{"title":"Wesley Brown","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"tragic-magic-book-wesley-brown-9781944211981","title":"Tragic Magic","description":"Foreword by \u003cb\u003eIsmail Muhammad\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eTragic Magic\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of Melvin Ellington, a.k.a. Mouth, a Black, twenty-something, ex-college radical who has just been released from a five-year prison stretch after being a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. Brown structures this first-person tale around Ellington's first day on the outside. Although hungry for freedom and desperate for female companionship, Ellington is haunted by a past that drives him to make sense of those choices leading up to this day.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Through a filmic series of flashbacks, the novel revisits Ellington's prison experiences, where he is forced to play the unwilling patsy to the predatory Chilly and the callow pupil of the not-so-predatory Hardknocks; then dips further back to Ellington's college days, where again he is led astray by the hypnotic militarism of the Black Pantheresque Theo, whose antiwar politics incite the impressionable narrator to oppose his parents and to choose imprisonment over conscription; and finally back to his earliest high school days, where we meet in Otis, the presumed archetype of Ellington's \"tragic magic\" relationships with magnetic but dangerous avatars of black masculinity in crisis. But the effect of the novel cannot be conveyed through plot recapitulation alone, for its style is perhaps even more provoking than its subject.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Originally published in 1978, and edited by \u003cb\u003eToni Morrison\u003c\/b\u003e during her time at Random House, this Of the Diaspora edition of \u003ci\u003eTragic Magic\u003c\/i\u003e features a new introduction by author \u003cb\u003eWesley Brown\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\" Tragic Magic is a tremendous affirmation. .One hell of a writer.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - James Baldwin\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\" . . .wonderfully wry.\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - Donald Barthelme\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAbout Of the Diaspora:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e McSweeney's Of the Diaspora is a series of previously published works in Black literature whose themes, settings, characterizations, and conflicts evoke an experience, language, imagery and power born of the Middle Passage and the particular aesthetic which connects African-derived peoples to a shared artistic and ancestral past. Wesley Brown's Tragic Magic, the first novel in the series, was originally published in 1978 and championed by Toni Morrison during her tenure as an editor at Random House. This Of the Diaspora edition features a new introduction written by Brown for the series. Tragic Magic will be followed by Paule Marshall's novel of a Harlem widow claiming new life. Praisesong for the Widow was originally published in 1983 and was a recipient of the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award. The series is edited by writer Erica Vital-Lazare, a professor of creative writing and Marginalized Voices in literature at the College of Southern Nevada. Published in collectible hardcover editions with original cover art by Sunra Thompson, the first three works hail from Black American voices defined by what Amiri Baraka described as strong feeling \"getting into new blues, from the old ones.\" Of the Diaspora-North America will be followed by series from the diasporic communities of Europe, the Caribbean and Brazil.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736324940049,"sku":"NGR9781944211981","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50914200224017,"sku":"CIN1944211985G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50993558716689,"sku":"NIN9781944211981","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51418134380817,"sku":"CIN1944211985VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1944211985.jpg?v=1773317451"},{"product_id":"blue-in-green-book-wesley-brown-9781953691118","title":"Blue in Green","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe latest work from the veteran novelist called one hell of a writer by James Baldwin and wonderfully wry by Donald Barthelme: a timely meditation on the psychological impact of police brutality, through the lens of a day in the life of Miles Davis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten by playwright and novelist Wesley Brown, \u003ci\u003eBlue in Green\u003c\/i\u003e narrates one evening in August 1959, when, mere weeks after the release of his landmark album \u003ci\u003eKind of Blue\u003c\/i\u003e, Miles Davis is assaulted by a member of the New York City Police Department outside of the Birdland jazz club. In the aftermath, we enter the strained relationship between Davis and his wife, Frances Taylor, whom he has recently cajoled into ending her run as a performer on Broadway and retiring from modern dance and ballet altogether. Frances, who is increasingly subject to Davis' temper--fueled by both his professional envy and substance abuse--reckons with her upbringing