Tenderheaded // A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories (Revised)

In a society where beauty standards can be difficult if not downright unobtainable for many Black women, the issue of hair is a major one. Now, in this evocative and fascinating collection of essays, poems, excerpts, and more,Tenderheadedspeaks to the personal, political, and cultural meaning of Black hair.

From A’Leila Perry Bundles, the great-granddaughter of hair care pioneer Madam C.J. Walker celebrating her ancestor’s legacy, to an art historian exploring the moving ways in which Black hair has been used to express Yoruba spirituality, to renowned activist Angela Davis questioning how her message of revolution got reduced to a hairstyle,Tenderheadedis as rich and diverse as the children of the African diaspora.

With works from authors including Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, bell hooks, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and more, this “remarkable array of writings and images” (Publishers Weekly) will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

Juliette Harris is the editor ofInternational Review of African American Art(IRAAA), which is published by Hampton University Museum in Virginia. She is the editor ofIn the Memory of Frances, Zora and Lorraine: Essays and Interviews on Black Women. Her prize-winning plays and TV productions include JUBA, the PBS series on African folklore. She has an MA in American Studies from the College of William and Mary, an MS in TV from Syracuse University, and a BA in history from Virginia Union University.

Pamela Johnson, a former Senior Editor ofEssencemagazine and now a frequent contributor, is a graduate of Stanford University.

Ntozake Shange (1948-2018) was a renowned playwright, poet, theater director, and novelist. Her body of work includes Obie Award-winningfor colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Some Sing Some Crywith Ifa Bayeza, and the posthumousDance We Do: A Poet Explores Black DanceandI Am an Old Woman. Among her numerous accolades are the Langston Hughes Medal for Literature, a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Pushcart Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s 2018 Shelley Memorial Award and three AUDELCO awards. Ms. Shange’s work has been nominated for a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy.

Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 1, 2002)

Language: English

Paperback: 320 pages

ISBN-10: 0671047566

ISBN-13: 9780671047566

Item Weight: 1.23 pounds

Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.8 x 9.13 inches