Performance occurs in a myriad of ways, from spoken and written poetry to taking the stage, to playing a game of spades. In fictional universes, particularly in fantastical worlds, a character’s performance can range from their abilities to their descriptions. This week, the intricate tapestry of Black performance is explored through many different lenses in the books.
This week, poetry once again takes the national stage with Amanda Gorman’s
The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country. Her reading of this poem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration shook the nation as she not only brought hope to all who were watching but ignited and inspired creativity in young writers across the country. On that note, parts of her poem are also included in a new anthology,
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has seen his fair share of ugly things. His alcohol and drug addiction sent him spiraling for years and led him to cook his own crack cocaine. But he s seen a lot of beautiful things, too – namely the love he shares with his father and brother Beau Biden, who died of glioblastoma in 2015.
Biden wrote about all of it in in his new memoir, Beautiful Things (Gallery Books, 255 pp.), out April 6. His candid chronicle of his drug- and alcohol-fueled binges and relationship with Beau s widow, Hallie Biden, are sure to shock – but don t let all the tabloid fodder fool you. Biden has found love again with new wife Melissa, whom he credits for getting him back on the winding path to sobriety.
For the author of
We Love You, Charlie Freeman, writing is as much an adventure of discovering new history as it is an act of creative expression.
The legacy of medicine, trauma, motherhood and marriage in Black American communities provides the groundwork for Kaitlyn Greenidge’s second novel,
Libertie, an engrossing study of a headstrong mother and her equally headstrong daughter. Speaking by phone from Westborough, Massachusetts, Greenidge discusses her novel’s deep roots in history and the literary traditions created by Toni Morrison, whom she describes as “the mother of everything.”
Libertie was inspired by the true story of Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward, who in 1869 became the first Black female doctor in New York. She also co-founded the Brooklyn Women’s Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary at a time when homeopathy was considered state-of-the-art medicine. Greenidge learned about Dr. McKinney Steward and her family while working at the Weeksville Heritage Cen
In Kaitlyn Greenidge s vivid Libertie, a young Black woman forges her own path msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.