Sterling Plumpp contrasts the rituals of Africa with African American rituals that have emerged in the twentieth century.
Herb Boyd
Black Panther Paradigm Shift or Not?
Regular price
$21.95
Save $-21.95
Black Panther earns three Oscars. Since its inception Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has provoked and stoked a wide range of interest, and now that the blockbuster film is the recipient of three Oscars the film’s acclaim extends beyond the box office. No, it didn’t get the top prize, but it was a barrier breaker as Ruth Carter was the first black woman to ever win in the Costume Design category; and another first for a black artist when Hannah Beachler took the trophy, which she shared with Set Decorator Jay Hart, in Production Design. Additional spice arrived when Ludwig Goransson earned an Oscar for the Best Score in a Motion Picture. These awards and other nominations for Black Panther augurs well for populist cinema that is traditionally scorned when it comes to taking home the coveted awards, particularly an Oscar, which is Marvel’s first. It’s a good bet the honors to Black Panther will not only boost the appreciation for populist cinema, it should also enhance the appeal of a number of products and projects such as Black Panther: A Paradigm Shift or Not? the forthcoming anthology at Third World Press, edited by Haki Madhubuti and Herb Boyd. “All of the celebration and awards for the film is nothing to thumb your nose at and we at Third World Press extend all our good wishes and hope we can do as well with our publication,” said Madhubuti, the press’s publisher and founder. The anthology, which includes more than forty writers, film critics, scholars, and activists, has a timely appearance and should be able to reap some of the renewed media attention the film has sparked. Among the contributors are Nicole Mitchell Gantt, Jelani Cobb, Brent Staples, Abdul Alkalimat, Bobby Seale, Robyn Spencer, Diane Turner, Greg Tate, Maulana Karenga, Marita Golden, and Molefi Keta Asante, et al. As may be discerned from the contributors the anthology is a compilation of mixed views and opinions—with both praise and a critique of the film. “The film has aroused a variety of conclusions, a wellspring of differences that we felt compelled to give them a forum,” said Boyd. “Like the film, the views expressed in the book are often very provocative.”
Ishmael Reed
Black Hollywood Unchained
Regular price
$24.95
Save $-24.95
In Black Hollywood Unchained, Ishmael Reed gathers an impressive group of scholars, critics, intellectuals, and artist to examine and respond to the contemporary portrayals of Blacks in films. Using the 2012 release of the film Django Unchained as the focal point of much of the discussion, these essays and reviews provide a critical perspective on the challenges facing filmmakers and actors when confronted with issues on race and the historical portrayal of African American characters. Reed also addresses the black community's perceptiveness as discerning and responsible consumers of film, theatre, art, and music. Contributors to this collection are: Jill Nelson, Amiri Baraka, Cecil Brown, Halifu Osumare, Houston A. Baker Jr., Tony Medina, Herb Boyd, Jerry W. Ward Jr., Ruth Elizabeth Burks, Art Burton, Justin Desmangles, J. Douglas Allen-Taylor, Jack Foley, Joyce A. Joyce, C. Leigh McInnis, Heather Russell, Hariette Surovell, Kathryn Takara, and Al Young.
Sandra Turner-Barnes
Beyond the Back of the Bus
Regular price
$9.95
Save $-9.95
One of the most important moments in African American history comes alive in this account of Rosa Parks' legendary stand against racial segregation in 1955. Presented with eye-catching illustrations and written in enjoyable, metered rhyme, the st
Eugene B. Redmond
Arkansippi Memwars
Regular price
$24.95
Save $-24.95
Celebrating a career that spans four decades, Eugene B. Redmond’s collected work—Arkansippi Memwars—triumphs. An award-winning poet, playwright and educator, Redmond represents through his body of work the veracity and audacity of the Black Arts Movement, the traditions of the Yoruba, and the complex history of the Black American. The poetry of Redmond moves to the cadence of drums stripped from his ancestors and reclaimed by the burgeoning Hip-Hop movement of the 1970s. Fearless, sharp, and satirically masterful are but a few words to describe the excellence of Eugene Redmond and his poetry.
