Anthologies of African American Writing

Black Fire--This Time, Vol. 1

"Black Fire--This Time." Ed. Kim McMillon; assistant editor Kofi Antwi. Foreword by Ishmael Reed. Introduction by Dr. Margo Natalie Crawford. Detroit: Aquarius Press, 2022. 496 pp.

Kim McMillon / Editor's Note
Ishmael Reed / Foreword
Margo Natalie Crawford / Introduction: Let's Do It Again: The Black Fire Remix

● Nikki Giovanni / No Complaints
● Nikki Giovanni / Rosa Parks
● Nikki Giovanni / Vote
● James Baldwin / Amen
● James Baldwin / Blues for Mister Charlie (excerpt)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / to the Diaspora
● Gwendolyn Brooks / The Boy Died in My Alley
● Gwendolyn Brooks / Infirm
● Haki Madhubuti / We Are a Hated People
● Dr. Doris Derby / Signs of Spring
● Dr. Doris Derby / Earth Child
● Askia Touré / Sun Ra Resurgent
● Askia Touré / Legacies: A Redemption Song
● Askia Touré / The Way
● Umar Bin Hassan / Water
● Amina Baraka / Hip Songs
● Ishamael Reed / The Luckiest People in the World
● Wanda Coleman / Emmett Till
[partial contents only so far]

● "Anthology celebrating the roots and legacy of the Black Arts Movement. . . . Featuring the works of over 100 poets and writers, including (in no particular order) Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Amina Baraka, Eugene B. Redmond, Lucille Clifton, Haki R. Madhubuti, Wanda Coleman, E. Ethelbert Miller, Jerry Ward, Tom Dent, Michael Simanga, Quincy Troupe, Margaret Porter Troupe, Dudley Randall, Askia Toure, QR Hand, Jr., Denise Nicholas, Sonia Sanchez and many more."

● "Edited by Dr. Kim McMillon and with an Introduction by Dr. Margo Natalie Crawford, the theme of this anthology is “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 Willow’s own 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. It also stands out for its inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented in Black Fire in particular, writers such as Nikki Giovanni and James Baldwin, in an effort to provide a more complete view of the myriad perspectives on Black identity and writing."

● Kim McMillon's Call for Submissions for the anthology. 23 Sept. 2020. H-Announce.

"Willow Books is pleased to announce a call for submissions for the anthology 'Black Fire—This Time', which pays homage to the anthology 'Black Fire', edited by Amiri Baraka and Larry Neal. Black Fire, published in 1968, is considered the defining work of the Black Arts Movement. 'Black Fire—This Time' seeks to further explore the profound and timely messages of Black self-determination and Black Power espoused in 'Black Fire'. Commissioned by . . . Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, . . . the anthology’s editorial team will be led by Dr. Kim McMillon, . . . 'Black Fire—This Time' encourages submissions that explore the intersectionality between the Black Arts Movement and Black Lives Matter, laying bare the legacy of systemic racism on Black Americans. The term “Black is Beautiful” rose out of the Black Arts Movement, and as such, the editors encourage work that explores the beauty and power in Blackness.
"Accepted works will appear in print and online editions of the anthology, set to be released in the summer of 2021. Contributors will be invited to appear in scheduled readings. A section of the anthology will be geared explicitly to the voices of up-and-coming black artists who recognize their connection to the Black Arts Movement. The anthology will also pay homage to many of the 1968 'Black Fire' contributors by introducing their writings to a new generation of readers.
"The submission categories are: Essays, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Short Dramas, Poetry. . . . The deadline for submissions is October 22, 2020. . . . Poetry may not exceed 100 lines. Prose may not exceed 2500 words. . . . Contributors with previously-published work must handle all permissions arrangements with publishers and forward the permission information to the anthology editor."

● McDonald, Thomasi. "'Black Fire--This Time: Volume 1' Is a Powerful Anthology of Black Writers." "IndyWeek" 26 April 2023.

"At nearly 500 pages, 'Black Fire—This Time' features work from many of America’s greatest and most influential wordsmiths, including Gwendolyn Brooks, James Baldwin, Haki Madhubuti, Sonia Sanchez, Margaret Walker, Wanda Coleman, Quincy Troupe, Lucille Clifton, Henry Dumas, and Askia Touré. The anthology also offers new works by writers who are not so well-known nationally, including Triangle writers Lenard Moore, Darrell Stover, and Lamont Lilly, with a nod to the nationally celebrated Camille T. Dungy, the Denver, Colorado–based poet who earned her master’s degree from UNC Greensboro."
"Black Fire—This Time serves up generous portions of essays and plays, but poetry is the main entrée. It’s a fitting coda for National Poetry Month. 'In 20 years or so when future anthologists produce an anthology that will reflect a future state of Black writing,' literary icon Ishmael Reed writes in the volume’s introduction, 'they will find this one hard to surpass.'"

● Reed, Ishmael. "A New Flame for Black Fire: What Will Be the Legacy of the Black Arts Movement?" "New York Review" 14 Jan. 2023.

● Reading and discussion of "Black Fire--This Time," with Kim McMillon and others, San Francisco Public Library, 16 July 2022. YouTube. 2:17:23.

● Reading and discussion of "Black Fire--This Time," with Kim McMillon and others, San Francisco Public Library, 11 Nov. 2022. YouTube. 1:53:09

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