“Black women writers and critics are acting on the old adage
that one must speak for oneself if one wishes to be heard.”
—Claudia Tate, from the introduction
Long out of
print, Black Women Writers at Work is a vital contribution to
Black literature in the 20th century.
Through candid
interviews with Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Gwendolyn Brooks,
Alexis De Veaux, Nikki Giovanni, Kristin Hunter, Gayl Jones, Audre
Lorde, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker,
Margret Walker, and Sherley Anne Williams, the book highlights the
practices and critical linkages between the work and lived
experiences of Black women writers whose work laid the foundation for
many who have come after.
Responding to
questions about why and for whom they write, and how they perceive
their responsibility to their work, to others, and to society, the
featured playwrights, poets, novelists, and essayists provide a
window into the connections between their lives and their art.
Finally available
for a new generation, this classic work has an urgent message for
readers and writers today.