The Alabama Writers’ Forum
The Alabama Writers’ Forum, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, works to cultivate our state’s literary culture. We do that through supporting writers at all stages. We encourage our young writers to find their creative voice through the Father Goose Poetry Festival for Kids!–and through our Alabama High School Literary Arts Awards. We support the work of our state’s literary community through our Alabama Authors Directory, First Draft magazine, and other programming and opportunities for writers across the state. And we celebrate our state’s rich literary legacy through the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. We are, above all, a community of writers united by our desire to advance the literary arts in Alabama. If that describes you — join us! There are many ways to get involved.
Built From the Fire
Built From the Fire: The Epic Story of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, America’s Black Wall Street By Victor Luckerson Random House; 2023 Hardcover: $30 Genre: Nonfiction Reviewed by Nancy Wilstach This doorstop book is really worth tackling, guaranteed to answer questions you were not even sure you had but about which you suddenly find yourself bursting with curiosity. Luckerson tackles the heart-rending story of America’s “Black Wall Street”—from its gritty origins to its heyday of glitz, glamor, and gold through its mindless destruction by jealous, greedy white men and on to its partial revival as a Civil Rights emblem. In May 1921, Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, Okla., had everything a community needed—restaurants, bars, a movie theater, a bank, and a newspaper. It had a school, transportation, clothing and shoe stores. Black women didn’t have to buy clothes without trying them on, accept rudeness from salespeople, or use shabby separate entrances. No, Greenwood Avenue had it all, providing Black residents of Tulsa with courteous service, lavish entertainment, and appetizing food served with a smile. Having heard for years about [...]