in Christian Science and, through a fateful meeting with Lena Horne, the conflicting demands of motherhood and artistic vocation. Meanwhile, blowing off steam from his beating, Miles speeds across Manhattan in his sports car. Racing alongside him are recollections of a stony, young John Coltrane, a combative Charlie Parker and the stilted world of the Black middle class he's left behind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWesley Brown\u003c\/b\u003e (born 1945) is a novelist and playwright. He is the author of novels including \u003ci\u003eDarktown Strutters\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePush Comes to Shove\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTragic Magic\u003c\/i\u003e, which was reissued in 2021 to critical acclaim. He has led an active political life, having held memberships in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party in the 1960s. In the early 1970s he spent more than a year in federal prison for refusing induction in the armed services during the Vietnam War. In this time, he drafted his first novel, which was edited by Toni Morrison. He is a professor emeritus of English at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he taught for 26 years. Brown lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49747167117585,"sku":"NGR9781953691118","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50290504433937,"sku":"CIN1953691110G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50408935129361,"sku":"GOR012966778","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51062589325585,"sku":"NIN9781953691118","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1953691110.jpg?v=1751094292"},{"product_id":"push-comes-to-shove-book-wesley-brown-9780981782416","title":"Push Comes to Shove","description":"This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Certified Programs and Proofs, CP 2012, held in Kyoto, Japan, in December 2012. The 18 revised regular papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 37 submissions. They deal with those topics in computer science and mathematics in which certification via formal techniques is crucial.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50377580478737,"sku":"CIN0981782418G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51328785350929,"sku":"CIN0981782418VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0981782418.jpg?v=1750916944"},{"product_id":"imagining-america-book-wesley-brown-9780892551613","title":"Imagining America","description":"Thirty-seven short stories from 1900 to the present, written by some of our best authors--African, Asian, European, Jewish, Middle Eastern, and Native American--follow the waves of immigration into and migration within the United States. These stories are unique in time and circumstance, yet they address a common dilemma: how to reconcile America's mythologized promise with its more complex reality. New to the collection are Sherman Alexie, Michelle Cliff, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Chitra Divakaruni, Jewelle Gomez, Thomas King, Bruce Morrow, Agnes Rossi, and David Wong Louie. They join Toni Cade Bambara, Richard Bausch, Marita Bonner, Nash Candelaria, Sandra Cisneros, Louise Erdrich, Mei Mei Evans, Oscar Hijuelos, Gish Jen, LeRoi Jones\/Amiri Baraka, Kim Yong Ik, Monfoon Leong, Bernard Malamud, Paule Marshall, Nicholasa Mohr, Toshio Mori, Bharati Mukherjee, Mikhail Naimy, Tahira Naqvi, Gregory Orfalea, Grace Paley, Jeanne Schinto, Leslie Marmon Silko, Michael Stephens, Sui Sin Far, Alice Walker, and Hisaye Yamamoto--making this, once again, the most authoritative and useful multicultural collection available.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50412593840401,"sku":"CIN0892551615G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0892551615.jpg?v=1750884046"},{"product_id":"darktown-strutters-book-wesley-brown-9781558492707","title":"Darktown Strutters","description":"This historic novel about blackface minstrels explores below the surface. 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In the aftermath, we enter the strained relationship between Davis and the woman he will soon marry, Frances Taylor, whom he has recently pressured into ending her run as a performer on Broadway and retiring from modern dance and ballet altogether. Frances, who is increasingly subject to Davis' temper-fueled by both his professional envy and substance abuse- reckons with her religious upbringing, and, through a fateful meeting with Lena Horne, the conflicting demands of motherhood and artistic vocation. Meanwhile, blowing off steam from his beating, Miles speeds across Manhattan in his sports car. Racing alongside him are recollections of a stony, young John Coltrane, a combative Charlie Parker, and the stilted world of the Black middle class he's left behind.