Litquake’s 2011 Barbary Coast Award honors poet, publisher, novelist, and dramatist Ishmael Reed, one of the most original and controversial figures in African-American letters.
His novelistic career spans more than half a century, from his first novel The Free-Lance Pallbearers (1967) to his latest, Juice! (2011). Through poetry, plays, essays, and anthologies, the iconoclastic trailblazer has pointedly highlighted our nation’s political and cultural repression.
Reed has also been instrumental in exposing the work of new authors through his online literary magazine Konch and the Ishmael Reed Publishing Company.
As a jazz pianist and lyricist, Reed has worked with such talented musicians as Taj Mahal, Allen Toussaint, Ravi Coltrane, Cassandra Wilson, Jack Bruce, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, and David Murray.
Join us for an evening of music, poetry, tributes, and drama in honor of Reed and his long-standing contributions to the Bay Area literary scene. Featuring emcee W. Kamau Bell, music from Broun Fellinis, and live dramatic performances directed by Carla Blank.
October 12, 2011, 7:30 pm
Z Space, 450 Florida St.
$12 advance; $15 at the door
Brown Paper Tickets
