Arts + Culture

J. California Cooper short story collection a classic “Life is more like the rain. The river and the lake lay down for you… But life don’t do that…You don’t go to the rain, the rain comes to you…And if it keeps coming down on you, you got to learn to swim to the top through […]

By Terri Schlichenmeyer Contributing Writer All of the following books are authored or edited by people of African descent: What happens when you take two very different women and put them together in circumstances they wouldn’t normally ask for? You’ve got the novel Butterfly Rising by HBO star Tanya Wright. This beautiful novel features a […]

Photo courtesy of Julianne Malveaux Julianne Malveaux is the 15th president of Bennett College for Women. Recognized for her progressive and insightful observations, this brilliant economist and author has been described by Dr. Cornel West as “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.” Malveaux’s insights on issues such as race, culture, gender and their […]

by Robin James The holiday season is upon us. A time for giving. A time for peace. Among the many items on my Christmas list are the following recommended gifts for music lovers of all kinds. When I think of peace, I think of the peaceful sounds and rhythms of Africa. African Rhythms, the as-told-to […]

By Robin James Contributing Writer Are you listening? Of course you are. All jazz is contemporary. However, let’s keep it real: Genre labels do exist. Should we just ignore them? Has jazz strayed too far away from its roots? Despite the noise about its ongoing economic misfortune, jazz music as a whole appears to be […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Shawn Michael Howard grateful for opportunities despite racism Blacks are still underutilized in film and television, says actor Shawn Michael Howard. Howard has worked as an actor, singer/songwriter, and voice-over artist in television, radio, theater, film and animation since the early 1990s. The Los Angeles-based actor, who has a film […]

By Donald W.R. Allen, II Contributing Writer The 2011 Miss Black Minnesota USA Scholarship Pageant seeks to re-establish its longtime goal of education, leadership, and celebrating the accomplishments of young African American women. On December 4, 2010 a new Miss Black Minnesota USA will be crowned at Ted Mann Hall on the University of Minnesota […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The Inheritance has African American cast, director, producer Too often a Black person is the first to meet their untimely demise in a horror film, but The Inheritance bucked this trend because it is an all-Black horror feature. In fact, it is virtually all Black, both on screen and behind […]

By Donavee Chappell Contributing Writer Tanya Hamilton’s new film Night Catches Us has won honors for the writer/director before it was even produced. The screenplay earned Hamilton a Pew Fellowship in the Arts Grant, and she has a fellowship at the Sundance Institute, home of the renowned Sundance Film Festival where the film debuted earlier […]

By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Mahmoud El-Kati’s Haiti: The Hidden Truth (Papyrus Publishing Inc.) begins on a faltering note before righting itself to evolve into a valuable piece of engaging, well-informed reading. The author offers the coy statement, “Here rests but a feeble attempt to challenge [the]…simplistic view…of Haiti as only a place of social […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Local Black auteurs are actively seeking their place as independent filmmakers, following the cinematic path forged by Spike Lee and Robert Townsend, and Oscar Michaeaux before them. Twin Cities Black Film Festival (TCBFF) Founder-Director Natalie Morrow says that although she uses a selection committee, “I’m usually the final person to […]

By Dwight Hobbes Contributing Writer Regina Marie Williams’ ascent to prominence in Twin Cities theater has been one of peerless artistry rightfully acclaimed. It began inconspicuously enough with a stint featured in Mixed Blood Theatre’s popular vehicle, Syl Jones’ Daughters of Africa. Spending requisite time in the trenches, Williams kept herself in work, including a […]

He didn’t reveal tour itinerary details at the press conference. Yet, by now you know what time it is. Prince is still a powerful force in the music industry. His finger has never left the pulse of American culture. And does he know how to drum up necessary drama, or what? Whenever Prince talks to […]

By Donavee Chappell Originally posted 10/21/2010 The Mis-education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson, first published in 1933, explained the vicious circle that results from mis-educated individuals graduating and then proceeding to teach and mis-educate others. But the book is by no means a study in negation. The author goes to great lengths in […]

By Vickie Evans-Nash Contributing Writer In the summer of 2005, R&B artist Luther Vandross, most remembered for his uniquely soulful voice, passed away. The following year, Gerald Levert, R&B soloist and member of the trio LeVert, passed away as well. Local artist J. Most says he’s been wanting to do a Gerald Levert revue even […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer ‘Ultimate goal is to be premier film festival in Midwest’ pledges founder Since its founding seven years ago, the Twin Cities Black Film Festival’s (TCBFF) main purpose is to provide independent Black filmmakers a platform to showcase their cinema work. Festival founder Natalie Morrow says she constantly hears that Blacks […]

Onward they go. In the pursuit of musical excellence, there are many major players within our realm. So far, jazz audiences have enjoyed courageous music from artists Esperanza Spalding and Jason Moran. Both have graced us with their presence at the Dakota recently, and we saw firsthand why they are invincible. With her wordless and […]