Category Archives: Writing

Dogs and the Tug of Life

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Richard Guzman

The chances of me ever owning a dog are slim to none, though not having one is one of my wife’s constant complaints.  “Everyone has a dog but me!”  She’s fond of the exaggeration, saying it in half—but only half—jest. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fenton Johnson Inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Richard Guzman

On September 14, 2017, I was asked to be one of the speakers at a ceremony inducting Fenton Johnson into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.  Also on the program—co-sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and held at its wonderful John-Ronan-designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Writers, Poetry | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Stranger in the Village: Style and Rage

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Richard Guzman

I, like many others, believe that James Baldwin’s “Stranger in the Village” is the greatest essay ever written in English.  It’s scope, for one, is titanic.  It moves from a story of one black man’s experiences in a Swiss village … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Writers, Social Change, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment