Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) was an American playwright and poet. As a Black feminist, she addressed issues relating to

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

and Black power in much of her work. She is best known for her Obie Award-winning play, '' For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf'' (1975). She also penned novels including ''

Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo ''Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo'' is a 1982 novel written by Ntozake Shange and first published by St. Martin's Press. The novel, which took eight years to complete, is a story of three Black sisters, whose names give the book its title, and thei ...

'' (1982), '' Liliane'' (1994), and '' Betsey Brown'' (1985), about an African-American girl run away from home. Among Shange's honors and awards were fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, a

Shelley Memorial Award The Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need, and is ...

from the

Poetry Society of America The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...

, and a Pushcart Prize. In April 2016,

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

announced that it had acquired Shange's archive. She lived in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Shange had one daughter, Savannah Shange. Shange was married twice: to the saxophonist David Murray and the painter McArthur Binion, Savannah's father, with both marriages ending in divorce.

Early life

Shange was born Paulette Linda Williams in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. to an upper-middle-class family. Her father, Paul T. Williams, was a surgeon, and her mother, Eloise Williams, was an educator and a psychiatric social worker. When she was aged eight, Shange's family moved to the racially segregated city of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. As a result of the ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

'' court decision, Shange was bused to a white school where she endured racism and racist attacks. Shange's family had a strong interest in the arts and encouraged her artistic education. Among the guests at their home were Dizzy Gillespie,

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...

, and W. E. B. Du Bois. From an early age, Shange took an interest in poetry. While growing up with her family in Trenton, Shange attended poetry readings with her younger sister Wanda (now known as the playwright Ifa Bayeza). These poetry readings fostered an early interest for Shange in the South in particular, and the loss it represented to young Black children who migrated to the North with their parents. In 1956, Shange's family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Shange was sent several miles away from home to a non-segregated school that allowed her to receive "gifted" education. While attending this non-segregated school, Shange faced overt racism and harassment. These experiences would later go on to heavily influence her work. When Shange was 13, she returned to

Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Lawrence Township is a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the south and the Raritan Valley region to the north, the township is an outer-ring suburb of New Yo ...

, where she graduated in 1966 from Trenton Central High School. In 1966, Shange enrolled at

(class of 1970) at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City. During her time at Barnard, Shange met fellow Barnard student and would-be poet

Thulani Davis Thulani Davis (born 1949) is an American playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter. She is a graduate of Barnard College and attended graduate school at both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In ...

. The two poets would later go on to collaborate on various works. Shange graduated '' cum laude'' in

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Schol ...

, then earned a master's degree in the same field from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. However, her college years were not all pleasant. She married during her first year in college, but the marriage did not last long. Depressed over her separation and with a strong sense of bitterness and alienation, she attempted suicide. In 1970 in San Francisco, having come to terms with her depression and alienation, Shange rejected "Williams" as a

slave name A slave name is the personal name given by others to an enslaved person, or a name inherited from enslaved ancestors. The modern use of the term applies mostly to African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans who are descended from enslaved Africans who ...

and "Paulette" (after her father Paul) as patriarchal, and asked South African musicians Ndikho and Nomusa Xaba (also spelled Ndikko and Zaba) to bestow an African name. In 1971 Ndikho duly chose ''Ntozake'' and ''Shange'', which Shange respectively glossed as

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

"She who comes with her own things" and Zulu "She who walks like a lion".

Career

In 1975, Shange moved back to New York City, after earning her master's degree in American Studies in 1973 from the

in Los Angeles, California. She is acknowledged as having been a founding poet of the

Nuyorican Poets Café The Nuyorican (Puerto Rican New Yorkers) Poets Cafe is a nonprofit organization in Alphabet City, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip ...

. In that year her first and most well-known play was produced — '' for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf''. First produced Off-Broadway, the play soon moved on to Broadway at the Booth Theater and won several awards, including the Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the

AUDELCO AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awa ...

Award. This play, her most famous work, was a 20-part choreopoem — a term Shange coined to describe her groundbreaking dramatic form, combining of poetry, dance, music, and song — that chronicled the lives of women of color in the United States. The poem was eventually made into the stage play, was then published in book form in 1977. In 2010, the choreopoem was adapted into a film (''

For Colored Girls ''For Colored Girls'' is a 2010 American drama film adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 original choreopoem ''for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf''. Written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry, the film featu ...

'', directed by

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

). Shange subsequently wrote other successful plays, including '' Spell No. 7'', a 1979 choreopoem that explores the Black experience, and an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...

'' (1980), which won an Obie Award. In 1978, Shange became an associate of the

Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is an American nonprofit publishing organization that was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1972. The organization works to increase media democracy and strengthen independent media. Mo Basic info ...

(WIFP). WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media. Shange taught in the Creative Writing Program at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

from 1984 to 1986. While there she wrote the ekphrastic poetry collection ''Ridin the Moon in Texas: Word Paintings'' and served as thesis advisor for poet and playwright

Annie Finch Annie Finch (born October 31, 1956) is an American poet, critic, editor, translator, playwright, and performer and the editor of the first major anthology of literature about abortion. Her poetry is known for its often incantatory use of rhythm, ...

