Tag Archives: James Alan McPherson

Black Writers Picture Themselves – Part 2

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Richard Guzman

Burt Britton’s 1976 book Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Themselves contains nearly 750 self-portraits of writers and actors, from Edward Abbey (A) to Paul Zweig (Z).  It all started when Britton, then tending bar in New York, tried to get a … Continue reading →

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James Alan McPherson: Junior and John Doe

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Richard Guzman

James Alan McPherson wrote “Junior and John Doe” for Gerald Early’s 1993 essay collection Lure and Loathing: Essays on Race, Identity, and the Ambivalence of Assimilation.  It’s a great essay in a great and important collection.  Twenty writers—on a spectrum … Continue reading →

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Django Unchained: Revenge Fantasies and Realities

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Richard Guzman

Of course Django Unchained (2012) is your average Quentin Tarantino bloodfest, yet for me the main moment of the film suggests it could have been even bloodier.  In one of the film’s quiet, reflective seconds slave master Calvin Candie (Leonardo … Continue reading →

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