Category: richard wright

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Interview with Vern Smith on His New Novel “Ghost Skins”

A few years back, I reviewed the reissue of journalist and novelist Vern E. Smith’s 1974 novel The Jones Men for American Book Review. Smith worked for various news outlets including Newsweek. Recently, he published his new novel Ghost Skins, which won an Outstanding Book Award at this year’s National Association of Black Journalists Convention Authors Showcase. I was able to read Ghost Skins a few weeks ago, and I … Read More Interview with Vern Smith on His New Novel “Ghost Skins”

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Things I Learned at ASANOR 2018

If you enjoy what you read here at Interminable Rambling, think about making a contribution on our Patreon page.  This past week, I attended the American Studies Association of Norway (ASANOR) conference on the past and future of cosmopolitanism in Kristiansand, Norway. While there, I learned a lot, as hopefully usual for conferences. Today, I want to take the time to briefly write about … Read More Things I Learned at ASANOR 2018

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“African American Literature and the American South” Syllabus

Occasionally, I post syllabi ideas here on the blog. Today, I want to share a syllabus I have been thinking about recently entitled “African American Literature and the American South.” The South, as a geographic and imaginary space, looms large in the works of not just African American authors but in writers of all ethnic backgrounds from the United States. Maryemma Graham discusses the … Read More “African American Literature and the American South” Syllabus

“When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” in Richard Wright’s “Long Black Song”

As I reread Richard Wright’s “Long Black Song” from Uncle Tom’s Children (1938), I again thought about the role of music in Wright’s work. I have written about this before in relation to the epigraph for Wright’s collection and in relation to the song that appears in “Big Boy Leaves Home.” Today, I want to briefly look at the way that the hymn “When … Read More “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder” in Richard Wright’s “Long Black Song”

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History, Sharecropping, and the Shack Up Inn

Last week, Time named Ruddy Roye (@ruddyroye) its Instagram photographer of 2016. The same week, they unveiled Donald Trump as their 2016 Person of the Year. Today, I want to briefly discuss how we can bring one of Ruddy Roye’s photographs into the classroom, specifically into the literature classroom. In an upcoming post, I will write about how we can bring  Nadav Kander’s portrait … Read More History, Sharecropping, and the Shack Up Inn