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Angela Jackson, Writer, and Educator born

Angela Jackson

Angela Jackson was born on this date in 1951. She is a Black writer and educator.

Jackson, born in Greenville, MS, was the fifth child of George and Angeline Jackson, with four more to follow. Jackson spent her earliest years living in Greenville, but her family moved to Chicago. She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, where she received many literary awards. During the 1970s, Jackson became a sought-after reader and performer because of her mastery of pause and rhythm during a performance.

Jackson is well known for her work with Chicago's Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC). This organization's main goal was to advance "the conscious development and articulation of the Black Aesthetic." Members are encouraged to express in words the "Black Experience" and also to pay attention to and focus on the works of other African American authors.

Jackson has completed many works in her lifetime and will probably produce more. Her books of poetry include Voo Doo/Love Magic (1974), The Greenville Club (chapbook) (1977), Solo in the Boxcar Third Floor E (1985), The Man with the White Liver (1987), Dark Legs and Silk Kisses: The beatitudes of the Spinners (1993), and And All These Roads Be Luminous: Poems Selected and New (1997).

Her plays include Witness! (1978), Shango Diaspora: An African American Myth of Womanhood and Love (1980), and When the Wind Blows (1984). Although she is very versatile, Jackson is best known for her talent in writing poetry. Her use of metaphors and intensive language is admired by many. Jackson is known for her rich talent and incredible versatility in writing literature. She has written many volumes of poems, several short stories, and a famous romance novel.

To be a Writer