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Ishmael Reed was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but grew up in Buffalo, New York, where he attended the University of Buffalo, a private university that became part of the state public university system after he left. The university awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1995. He moved to New York City in 1962 and co-founded with the late Walter Bowart the “East Village Other”, a well-known underground publication. He was also a member of the Umbra Writers Workshop, an organization that helped establish the Black Arts Movement and promoted a Black Aesthetic.
Mr. Reed has written nine novels and has edited thirteen anthologies.
Ishmael Reed is a founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, which since 1980 has annually presented the American Book Awards; the Oakland chapter of PEN; and There City Cinema, an organization that furthers the distribution and discussion of films from throughout the world. Two of his books have been nominated for National Book Awards, and a book of poetry, “Conjure”, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His “New and Collected Poems”, 1964–2007, received the Commonwealth Club of California’s Gold Medal. Reed’s novels, poetry and essays have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Dutch, Korean, Chinese and Czech, among other languages.
Ishmael Reed’s texts and lyrics have been performed, composed or set to music by Albert Ayler, David Murray, Allan Touissant, Carman Moore, Taj Mahal, Olu Dara, Lester Bowie, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Ravi Coltrane, Leo Nocentelli, Eddie Harris, Anthony Cox, Don Pullen, Billie Bang, Bobby Womack, Milton Cardonna, Omar Sosa, Fernando Saunders, Yosvanni Terry, Jack Bruce, Little Jimmy Scott, Robert Jason, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Cassandra Wilson and others.
Since the early 1970s, Ishmael Reed has championed the work of other writers, founding and serving as editor and publisher of various small presses and journals. His current publishing imprint is Ishmael Reed Publishing Company, and his online literary magazine, “Konch”, featuring poetry, essays and fiction, can be found at http://www.ishmaelreedpub.com/.
Reed recently retired from teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught for thirty-five years. He currently lives in Oakland, California with his wife of almost 40 years, Carla Blank, the acclaimed author, choreographer, and director.
We interviewed Mr. Reed at A Different Booklist bookstore in Toronto where he was promoting his most recent book, “Barack Obama and the Jim Crow Media or The Return of the Nigger Breakers”. We would like to thank A Different Booklist and Baraka Books in setting up our interview with Mr. Reed. You can find more information on Mr. Reed at his website http://www.ishmaelreedpub.com/.
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Dr. Vibe
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Excellent, and very important, interview with Ishmael Reed. Thank you for taking the time to get this uploaded on to your site. Mr. Reed is, without question, one of the most important writers in our time. His new collection of essays, Barack Obama and the Jim Crow Media: The Return of the Nigger Breakers, is the best available critique of President’s Obama’s time in office thus far. You have done a great service to your readers by posting this, an uncut, unedited, Ishmael Reed. Keep up the good work!
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