OF THE DIASPORA is a series of previously published works in Black literature whose themes, settings, characterizations, and conflicts evoke an experience, language, imagery, and power born of the Middle Passage and the particular aesthetic which connects African-derived peoples to a shared artistic and ancestral past. The first novel in the series is Tragic Magic by Wesley Brown, originally published in 1978 and championed by Toni Morrison during her tenure as an editor at Random House. It’s followed by Praisesong for the Widow, a novel by Paule Marshall originally published in 1983 and a recipient of the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award. The third book is a collection of editorial photography by Lester Sloan framed within a conversation with his daughter, Aisha Sabatini Sloan.

The series is edited by Erica Vital-Lazare, a professor of creative writing and marginalized voices in literature at the College of Southern Nevada. Published in collectible hardcover editions with original cover art by Sunra Thompson, the first three works hail from Black American voices defined by what Amiri Baraka described as a strong feeling “getting into new blues, from the old ones.” OF THE DIASPORA—North America will be followed by series from the diasporic communities of Europe, the Caribbean, and Brazil.

Other books in the OF THE DIASPORA series:

PRAISESONG FOR THE WIDOW
by Paule Marshall

Avey Johnson—a Black, middle-aged, middle-class widow—has long since put behind her the Harlem of her childhood. Suddenly, on a cruise to the Caribbean, she packs her bag in the middle of the night and abandons her friends at the next port of call. The unexpected and beautiful adventure that follows provides Avey with the links to the culture and history she has so long disavowed. Originally published in 1983, and a recipient of the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award.

CAPTIONING THE ARCHIVES:
A CONVERSATION IN
PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT
Photos by Lester Sloan; text by Aisha Sabatini Sloan

In this father-daughter collaboration, photographer Lester Sloan opened his archive of street photography, portraits, and news photos, and noted essayist Aisha Sabatini Sloan interviewed him, creating rich, probing, dialogue-based captions for more than one hundred photographs.

Available at bookstores, and at store.mcsweeneys.net