Author Archives: Richard Guzman
Tara Betts: Amalgamation Improvisation Within Black
In my book Black Writing from Chicago, I included two Tara Betts poems, “Two Brothers” and “A Mixed Message,” the first featured in the marvelous Steppenwolf Theatre production Words on Fire (2000), a celebration of Chicago poetry. No wonder: it … Continue reading
Era Bell Thompson: Affirming American Meritocracy
Nearly without fail, the excerpt from Era Bell Thompson’s American Daughter, which I included in my book Black Writing from Chicago, is my students’ favorite. Leaving her native North Dakota in 1931, Era Bell Thompson came to settle in Chicago … Continue reading
Guerilla Gardening
The statistics are hard to believe: 70% of Americans overweight or obese, adult obesity doubling between 1980 and 2008, but tripling for kids, so that today a third of U.S. kids are overweight or obese. This in an era where … Continue reading