Derrick Bell
Afrolantica Legacies
Regular price
$24.95
Save $-24.95
Derrick Bell is perhaps best known for the principled stand he took at Harvard in 1990 when he quit his tenured position on the law-school faculty to protest the school's failure to grant tenure to a black woman. Now a visiting professor at New York Law School, Bell is still deeply interested in issues of race relations and has chosen to explore the subject fictionally in ""Afrolantica Legacies."" In a nutshell, the story goes like this: a mysterious land mass suddenly appears in the Atlantic Ocean, a fabulous island on which only black people can survive. American blacks set sail to the island to begin a new life, only to see it sink again before they can reach the shore. On the return trip to America, the passengers draw up a list of principles called the Afrolantica Legacies, defining how they want to reposition themselves in American society. The book uses a fictional setting to outline some remedies for the problem of race relations between African Americans and white people in our society.
Kalamu ya Salaam
Precise Tenderness
Regular price
$19.95
Save $-19.95
With Precise Tenderness, Kalamu ya Salaam, our long-cherished cosmic deputy, has gifted us another amazing collection of poetry. This volume is a unique exploration of haiku fueled by his seemingly boundless imagination, deft wordplay, and Black Aesthetic wanderings. This creative master artfully paints the page while orchestrating blues/jazz/gospel soundings. "Falling is minor," writes the poet in Haiku #13. What's major is how the poet soars and gets our spirits to fly as we read. Whether issuing political commentary, musing about love and self-inspection, or making his characteristic and inevitable visit to erotica, Kalamu ya Salaam is an immensely profound and inspiring craftsperson. This collection is not only precise tenderness. It is precise brilliance.
Nubia Kai
Sweetest Berry on the Bush
Regular price
$8.00
Save $-8.00
For young teens, the nineteen short stories in ""The Sweetest Berry On The Bush"" are simple, pithy, narrative adages crafted for ""telling"" as well as reading.
Christopher Benson
Special Interest
Regular price
$24.95
Save $-24.95
""Deliciously rife with power, sleaze, and treachery.""
Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich
Sound Bites of Protest
Regular price
$15.95
Save $-15.95
Urban issues and creative African American leadership are addressed in this compendium of art, quotations, and critical essays. As the media and the internet continue to change the face of American culture, the tradition of political tomes and textbooks as primary information sources is quickly becoming outmoded. The solution utilized here is geared toward bringing plain and simple truths to a new generation of readers who seek useful information--striking and immediate--regarding politics, race, affirmative action, justice, and gender.
Julia Perkins
The Art & Activism of Marion Perkins
Regular price
$15.95
Save $-15.95
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
Nora Brooks Blakely
Seasons (Hardcover)
Regular price
$27.95
Save $-27.95
Seasons: A Gwendolyn Brooks Experience captures her life and work in a new book filled with thematic collections of her poetry and prose; photos; memories from family, friends, peers and mentees and gripping illustrations from the award-winning artist, Jan Spivey Gilchrist. Now more than ever the words of Gwendolyn Brooks demonstrate their continued relevance in the 21st century. The national centennial celebration is one part of a resurgence of appreciation for her powerful work and the impact she had on 20th century literature as well as the Black Arts Movement.
Lita Hooper
The Art of Work
Regular price
$14.95
Save $-14.95
This comprehensive analysis of the life and work of Haki R. Madhubuti demonstrates why he is such a pivotal figure in black literature. Both his life experiences and literary contributions are explored, highlighting his roles as political activist, writer, educator, and husband. A concise yet thorough examination of an oft-overlooked period of black literary history is also included. This discussion argues that Madhubuti more than most of his contemporaries successfully transformed from poet-activist to modern-day visionary and continues to challenge the status quo in pursuit of justice and peace.
Haki R. Madhubuti
Run Toward Fear
Regular price
$12.00
Save $-12.00
Run Toward Fear offers readers a mixture of poems that challenge and cause both reflection on and questioning about many headline issues that have launched this century. Madhubuti includes poignant moving tributes to Jacob Carruthers, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Amiri Baraka, as well as heartfelt words that provide comfort and guidance to the families of the 21 people who lost their lives in Chicago's E-2 nightclub tragedy. The final section of the book, ""A Poet's Handbook,"" provides personal and sometimes anecdotal insights on the craft of writing poetry.
