best Selling Books by Ntozake Shange

Award-winning poet Ntozake Shange and artist Rod Brown reimagine the journeys of the brave men and women who made their way to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Fleeing on the Underground Railroad meant walking long distances; swimming across streams; hiding in abandoned shanties, swamps, and ditches, always on the run from slave trackers and their dogs. ah might get hungry ah may get tired good Lawd / ah may be free The Underground Railroad operated on secrecy and trust. But who could be trusted? There were free black and white men and women helping, risking their lives, too. Because freedom was worth any risk. Celebrated collaborators Ntozake Shange and Rod Brown pay tribute to the Underground Railroad, a universal story about the human need to be free. ah am a livin bein’ & ah got to be free

Poetic monologues examine monogamy, chastity, love, Black urban life, mortality, and redemption

Jim Crow; Brown v. Board of Education; Bull Connor; KKK; Birmingham; the Lorraine Motel; Rosa; Martin; and Malcolm. From slavery to the separation of "colored" and "white" and from horrifying oppression to inspiring courage, there are countless stories—both forgotten and immortalized—of everyday and extraordinary people who acted for justice during the civil rights movement that changed our nation. Award-winning poet Ntozake Shange and illustrator Rod Brown give voice to all those who fought for their unalienable rights in a triumphant book about the power of the human spirit.

A vibrant and vital collection that celebrates the three most important muses in the life and work of Ntozake Shange—language, music, and dance. In this deeply personal book, the celebrated writer reflects on what it means to be an artist, a woman, and a woman of color through a beautiful combination of memoir and essay. She describes where her love for creative forces began--in her childhood home, a place where imagination reigned and boredom wasn''t allowed. The essays tell stories ranging from the poignant origin of her celebrated play "for colored girls" to why Shange needed to deconstruct the English language to make that production work, from the intensity of the female experience and the black experience as separate entities to the difficulty of living both lives simultaneously; from the intense love of jazz bestowed on her by her father to a similar obsession with dance, which came from her mother. With deep sincerity, attention, and her legendary candor, Shange''s collection progresses from the public arena to the private, gathering along the way the passions and insights of an author who writes with "such exquisite care and beauty that anybody can relate to her message" (Clive Barnes, The New York Times).

When Helene Angel walks home from her school with her older brother, she is attacked by a street gang and painted white. The effect on Helene and her family is devastating. Helene locks herself in her room, her brother blames himself for not having successfully defended his sister, and the media descends on their neighborhood, completely disrupting the small family. An outpouring of love and understanding from Helene''s friends, classmates, and family helps her face what has happened and draws the community together. Based on a true event.

In these three plays, the author brilliantly recasts traditional traditional forms to capture the essence of the lives of black people.

Poetry

Words & images come together in this collaboration between renowned poet Ntozake Shange & Kamoinge Inc., a group of acclaimed photographers whose work documents & celebrates the African-American (AA) experience. Collaborations between writers & photographers have provided AA with focus for issues of identity & representation ever since the first publication of ¿The Sweet Flypaper of Life¿ by Langston Hughes & Roy DeCarava in 1955. The Kamoinge members have sought to demystify Black life in America. With stunning images from such acclaimed photographers as Anthony Barboza, Adger W. Cowans, Ming Smith Murray, & poems by accomplished writer Ntozake Shange, this is a rich & thought-provoking book.

Chronicles the life of American boxer Muhammad Ali from his childhood in the segregated South to his meteoric rise to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Includes timeline.

Tekst voor een performance rond het thema "vrouwelijke bewustwording".