On Friday, March 22, 2013, I had the honor of delivering a keynote lecture at a Women's History Month banquet at Marietta College. Dr. Richard Danford serves as their Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, and he earned his PhD at Ohio State University. He therefore receives ASCENT magazine and saw the feature in which they highlight my scholarly and community activities. Because I emphasize the role that women played in initiating lynching drama, he immediately recognized my investment in building on the legacy that women in the United States have left us.
The visit was a joy from beginning to end. I met with a literary research methods course taught by my SSAWW colleague Professor Nicole Livengood; I met with an organization for black women students; I spoke to a group of English majors and History majors interested in archival research; and I met with members of Marietta's newly formed Lesbian and Gay Task Force to share the findings of my forthcoming essay on anti-LBGT violence.
This incredibly productive day ended with the lecture itself, a generative Q&A session, and a book signing that their bookstore generously arranged and attendees graciously supported.
Still, there was yet another element that made this trip special. I stayed in an "executive suite" in one of
the dorms. Turns out, it was a brand new dorm built in honor of the
institution's first black alumnus,
Charles Sumner Harrison, Class of 1876. (He also earned an M.D. in 1895
from Howard University.) Two of his brothers later graduated from
Marietta as well. It was an humbling treat to walk past these portraits throughout my stay.
Black LIT Radio is a 10-minute radio segment about African American literature that came to life after I was interviewed about my book Living with Lynching on KAZI Book Review with Hopeton Hay. Once a month, I either have a conversation with Hopeton about a black-authored literary text or I interview an author who makes him/herself available. Many thanks to those who listen live when these are aired. As promised, I also provide the podcast link when they are available, but this is a good time to offer a cluster. Links below allow you to listen on-demand. ENJOY! And please let me know what you think in the comment section below or via email, Twitter, whatever. I would be happy to have your feedback on which literary works you'd like us to discuss in the future.
Segment #1 aired in October 2012: Nella Larsen's 1929 novel Passing
Segment #2 aired in November 2012: Interview with Tayari Jones about her award-winning 2011 novel Silver Sparrow
Segment #3 aired in December 2012: Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka's 1964 play Dutchman
Segment #4 aired in January 2013: Interview with playwright Charles Smith, mostly about his recent award-winning offering Knock Me a Kiss
Segment #5 aired in February 2013: Toni Morrison's latest novel Home and other classic works
Looking forward to more conversations about this rich, living tradition!
Two more reviews of Living with Lynching have emerged.
In that stellar journal Signs, Sandy Alexandre offers a truly gratifying assessment. She recently published her own study of racial violence, The Properties of Violence, and it is very clear that she understands what it means to examine this material in ways that acknowledge the humanity and agency of targeted individuals, families, and communities.
Her review of reads, in part, "If ever a lynching book could be described as
beautiful, it would undoubtedly be Mitchell’s for the gracious way she
takes care to read, generously and meticulously, all that she sees and
hears (as well as what she does not see and hear) when she enters the
homes that these characters have struggled to build for themselves. The
beauty and persuasiveness of Living with Lynching lie also in its
clarity and its sense of conviction..." For more, please see the Spring 2013 issue of Signs, a publication of the University of Chicago Press.
The Drama Review (TDR) also includes of review by rising scholar Kristin Moriah. She says, for example, "Mitchell’s work is truly singular. Critical attention has rarely been turned towards the output of early African American women playwrights. Thus, Mitchell’s examination of embodied practices of black belonging as they relate to lynching dramas signifies a new line of critical inquiry." For more, please see the Spring 2013 issue of TDR, a publication of New York University and MIT.
Living with Lynching is a study of successful black families—families whose success inspired violence from white supremacists. As I continue to examine the reception of successful black families, Michelle Obama has become an interesting figure. I have had two more opportunities to discuss her in the public realm. On Friday, January 25, 2013, I was a guest on Karamu with Dr. Richard Cooper, which airs on Philadelphia radio station 900 AM WURD.
On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, I was part of an even more in-depth conversation on Minnesota Public Radio show The Daily Circuit. I was honored to share the airwaves with a writer I have long admired, Tami Winfrey Harris.
The Daily Circuit called this segment "How Michelle Obama Divides Feminists" and you can listen HERE.
On Monday, February 4, 2013, I delivered a keynote lecture to help kick off Bucknell University's programming for Black History Month. The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Services and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. The details that made the visit so lovely were handled by Dr. Vincent Stephens,
Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services. He is an American Studies scholar whose analyses have been quite influential. Aside from numerous music reviews in publications such as Popular Music & Society, his essay “Pop Goes the Rapper: A Close Reading of Eminem’s Genderphobia” appeared in the journal Popular Music and was reprinted in the popular culture textbook Common Culture. For more on Dr. Stephens' publications, including free downloads, visit his Selected Works page.
Time spent with faculty members and students made this a particularly productive visit. Conversations with theatre scholar Meenakshi Ponnuswami were particularly warm and invigorating. We found much common ground through dramatists James Baldwin and Amiri Baraka, and Dr. Ponnuswami gave me wonderful suggestions for an essay with which I have been struggling. I also had a great time meeting Dr. Michael Drexler who specializes in nineteenth-century American literature. Fortunately, a few students also made time for me outside of the lecture! I had a great tour from Paul and a nice lunch with Juanita and Trayvon. Also, Darby stayed after the lecture to share his ideas about the issues with which we both struggle as we try to remain true to our ideals in a society that sometimes seems reluctant to reward that kind of integrity. I came back to Columbus energized!
