Anand Prahlad – författare

African American culture draws upon a rich body of traditions from Africa, Latin America, and the South, and folklore is fundamental to the African American heritage. The first work of its kind, this definitive encyclopedia comprehensively overviews African American folklore. Included are roughly 700 alphabetically arranged entries by more than 100 expert contributors on such topics as folktales, music, art, foodways, spiritual beliefs, proverbs, and many other subjects. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia concludes with a bibliography of major works.African American folklore has played a dominant role in shaping the spirit and soul of the Americas. African American folk traditions are a vital part of contemporary society and continue to shape art, music, film, literature, and religion. Because folklore is more than just a body of tales and instead encompasses all of traditional culture, it is central to African American daily life. The first work of its kind, this authoritative encyclopedia comprehensively overviews African American folklore. While the encyclopedia gives special attention to music, art, folktales, spiritual beliefs, foodways, proverbs, and other topics central to African American folklore, it also discusses the Caribbean and African roots of traditional African American culture.Features: ; Draws upon the work of more than 100 expert contributors. ; Includes roughly 700 alphabetically arranged entries. ; Covers music, art, folktales, spiritual beliefs, foodways, proverbs, customs, traditions, and other topics. ; Entries cite works for further reading. ; Includes an alphabetical list of entries. ; Provides a list of entries grouped in topical categories. ; Lists archives and research centers. ; Offers convenient access through an extensive index. ; Entries are fully cross-referenced. ; Presents a selected, general bibliography of major works on African American folklore. ; Includes entries on the Caribbean and African roots of African American folklore. ; Overviews the presence of African American folklore in contemporary popular culture. ; Contains a generous selection of illustrations of all types of African American folklore.Benefits: ; Helps students understand the heart of African American culture. ; Provides an essential context for African American history, literature, music, and art. ; Promotes respect for cultural diversity. ; Celebrates our nation's African American heritage. ; Relates African American culture to its Caribbean and African influences. ; Serves as a model for student writing. ; Develops research skills by directing students to additional resources. ; Helps students learn about African American history through popular culture.Students researching any aspect of the African American experience will find this encyclopedia to be a valuable resource, as will their teachers. And because African American life is central to American society, anyone interested in American Studies will treasure this reference work.

African American folklore dates back 240 years and has had a significant impact on American culture from the slavery period to the modern day. This encyclopedia provides accessible entries on key elements of this long history, including folklore originally derived from African cultures that have survived here and those that originated in the United States.Inspired by the author's passion for African American culture and vernacular traditions, African American Folklore: An Encyclopedia for Students thoroughly addresses key elements and motifs in black American folklore—especially those that have influenced American culture. With its alphabetically organized entries that cover a wide range of subjects from the word "conjure" to the dance style of "twerking," this book provides readers with a deeper comprehension of American culture through a greater understanding of the contributions of African American culture and black folk traditions.This book will be useful to general readers as well as students or researchers whose interests include African American culture and folklore or American culture. It offers insight into the histories of African American folklore motifs, their importance within African American groups, and their relevance to the evolution of American culture. The work also provides original materials, such as excepts from folktales and folksongs, and a comprehensive compilation of sources for further research that includes bibliographical citations as well as lists of websites and cultural centers.

Dreaming of Endangered Species explores issues of health and illness, disability and cure, and human frailty and vulnerability in an age of global unease and uncertainty. It maps a tension between the infinite and finite, between the concrete and ethereal. In some ways, it is a celebration of the mundane, by which I mean the world of everyday objects, of plants and animals, scents, textures, movements, water, and phases of the moon. But interwoven with this testament to ineffable beauty, this celebratory mode, are reflections on my cancer, for example, my autistic strivings, my gender queer identity, and the plight of the natural world. A recurrent thread that runs through the manuscript is the idea of dreaming, which offers a kind of poetic membrane, a connective tissue that softens some of the weighty concerns and allows them a more muted resonance than they might otherwise have.

As Good as Mango is a journey told in the sensual language of blues and jazz. It moves from the landscape of colonial Africa into the colonial American South, and into the present. The hauntings of the past come alive with echoes of unclaimed history.The poems in this collection simultaneously affirm and inspect black identity - and identity in general. These are the poems of the bitter/sweet taste on the tongues of exiles searching for home.