. In 2003, Shange wrote and oversaw the production of ''Lavender Lizards and Lilac Landmines: Layla's Dream'' while serving as a visiting artist at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Shange's individual poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including '' The Black Scholar'', ''Yardbird'', ''

Ms. Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...

'', ''

Essence Magazine ''Essence'' is a monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O. Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth and Jon ...

'', '' The Chicago Tribune'', ''

VIBE ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...

'', '' Daughters of Africa'', and ''Third-World Women''.

Relationship to the Black Arts Movement

The Black Arts Movement—also known as BAM—has been described as the "aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept." Ya Salaam, Kaluma icbr>"Historical Overviews of the Black Arts Movement"
Modern American Poetry. The University of Illinois, 1995. The Black Arts Movement is a subset of the Black Power Movement. Larry Neal described the Black Arts Movement as a "radical reordering of the western cultural aesthetic." Key concepts of BAM were focused on a "separate symbolism, mythology, critique, and iconology" as well as the African American's desire for "self-determination and nationhood." BAM consisted of actors, actresses, choreographers, musicians, novelists, poets, photographers, and artists. While male artists such as Amiri Baraka heavily dominated the Black Arts Movement, some notable women writers of the movement were Gwendolyn Brooks,

Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (born June 7, 1943) is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets,Jane M. Barstow, Yolanda Williams Page (eds)"Nikki Giovanni" ''E ...

, Rosa Guy,

Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was a playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin in the Sun'', highli ...

Lucille Clifton Lucille Clifton (June 27, 1936 – February 13, 2010) was an American poet, writer, and educator from Buffalo, New York. From 1979 to 1985 she was Poet Laureate of Maryland. Clifton was a finalist twice for the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Li ...

, and

Sonia Sanchez Sonia Sanchez (born Wilsonia Benita Driver; September 9, 1934) is an American poet, writer, and professor. She was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement and has written over a dozen books of poetry, as well as short stories, critical essays ...

, among others. Although Shange is described as a "post-Black artist", her work was decidedly feminist, whereas BAM has been criticized as misogynistic and "sexism had been widely and hotly debated within movement publications and organizations." Corresponding with the idea that art from BAM was a "radical reordering of the western cultural aesthetic," Shange herself described her atypical writing style. In regards to her plays, she stated: "A play has a form that has to be finished. A performance piece has an organic form, but it can even flow. And there doesn't have to be some ultimate climax in it. And there does not have to be a denouement." Though Shange's work did have a "radical reordering of western cultural aesthetics" with its spelling, structure, and style, Baraka—one of the leading male figures of the movement—denied her as a post-Black artist. With regard to Shange as a part of the black aesthetic and as a post-Black artist, he claimed "that several women writers, among them Michelle Wallace icand Ntozake Shange, like shmaelReed, had their own 'Hollywood' aesthetic, one of 'capitulation' and 'garbage.'" In terms of a black aesthetic, Shange described different styles of writing for different parts of the country, stating: "There's not a California style, but there are certain feelings and a certain freeness that set those writers off from those in the Chicago-St. Louis-Detroit tripod group...so that the chauvinism that you might find that's exclusionary, in that triangle, you don't find too much in California." Shange set her writing apart from the Black aesthetic of the Black arts movement by creating a "special aesthetic" for black women "to an extent." She claimed, "the same rhetoric that is used to establish the Black Aesthetic, we must use to establish a women's aesthetic, which is to say that those parts of reality that are ours, those things about our bodies, the cycles of our lives that have been ignored for centuries in all castes and classes of our people, are to be dealt with now."

Death

Shange died in her sleep on October 27, 2018, aged 70, in an assisted-living facility in

Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous c ...

. She had been ill, having suffered a series of strokes in 2004, but she "had been on the mend lately, creating new work, giving readings and being feted for her work." Her sister Ifa Bayeza (with whom she co-wrote the 2010 novel ''Some Sing, Some Cry'') said: "It's a huge loss for the world. I don't think there's a day on the planet when there's not a young woman who discovers herself through the words of my sister."

Awards

* NDEA fellow, 1974 * Obie Award * Outer Critics Circle Award *Audience Development Committee (Audelco) Award *Mademoiselle Award * Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop Award, 1978 * ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize for Poetry, 1981 (for ''Three Pieces'') *Guggenheim fellowship, 1981 *Medal of Excellence, Columbia University, 1981 *Obie Award, 1981, for ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' *Nori Eboraci Award *Barnard College, 1988 * Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund annual writer's award, 1992 *Paul Robeson Achievement Award, 1992 *Arts and Cultural Achievement Award *

National Coalition of 100 Black Women The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) is a non-profit volunteer organization for African American women. Its members address common issues in their communities, families and personal lives, promoting gender and racial equity. Hi ...

