Place, Memory, Poetry, and the James A. Emanuel’s Papers at the Library of Congress
FAIN: FEL-289781-23
Tyechia Thompson
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA 24061-2000)
Research and writing leading to a web-based publication analyzing the poetry and life of American poet James A. Emanuel (1921 – 2013).
My project focuses on James Emanuel, innovator of the jazz haiku, author of over ten books of poetry, and trendsetter of African American Literature. My project is a digital exhibit of his works from 1973 to 1987 and a non-linear documentary-styled analysis of thirty poems written by Emanuel in the contexts of his life, contribution to the literature of the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements, and role as an African American expatriate in Paris. This project is important to the humanities because it 1) shares with the public the draft and finished poems, letters, and other materials that were left by Emanuel in the public domain yet are only accessible at the Library of Congress, 2) exposes a cultural matrix of Emanuel’s life, creative work, creative process, and publishing, which is needed more in the context of African American literature, and 3) adopts frameworks of memory and survival that are important to many African American writers and particular to the writings of Emanuel.
Associated Products
Place, Memory, Poetry, and the James A. Emanuel Papers at the Library of Congress (Conference Paper/Presentation)Title: Place, Memory, Poetry, and the James A. Emanuel Papers at the Library of Congress
Author: Tyechia Thompson
Abstract: My presentation focuses on mapping the materials of author/scholar James A. Emanuel that are archived in the Library of Congress. Emanuel was an innovator of the jazz haiku, author of over ten books of poetry, and trendsetter of African American Literature. Central to my project is Emanuel's system of documentation, which is a record of the date, place, and time that Emanuel drafts his manuscripts. I will explain my digital publication design highlighting my mapping decisions that will emphasize a cultural matrix of Emanuel’s life, creative process, and creative work.
Date: 01/04/2024
Primary URL:
https://ach2021.ach.org/news/2023/12/ach-mla2024-digitally-mapping-literary-space-and-place-updated/Conference Name: MLA2024