Remembering Jayne Cortez

I was very sad to read that poet Jayne Cortez passed away on December 28th, which just happens to be my birthday. Cortez was a poet who I read extensively to understand how to write poetry that was lyrical and culturally-referenced. I tried to imitate her style. When I read her as a young person, I knew from her references that she read an expansive knowledge base and I knew that if I wanted to write I had to read a lot. I was also intrigued that she was from the west, from Arizona, and that she had changed her name. Here is a link to one of her poems. R.I.P. Jayne and thank you.

Unbowed

Unbelievably sad news that Wangari Maathai has passed on.  I read her memoir earlier this year and was moved by her activism which included imprisonment, but also by her stories of being a mother, an academic, and someone who survived a rather ugly divorce. There is no way to talk about her strength and vision without resorting to hyperbole. May she rest in peace, and may we never forget her.

R.I.P. Varnette Honeywood

Los Angeles artist Varnette Honeywood has passed away. You may remember her work was featured on The Cosby Show. Safe travels Ms. Honeywood.

R.I.P Ron Walters

Dr. Ronald Walters, the former campaign manager for Jesse Jackson during both of his presidential bids, passed away on Friday, September 10th. Walters, who had a thoughtful and low-key rhetorical style, was was a distinguished scholar in African-American studies and political science and the author of several books. Here's a link to a video of Walters speaking to Bill Moyers in 2007 about Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Thanks to Dr. Mack H. Jones for the news of Dr. Walter's passing.

R.I.P Dr. Dorothy Height

Photo from www.heinzawards.net

There are some people who do such good work for so long that you think they will live forever. Civil rights pioneer Dorothy Height was one such person. I will miss seeing Height in the news with her trademark hats. I'm also missing civil rights leader Benjamin Hooks who passed away five days before Height. Here's an interview of Height from six years ago on msnbc.com

R.I.P.: David Mills

I was sorry to hear that David Mills, producer and writer of "The Wire" and many other really good television shows, has passed away. At the time of his death, he was working on a new HBO series, "Treme" that is set in New Orleans and which many fans of his are looking forward to.

Meanwhile, Slate has this article on all the college courses being taught about "The Wire."

R.I.P.: Ai

The poet Ai, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, passed away over the weekend. Ai was a writer who took risks in her work and is probably best known for her dramatic monologues of dark characters to whom she gave voice in her writing. I considered not returning Ai's Vice to the library once I'd read it - I loved it that much. Tayari Jones posts a moving remembrance of Ai who was a mentor to her.

R.I.P. Lucille Clifton

I don't know what to say. What a loss for us here on earth.

Howard Zinn

I just heard that Howard Zinn, author of the hugely important A Peoples' History of the United States, has died. I used his book when I taught U.S. History to high school seniors, and I was just talking about purchasing the children's version of this book for my ten year old son. So thankful for Zinn's work. So sad about his passing.

Remembering E. Lynn Harris

Author E. Lynn Harris died today while on a book tour of the West Coast. There are so many reasons to admire E. Lynn Harris...for his business savvy, for his courage to shatter taboos, for providing one of those moments in our community when everyone is reading the same book (Invisible Life). Harris made me believe that with guts and talent it is possible to be a bestselling author.

Here is what Fred Smith is remembering about his literary role model, and a link to a Washington Post article on the author.

Lyrics that Capture a Period :: RIP Bea Arthur

Theme Song from "Maude"

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider,
she didn't care of the whole world looked.
Joan of Arc, with the lord to guide her,
she was a sister who really cooked.
Isadora was a first bra burner
Aint' ya glad she showed up? (Oh yeeeaaah)
And when the country was falling apart
Betsy Ross got it all sewed up
And then there's Maude
(And then there's Maude)
And then there's Maude
(And then there's Maude)
And then there's Maude
(And then there's Maude)
And then there's.......
the uncompromisin, enterprisin' anything but tranqulizin'
Right on Maude!!!

R.I.P.

I was sorry to read the news that Sylvia Plath's son has committed suicide. Although the Plath suicides, like the David Foster Wallace death, are stories about people struggling with depression, they are sometimes spun as stories about writerly angst. Condolences to the family.