May Miller was an African American poet, playwright and educator. Miller became known as the most widely published woman playwright of the Harlem Renaissance, with seven published volumes of poetry during her career as a writer.
I celebrate her because she was the “most published woman playwright of the Harlem Renaissance” and the world does not know her name… MAY MILLER, we thank you and remember you!
Do yourself a favor and get ALL of these titles on your bookshelf! An American literary icon! Zora Neal Hurston
Re-membering an amazing writer, an iconic contributor to American literature,
Zora Neale Hurston
Hurston’s works touched on the African-American experience and her struggles as an African-American woman. Her novels went relatively unrecognized by the literary world for decades, but interest revived after author Alice Walker. Her most infamous work is, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”.
I was cold. I didn’t know too much about The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin) or that it could be easily identified as the return of the spirit of the movement.
The presence of our ancestors to re-connect the seven sciences that we all represented.
I just know that of the several bonfires that appeared   /I chose the one closest to my home.  A few others had come to get warm.
We dared to stare down the center of this chemical process to identify what was causing the combustion. And nothing was there. Not with the naked eye at least.                                                                        It was simply a fire and I was cold.
Continue reading Gathered Around Fire (a prose piece for roux makers)
The other day I was at a poetry spot and the host gently reminded the audience how magnificent the art was for the evening and that it had all been created by African American people. The crowd seemed to be in awe of themselves and apparently had forgotten our brilliance. It made me think of how perhaps we have allowed ourselves to be imitated and distorted so much and for so long that we now imitate the distorted image of what is given back to us. That comment provoked this blog. To hopefully encourage writer’s to remember the power and historical relevance of… THE WORD.
First let me mention, I am writing this from the perspective of Kemetic ancient studies. The antiquity of Africa. The land where the seven liberal arts formed the foundation for the Egyptian mystery systems, the first system of a documented resource for salvation. A sacred and complex study of disciplined curriculum for writing and teaching. Where breath transcended into sound, prayer, song, poem and eventually the eternal documentation for the cradle of civilization.
How important should a writer of color hold their art? Well, considering our ancestors were murdered for speaking, dancing, and writing in their original language, that question should encompass no space for denial. They were murdered for a language and lifestyle that supported true knowledge of self to escape the wheels of rebirth. A dance that made rain fall. A music that could be captured by soil. Today’s writers should hold their art very seriously. In fact, it should be held as the rest of the world views it, with reverent veneration! It is adored globally.
Nikki Skies 