Archive - History of Black Writing Blog
The Banner image for the HBW Blog, which was published from 2011-2021.
Black Literary History Making
The HBW Blog published regularly for ten years from 2011-2021 at the URL https://projecthbw.ku.edu. During that time, it served as a major forum for the exchange of information and ideas, as well as a robust network for scholars, teachers, and students from different disciplines around the world.
Guest contributors include leading scholars and writers, but most of the posts were conceived of, researched, and written by HBW's staff of undergraduate and graduate students. Its content consists of feature editorials, book reviews, memorials, and coverage of HBW programming. Altogether, 95 writers contributed more than 750 posts.
The HBW Blog Archive is searchable by topic, month and year, and contributor name.
| Blog Post/Link | Date |
|---|---|
| Richard Wright’s Legacy: Remembering George Floyd – Part 1 In August 2020, members of the Richard Wright family wrote statements regarding the social unrest our country has faced and shared them in the “Richard Wright News Bulletin.” In honor of Richard Wright’s 112th birthday on September 4, 2020, HBW begins a three-part series as an inter-generational family tribute to Wright’s legacy. .. | |
| In Memoriam: Randall Kenan “Randall Kenan’s work was a beautiful thing. Randall Kenan’s life was a rare gift.” Dr. James A. Crank.. | |
| In Memoriam: John Lewis John Lewis fought, he endured, without bitterness or anger, no wounds that one could see... | |
| “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” This speech was given at Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852.. | |
| Open Letter to Chancellor Girod and Provost Bichelmeyer The above announcement was recently brought to our attention. Because the solicitation of funds for this purpose misrepresents our current reality, we feel compelled to respond... | |
| “Pandemic, Interracial Strife, and the Saving Grace of the Humanities” When Langston Hughes poetically posed the question “What happens to a dream deferred?” he unwittingly but profoundly anticipated the world we now inhabit... | |
| Toni Morrison & Black Feminism Late-twentieth century black feminist critiques written about Toni Morrison’s fiction framed her as an invaluable figure within the black feminist tradition... | |
| Poet Jericho Brown Wins 2020 Pulitzer Jericho Brown is the winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for The Tradition (Copper Canyon Press). .. | |
| Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor We have compiled a list of various news stations and institutions who are covering the murder of Arbery and Taylor... | |
| AN HBW GEM: Naomi Long Madgett In 2017, HBW staff member Morgan McComb [2017-2019] spent extensive time with acclaimed poet, editor and educator Naomi Long-Madgett for our GEMS project. Created in 2013, GEMS is an initiative created to bring increased awareness to important but often lesser-known Black writers and their work. McComb traveled to Southfield, Michigan, to interview Madgett. That interview became the basis of a video tribute to Madgett, which is available here. .. |