Gwendolyn Brooks

For Tuesday, watch "4 Little Girls" at the library and read "A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon." and "The Last Quatrain of the Ballad of Emmett Till" from your Gwendolyn Brooks collection.

Additional information on the Sixteenth Street Bombing:

About the 1963 Birmingham Bombing
by Modern American Poetry

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing
from The Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections

A video on the death of Emmett Till:

David Henderson supplement

If you have time, read "Obama's victory through the eyes of the poet David Henderson, a precursor to the Black Arts Movement" by Christine Tully-Sitchet.

You could also compare Henderson to an important mid-century poet, the beatnik Allen Ginsberg, author of "Howl," although we will not have time to cover both in class.

Henderson was involved in the East Village Other, noted for its contribution to the "underground comix movement." You can read about it here.

Contemporary Contexts for Fuller

Visit Ebony magazine and read the article I referred to about Mississippi Damned, a film that considers the issue of audience similar to the way in which we discussed it today with Hoyt Fuller.

Also, if you are interested in reading more on the controversy surrounding Alice Walker's The Color Purple, read the short article "Critical Noir: The Color Purple Controversy Revisited" by Mark Anthony Neal. Emory University holds Alice Walker's archives, which were opened with a public exhibition last spring.

David Henderson

This post links to references in David Henderson's poetry.

"Neon Diaspora"

The Drifters:
"There Goes My Baby"
"Up On The Roof"
"On Broadway"

Read the Apollo Theater's history here.

"Boston Road Blues"

Read about Isiah Brunson.
Watch Pat Boone.
See "Tutti Frutti" as an example of music performed by both black and white singers.

"Keep On Pushing"

Instead of "Summer '64" by Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, see "Keep On Keepin' On".
Consider the stage directions for Gypsy Rose.
Visit a site that contains Korean War photography.

Short Paper #1

If you are interested in beginning work on your short paper early, I will provide Thursday's readings as well as the writing prompt in the English copy room by 5 PM Monday.

The copy room is located on the third floor of Callaway, just go up the stairs outside our classroom one floor and then down the hallway until you see the small room on the left with the copy machine in it. There should be a wall of boxes at the end of the room, labeled with various instructors and classes. Locate my name and our course title.

Otherwise, the readings and prompt will be given out on Tuesday. We will be reviewing basic writing skills and I will hand out some checklists and examples for you to follow as you begin your first writing assignment.

Supplemental material has been posted below. Please browse these items as we will discuss them briefly on Tuesday and Thursday. As always, remember to check this page before coming to class.

Archives & Obituaries

Archives
African American Collections
at Emory University

Hoyt Fuller Collection
at Clark Atlanta University

Jack Rabin Collection
at Penn State University

Obituaries
A Tribute to Hoyt Fuller
by Chester J. Fontenot and Sterling Plumpp
from the Black American Literature Forum

Addison Gayle, Jr.
from the New York Times

Black Arts Movement

Here are a few links you may find helpful on the Black Arts Movement.

A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement
from Poets.org

Modern American Poetry's The Black Arts Movement
from the University of Illinois

Malcolm X online

Malcolm X explains Black Nationalism

Malcolm X

Next Thursday is Malcolm X day in class. The film is long, so make sure to schedule plenty of time to see it. It should be on reserve at the library and available to check out.

The trailer:

Walt Whitman

Read "Europe: The 72d and 73d Years of These States" by Walt Whitman, and then browse his archive. Find one thing you can speak about that you found in the digital archive.

When reading, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What or who is the subject of the poem?
2. What is the form of the poem?
3. What does this poem want?

Upcoming Events

Rita Dove is reading this Friday, January 15th at Georgia Perimeter College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dove, who won a Pulitzer and has been a Poet Laureate for the United States, will be present at 7 PM at the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church on 2340 Clifton Springs Road in Decatur. HARMONY: Atlanta's International Youth Chorus will also perform.

On Friday, January 22nd, Kimberle Crenshaw will be speaking at 4 PM in the Cannon Chapel on Emory's campus as the keynote for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday observation. Professor Crenshaw is an internationally renowned scholar, a UCLA Law professor, and the African American Policy Forum's Executive Director.

Overview

To begin your immersion in the Civil Rights era, please enjoy the following songs:

"Redemption Song" by Bob Marley, who took some of his lyrics from a speech by Marcus Garvey.

"He was my brother" by Simon and Garfunkel, written in memory of Andrew Goodman, a civil rights activist killed in 1964.

Welcome

Welcome to Birmingham to Belfast, your English 181 class at Emory University.