WASHINGTON, D.C.–Is the current resurgence in Black literature and enduring one or is it just a “spike”? What’s driving it? Will it last? And how should colleges and universities respond in their literature classes?
These and other issues were raised recently by a distinguished panel of writers, publishers and academicians on the live videoconference “The Revival of Black Literature,” sponsored by Black Issues In Higher Education.
Moderating the event was former news anchor and president of Bunyan Communications, Maureen Bunyan. Panelists included: W. Paul Coates, founder and publisher Black Classic Press; E. Lynn Harris, a current bestselling author; Sandra Kitt, author of Black romance novels; Dr. Eugenia Collier, an essayist and the former chair of the Department of English at Morgan State University; John Edgar Wideman, the first writer to win the Pen Faulkner Prize twice; and Max Rodriguez, publisher of The Quarterly Black Review of Books.
The question of whether the Harlem Renaissance was a spike–an upsurge that peaked and then fell off dramatically–or “the” turning point in African-American literature set the tone for the discussion.”The Harlem Renaissance was that period when Black literature flourished, but I always like to put it in context. It seems to me that when there is a cultural expression, writing always follows that,” Rodriguez said.
“It followed not just a mass migration from the South to the North, but also a great movement around music, and a great expression of self that found its way to New York, because New York was always `Mecca,”‘ he noted, adding, “There was a literary movement prior to the Renaissance, but for the first time we found writers who were accepted by white audiences and white publishers. And that really is what the Harlem Renaissance was–the acceptance of our expression by a white audience.”
Collier asked: “Was acceptance of our work by whites what caused the Harlem Renaissance? And if we are in a renaissance now, does its depend upon white acceptance of our work?”
In comparing the Harlem Renaissance to the present, Harris pointed out that one difference today is that the success of contemporary Black writers is being spurred by Black readers, not by mainstream acceptance. “One of the things that’s been most heartwarming for me at my signings has been that it’s been Black people who have been buying my books,” said Harris. But there is a commonality, said Kitt.