(Pennsylvania chapter), 1992 *Taos World Poetry Heavyweight Champion, 1992, 1993, 1994 *Living Legend Award,

National Black Theatre Festival The National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) was founded in 1989 by Larry Leon Hamlin in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Serving as its executive director, Hamlin’s goal in creating the Festival was "to unite black theatre companies in America to en ...

, 1993 *Claim Your Life Award *WDAS-AM/FM, 1993 *Monarch Merit Award *

National Council for Culture and Arts The Secretariat of Culture ( es, Secretaría de Cultura), formerly known as the National Council for Culture and Arts ( es, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes or CONACULTA), is a Mexican government agency in charge of the nation's museums ...

* Supersisters trading card set (one of the cards featured Shange's name and picture), 1979 *Pushcart Prize *

St. Louis Walk of Fame The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors notable people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to the culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years ther ...

inductee * Proclamation of "Ntozake Shange Day" (Borough of Manhattan, New York) by Congressman

Charles Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (, ; born June 11, 1930) is an American politician who was a U.S. representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the Ho ...

on June 14, 2014. *

Nominations

* Emmy Award, 1977, nominee, Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special, '' An Evening with Diana Ross The Big Event'' *

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

, 1977, nominee, Tony Award for Best Play, '' For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf'' *

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

, 1978, nominee, Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album, '' For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf''

Works

Plays

* '' for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf'' (1975). Nominated for a

, and Emmy Award; first published 1976; updated 2010 with a new section, "Positive" ( Scribner). * ''A Photograph: Lovers-in-Motion'' (1977). Produced Off-Broadway at the

Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American ...

. * ''Where the Mississippi Meets the Amazon'' (1977). * ''A Photograph: A Study of Cruelty'' (1977). * ''Boogie Woogie Landscapes'' (1979). First produced at Frank Silvera's Writers' Workshop in New York, then on Broadway at the Symphony Space Theatre. * '' Spell #7'' (written ''spell #7'') or ''spell #7: Geechee jibaro Quik magic trance manual for technologically stressed third world people'' (1979). Produced Off-Broadway at

Joseph Papp Joseph Papp (born Joseph Papirofsky; June 22, 1921 – October 31, 1991) was an American theatrical producer and director. He established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in Lower Manhattan. There Papp created ...

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...

Public Theater. * ''Black and White Two Dimensional Planes'' (1979). * ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (1980). Produced off-Broadway at the Public Theater. Winner of a 1981 Obie Award. * ''Three for a Full Moon'' (1982). * ''Bocas'' (1982). First produced at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. * ''From Okra to Greens/A Different Kinda Love Story'' (1983). * ''Three views of Mt. Fuji'' (1987). First produced in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

at The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre; first New York production at the New Dramatists. * ''Daddy Says'' (1989). * ''

Whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. ...

'' (1994).

Poetry

* ''Melissa & Smith'' (1976). * ''Natural Disasters and Other Festive Occasions'' (1977) * '' Nappy Edges'' (1978) * ''A Daughter's Geography'' (1983) * ''From Okra to Greens'' (1984) * ''Ridin' the Moon in Texas: Word Paintings'' ( St. Martin's Press, 1987) * ''The Love Space Demands (a continuing saga)'' (St. Martin's Press, 1987) * ''A Photograph: Lovers in Motion: A Drama'' ( S. French, 1977) * ''Some Men'' (1981) * ''Three Pieces'' (St. Martin's Press, 1992) * ''I Live in Music'' (1994) * '' The Sweet Breath of Life: A Poetic Narrative of the African-American Family'' ( Atria Books, 2004). Photography by Kamoinge Inc. * "Enuf" * "With No Immediate Cause" * "you are sucha fool" * "People of Watts" (first published November 1993 in ''VIBE Magazine'') * "Blood Rhythms" * "Poet Hero" * ''Wild Beauty'' (Atria Books, 2017)

Novels

* ''Sassafrass'' (Shmeless Hussy Press, 1976) * ''For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf'' (Shameless Hussy Press, 1976) * ''

'' (1982) * '' Betsey Brown'' (St. Martin's Press, 1985) * '' Liliane'' (1994) * ''Some Sing, Some Cry'' (2010) (with Ifa Bayeza)Persico, Joyce J.,
"Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza — the erstwhile Williams siblings of Trenton — mark careers with new novel, film"
NJ.com, October 9, 2010.

Children's books

* ''Coretta Scott'' (2009) * ''Ellington Was Not a Street'' (2003) * ''Float Like a Butterfly: Muhammad Ali, the Man Who Could Float Like a Butterfly and Sting Like a Bee'' (2002) * ''Daddy Says'' (2003) * ''Whitewash'' (1997)

Essays and non-fiction

* ''See No Evil: Prefaces, Essays & Accounts, 1976–1983'' (1984) *''Foreword'' in ''The Black Book by'' Robert Mapplethorpe (1986) * '' if i can cook / you know god can'' (1998) *''Dance We Do: A Poet Explores Black Dance'' (2020)

References

External links

Official websiteGuide to the Ntozake Shange Papers
at Barnard College

African American Literature Book Club