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51062600335633,"sku":"NIN9781953691149","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51163745583377,"sku":"NGR9781953691149","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":52903449723153,"sku":"CIN1953691145LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1953691145.jpg?v=1750998419"},{"product_id":"tragic-magic-book-wesley-brown-9781917092005","title":"Tragic Magic","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51394534670609,"sku":"GOR014254453","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51430721585425,"sku":"GOR014273391","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52111383396625,"sku":"NGR9781917092005","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1917092008.jpg?v=1759232573"},{"product_id":"teachers-writers-guide-to-frederick-douglass-book-wesley-brown-9780915924462","title":"The Teachers \u0026 Writers Guide to Frederick Douglass","description":"Some essays are personal accounts of teaching experiences and reflect on the meaning of Douglass to students being educated in America. Others offer lesson plans for teaching Douglass with samples of student poems and narratives inspired by the readings. Contributors include Lorenzo Thomas, Margot Fortunato Galt, Ron Padgett, and Marvin Hoffman. -Christina Davis, Chris Edgar and Ron Padgett collaborate on a comprehensive outline for teaching writing through Douglass' Narrative, entitled Thirty-Two Writing Ideas Using Douglass' Narrative. The exercises are appropriate for all levels of education, and there are between one and nine ideas for each chapter, with the emphasis being on chapters two, seven, and ten. -There are many detailed lesson plans and astute observations that make Opal Palmer Adisa's essay a lovely read. Her work with upper elementary - high school students focuses on using the narrative to incite students to write about their own lives, but the emphasis for Adisa is not only on Douglass. She weaves in texts from the Harlem Renaissance and Sojourner Truth to cultivate a more complete sense of the Black struggle to which Douglass speaks. -Margot Fortunate Galt designs her essay for upper elementary through high school students learning the ballad. From the beginning of her essay, Galt concisely establishes time frames for her lessons, with steps, goals and ideas for incorporating music and performance. The attention she pays to meter, rhyme, and syntax shows in the care her students put into their own poems. -Lorenzo Thomas' account of his students' touching reception of Douglass is a joyful reminder of why we teach and value the written word. While there are no lesson plans in this entry, Thomas is sure to inspire many teachers with his reflections and analysis of Douglass' work. -Charles Kuner approaches teaching to write historical letters and map stories in the bilingual classroom with thoughtfulness and respect for his students. His own stories about how meaningful Douglass' words and experiences were to them are enforced by samples of their writing. This essay is about his high school students, but it could be interpreted for any level. -A delightful account of teaching Douglass to a group of inner city eleventh graders, Marvin Hoffman shares how he gathers the efforts of his students to savor the text through reading aloud and composing a letter to Douglass' mother. Student samples included.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52740564189457,"sku":"NIN9780915924462","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780915924462.jpg?v=1763484006"},{"product_id":"looking-for-frank-wills-book-wesley-brown-9781963270655","title":"Looking for Frank Wills","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt's 1972. Tricky Dick is in office, James Brown is on the radio, and Wayne Beasley reluctantly presides over the comings and goings of his barbers and patrons at Wayne's Clip and Trim in Augusta, South Carolina.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e When one of Wayne's former customers, an unassuming small-town son, is designated 4-F, unfit to serve in Vietnam, he seeks refuge in becoming the next best thing--a security guard for a downtown DC hotel. It is there on a hot summer's night, that Wayne's wayward patron interrupts a break-in that will disrupt the course of a nation's history and his own.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWesley Brown, author of \u003ci\u003eTragic Magic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDarktown Strutters\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBlue in Green: A Novella\u003c\/i\u003e, once again remaps the tributaries that run into the stream of our American subconscious, by dipping into the headwaters of pivotal memories and histories to tell the tale from the perspective of the real folks whose stories were too long submerged. Without Frank Wills there is no Watergate. And without Watergate the veil of secrecy and corruption that came to define the Nixon years, warping the very fabric of political discourse from that moment on, would have remained firmly in place. Wesley Brown's re-imagining of the life of Frank Wills reconciles the greatest heist of all--our place in the American story.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e What was stolen from Wills as he was briefly thrust into the spotlight, while excluded from the annals of history, is reclaimed, as Brown gives voice and breath to the people who loved him and the barber who did his best to guide him.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53475891478801,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53475891544337,"sku":"NIN9781963270655","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781963270655.jpg?v=1779443130"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-wesley-brown.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}