Arts and Culture

MacArthur Fellow Jericho Brown’s Poetry Reflects Contemporary Culture and Identity

When grants were announced earlier this month, it was noted that seven of the 22 MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award fellows were African American. Among them are scholars, visual and media artists a poet/writer, historian, and dancer/choreographer. The awardees receive $800,000 over a five-year period. Poet Jericho Brown is featured in the second installment published by The Post.

Published

1 day ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Jericho Brown currently works as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo courtesy MacArthur Foundation.

Special to The Post

Jericho Brown was born in 1976 in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1976, and attended Dillard University, joining the AKAs in 1995 before graduating. He received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University on New Orleans and later a PhD from the University of Houston.

He has held a variety of academic positions, teaching English and/or Creative Writing at San Diego State University, the University of San Diego, and at workshops and conferences, including the University of Iowa.

He currently works as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Please,” his first volume of poetry and prose published in 2008, won the American Book Award. His third book, “The Tradition,” won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2020. Below is a description of his work from The MacArthur Foundation website.

“Jericho Brown is a poet reflecting on contemporary culture and identity in works that combine formal experimentation and intense self-examination. He reimagines well-known poetic forms and rhythmic structures in ways that heighten a poem’s emotional charge. Across three collections, Brown explores themes of masculinity, spirituality, family, sexuality, and racial identity from a personal perspective as well as from feelings inspired by pop culture and contemporary America.

In his first collection, “Please” (2008), Brown incorporates influences from popular music, such as replicating syncopation of classic rhythm and blues, as he describes the sometimes blurred boundary between intimacy and violence. Brown’s second book, “The New Testament” (2014), draws connections between individual suffering and broader injustices such as the HIV/AIDS crisis, mass incarceration, and community trauma.

In several poems, Brown reworks biblical passages to emphasize the isolation and oppression that many experience in America. Brown’s calibration of form, tone, and language is even more fully realized in “The Tradition” (2019).

He introduces a form of his own invention—the duplex (or gutted sonnet)—that is a fusion of the traditional sonnet, the Arabic ghazal, and the ironic holler of American blues. It is comprised of 14 lines of seven couplets, with the first line of each couplet echoing the second line of the previous one, and the last line echoing the poem’s first.

The circular repetition lends itself to shifts between dissonant voices or images; for example, in one duplex the speaker’s train of thought moves from a first love, to his abusive father, to his grieving mother. In other variations on the sonnet form, shifting perspectives bring the reader face-to-face with violence inflicted on Black lives.

The title poem in The Tradition begins like a pastoral lyric, with a list of flower names: “Aster. Nasturtium. Delphinium.” Brown deftly touches on the evolution of Black life in America in relation to the land—sharecropping and climate change—before pulling the reader firmly into the present moment with a lament for lives cut short at the hands of police: “John Crawford. Eric Garner. Mike Brown.”

Brown writes with frankness and vulnerability about love, both filial and erotic. He explores the complexities of his identity as a Black gay man and expresses tenderness and devotion toward his mother and other Black women. In poems with astonishing lyrical beauty, Brown illuminates the experiences of marginalized people and shows the relevance and value of formal experimentation.

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

5 hours ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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Arts and Culture

Faces Around the Bay: Blanche Richardson

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson came to the Sydney Goldstein Theatre on Sept. 10 to participate in an event hosted by City Arts and Lectures and Marcus Books to celebrate the publication of her memoir, Lovely One.

Published

7 hours ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Blanche Richardson of Marcus Books. Photo by Cherysse Calhoun.

By Barbara Fluhrer

Photo Caption: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Blanche Richardson of Marcus Books. Photo by Cherysse Calhoun.

The book chronicles her life story and extraordinary path to America’s highest court. Professor John Powell of UC Berkeley was the moderator.

Over 1600 people attended the event, the same evening as the last U.S. presidential debate on Sept. 11.

The book is available at Marcus Books, including a few signed copies.

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Arts and Culture

The Extraordinary Life of James Hemings: A Culinary Pioneer

James Hemings, born in 1765, became one of the most important figures in the history of American cuisine, due largely to his connection with Thomas Jefferson. Hemings was born enslaved, brought to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate when he was just nine years old with his siblings and mother, Elizabeth Hemings. Jefferson inherited the Hemings family from his wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson’s estate. The Hemings family made up the largest family at Monticello, free or enslaved, many of them forced to work as domestic workers or tradespeople for Jefferson.

Published

1 day ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

An artist’s rendition of the kitchen at Monticello where James Hemings worked. Public domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

James Hemings, born in 1765, became one of the most important figures in the history of American cuisine, due largely to his connection with Thomas Jefferson.

Hemings was born enslaved, brought to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate when he was just nine years old with his siblings and mother, Elizabeth Hemings. Jefferson inherited the Hemings family from his wife, Martha Wayles Jefferson’s estate. The Hemings family made up the largest family at Monticello, free or enslaved, many of them forced to work as domestic workers or tradespeople for Jefferson.

Hemings’s life changed dramatically, when, in 1784, Jefferson took him to Paris. While Jefferson served as the U.S. ambassador to France, James was sent to train in some of the finest French kitchens and immediately trained in the art of French dining, studying with restaurateur Monsieur Combeaux, before studying under pastry chefs and then working as a chef in the home of Prince de Condé. He stayed there three years, learning as much as he could before landing a job as the head chef at the Hôtel de Langeac, where Jefferson resided. The hotel doubled as the American embassy.

While serving there, Hemings served a variety of public figures, including international guests, authors, scientists, politicians and European aristocrats. For his work, Hemings was paid 24 livres a month, the equivalent of about $30 today. While his wages and occasional gratuity were more than what he made in the U.S., it was only half of what Jefferson paid his former chef.

Hemings’s time in France was a period of growth, both personally and professionally. He mastered the art of French cooking and also experienced a taste of freedom, as slavery had been abolished in France by then. However, he made the choice to return to America with Jefferson, hoping to secure freedom on his own terms.

Upon returning to Monticello in 1789, Hemings became Jefferson’s chef de cuisine, a prestigious role that solidified his importance in the Jefferson household. It was during this time that James introduced many French dishes to America, including the now-iconic French fries, crème brûlée, and meringues. His skillful blending of French techniques with local ingredients helped shape the foundations of American cuisine.

James Hemings’ story took a remarkable turn when Jefferson agreed to free him, but only after he trained another chef to take his place. James fulfilled his end of the bargain and was granted his freedom in 1796. As a free man, he traveled and worked as a chef, but his story sadly ended in tragedy. In 1801, at the age of 36, James Hemings died under mysterious circumstances, possibly by suicide.