ONLINE: In this course, we will read and discuss the poetry and prose of writer Margaret Walker, and explore why Walker has been described as “the most famous person nobody knows.” Our first meeting will be devoted to Walker's life, including her family, her education and her important mentors, such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, and listening to and analyzing her early poems, including "For My People." During the next three classes, we will study her only novel, “Jubilee,” a story based on the life of her great-grandmother, which takes readers through the antebellum era, the Civil War and Reconstruction. The book received much praise at publication, but sales suffered after she filed a lawsuit against “Roots” author Alex Haley for copyright violation. In the final class, we will return to her poetry and hold a live discussion of her legacy with Walker scholars, leaving participants with a fuller understanding of her place among the greatest Black voices of the 20th century. | Lecture + Q&A, Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 30.
