Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor
Item
Title
Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor
This edition
"Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor" . Ed. Paul Beatty. New York: Bloomsbury, 2006. viii+468 pp.
Online access
Table of contents
● Introduction
pissed off to the highest degree of pissivity
● Sojourner Truth / “And a’n’t I a Woman?” (1851)
● W.E.B. Du Bois / “On Being Crazy” (1923)
● Zora Neale Hurston / “’Possum or Pig?” (1926)
● Chester Himes / “Let Me at the Enemy—an’ George Brown” (1944)
● Malcolm X / “Message to the Grass Roots” (1963)
● Langston Hughes / “Pose Outs” (1965)
● Lightnin’ Hopkins / “Cadillac Blues” (performed 1968)
● H. Rap Brown / from “Die, Nigger, Die!” (1969)
● Sam Greenlee / from “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” (1969)
● Wanda Coleman / “April 15th 1985” (c. 1985)
● Wanda Coleman / “Identifying Marks” (c. 1985)
● Wanda Coleman / “On that Stuff That Ain’t Nevah Been Long Enuff for No Damn Body” (c. 1985)
● Hattie Gossett / “yo daddy: an 80s version of the dozens” (1988)
● Amiri Baraka / “Wise 1” (1995)
● Cornelius Eady / “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off” (1997)
● Tish Benson / “Fifth Ward E-Mail” (2003)
● Al Sharpton / Presidential campaign speech delivered to the San Francisco Commonwealth Club (2003)
● Mike Tyson / The Wit and Wisdom of Mike Tyson (1987-2004)
(nothing serious) just buggin’
● Paul Laurence Dunbar / “When De Co’n Pone’s Hot” (1895)
● Bert Williams / “How Fried?” (1913)
● Bert Williams / Assorted jokes compiled by Alex Rogers (1918)
● Rudolph Fisher / “The City of Refuge” (1925)
● Zora Neale Hurston / “The Bone of Contention” (c. 1929)
● George Schuyler / from “Black No More” (1931)
● James Weldon Johnson / “‘Brer Rabbit, You’s de Cutes’ of ‘Em All” (1935)
● Sterling Brown / “Slim in Atlanta” (1932)
● Sterling Brown / “Slim Lands a Job?” (1932)
● Sterling Brown / “Crispus Attacks McKoy” (1965)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / “at the hairdresser’s” (1945)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / “One Reason cats . . .” (1968)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / “a song in the front yard” (1945)
● Langston Hughes / “Adventure” (c. 1962)
● Gary Belkin (writing as Muhammad Ali) / “Clay Comes Out to Meet Liston” (1963)
● Henry Dumas / “Double Nigger” (1965)
● Ishmael Reed / from “Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down” (1969)
● Toni Cade Bambara / “The Lesson” (1972)
● Etheridge Knight / “Dark Prophecy: I Sing of Shine” (1973)
● Etheridge Knight / “Memo #9” (1973)
● Etheridge Knight / “Rehabilitation & Treatment in the Prisons of America” (1973)
● Kyle Baker / “Sands of Blood”, from “The Cowboy Wally Show” (1988)
● Spike Lee / from “Do the Right Thing” (1989)
● Patricia Smith / “Boy Sneezes, Head Explodes” (1991)
● Darius James / “Lil’ Black Zambo”, from “Negrophobia” (1992)
● Lord Finesse / “Return of the Funky Man” (1992)
● Hilton Als / “The Only One” (1994)
● John Farris / “In The Park After School with the Girl & the Boy” (1994)
● Elizabeth Alexander / “Talk Radio, D.C.” (1996)
● Erika Ellis / from “Good Fences” (1999)
● Percival Everett / from “Erasure” (2001)
● Colson Whitehead / from “John Henry Days” (2001)
● Willie Perdomo / “Should Old Shit Be Forgot” (2003)
black absurdity
● Zora Neale Hurston / “Book of Harlem” (c. 1921)
● Chester Himes / “Dirty Deceivers” (1948)
● Ralph Ellison / from “Invisible Man” (1952)
● Charles Wright / from “The Wig” (1996)
● Bob Kaufman / “Abomunist Manifesto” (1965)
● Bob Kaufman / “Heavy Water Blues” (1967)
● Cecil Brown / from “The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger” (1969)
● Steve Cannon / from “Groove, Bang, and Jive Around” (1969)
● Fran Ross / from “Oreo” (1974)
● Franklyn Ajaye / “Be Black, Brother, Be Black” (1977)
● Franklyn Ajaye / “Disneyland High” (1977)
● Trey Ellis / from “Platitudes” (1988)
● Harryette Mullen / “Any Lit” (1991)
● Harryette Mullen / “Jinglejangle” (1991)
● Harryette Mullen / “Kamasutra Sutra” (1991)
● Harryette Mullen / “Souvenir from Anywhere” (1991)
● Suzan-Lori Parks / “Devotees in the Garden of Love” (1991)
● Willie Perdomo / “Nigger-Reecan Blues” (1996)
● Danzy Senna / “The Mulatto Millennium” (1998)
● John Rodriguez / “How to Be a Street Poet” (1999)
● Darius James / from “Froggie Chocolates’ Christmas Eve” (2003)
