Encounters with James Baldwin: celebrating 100 years

Celebrating the centenary of the birth of the trailblazing African American author, Encounters with James Baldwin is a wide-ranging volume of short essays, reflections, interviews and poetry. This moving collection demonstrates the significant legacy of the writer and activist who spoke truth to power during the era of the fight for Black civil liberties in the US, and after. In this literary anthology, over 30 contributors reveal the influence of Baldwin's thought, speech and writing to their personal journeys and their awareness of the need for social justice. Authors included: Victor Adebowale; Toyin Agbetu; Rosanna Amaka; Michelle Yaa Asantewa; Lindsay Barrett; Eugen Bacon; Gabriella Beckles-Ray; Alan Bell; Selina Brown; Michael Campbell; Fred D’Aguiar; Thomas Glave; Sonia Grant; Zita Holbourne; Rashida Ismaili-AbuBakr; Paterson Joseph; Peter Kalu; Roy McFarlane; Ronnie McGrath; Michael McMillan; Tony Medina; Bill V Mullen; Nducu wa Ngugi; Lola Oh; Ewuare X. Osayande; Nii Ayikwei Parkes; Anton Phillips; Ray Shell; SuAndi; Tade Thompson; Patrick Vernon; Tony Warner.

Table of Contents:
Introduction by Stella Dadzie 9 Three Memories of Baldwin by Rashidah Ismaili AbuBakr 18 Blackspace by Victor Adebowale 26 Talking about Baldwin with Victor Adebowale 28 The World is White No Longer by Toyin Agbetu 35 Uncle Jimmy's Calling by Rosanna Amaka 44 The Spirit of James Baldwin by Michelle Yaa Asantewa 46 Mea Culpa by Eugen Bacon 55 Meeting Jimmy Baldwin in Paris by Lindsay Barrett 57 Genius as Moral Courage by Gabriella Beckles-Raymond 62 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Phone Calls by Alan Bell 70 Never Make Peace with Mediocrity by Selina Brown 76 Searching for the Centennial Man by Michael Campbell 80 In a Photograph with James Baldwin by Fred D'Aguiar 82 Fires in Our Time by Thomas Glave 89 Can I get an Amen, Somebody? by Sonia Grant 93 What Kind of World is This? by Zita Holbourne 101 The Inspirational Blues by Paterson Joseph 102 Letter to My Daughter by Peter Kalu 111 James Baldwin Weeps with the Weight of Tiredness by Roy McFarlane 119 What's Love Got to Do with It? by Ronnie McGrath 123 Revisiting James Baldwin by Michael McMillan 129 Six Degrees of James Baldwin by Tony Medina 137 Of James Baldwin and Futures Not Seen by Bill V. Mullen 146 The Fire is Now by Nducu wa Ngugi 152 If Sonny's Blues were a Song... by Lola Oh 158 Fahrenheit 1492 by Ewaure X. Osayande 160 Passing by Nii Ayikwei Parkes 169 The Amen Corner by Anton Phillips 177 A Higher Calling by Ray Shell 180 For Jimmy by SuAndi 186 Wherefore, Nuncle? by Tade Thompson 191 Letter to My Brother by Patrick Vernon 196 James Baldwin and Black British Civil Rights by Tony Warner 201 About the Authors 208

About the Author :
Stella Dadzie, writer and activist, is best known for her co-authorship of The Heart of the Race: Black Women's lives in Britain which won the 1985 Martin Luther King Award for Literature. She is a founder member of OWAAD (Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent), a national umbrella group that emerged in the late 1970s as part of the British Civil Rights movement, and was recently described as one of the "grandmothers" of Black Feminism in the UK. Her career as a teacher, writer, artist and education activist spans over 40 years. She previously worked with editor Cheryl Robson on 'Hairvolution: Her Hair, Her Story, Our History'. Kadija George Sesay, co-editor, MBE, Hon. FRSL is a British literary activist, short story writer and poet of Sierra Leonean descent, and the publisher and managing editor of the magazine SABLE LitMag. Her work has earned her many awards and nominations, including the Cosmopolitan Woman of Achievement in 1994, Candace Woman of Achievement in 1996, The Voice Community Award in Literature in 1999 and the Millennium Woman of the Year in 2000. She is the General Secretary for African Writers Abroad (PEN International) and organises the Writers' HotSpot - trips for writers abroad, where she teaches creative writing and journalism courses.Sesay has edited or co-edited several books, including Burning Words, Flaming Images: Poems and Short Stories by Writers of African Descent (1996), IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain (with Courttia Newland, 2000),[5][6] Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa (Flipped Eye Publishing, 2005), and (as Kadija George) Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers (Aurora Metro Books, 2005), Write Black, Write British: From Post Colonial to Black British Literature (Hansib Publications, 2005). In 2007, she created the first SABLE Literary Festival in The Gambia, where she now programmes the Mboka literary festival and bookfair, which she co-founded in 2016. Sesay's first full collection of poems, entitled Irki, was published in 2013. Her poetry, short stories and essays have appeared in a range of publications, including the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby. In 2021, with Joan Anim-Addo and Deirdre Osborne she curated This is The Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelf in 50 Books highlighting alternatives by people of African or Asian descent and indigenous peoples.

Review :
Encounters with James Baldwin is the spiritual evidence seen by some of the finest writers and thinkers and doers of our times. It is their majestic love letter to J.B., a love letter that is poetry, essay, social justice, awareness, and the beautiful struggle for freedom for all that Jimmy Baldwin represented his entire life. Life, yes, the words of this remarkable collection are breath blown back to our beloved ancestor James Baldwin, and he to them, to us: air we breathe, air we need, for these troubled times. - Kevin Powell, GRAMMY-nominated poet; human & civil rights activist; "From reflective pieces, interviews, essays, and poetic interventions, Encounters with James Baldwin confirms the enduring resonance of the life and work of James Baldwin across the globe. This is an important text for readers eager to consider the expansive legacy of arguably the most piercing and committed author and critic of the last century." - Rich Blint, writer and critic "What a joy this book is, a fabulous collection of poems, interviews, think pieces and cultural commentary, all marking and celebrating the life and work of James Baldwin. One to dip in and out of, rather than read all the way through, you need time to fully absorb what each writer has to say and process the new perspectives on Baldwin. Wonderful. " **** - Claire Estelle - Reviewer, netgalley "Encounters with James Baldwin is a heartfelt celebration of the author's 100th birthday, a testament to his enduring influence and legacy. This book features over thirty contributors who reflect on Baldwin's life and work in fiction and non-fiction. Each section reflects on how his thoughts and actions affected their lives and the social justice movement. For fans of Baldwin, this book offers a deeper understanding of his life and, more importantly, its profound impact on the world, inspiring readers to reflect on their own contributions to social justice." - --- Beth Kelly, Reviewer, netgalley