BLACK WOMEN'S

WRITING
Niel Antony Alancheril
BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT
The black arts movement took place from 1965 to 1975 and focused on music,
literature, drama, writing, and visual arts and was made up of several
prominent black artists and writers. Some amongst these members included
Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, James Baldwin & Lorraine Hansberry.
Famous
black
women
writers
 MAYA ANGELOU
Marguerite Annie Johnson was born in Louis, Missouri in
April 4 1928 and died May 28 2014.

She was a poet, memoirist and an actress. Most of the

works Maya Angelou produces are based on the
themes of racial and social oppression.

Some of Her famous works include and still I rise, on

the pulse of morning, gather together in my name,
life doesn’t frighten me, and I shall not be moved.

Maya Angelou grew in love with poetry in Arkansas

because she lived there most her life with her
grandmother. She then joined the harlem writers
guild in the late 1950’s, and was inspired by the great
Martin Luther King Jr’s speech to become part of
the fight for civil rights.
HER STORY
Before turning 8 years old, she was RAPED by her mothers
boyfriend, and after she told people the man ended up
being murdered. Her being at a young age made it hard to
process all these traumatic events unfold before her.
These events almost made her completely mute for
several years. In the 1940’s she worked as a waitress,
prostitute, cook and dancer. After a couple years she
started writing in New York. She became well-known after
reading a poem she had written at Bill Clinton's first
inauguration in 1993. A Song Flung Up to Heaven, her sixth
book of recollections, was released in 2002. She received
the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
LORRAINE HANSBERRY
Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in
Chicago, Illinois and died in January 12, 1965.
Lorraine was a well known african american
playwright who play A raisin in the sun was the
first ever play by an african american woman to
be produced on broadway.

Being interested in arts and literature from a

young age, she attended University of
wisconsin, art institute of chicago and
roosevelt university before moving to New york
city to join the black arts movement along side
Maya Angelou.
TONI MORRISON
Toni Morrison who actual name is Chloe Anthony
Wafford was born in February 18, 1931 Lorain, Ohio,
U.S. and died August 5, 2019.

Toni Morrison was a well reputed American writer

who has written several poems, that lead her to
receiving the nobel prize for literature in 1993.

Growing up in the midwest with her family, she

grew up loving the Black culture. She attended
howard university, cornell university, and texas
southern before teaching at Texas southern
university and howard.

Some of Morrison famous works include “the bluest

eyes, sula, songs of solomon and beloved.
Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa, Senegal in 1753
and she died in boston at the year 1784.

She was one of the first note poet in America to be Black. At

a young age Phillis was kidnapped from Senegal and taken
to Boston as a slave. She was purchased by John Wheatley
and was meant to be a personal assistant to his wife, soon
they began treating her as a third child and began looking
after her and giving her privileges no other slave would
get, they gave her the opportunity to learn how to read
and write after discovering her talents. After mastering
English, she went on to learn greek and latin.

Some of her famous works include On Being Brought

from Africa to America Which is a song about her story.
She was the first Slave to have their work published to the
world. This created the movement, her story inspired
thousands of people.
OCTAVIA E. BUTLER
Octavia Estelle Butler was born June 22 1947
in Pasadena and died on February 24 2006.
Octavia was well established because of her
Science fiction novels about superhuman
powers and future Utopias and dystopias.

Octavia went to california state university,

pasadena city college, and california
university.

