Suzan-Lori Parks

The first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama, Suzan Lori-Parks has received international recognition for her provocative and influential works. Her plays capture the nightmares of African Americans endangered by a white establishment determined to erase their history and eradicate their dreams. This collection of twelve original essays addresses Lori-Parks' plays, their historical and philosophical roots, her novel and her screenplays, as well as a production chronology of her plays. Of particular note are an interview with Lori-Parks and another with her long-time director Liz Diamond. This text represents a valuable addition not only to the work of Lori-Parks, but to the extensive history of African American playwrighting.

"a comprehensive panoramic view of Park's ongoing artistic journey. When you finish the book, you'll feel as though you've been personally introduced to the writer over a long, leisurely dinner and a few glasses of good wine...and that you've heard her sing her life, her art and her love of God, the inner guide for whom she writes"--American Theatre; "this collection is wide-ranging, informative, and accessible, especially when it come to Parks's rather daunting early plays"--Project Muse; "conveys the importance of women playwrights from a range of cultural backgrounds, adding not only to our fundamental understanding of the struggles of marginalized and overlooked peoples but also to our comprehension of the complex experiences of American women today"--Contemporary Women's Writing; "this critical anthology offers the most comprehensive approach to the works of Suzan-Lori Parks' work to date...consider[s] the eclectic and prolific Parks with careful detail and fresh insight...this is indeed an important new study."--Harry J. Elam, Jr., Stanford University; "Parks emerges from these pages as the national mythmaker, the unbounded intellect, and the fearless visionary she is."--Una Chaudhuri, New York University; "A most effective presentation of the depth, breadth, and diversity of Parks's writings...one of America's most influential playwrights of this century."--Sandra G. Shannon, Howard University.

Philip C. Kolin is a distinguished professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he teaches drama. He has published more than 40 books and 200 articles.