About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherColumbia University Press

ISBN-100231204728

ISBN-139780231204729

eBay Product ID (ePID)3061618679

Product Key Features

Book TitleSisterhood : How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture

Number of Pages296 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicWomen Authors, American / African American, Feminist, Modern / 20th Century

Publication Year2023

IllustratorYes

GenreLiterary Criticism

AuthorCourtney Thorsson

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.1 in

Item Weight22.7 Oz

Item Length0.9 in

Item Width0.6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2023-020614

Dewey Edition23

TitleLeadingThe

ReviewsProvides a fascinating glimpse into a social and intellectual network that we are still discovering but may never fully know., The Sisterhood is an important record of what the Sisterhood was -- and the work it did . . . Highly recommended, for everyone., Proceeding from an archive of one iconic photograph of The Sisterhood, 1977, Courtney Thorsson has pieced together the story of how Black women writers, in intimate and collaborative gatherings throughout New York in the 1970s, created literary history. It is an indispensable, fascinating and original history and one that might have been lost without Thorsson's loving and meticulous archival work., If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the photograph that inspired Courtney Thorsson's immensely perceptive The Sisterhood should be valued in the millions. The Black women who made up The Sisterhood represented the greatest creative minds of the last half century. Today we see them as literary 'Super Friends,' but back in 1977 many were struggling artists whose friendship, generosity, and support for one another enabled them all to fly. And the literary, cultural, political, and academic worlds we now inhabit are better for it., If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the photograph that inspired Courtney Thorsson's immensely perceptive The Sisterhood should be valued in the millions. The Black women who made up "the Sisterhood" represented the greatest creative minds of the last half century. Today we see them as literary "Super Friends," but back in 1977 many were struggling artists whose friendship, generosity, and support for one another enabled them all to fly. And the literary, cultural, political, and academic worlds we now inhabit are better for it., A fascinating, empowering look at how Black women writers collaborated to move their own needle in the publishing industry and academia., Starting with a photograph, Courtney Thorsson brings her all to this luminous work about The Sisterhood, a group of Black women writers who met informally in the 1970s. Together they transformed American literature and helped to shape generations of writers, visual artists, filmmakers, and scholars. This is a profoundly important story and it has found an astute and sensitive author in Thorsson., Starting with a photograph, Courtney Thorsson brings her all to this luminous work about The Sisterhood, a group of Black women writers who met informally in the 1970s. Together they transformed American literature and helped to shape generations of writers, visual artists, filmmakers, and scholars. This is a profoundly important story, and it has found an astute and sensitive author in Thorsson., The Sisterhood offers an indispensable history of Black women's writing and organizing. Thorsson's painstakingly researched story of The Sisterhood reaches far beyond the now-famous 1977 photo on the book's cover. In these tenderly written pages, Thorsson reveals an entire history of contemporary Black feminism and the writers, editors, organizers, and dreamers who shepherded it. This is an essential contribution to Black feminist thought and American literary history., Through its exploration of solidarity, activism, and intellectual collaboration, the book enriches our understanding of Black feminist thought, the history of Black women's literary contributions, and the intersections of race and gender., Proceeding from an archive of one iconic photograph of The Sisterhood, 1977, Courtney Thorsson has pieced together the story of how Black women writers, in intimate and collaborative gatherings throughout New York in the 1970s, created literary history. It is an indispensable, fascinating, and original history and one that might have been lost without Thorsson's loving and meticulous archival work., Thorsson makes a strong case for the afterlife of [the Sisterhood's] work and advocacy . . . The strength of [this book] is [its] ability to take us back in time and to share with us those quieter moments . . . that nurtured a close-knit community and transformed society.

Dewey Decimal810.9928708996073

Table Of ContentIntroduction 1. "Revolution Is Not a One-Time Event" 2. "An Association of Black Women Who Are Writers/poets/artists" 3. "To Move the Needle in Black Women's Lives" 4. "A Community of Writers Even if They Only Slap Five Once a Month" 5. "A Regular Profusion of Certain / Unidentified Roses" 6. "The Function of Freedom Is to Free Somebody Else" 7. "Making Use of Being Used" Conclusion Acknowledgments Permissions Appendix 1. Members of The Sisterhood Appendix 2. Meetings of The Sisterhood Notes Index

SynopsisFinalist, 2025 Frances Fuller Victor Award in General Nonfiction, Oregon Book Awards Honorable Mention, 2024 William Sanders Scarborough Prize, Modern Language Association One Sunday afternoon in February 1977, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Ntozake Shange, and several other Black women writers met at June Jordan's Brooklyn apartment to eat gumbo, drink champagne, and talk about their work. Calling themselves "The Sisterhood," the group--which also came to include Audre Lorde, Paule Marshall, Margo Jefferson, and others--would get together once a month over the next two years, creating a vital space for Black women to discuss literature and liberation. The Sisterhood tells the story of how this remarkable community transformed American writing and cultural institutions. Drawing on original interviews with Sisterhood members as well as correspondence, meeting minutes, and readings of their works, Courtney Thorsson explores the group's everyday collaboration and profound legacy. The Sisterhood advocated for Black women writers at trade publishers and magazines such as Random House, Ms. , and Essence , and eventually in academic departments as well--often in the face of sexist, racist, and homophobic backlash. Thorsson traces the personal, professional, and political ties that brought the group together as well as the reasons for its dissolution. She considers the popular and critical success of Sisterhood members in the 1980s, the uneasy absorption of Black feminism into the academy, and how younger writers built on the foundations the group laid. Highlighting the organizing, networking, and community building that nurtured Black women's writing, this book demonstrates that The Sisterhood offers an enduring model for Black feminist collaboration., One Sunday afternoon in February 1977, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Ntozake Shange, and several other Black women writers met at June Jordan's Brooklyn apartment to eat gumbo, drink champagne, and talk about their work. Calling themselves "The Sisterhood," the group-which also came to include Audre Lorde, Paule Marshall, Margo Jefferson, and others-would get together once a month over the next two years, creating a vital space for Black women to discuss literature and liberation. The Sisterhood tells the story of how this remarkable community transformed American writing and cultural institutions. Drawing on original interviews with Sisterhood members as well as correspondence, meeting minutes, and close readings of their works, Courtney Thorsson explores the group's everyday collaboration and profound legacy. The Sisterhood advocated for Black women writers at trade publishers and magazines such as Random House, Ms., and Essence, and eventually in academic departments as well-even in the face of sexist, racist, and homophobic backlash. Thorsson traces the personal, professional, and political ties that brought the group together as well as the reasons for its dissolution. She considers the popular and critical success of Sisterhood members in the 1980s, the uneasy absorption of Black feminism into the academy, and the younger writers building on the foundations the group laid. Highlighting the organizing and community building that nurtured Black women's writing, this book demonstrates that The Sisterhood offers an enduring model for Black feminist collaboration., The Sisterhood tells the story of how a remarkable community of Black women writers transformed American writing and cultural institutions.

LC Classification NumberPS228.W65T48 2023