Some of her well known novels include

“Patternmaster, Kindred, Dawn, and Parable
of the Sower”
WRITING
STYLE
COMMON WRITING STYLE
Black people art and literature stand out
amongst the others, their style and form varies
from all the others. In their writing common
elements are the concern for freedom, identity
and most of all independence. They express all
these themes through various art forms like
visual arts, literature, poetry, jazz, rap, etc. They
don't really give much focus to how they right
but rather what they write about (the struggle
for independence, gaining independence, the
hardships they endured, the hardships they
still endure, and the list goes on).
 THANK YOU
“If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you
can be” ~ Maya Angelou
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.google.com/search?q=maya+angelou&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=voPPpBU2Z3oCaM%252CADeQqDMmGEu68M%252C_%253BHfJlAg8nD6t5fM%252CGzPP5Kvx3QijLM%2
52C_%253Bpu42PPvnRx4tKM%252CZVpgE14JFYRPxM%252C_%253BU6nSYp8JC-cUJM%252CutvWy6yIG4TaHM%252C_%253BiBPQ2f-MCjisfM%252CRIsu6R7B-diMeM%252C_%253BfhD_PskK5vav0
M%252CW2dLaPx-QYes9M%252C_%253BYrLtQx9KSEXZ_M%252CXiyFMhTNr_FhIM%252C_%253BVMC2WJnxeMUCrM%252C9rp_4opw7xrtMM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kTlOSEc37AYzdY1Kmc-mjw7RdWg
wA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjO_qfWit35AhUt4jgGHYpsCkEQ_h16BAh8EAE#imgrc=iBPQ2f-MCjisfM
https://www.google.com/search?q=amiri+baraka&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi3pbrfit35AhVwjtgFHeqkD8MQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=amiri+baraka&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIKCAAQsQMQgwEQQzIHCAAQ
sQMQQzIKCAAQsQMQgwEQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIECAAQQ1Ck9AJYrJADYIaSA2gAcAB4AIABhwOIAYcDkgEDMy0xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbW
fAAQE&sclient=img&ei=MtgEY7fENvCc4t4P6sm-mAw#imgrc=IU1nQhR6RaUW0M
https://www.google.com/search?q=lorraine+hansberry&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj33_-1i935AhVdLrcAHfgxBHkQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=lorr&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMggIABC
ABBCxAzIICAAQgAQQsQMyCwgAEIAEELEDEIMBMggIABCABBCxAzIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIICAAQgAQQsQM6CggAELEDEIMBEENQr5QBWKaZAWDlowFoAHAAeACAAZgDiAHzC
JIBCTAuMi4yLjAuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=6NgEY_fLF93c3LUP-OOQyAc#imgrc=5AE8v9usbB1uDM
https://www.google.com/search?q=james+baldwin&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiO_pizi935AhWj7jgGHaq0CgQQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA#imgrc=Dttoa1NdUjVm2M
https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power/arts
https://www.google.com/search?q=maya+angelou&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS_-z3jN35AhVS-jgGHcAGA4AQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1396&bih=665&dpr=1.38#imgrc=HfJlAg8n
D6t5fM
https://www.google.com/search?q=Maya+angelou&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAjL3Pxt_5AhXY-jgGHSROBeIQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1396&bih=665&dpr=1.38#imgrc=cWhOfN3
tfceePM
https://www.google.com/search?q=lorraine+hansberry&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiC-YnM39_5AhVT-zgGHfHbCZ4Q_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1396&bih=665&dpr=1.38#imgrc=xkG
piG2rEzYQVM
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lorraine-Hansberry
https://www.britannica.com/summary/Maya-Angelou
https://www.google.com/search?q=maya+angelou&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS_-z3jN35AhVS-jgGHcAGA4AQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1396&bih=665&dpr=1.38#imgrc=HfJlAg8n
D6t5fM
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toni-Morrison
https://www.google.com/search?q=phillis+wheatley&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=FA_5WmCCEsaeEM%252CPK_2iK845N-AwM%252C_%253B1hVUvQSsPpC5lM%252Cb5V6EoX1AMmRuM
%252C_%253BDRLw0_5L-ET6zM%252CL7zGZ0o-qRAL9M%252C_%253BsUfNgZEdYFCMiM%252C5TAmC9jJhuScFM%252C_%253BFGXUf05MZL_r6M%252C2kjJaGHur7fceM%252C_%253B0cSyAo-gy
84mqM%252CPzgKc8EeZ1SSAM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kRd1fVdYIjlHurb3JGnO3tLKKqZDA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjA9vPOzOP5AhWU4DgGHY_mAyEQ_h16BAhuEAE#imgrc=DRLw0_5L-ET6zM
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phillis-Wheatley
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Octavia-E-Butler
https://www.google.com/search?q=Octavia+E.+Butler&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjklI-R0-P5AhWtwzgGHfnoCyEQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1396&bih=665&dpr=1.38#imgrc=vz9ldj
Pn9_YfWM
https://mcallen.libguides.com/africanamericanliteratur
https://www.google.com/search?q=black+arts+movement&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiS3peR0eT5AhUTwzgGHXhTC0oQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1396&bih=665&dpr=1.38#imgrc
=V2OxCXT6M-6gfM