"Previously unseen writing from an essential Black author. . . Those acquainted with the author will see familiar themes emerge as she engages with colonialism, code switching, white supremacy, liberation politics, sexism, sexual violence, and collective trauma. She writes of desire and despair and revolution and Black joy using language and imagery that she was taught to hide from white people. . . Shange speaks candidly of her struggles with mental health and her years in psychoanalysis, and she insists that therapy made her a better writer. . . The literary value of these works extends far beyond the insight they offer into Shange’s life and artistic career."—Kirkus (Starred Review)

“As a playwright, poet, and sometimes essayist, Shange worked at the intersection of Black liberation and radical feminism… [T]he work of artists like Shange must be preserved and celebrated. This posthumous collection of essays, poems, and plays—many being published for the first time—does just that.”—Lit Hub

"Even posthumously, Shange's unique voice is more relevant than ever. Her lyrical way of telling stories imbues these revived essays, plays, and poems with a vitality that consistently centers Black women and girls and goes toe-to-toe with white supremacy, sexism, and colonialism. Perfect for longtime fans and newcomers to her radically experimental body of work, Sing a Black Girl's Song gives readers a deeper understanding of how this literary icon created her signature style."—BUST

“From a poem published in her high school newspaper to her groundbreaking choreopoems to moving critical essays—all previously unpublished—this volume showcases the genius of Shange: her breadth, depth, wisdom and love.”—Ms. Magazine

“What a fabulous treasure trove of insights into Ntozake Shange's soul… this book provides an intoxicating slice of life to make anyone a lifelong fan… Beautiful. Just like her.”—Good Morning America

“Raw, illuminating and revelatory, Ntozake’s Shange’s bold and lyrical writing gave urgent voice to a new generation of young Black writers like myself who were emboldened by the honesty and beauty of her poetry, plays, and prose to tell our own stories.”—Lynn Nottage, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright

"With Sing A Black Girl’s Song, Imani Perry offers intimacy with Ntozake Shange as a peerless, prolific writer in process. Here is a brilliant multi-genre gathering from Shange’s archive that maps her political and creative maturation on her quest for self-actualization as a Black woman in America participating in transnational Black liberation movements. Brimming with lyrical incandescence, sensuality and self-regard, Shange urges us to “keep an eye” on ourselves, documenting not only what is happening to us, but within us and through us individually and collectively."—Erika Dickerson-Despenza, playwright and Inaugural Resident of the Ntozake Shange Social Justice Playwriting Residency

Raw, illuminating and revelatory, Ntozake’s Shange’s bold and lyrical writing gave urgent voice to a new generation of young Black writers like myself who were emboldened by the honesty and beauty of her poetry, plays, and prose to tell our own stories.”

With Sing A Black Girl’s Song, Imani Perry offers intimacy with Ntozake Shange as a peerless, prolific writer in process. Here is a brilliant multi-genre gathering from Shange’s archive that maps her political and creative maturation on her quest for self-actualization as a Black woman in America participating in transnational Black liberation movements. Brimming with lyrical incandescence, sensuality and self-regard, Shange urges us to “keep an eye” on ourselves, documenting not only what is happening to us, but within us and through us individually and collectively.

Ntozake Shange's posthumous unpublished collection of plays, poems, and essays is brought to life by a stellar ensemble of narrators. It begins with Tarana Burke's personal foreword on meeting Shange and leads into Imani Perry's soft-spoken narration. Her even tone encourages reflection by anyone who connects with Shange's work, which has impacted Black women for decades. Each section is introduced. The women's voices come in and out like one long, fluid performance poem. Many listeners will recognize the voices of actors Alfre Woodard, Lynn Whitfield, and Regina Taylor. Given the array of literary genres, all the voices, including that of the poet's daughter, Savannah Shange, are varied and distinct. That strength is most noticeable in the two plays included in this magnanimous work of art. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

★ 2023-07-13
Previously unseen writing from an essential Black author.

Shange is perhaps best known for her Obie Award–winning play, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf. But in addition to being a playwright, she was also a poet, a novelist, and a diarist, and when she died in 2018, she left behind a wealth of unpublished work. Harvard professor Imani Perry searched through these archives and chose the essays, poems, short stories, and plays presented in this collection. Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement and bestselling author, offers a foreword in which she explains how “Shange’s words gave me language for my own experiences with trauma and love.” Born Paulette Williams in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1948, the writer would ultimately change her name and become a prominent figure in the Black Arts Movement. In some of these pieces, Shange offers glimpses of her family—well-educated, financially well off, and keenly aware of racial difference. She describes a voracious love of reading that encompassed everything from Nancy Drew to Giovanni’s Room as well as the process of discovering the voice that begins to emerge in her early poems. Those acquainted with the author will see familiar themes emerge as she engages with colonialism, code switching, white supremacy, liberation politics, sexism, sexual violence, and collective trauma. She writes of desire and despair and revolution and Black joy using language and imagery that she was taught to hide from white people. In a series of short vignettes Perry gathers into a chapter called “Dark Rooms,” Shange speaks candidly of her struggles with mental health and her years in psychoanalysis, and she insists that therapy made her a better writer. Several plays, only one of which has been performed, are presented here. Shange continued writing and experimenting right up until her death, and the last section of this book contains poems and prose she produced between 1996 and 2018.

The literary value of these works extends far beyond the insight they offer into Shange’s life and artistic career.