Lisa Victoria Chapman Jones (born August 15, 1961)Ellis, Trey (1988). ''Platitudes & "The new black aesthetic"''. Northeastern University Press, Ann Arbor. is an American playwright, essayist, journalist, and memoirist.

Personal life and education

Jones grew up in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

.Perkins, Kathy and Uno, Roberta (1996). ''Contemporary Plays by Women of Color: an anthology''. London: Routledge. She is the daughter of poets Hettie Jones and

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous b ...

(formerly known as LeRoi Jones).Stetler, Carrie
"Still rebellious after all these years: Amiri Baraka turns 75, and Newark celebrates with five days of events"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...

'', Newark, NJ, October 2, 2009. Jones graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and received a MFA in Film from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. She married Kenneth S. Brown in 2004 and their daughter was born in 2005. She is Jewish. Her sister,

Kellie Jones Kellie Jones (born 1959) is an American art historian and curator. She is a Professor in Art History and Archaeology in African American Studies at Columbia University. She won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016. In 2023, she was elected to the Amer ...

, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Jones has a half-brother,

, mayor Ras Baraka, and a half-sister, Dominique di Prima, from Amiri's relationship with Diane di Prima.

Journalism

Jones joined the staff of the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

'' in 1984 and wrote for the paper for 15 years.Tate, Greg
"License to Ill: Black journalism in the pages of the 'Voice'"
''Village Voice'', New York, October 18, 2005. She was known for her "Skin Trade" columns in the ''Village Voice'', a selection of which were published as a book, ''Bulletproof Diva'',Jones, Lisa (1994). ''Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair''. New York: Doubleday. in 1994.Solberg, Judy. "Prepub Alert", ''Library Journal'', New York, December 1993.

Published works

Jones published a memoir, ''Good Girl in a Bad Dress'', in 1999.Jones, Lisa (1999). ''Good Girl in a Bad Dress''. New York: Random House. She also co-wrote three books with

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

, all companion books to his films: ''Uplift the Race: The Construction of

School Daze ''School Daze'' is a 1988 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee and starring Lee along with Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne), Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Released on February 12, 19 ...

'',Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1988). ''Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Daze''. Fireside, New York. published in 1988, '' Do the Right Thing'', published in 1989,Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1989). ''Do the Right Thing''. Fireside, New York. and ''

Mo' Better Blues ''Mo' Better Blues'' is a 1990 American musical comedy-drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also wrote, produced, and directed. It follows a period in the life of fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (playe ...

'', published in 1990. Her essays have been widely anthologized. One anthology is Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair.

Plays

Jones wrote the plays ''Carmella & King Kong'' and ''Combination Skin'' while involved with the Rodeo Caldonia, a feminist collective of African-American women artists.Taumann, Beatrix (1999). ''Strange Orphans: Contemporary African American Women Playwrights''. Würzburg, Königshausen & Neumann. Shipp, E. R.br>"Their Muse Is Malcolm X"
''New York Times'', December 4, 1988. ''Combination Skin'' went on to premiere at Company One in

Hartford, CT Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...

, in 1992. The ''New York Times'' Theater review called her "a fresh talent" and praised her "all-consuming vision".Klein, Alvin
"Theater Review: In the 90's, Questions Of Color And Identity"
''New York Times'', October 18, 1992. ''Combination Skin'' was anthologized in ''Contemporary Plays by Women of Color''. Jones also created three works for the New American Radio series of

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

: ''Aunt Aida's Hand'' (1989), ''Stained'' (1991), and ''Ethnic Cleansing'' (1993). ''Aunt Aida's Hand'' and ''Stained'' were collaborations with Alva Rogers, who was also a Rodeo Caldonia member. In 1995, Jones and Rogers received a joint choreography and creator

Bessie Award The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...

for their collaborative work."'Bessies' Go to New Artists and Philip Glass"
''New York Times'', September 18, 1995.

References

External links