Tony Medina
Role Call
Regular price
$24.95
Save $-24.95
""Welcome to the 21st Century"" bids the opening line of this literary ""multimedia"" experience, brought to us by three leading Black author-activists of the post-Civil Rights Movement generation. This collection of more than 300 poems, essays, paintings, photos, and mixed media representations features myriad voices of the generation bridging the gap between the children of the Civil Rights Movement and those of the present hip hop movement.
Useni Eugene Perkins
Rise of the Phoenix
Regular price
$32.95
Save $-32.95
Rise of the Phoenix ""is a collection of personal narratives that articulate the political, social, religious, and cultural experiences of many who participated in Chicago's black struggle for self-determination, self-reliance, and equality during the civil rights and Black Power movements. Contributors include Timuel Black, Carol Adams, John R. Porter, and Ellis Cose with a preface by Julieanna Richardson, director of The HistoryMakers.
Gwendolyn Brooks
Report from Part Two (Paperback)
Regular price
$14.95
Save $-14.95
Musings and notes about the life, the family, and travels of Gwendolyn Brooks that is a reprise of a prior book, ""Report from Part One,"" published by Broadside Press in 1972. Brooks was the Consultant in Poetry for the Library of Congress from 1985 to 1986. This volume includes her introductions of visiting writers during that period.
Mzee Lasana Okpara (Fred Lee Hord)
Reconstructing Memory
Regular price
$12.95
Save $-12.95
These essays give the reader clear insight into the thinking of a Black educator and intellectual. The book offers a trenchant analysis of the writings and philosophy of some of the prominent writers and thinkers of African descent with particular emphasis upon those who conform to the Black nationalist thinking.
Bakari Kitwana
The Rap on Gangsta Rap: Who Run It?
Regular price
$10.00
Save $-10.00
This book is a critical review of the highly explosive and widely discussed musical art form called gangsta rap. Kitwana examines the ways Black culture, male-female relationships, sexism, white supremacy (racism), and gun violence converge in this controversial music form.
Alice Bernstein
The People of Clarendon County
Regular price
$14.95
Save $-14.95
This play is about the parents in South Carolina who risked their lives to file the first legal challenge to segregation in public schools. Their case led to Brown v. Board of Education and the historic 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation. The book includes biographical information on Ossie Davis; photographs; accounts of the civil rights struggle; and essays, based on the philosophy Aesthetic Realism, which explain the cause of and answer to racism.
Bill Ayers
Race Course
Regular price
$19.95
Save $-19.95
White supremacy and its troubling endurance in American life is debated in these personal essays by two veteran political activists. Arguing that white supremacy has been the dominant political system in the United States since its earliest days--and that it is still very much with us--the discussion points to unexamined bigotry in the criminal justice system, election processes, war policy, and education. The book draws upon the authors' own confrontations with authorities during the Vietnam era, reasserts their belief that racism and war are interwoven issues, and offers personal stories about their lives today as parents, teachers, and reformers.
Bill Ayers
Race Course
Regular price
$27.95
Save $-27.95
White supremacy and its troubling endurance in American life is debated in these personal essays by two veteran political activists. Arguing that white supremacy has been the dominant political system in the United States since its earliest days--and that it is still very much with us--the discussion points to unexamined bigotry in the criminal justice system, election processes, war policy, and education. The book draws upon the authors' own confrontations with authorities during the Vietnam era, reasserts their belief that racism and war are interwoven issues, and offers personal stories about their lives today as parents, teachers, and reformers.
Patrick T. Reardon
Puddin'
Regular price
$19.95
Save $-19.95
It is the story of a baby—me—during my first fourteen months, leading up to the birth of David. It’s told from the perspective and in the voice of a baby. Each of this small book’s 101 chapters is imagined. Yet, each is rooted in reality, in facts and feelings.
Lawson Bush
The Plan
Regular price
$13.95
Save $-13.95
Dr. Lawson Bush, a leading expert on the relationship between Black mothers and their sons and the author of the widely used ""African Educator's Declara-tion,"" assembled a team of advocates for young Black men to create this guide to help mothers understand and navigate the unique challenges of raising African American boys in a culture that sets deliberate traps for failure. An accompanying workbook provides exercises to help parents raise boys to be-come educated and successful men.