● Prophet Omega / “I Am What I Am” (date unknown)
● Prophet Omega / “Swollen Feets” (date unknown)
● Contributor Notes
● Acknowledgments
pissed off to the highest degree of pissivity
● Sojourner Truth / “And a’n’t I a Woman?” (1851)
● W.E.B. Du Bois / “On Being Crazy” (1923)
● Zora Neale Hurston / “’Possum or Pig?” (1926)
● Chester Himes / “Let Me at the Enemy—an’ George Brown” (1944)
● Malcolm X / “Message to the Grass Roots” (1963)
● Langston Hughes / “Pose Outs” (1965)
● Lightnin’ Hopkins / “Cadillac Blues” (performed 1968)
● H. Rap Brown / from “Die, Nigger, Die!” (1969)
● Sam Greenlee / from “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” (1969)
● Wanda Coleman / “April 15th 1985” (c. 1985)
● Wanda Coleman / “Identifying Marks” (c. 1985)
● Wanda Coleman / “On that Stuff That Ain’t Nevah Been Long Enuff for No Damn Body” (c. 1985)
● Hattie Gossett / “yo daddy: an 80s version of the dozens” (1988)
● Amiri Baraka / “Wise 1” (1995)
● Cornelius Eady / “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off” (1997)
● Tish Benson / “Fifth Ward E-Mail” (2003)
● Al Sharpton / Presidential campaign speech delivered to the San Francisco Commonwealth Club (2003)
● Mike Tyson / The Wit and Wisdom of Mike Tyson (1987-2004)
(nothing serious) just buggin’
● Paul Laurence Dunbar / “When De Co’n Pone’s Hot” (1895)
● Bert Williams / “How Fried?” (1913)
● Bert Williams / Assorted jokes compiled by Alex Rogers (1918)
● Rudolph Fisher / “The City of Refuge” (1925)
● Zora Neale Hurston / “The Bone of Contention” (c. 1929)
● George Schuyler / from “Black No More” (1931)
● James Weldon Johnson / “‘Brer Rabbit, You’s de Cutes’ of ‘Em All” (1935)
● Sterling Brown / “Slim in Atlanta” (1932)
● Sterling Brown / “Slim Lands a Job?” (1932)
● Sterling Brown / “Crispus Attacks McKoy” (1965)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / “at the hairdresser’s” (1945)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / “One Reason cats . . .” (1968)
● Gwendolyn Brooks / “a song in the front yard” (1945)
● Langston Hughes / “Adventure” (c. 1962)
● Gary Belkin (writing as Muhammad Ali) / “Clay Comes Out to Meet Liston” (1963)
● Henry Dumas / “Double Nigger” (1965)
● Ishmael Reed / from “Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down” (1969)
● Toni Cade Bambara / “The Lesson” (1972)
● Etheridge Knight / “Dark Prophecy: I Sing of Shine” (1973)
● Etheridge Knight / “Memo #9” (1973)
● Etheridge Knight / “Rehabilitation & Treatment in the Prisons of America” (1973)
● Kyle Baker / “Sands of Blood”, from “The Cowboy Wally Show” (1988)
● Spike Lee / from “Do the Right Thing” (1989)
● Patricia Smith / “Boy Sneezes, Head Explodes” (1991)
● Darius James / “Lil’ Black Zambo”, from “Negrophobia” (1992)
● Lord Finesse / “Return of the Funky Man” (1992)
● Hilton Als / “The Only One” (1994)
● John Farris / “In The Park After School with the Girl & the Boy” (1994)
● Elizabeth Alexander / “Talk Radio, D.C.” (1996)
● Erika Ellis / from “Good Fences” (1999)
● Percival Everett / from “Erasure” (2001)
● Colson Whitehead / from “John Henry Days” (2001)
● Willie Perdomo / “Should Old Shit Be Forgot” (2003)
black absurdity
● Zora Neale Hurston / “Book of Harlem” (c. 1921)
● Chester Himes / “Dirty Deceivers” (1948)
● Ralph Ellison / from “Invisible Man” (1952)
● Charles Wright / from “The Wig” (1996)
● Bob Kaufman / “Abomunist Manifesto” (1965)
● Bob Kaufman / “Heavy Water Blues” (1967)
● Cecil Brown / from “The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger” (1969)
● Steve Cannon / from “Groove, Bang, and Jive Around” (1969)
● Fran Ross / from “Oreo” (1974)
● Franklyn Ajaye / “Be Black, Brother, Be Black” (1977)
● Franklyn Ajaye / “Disneyland High” (1977)
● Trey Ellis / from “Platitudes” (1988)
● Harryette Mullen / “Any Lit” (1991)
● Harryette Mullen / “Jinglejangle” (1991)
● Harryette Mullen / “Kamasutra Sutra” (1991)
● Harryette Mullen / “Souvenir from Anywhere” (1991)
● Suzan-Lori Parks / “Devotees in the Garden of Love” (1991)
● Willie Perdomo / “Nigger-Reecan Blues” (1996)
● Danzy Senna / “The Mulatto Millennium” (1998)
● John Rodriguez / “How to Be a Street Poet” (1999)
● Darius James / from “Froggie Chocolates’ Christmas Eve” (2003)
● Prophet Omega / “I Am What I Am” (date unknown)
● Prophet Omega / “Swollen Feets” (date unknown)
● Contributor Notes
● Acknowledgments
Item Number
A0401