"Sturdy Black Bridges" on the American Stage

This study takes a closer look at the African American mother (grandmother) and her portrayal in selected plays by Black women playwrights. The introductory chapters discuss stereotypes, the historical importance of Black motherhood and the Black woman's place in African American theater. Then follows a discussion of contemporary writers, namely Pearl Cleage, J.e Franklin, P.J. Gibson, Kim Hines, Lee Hunkins, Aishah Rahman and Ntozake Shange and ten of their plays. The goal was to choose mostly unknown writers and so most of the information about the writers is based on personal interviews which are added in an appendix. Each playwright has her own experience, vision, concerns and style. There are thematic and stylistic tendencies which, however, should not be generalized.

The Author: Susanna A. Boesch was born in 1967. She received an M.A. (Magister) in English and Italian from the University of Innsbruck, Austria in 1991, grant to do research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota from February to June 1992, received a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Innsbruck, Austria in 1994, and taught African American Literature at the University of Graz, Austria in the summer term of 1995. Currently she is teaching at a private high school in Innsbruck, Austria.