Black History Month Blog

Every February, the Academy of American Poets joins the national celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting the achievements of poets and scholars from the earliest days of America to the present time. The Academy's website features biographies of poets and extensive discussion of their achievements, as well as resources for further study of these important writers. A major focus on the Harlem Renaissance poets includes historical and cultural background for this major movement in American literature. For more information, visit the Academy of American Poets website at http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/370

Kevin Farley, Humanities Librarian - Collection Management

Posted by at 7:00 AM | Permalink

Throughout Black History Month, the VCU Libraries BOOK reMARKS blog will feature reviews of literature written by African Americans and about the African American experience. If you have read one of our featured books and would like to offer your own thoughts, we encourage you to share them via our new commenting feature. Please note that all titles reviewed are from VCU Libraries' collection. To see if a particular book is available, click on the link to its catalog record, which can be found at the end of each entry.

Recent reviews include a children's book entitled, Goin' Someplace Special, and Seldon Richardson's work, Built By Blacks: African American Architecture & Neighborhoods in Richmond, VA.

--Jennifer Darragh, Reference Librarian for the Behavioral and Social Sciences - Cabell Library

Posted by at 7:00 AM | Permalink

BOOK reMARKS, the VCU Libraries book recommendation site, is highlighting books by and about African Americans throughout February. Read staff picks in fiction, nonfiction, and drama for great leisure reading in celebration of Black History Month.

--Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian, Cabell Library

Posted by at 5:15 PM | Permalink

For a thorough, yet brief, introduction to the African American literary tradition, check out the entry for "Literary History" in The Oxford Companion to African American Literature. This entry covers the Colonial, Antislavery, and Reconstruction Eras, as well as the Twentieth Century, and is a good starting point for literary research. This companion is extensive and engaging, a reference book worthy of being read cover to cover. Not only does it include entries for authors, characters, and works of note, but also articles on various literary genres (Plantation Tradition, Novel of Passing, Neo-slave Narrative, Speculative Fiction), influences (Moses, Jazz, Civil Rights Movement), themes (Freedom, Identity, Class, Family), and much more. The Companion truly is a seminal work in the field of African American literary studies, and an invaluable resource whether you are reading African American literature for a class or your own personal enjoyment.

--Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian.

Posted by at 8:49 AM | Permalink