Full Description
Celebrating the centenary of the birth of the trailblazing African American author, Encounters with James Baldwin is a wide-ranging volume of short essays, reflections, interviews and poetry. This moving collection demonstrates the significant legacy of the writer and activist who spoke truth to power during the era of the fight for Black civil liberties in the US, and after.
In this literary anthology, over 30 contributors reveal the influence of Baldwin's thought, speech and writing to their personal journeys and their awareness of the need for social justice.
Authors included: Victor
Adebowale; Toyin Agbetu; Rosanna Amaka; Michelle Yaa Asantewa; Lindsay Barrett;
Eugen Bacon; Gabriella Beckles-Ray; Alan Bell; Selina Brown; Michael Campbell;
Fred D'Aguiar; Thomas Glave; Sonia Grant; Zita Holbourne; Rashida
Ismaili-AbuBakr; Paterson Joseph; Peter Kalu; Roy McFarlane; Ronnie McGrath;
Michael McMillan; Tony Medina; Bill V Mullen; Nducu wa Ngugi; Lola Oh; Ewuare
X. Osayande; Nii Ayikwei Parkes; Anton Phillips; Ray Shell; SuAndi; Tade
Thompson; Patrick Vernon; Tony Warner.
Contents
Introduction by Stella Dadzie 9
Three Memories of Baldwin by Rashidah Ismaili AbuBakr 18
Blackspace by Victor Adebowale 26
Talking about Baldwin with Victor Adebowale 28
The World is White No Longer by Toyin Agbetu 35
Uncle Jimmy's Calling by Rosanna Amaka 44
The Spirit of James Baldwin by Michelle Yaa Asantewa 46
Mea Culpa by Eugen Bacon 55
Meeting Jimmy Baldwin in Paris by Lindsay Barrett 57
Genius as Moral Courage by Gabriella Beckles-Raymond 62
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Phone Calls by Alan Bell 70
Never Make Peace with Mediocrity by Selina Brown 76
Searching for the Centennial Man by Michael Campbell 80
In a Photograph with James Baldwin by Fred D'Aguiar 82
Fires in Our Time by Thomas Glave 89
Can I get an Amen, Somebody? by Sonia Grant 93
What Kind of World is This? by Zita Holbourne 101
The Inspirational Blues by Paterson Joseph 102
Letter to My Daughter by Peter Kalu 111
James Baldwin Weeps with the Weight of Tiredness
by Roy McFarlane 119
What's Love Got to Do with It? by Ronnie McGrath 123
Revisiting James Baldwin by Michael McMillan 129
Six Degrees of James Baldwin by Tony Medina 137
Of James Baldwin and Futures Not Seen by Bill V. Mullen 146
The Fire is Now by Nducu wa Ngugi 152
If Sonny's Blues were a Song... by Lola Oh 158
Fahrenheit 1492 by Ewaure X. Osayande 160
Passing by Nii Ayikwei Parkes 169
The Amen Corner by Anton Phillips 177
A Higher Calling by Ray Shell 180
For Jimmy by SuAndi 186
Wherefore, Nuncle? by Tade Thompson 191
Letter to My Brother by Patrick Vernon 196
James Baldwin and Black British Civil Rights
by Tony Warner 201
About the Authors 208
