Just a Lazy Afternoon
Jay Smooth just pointed his readers' attention to an important forthcoming literary event on his blog: the release of the late Ralph Ellison's long delayed second novel.
Well, more like a better conceived, better researched re-release, as anyone who's familiar with the posthumously published and dissapointing Juneteenth already knows. This, I surmise (but don't know by way of any empirical evidence so correct me if I'm wrong), is of little importance to most young people of color, particularly but not exclusively, as reading (ignorance abounds on both sides of color line) for many has lost whatever limited cachet it ever had. Still, handfuls of people here and there devote their time and talent to writing and reading and interpreting and debating and performing the literary arts. Take for example those in attendance of the Fort Greene Literary Festival, which swept through that Brooklyn neighorhood's historic park this past Saturday. The festival featured a number of prominent performance poets, novelists and journalists including Stacey Ann Chin, Roger Bonair Agard, Chris Abani, Jennifer Egan and Gloria Naylor. Oddly juxtaposed with stepping exhbitions by Bronx Youth, were artists' readings, the most impressive of whom was Trinidiadian poet Roger Bonair Agard, according to my Dad, or Jamaican poet Staceyann Chin, in my humble opinion. I snapped a few pics of the writers (Click on pics for larger views):
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Comments
1.
tL says:
i haven't read Juneteenth, but I've been a Ralph Ellison fan since the 1st time i read invisible Man. perhaps i will pick up this re-released, better researched rendition. it makes me sad to think about all the great works folks are NOT reading. also, i still got beef with major bookstore chains and their "colored section." how in hell do you put ellison and brooks in the same section as dickey and the video vixen or whatever her name is?! book deals are nearly as easy as record deals, it seems. perhaps that's why in music and literature both, i find myself going back in time more frequently these days.
08/21/2007 at 1:34 PM