
This text unfolds a tradition of writing by African-American women from the first half of the 20th century, hitherto mostly hidden. Each text is placed in historical context, with special emphasis on matters of race and gender. This amalgam of prose, poetry, non-fiction and fiction...

In poems, stories, memoirs and essays about colour and culture, prejudice and love, and feminine trials, dozens of African-American women writers - some famous, many just discovered - give us a sense of a distinct inner voice and an engagement with their larger double culture...