African American Women Writers

A magnificent collection of stories that bravely and honestly explore issues of race, class, sex, love, and being lesbian in America Ann Allen Shockley's work has been widely praised for its honest portrayals of lesbian life, and now the author takes an even closer look at the singular world of women in love. But the stories that make upnbsp;The Black and White of Itnbsp;address much more than simply the female gay experience: They cast a brilliant light on race issues and prejudice, on the emotional barriers that divide women and men, on the polarizing distinctions of class and culture, and on family as a force for both good and ill. These are powerful stories of love and desire, intolerance and denial. Here, a bright, vivacious young coed attempts to bring light and love back into the sad life of a lonely middle-aged English professor. An ambitious African American congresswoman refuses to admit the truth about her sexuality, thereby jeopardizing her very special--and secret--relationship with her devoted female assistant. Shockley plunges the reader into the eye of the storm when a gay black woman brings her white lover home to meet the family on Thanksgiving. Whether exploring the ugly, deep-seated prejudice living under the surface of an academic lesbian community, relating the antebellum tale of a southern female plantation owner mesmerized by her newly acquired slave girl, or recalling the sweet, sensual awkwardness of a first date, Ann Allen Shockley writes with unabashed truthfulness, poignancy, and insight. Her stories will long be remembered by gay and straight readers alike.

A groundbreaking novel of two very different women, one black and one white, and a remarkable love threatened by prejudice, rage, and violence A struggling African American musician, Renay married Jerome Lee when she discovered she was pregnant with his child. Yet even before their daughter, Denise, was born, Renay realized what a terrible mistake she had made, tying herself to a violent, abusive alcoholic. Then, while performing at an upscale supper club, Renay met Terry Bluvard. Beautiful, wealthy, and white, Terry awakened feelings that the talented black pianist had never realized she possessed--and before long, Renay was leaving the nightmare of Jerome Lee behind and moving with little Denise into Terry's world of luxury and privilege. Now, in this strange and exciting new place, Renay can experience for the first time what it is to have everything she needs for herself and her little girl. The rules here are different--often confusing and sometimes troubling--but in Terry's home, and in Terry's arms, Renay can be who she truly is . . . and be loved with caring tenderness and respect. Yet the storm clouds of her previous life still threaten, and Terry's love alone may not be enough to protect Renay and her little girl from the tragedy that looms on the horizon. 

The physical and emotional attraction a charismatic black female evangelist feels for a beautiful but damaged blues singer grows into a powerful, sensual love in a southern city rocked by racism, intolerance, and sexual violence The traveling minister Reverend Myrtle Black is a proud, strong African American woman, passionately devoted to God, justice, and intimate female contact. Enraged over a brutal assault on two young prostitutes, the good pastor comes to Nashville intending to organize local women in protest over the racism and sexism the city's officials seem all too eager to ignore. Then, in the course of her crusade, a beautiful, profoundly damaged stranger walks through the church door . . . and turns Myrtle's life upside down. A world-famous rhythm-and-blues singer, Travis Lee has experienced more than her share of pain and heartbreak. Having hit rock bottom--burned out on drugs and stuck in her latest very bad relationship--she comes to Reverend Myrtle seeking the kind of hope and salvation only Jesus can bring. What she experiences instead is a profound and powerful physical and emotional attraction that neither she nor the minister can ignore. But in the media spotlight, in this town where intolerance rules, a love such as theirs is a most dangerous thing, inspiring the hatred and violence of those who would go to any lengths to destroy it.

traces the long history of intellectual thought produced by Black Lesbian writers, spanning the nineteenth century through the twenty-first century. Using “Black Lesbian” as a capacious signifier, Mouths of Rain includes writing by Black women who have shared intimate and loving relationships with other women, as well as Black women who see bonding as mutual, Black women who have self-identified as lesbian, Black women who have written about Black Lesbians, and Black women who theorize about and see the word lesbian as a political descriptor that disrupts and critiques capitalism, heterosexism, and heteropatriarchy. Taking its title from a poem by Audre Lorde, Mouths of Rain addresses pervasive issues such as misogynoir and anti-blackness while also attending to love, romance, “coming out,” and the erotic.

Unbought and Unbossed critically examines the ways black women writers in the 1970s and early 1980s deploy black female characters that transgress racial, gender, and especially sexual boundaries. Trimiko Melancon analyzes literary and cultural texts, including Toni Morrison's Sula and Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place, in the socio-cultural and historical moments of their production. She shows how representations of black women in the American literary and cultural imagination diverge from stereotypes and constructions of "whiteness," as well as constructions of female identity imposed by black nationalism. Drawing from black feminist and critical race theories, historical discourses on gender and sexuality, and literary criticism, Melancon explores the variety and complexity of black female identity. She illuminates how authors including Ann Allen Shockley, Alice Walker, and Gayl Jones engage issues of desire, intimacy, and independence to shed light on a more complex black identity, one ungoverned by rigid politics over-determined by race, gender and sexuality.

The mid-1950s brought changes not only to the political and social worlds of African-Americans in the United States, but to their literary world as well-changes reflected in and effected by writers profiled in this volume. Much of the impetus for the surge in Black creativity after 1955 came from the 1954 Supreme Court decision abolishing separate but equal education. Black writers were caught up in the growing civil rights and nationalist movements. These movements inspired less traditional African-American literary forms, such as science fiction and children's fiction, less emphasis on religion in writing, and the emergence of more published women writers. Subject matter changed also, as these writers focused less on Black/white conflicts and more on the Black family and community.