Category Archives: scholarship

Langston Hughes and the Literary Canon

In a piece for The Smart Set magazine, Richard Abowitz reminds readers that this past February marked the birthday of one Langston Hughes, popularly known as “the Bard of Harlem.” Over the course of the article, Abowitz parses out Hughes’ … Continue reading

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Fast Take: Hamilton

Everyone is talking about Hamilton and rightly so. I’ve been listening to the cast recording continuously since it came out, and I bet you have, too. It’s endlessly delighting, incredibly moving, and maintains a strong sense of thematic unity throughout … Continue reading

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OK, Scholars, Let’s Discuss “Formation” (Part II)

In part two of this blog post, I’d like to talk about the Superbowl halftime show featuring Beyoncé and her coterie of backup dancers. (Part I is here) Much has been made of their outfits, which echo components of the … Continue reading

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OK, Scholars, Let’s Discuss “Formation” (Part I)

After a hiatus, the blog is back. And I, like everyone else, want to talk about Beyoncé’s new song and video, “Formation.” But before I do, I’d ask readers to first read/listen to the following: Yaba Blay’s article about the … Continue reading

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A Spin on Vernacular, Part Three

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is quickly becoming a favorite athlete of mine. It’s true that I’m not the biggest football fan, but I do enjoying watching football games and cheering for the Indianapolis Colts and our grammar minded, bookworm … Continue reading

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Police Unions and Racism: 1973 & 2014*

At the end of 2014, it’s hard to reflect on the year without considering the terrible violence committed against unarmed Black persons by police officers. Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. John Crawford III. Akai Gurley. And these, really, are … Continue reading

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Pending Research

I am not a tenure track faculty, although I very much want to be at my institution. Thus, I don’t have the crushing timeline of research production to meet, but I am aware that my research agenda needs to be … Continue reading

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The Book of Mormon and Ritual Theatre

This month, I had the chance to see the outstanding musical The Book of Mormon as it stopped in Louisville on its current national tour. Having long been a fan of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s television and film work, … Continue reading

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A Spin on Vernacular, Part Two

In my last post, I discussed the unfortunate description of “vernacular spin” by writer and comedian Neal Brennan, and how it related to the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). What does this have to do with Richard Sherman? … Continue reading

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A Spin on Vernacular

It’s rare when a media event overlaps with my scholarly work, but TWO events overlapping with it is practically unheard of. However, this past week, such a confluence happened. First, Neal Brennan, co-creator of Chapelle’s Show, gave an interview to … Continue reading

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