June Jordan (1936–2002)

The Feminist Press celebrates the much anticipated reissue of June Jordan’s 1971 young adult novel, His Own Where, with a new introduction by Sapphire. This classic novel about two young people in Brooklyn navigating poverty and discovering love for the first time was a finalist for the National Book ... (more)Award and gained both praise and notoriety for being written entirely in Black English. Acclaimed authors and poets Sapphire, Staceyann Chin, and Sofia Quintero, and future literary stars from Girls Write Now read from this stunning novella about urban love. Born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, award-winning author June Jordan wrote twenty-eight books of poetry, essays, and fiction, making her one of the most widely published African American writers in history. Her work touched upon themes such as gender, activism, sexuality, and family conflict to reveal the oppression and universal struggle of people in the United States and around the world Sapphire is the author of American Dreams, Black Wings & Blind Angels, and Push, which has been made into the motion picture Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire. Staceyann Chin is a fulltime artist. A resident of New York City and a Jamaican National, she has been an “out poet and political activist” since 1998. From the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe to one-woman shows Off- Broadway to acting in Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe and performing in both the stage and film versions of Howard Zinn’s Voices of a People's History of the United States, to starring in the Tony nominated, Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, Chin credits the long list of "things she has done" to her grandmother's hard-working history and the pain of her mother's absence. Sofia Quintero is a writer, activist, educator, speaker, and comedienne. She has written several hip hop novels under the pen name Black Artemis and also writes “chica lit” under her real name. This self-proclaimed “Ivy League homegirl” graduated from Columbia University and lives in the Bronx. She is the author of the young adult novels Divas Don’t Yield (Random House 2006) and Efrain’s Secret (2010). Girls Write Now provide guidance, support, and opportunities for New York City's undeserved or at-risk high school girls, enabling them to develop their creative, independent voices, explore careers in professional writing, and learn how to make healthy choices in school, career, and life.

The Feminist Press celebrates our reissue of June Jordan’s 1971 young adult novel, His Own Where, with a new introduction by Sapphire. This classic novel about two young people in Brooklyn navigating poverty and discovering love for the first time was a finalist for the National Book Award and gained ... (more)both praise and notoriety for being written entirely in Black English. Critically acclaimed authors and poets Sapphire, Staceyann Chin, and Laura Flanders read from this stunning novella about urban love. Born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, award-winning author June Jordan wrote twenty-eight books of poetry, essays, and fiction, making her one of the most widely published African American writers in history. Her work touched upon themes such as gender, activism, sexuality, and family conflict to reveal the oppression and universal struggle of people in the United States and around the world.

The Feminist Press celebrates the much anticipated reissue of June Jordan’s 1971 young adult novel, His Own Where, with a new introduction by Sapphire. This classic novel about two young people in Brooklyn navigating poverty and discovering love for the first time was a finalist for the National Book ... (more)Award and gained both praise and notoriety for being written entirely in Black English. Critically acclaimed authors and poets Jan Heller Levi, Donna Masini, Sofia Quintero, and Michael Thomas read from this stunning novella about urban love. Born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn, award-winning author June Jordan wrote twenty-eight books of poetry, essays, and fiction, making her one of the most widely published African American writers in history. Her work touched upon themes such as gender, activism, sexuality, and family conflict to reveal the oppression and universal struggle of people in the United States and around the world.