Black Fire This Time
by Kim McMillon

An anthology that explores all facets of the Black Arts Movement. Edited by Dr. Kim McMillon and Kofi Antwi. Foreword by Ishmael Reed. Introduction by Dr. Margo Natalie Crawford. This anthology, nearly 60 years in the making, features over 100 poets and writers on the theme of “Black is Beautiful, Black is Powerful, Black is Home.”

Exploring the past, present and future of Black writing, this collection bridges many of the founders of the Black Arts Movement—including Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Haki Madhubuti, Amiri Baraka, Wanda Coleman, Dudley Randall, Eugene B. Redmond and Askia Touré—with contemporary established writers in the tradition such as brian g. gilmore-to Ishmael Reed’s “younger generation”-Karla Brundage, Allison E. Francis, Tongo Eisen-Martin and C. Liegh McInnis.

Designed as an open conversation between generations bridging hearts and minds across decades, Black Fire-This Time’s works are rooted in preservation, reverence and discovery. Several little-known works are included for the first time. New works—from established writers as well as emerging talent—share this historic debut. Black Fire This Time also stands out for its inclusion of many voices that were underrepresented in previous anthologies, most notably Black Fire: an anthology of Afro-American Writing (1968) and its ancestor, The New Negro (1920). The works of writers such as Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin provide a more complete view of the myriad perspectives on Black identity and writing.