Schemes, Dreams, and Some Thoughts on Poetry
The Difficult Lessons of Richard Wright's Native Son
Lately I've been thinking about Richard Wright's famous protest novel, Native Son (1940). The book is a page-turner like no other, and there is much to learn from it during this long season of exhibitionistic murders.
Lucille Clifton and the African American Poetic Tradition
I had the pleasure of interviewing Lucille Clifton a long time ago when I was writing a book about her poetry. Near the end of the interview, she said something that I’ve been thinking about lately.