Dispatches from the Vanguard

Dispatches from the Vanguard is James Baldwin's dream manifested through art and culture, through porch talks, poetry and visual debates. This carnival of a book is a dynamic treasure trove of Black passion, style, intellectual prowess, wit, grace and soul. Behold this beautiful bouquet of Blackness. What a refreshing thought it is to be reminded of the mental strength, courage, and audacity it takes to be 'Black' again with a capital B. Howell gave me an invigorating read and a reminder of how to write for the right to fight. Patrick A. Howell undertakes the role of griot - storyteller - in this insightful and hard-hitting collection of interviews. Thought-provoking and inspiring, Dispatches from the Vanguard is a worthy addition to anyone's library. Dispatches from the Vanguard is exceptional. It takes our current moment and draws an oral history from architects of the culture. From the Black Arts Movement and, before that, the Harlem Renaissance to the Global International African Arts Movement. Patrick A. Howell deploys the interview as scalpel and bridge, laying out the nuances of our hassled yet still beautiful Black while detailing, through the responses of these artists and intellectuals, resilience for this generation and the next. Here, Africa and its diasporas achieve completion. This is a book for those who, in the words of Audre Lorde, are 'deliberate and afraid of nothing.' A fascinating compendium of contemporary African diasporic thought, from figures you know, figures you think you know, figures you ought to know. Dispatches from the Vanguard is a timely compilation of cultural luminaries. Howell's honoring of lived experiences coupled with vocal wisdom bridge past to future and illuminate the necessary interplay between education, field artistry, global consciousness, and social justice.