Poet and short story writer Wanda Coleman is a blatantly political artist who has won much critical acclaim for her work but who has often struggled to make a living from her craft. With eight books of collected writings published by the small Black Sparrow Press by 1998, as well as numerous other publications, she has created a body of work that is first of all focused on racism and that, secondly, ponders the "outcast" status of poor blacks living in Los Angeles. Thus her stories and poems are often angry and treat unhappy, hateful, and violent themes. Her subjects and tone are most likely what separate her from the publishing mainstream. But if such things are avoided by the average reader and, arguably, by other more successful African American writers, many critics have found a wealth of insight and fine writing skills in Coleman's work. After some thirty years of writing Wanda Coleman remains devoted to the themes of racism and female experience and to Los Angeles. The city has been a vital part of her writings and an important outlet for her poetry readings.
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