The Art and Activism of Marion Perkins: “To see reality in a new light” edited by Julia Perkins, Michael Flug and David Lusenhof preserves the art of Marion Perkins (1908-1961), a self-taught sculpture who became one of the most important visual artists in the Chicago Renaissance.  Now fifty years after his death, Perkins work has inspired a new audience of artists, art enthusiast and art historians to study the rich cultural history of Chicago’s black artists and writers.  This book includes commentary, photography and documents from the 2009 year-long exhibit held at the Chicago Public Library’s Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature.  Third World Press was pleased to partner with the Harsh Society on the production of this book, which will serve as the official archival record of the exhibit.On preserving the art and legacy of Marion Perkins“Through his art, Marion Perkins imparted social and political commentary on the injustices and challenges faced by African Americans during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This catalogue is a tribute to the man and the exhibition “‘to see reality in a new light’:the Art & Activism of Marion Perkins,” which marked the first comprehensive survey of his legacy and contribution to the landscape of American art.”        —Julia Perkins

An anthology of short plays of some of the well known and highly respected African American playwrights. A glimpse into the early work of some very successful writers.

Christine Houston wrote Two Twenty Seven, a play about her childhood growing up at

227 E. 48th Street, located in what is now known as Bronzeville. She went on to win

the ANTA West, the Lorraine Hansberry and the Norman Lear Playwriting contests.

The latter took her to Los Angeles where she wrote a teleplay for the TV series The

Jeffersons. Marla Gibbs, one of the stars of The Jeffersons, performed the play at her

theater and received the NAACP Image award for best actress, while Mrs. Houston

received the NAACP Image award for playwriting. Mrs. Houston went on to become

a staff writer on the Punky Brewster TV series, and in 1985, Two Twenty-Seven was

adapted to television and became NBC’S hit television series 227. Professor Houston

continues to write for stage and screen. Most recently, she finished her first novel called

Laughing Through the Tears and co-wrote a textbook with Christine List entitled, The

Screenwriter's Guidebook: Learning from African American Film and Television Writers.

The National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) has become a fixture of the Winston-Salem, North Carolina community since its inception in 1989.  At the 2007 NBTF International Colloquium presenters including Wole Soyinka, Kwame Dawes, Ed Bullins and over a dozen other scholars and writers shared works on the impact of August Wilson, on his plays, and on the state of African and African American theatre.  Conference coordinator, Olasope O. Oyelaran, has gathered these essays in this volume, Gem of the Ocean: August Wilson in the Black Diaspora, which pays tribute to both August Wilson and NBTF founder Larry Leon Hamlin. With this collection, Oyelaran adds to the already expanding canon of writing that celebrates Wilson’s contributions to the world stage.