Leslie M. Silko
The works of Leslie Marmon Silko are strongly rooted in her own matrilineal tribal background. Like all writing of lasting value, they use particular experiences and places to reveal universal truths. Here, Silko discusses her own background and the...
August Wilson
An interview with playwright August Wilson. Therein, Wilson describes his role as passing down the practical and spiritual wisdom of the African American community in his writings. He also expounds upon the influence of black traditions like storyte...
Alice Walker
"Being black, being a woman, and being a writer is just the most wonderful challenge. It's like having three eyes, three hearts, rather than one," says the author of The Color Purple in this profile, as she relives her journey from an impoverished c...
Alice Walker
Alice Walker shares with us her remarkable spiritual journey from a sharecropping childhood in rural Georgia to the peace and creativity of her present retreat in Northern California. She reads from her poetry and discusses contemporary America with...
In Black and White: A Conversation With Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison explains her view of why "American literature is incoherent without the contribution of African American writers."