Category Archives: Arts
The Black Chicago Renaissance
In the opening line of her introduction to The Black Chicago Renaissance, Darlene Clark Hine writes that “beginning in the 1930’s and lasting into the 1950’s, black Chicago experienced a cultural renaissance that rivaled and, some argue, exceeded the cultural … Continue reading
Voices: A Film from Bahrain
Without the ending credits, Hussain AlRiffael’s film Voices is barely three minutes long, but it may be one of the most powerful three-minutes in cinema today. I’m going to describe most of the “plot,” but this won’t spoil it entirely. I’ll leave … Continue reading
Sterling Plumpp: Survival Blues
Born in rural Mississippi in 1940, Sterling Plumpp has for thirty years taught at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and produced a body of poetry giving him considerable claim to be one of the country’s most distinguished blues-jazz poets. Somber … Continue reading