Cultural Literature

The groundbreaking story of the BBC's first Black woman broadcaster--finally brought to light.Una Marson was unstoppable--a poet whose words lit up hearts, a broadcaster who made history in 1941 as the first Black woman on the BBC, and an activist who...

Offering an inside look at Jack Whitten's studio process in an accessible, readable formatBorn in Bessemer, Alabama, Jack Whitten (1939-2018) developed a revolutionary approach to painting as a medium that arguably reconfigured the discipline as a whole...

Daring work exploring the complex connections between history and contemporary cultureThe work of American artist Rodney McMillian (born 1969) includes painting, sculpture and installations as well as video, performance and sound works. His focus is on...

A first-ever look at a network of Black visual artists in New York City's Manhattan and downtown art worlds in the 1960s and 1970s. This comprehensive account of the six-year history of Acts of Art, a gallery founded by and for Black artists in...

From an award-winning artist who was featured in Humans of New York comes a bold personal narrative about overcoming family trauma, addiction, poverty--and forging a creative life in the greatest city in the world. Born in Brooklyn in 1963, Patrick...

Taking an important step toward a more inclusive and truthful understanding of Cape Cod's past, this book uncovers and reflects upon Cape Cod's role in the institution of slavery. Through this work of historical, creative nonfiction that also includes a...

In this biography, chronological chapters follow Zora Neale Hurston's family, upbringing, education, influences, and major works, placing these experiences within the context of American history. This biography of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most...

New insights into the work of an acclaimed science fiction author Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006), a pioneer of science fiction and foremother of Afrofuturism, is among the most influential science fiction writers of all time. Her work blurs the boundaries...

Since 2020, debates on anti-Black racism and other social determinants of Black mental health have intensified in Canadian society. However, despite the efforts made, the feeling that social disparities and interpersonal, institutional and systemic...

Canada and the Blackface Atlantic traces the origins of theatre, dance, and concert singing in Canada and their connection to British and American song and dance traditions. When theatrical acts first appeared in the late eighteenth century, chattel...

A long overdue volume which re-establishes Vivian Browne as an important and dynamic American artist with an expressive hand and expansive world view.Vivian Browne's (1929-1993) varied career spanned more than three decades, from her early portraits and...

A finalist for the National Book Award in NonfictionA finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction Named a Best Book of 2023 by The New York Times, NPR, New York magazine, Kirkus, and Barnes and NobleThe critically acclaimed author...