The Literary Corner: Sonia Sanchez’s Life and Work (side a) / Haki Madhubuti’s Life and Works (side b): Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A white plastic cassette tape with recordings of two episodes of the radio program The Literary Corner. The cassette has a beige label on which typewritten text on one side reads [THE LITERARY CORNER / B W O T W Sonia Sanchez (Life & Works)]. The typewritten text on the other side reads [THE LITERARY CORNER / B W O T W Haki Madhubuti (life&works)].

Episode 13 of the Literary Corner radio program. It begins with an excerpt from “Poem Number Seven” and is a discussion of Sonia Sanchez’s work and experiences as a writer. Some of the topics covered in this episode are projects Sanchez was working on at the time of the interview, such as a collection of poetry called Haikus/Tankas & Other Love Syllables, a novel called After Saturday Night Comes Sunday, and a play on Bessie Smith; her early childhood and experience attending Hunter College; the genesis of her writing career and meeting individuals such as Louise Bogan (at NYU), Leroy “Amiri Baraka” Jones and A.B. Spellman; writing for children/young audiences, especially her children’s book The Adventures of Fathead, Smallhead and Squarehead. The episode concludes with Sanchez reading some of her poetry, including a poem called “Poem at Thirty” from her book, Homecoming and others from A Blues Book for Blue Black Magical Women.

Episode 14 of the Literary Corner radio program entitled “Haki Madhubuti’s Life and Works.” The episode begins with the host, Pam Johnson, introducing the guest, who she says, “has been called one of the most radical Afro-American poets of the 1960s and 70s because of his writings on black nationalism.” Some of the topics discussed in this episode are Madhubuti’s childhood in Detroit and his reaction to his mother’s death when he was sixteen (16) years old; his experience joining the United States Army and his subsequent radicalization; some of his prominent works, such as Think Black, Black Pride, Don’t Cry, Scream, Book of Life, as well as Enemies: The Clash of Races. The episode concludes with Madhubuti reading his poem “Rise Vision Comin” as jazz music plays in the background.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1978
• Created by: Brooks B. Robinson Ph.D., American
• Interviewed by: Pam Johnson PhD, American, born 1945
• Interviewed by: Sarah Fabio, PhD, American, 1928 - 1979
• Interviewed by: Edris Makward PhD, Gambian
• Interview of: Sonia Sanchez, American, born 1934
• Interview of: Haki R. Madhubuti, American, born 1942
• Subject of: Amiri Baraka, American, 1934 - 2014
• Directed by: Robert Cham
• Type: audio cassettes
• Medium: plastic and tape
• Dimensions: H x W: 2 3/4 × 4 1/4 × 5/8 in. (7 × 10.8 × 1.6 cm)
• Dimensions: Duration (side a): 00:15:11
• Dimensions: Duration (side b): 00:15:10
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Chicago, Clark County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Literature
• Topic: Poetry
• Topic: Radio
• Object number: 2010.17.1.7a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Contributed in memory of Professor Sarah Webster Fabio (1928-1979), poet, educator, Black Arts Movement icon, and one of the Literary Corner's analysts.
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Brooks B. Robinson Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.