The African American Guide to Writing & Publishing Non Fiction - Softcover

Rhodes, Jewell Parker

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13 ratings by Goodreads

9780767905787: The African American Guide to Writing & Publishing Non Fiction

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0767905784 ISBN 13: 9780767905787

Publisher: Broadway, 2002

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In college and graduate school, Jewell Parker Rhodes never encountered a single reading assignment or exercise that featured a person of color. Now she has made it her mission to rectify the situation, gathering advice and inspiring tips tailored for African Americans seeking to express their life experiences. Comprehensive and totally energizing, the African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Nonfiction bursts with supportive topics such as:

�Finding your voice
�Getting to know your literary ancestors
�Overcoming a bruised ego and finding the determination to pursue your dreams
�Gathering material and conducting research
�Tapping sweet, bittersweet, and joyful memories
�Knowing when to keep revising, and when to let go

The guide also features unforgettable excerpts from luminaries such as Maya Angelou, Brent Staples, Houston Baker, and pointers from bestselling African American authors Patrice Gaines, E. Lynn Harris, James McBride, John Hope Franklin, Pearl Cleage, Edwidge Danticat, and many others. It is a uniquely nurturing and informative touchstone for affirming, bearing witness, leaving a legacy, and celebrating the remarkable journey of the self.

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Review:

Telling life stories is a cultural heritage that African Americans can trace back hundreds of years, to the West African storytellers-musicians-historians called griots. In The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Nonfiction, Jewell Parker Rhodes encourages African American writers to be modern-day griots, acquainting themselves with the work of earlier writers and committing their own lives and the lives of others to paper. As with Free Within Ourselves, in which Rhodes focused on fiction writing, it would be a shame for non-African Americans to overlook this book. Rhodes's advice on writing (autobiography, memoir, and personal essays), revising, and getting published is solid, clear, and specific. She manages to make cheery affirmations not seem cloying. And she provides copious excerpts from a compelling African American canon, including longer pieces by Nathan McCall, Maya Angelou, Patrice Gaines, and Lorene Cary. The book concludes with advice from more than 30 black writers, including Pearl Cleage. "Tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth," Cleage urges, "especially about the stuff you'd rather lie about." --Jane Steinberg

About the Author:

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the former director of the graduate-level creative writing program at Arizona State University. She is the author of Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors and the works Magic City, Voodoo Dreams, and the forthcoming Frederick Douglass’ Women. A recipient of fellowships from Yaddo and the National Endowment for the Arts, she lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

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