If you have read my blog over the last couple of years, you know I have been thinking a lot about whether or not we can truly know ourselves. At the core of this inquiry is whether or not we can ever disentangle ourselves from all of the cultural, familial, and other influences that pour themselves into us on a daily basis. These factors … Read More Reaching Our Whole Self
+ ernest j gaines, incognegro, killers of the dream, lillian e smith, mat johnson, of love and dust, southern gothic, the autobiography of miss jane pittman, warren pleece
In preparation for my fall literature class, I reread Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece’s Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery. There are a lot of aspects of the book I could discuss, and that I want to discuss with students. One of these will definitely be looking at Incognergo in relation to themes that James Baldwin discusses in his essay “Stranger in the Village.” As well, … Read More Haunting in Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece’s “Incognegro”
The more I read Lillian Smith, the more her voice resonates with the current moment. I do searches through the journal she edited with her life-long partner Paula Snelling, and each issues contains articles that, while published in the 1930s or 1940s, As well, the more I speak with people about Smith, I realize that people do not know her, at least they do … Read More Lillian E. Smith Reading Group: Part I
+ before they called you white, brother ali, el-p, keri leigh merritt, killer mike, killers of the dream
Last post, I started writing about the ways that the wealthy work to divide and conquer by stoking false fears and false hopes in those below them, separating individuals from one another. Keri Leigh Merritt details how this game plan worked during the Antebellum period, and after Emancipation and the Civil War, she notes that while land access opened to poor whites, most of … Read More Divide and Conquer: Part II
+ clayton, georgia, georgia, killers of the dream, laurel falls camp, lillian e smith, lillian smith: breaking the silence, rabun county, strange fruit, Uncategorized
Note: This article originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of “A View from the Mountain,” the Lillian E. Smith Center’s newsletter. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Laurel Falls Camp. Lillian Smith’s father, Calvin, opened the camp in 1920, and it was the first private camp for girls in the state of Georgia. “Miss Lil,” as the campers called her, took over … Read More Laurel Falls Camp at 100
Interminable Rambling 