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Ntozake Shange

ントザケ・シャンゲ

Ntozake Shange

Aliases: Paulette Linda Williams
Pen Names: Ntozake Shange（African-derived name adopted in the early 1970s and used professionally）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1948-10-18 （Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.）
Died
2018-10-27 （Bowie, Maryland, U.S.） age 70
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Trenton, New Jersey (birthplace) → St. Louis, Missouri (childhood) → Brooklyn, New York (long-term residence) → Bowie, Maryland (final residence)

Career

Occupations
playwright, author, poet, educator
Active Years
1973-2018
Affiliations
Nuyorican Poets Café (acknowledged as a founding poet), Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (associate), Barnard College (archive repository)
Memberships
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (associate)
Influenced By
Black feminist thought and poets/activists associated with the Black Arts Movement, Bertolt Brecht (influence via adaptation)
Influenced
Younger generations of Black women writers and playwrights, Spoken-word and performance poetry movements
Nominations
Emmy Award (Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special), 1977, Tony Award (Best Play), 1977, Grammy Award (Best Spoken Word Album), 1978

Education

Barnard College (Columbia University)
Undergraduate (BA) / American Studies
Degree: BA (cum laude)
Period: 1966–1970
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: United States
Graduated cum laude in American Studies from Barnard College (Columbia University)
University of Southern California
Graduate (MA) / American Studies
Degree: MA
Period: 1971–1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: United States
Completed MA and returned to creative work

Awards

NDEA Fellowship
1974
Organization: NDEA
Result: 受賞
Obie Award
1976
Work: for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf
Organization: Obie Award (The Village Voice)
Result: 受賞
Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop Award
1978
Organization: Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop
Result: 受賞
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Poetry)
1981
Work: Three Pieces
Category: 詩
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
1981
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞（フェローシップ）
Obie Award
1981
Work: Mother Courage and Her Children (adaptation)
Organization: Obie Award (The Village Voice)
Result: 受賞
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund Writers' Award
1992
Organization: Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund
Result: 受賞
Langston Hughes Medal
2016
Organization: City College of New York
Result: 受賞
Shelley Memorial Award
2018
Organization: Poetry Society of America
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf

1975 choreopoem/play

A 20-part choreopoem chronicling the lives, struggles and sisterhood of women of color in the United States, blending poetry, dance, music and song. First staged Off-Broadway, later published and adapted into a 2010 film.

raceBlack womanhoodgender-based violencesisterhood and healing
Adaptations
  • [Film] For Colored Girls / Tyler Perry (2010)
Translations

Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo

1982 novel

A family novel centered on three sisters exploring creativity, heritage and the African-American experience.

familyheritage and rootswomen's creativity

Betsey Brown

1985 novel

A coming-of-age story of an African-American girl growing up in the North, dealing with race and self-discovery.

coming-of-agerace and identity

Liliane

1994 novel

A novel that sensitively explores personal memory, history, and women's experiences.

memoryfamily historywomen's experience

Bibliography

  • for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (1975)
  • Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo (1982)
  • Betsey Brown (1985)
  • Liliane (1994)
  • Some Sing, Some Cry (2010, co-authored)
  • Numerous poetry collections, children's books and essays

Adaptations

  • For Colored Girls (2010 film, dir. Tyler Perry)
  • Stage productions of her plays (multiple productions)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Poetic, colloquial and rhythmic spoken-word styleA distinctive blending of poetry, theater, dance and music (choreopoem)
Recurring Motifs
experiences of Black womenmotherhood and familymigration from the South and losshealing and solidarity

Health

  • Series of strokes (2004)
    2004以降、断続的な療養と回復期間あり
    Caused long-term health issues; despite this she continued to create work and give readings intermittently

Legacy

A pioneering writer who articulated the experiences of Black women through a new hybrid form. Popularized the choreopoem, influenced Black feminist thought and spoken-word traditions, and is the subject of academic archives and study (Barnard College archive acquisition).

Museums

  • Barnard College Archives (Ntozake Shange Papers) Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York Opened in 2016

Academic Societies

  • Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (affiliate)

Archives

  • Barnard College (Ntozake Shange Papers)

In Popular Culture

  • 2010 film adaptation 'For Colored Girls', numerous stage revivals and frequent citation in educational curricula

Quotes

  • I found god in myself
    Source: Interview 'I found god in myself: A Conversation with Ntozake Shange' (2016)

Trivia

  • Born Paulette Linda Williams; adopted the African-derived name Ntozake Shange in the early 1970s.
  • Popularized the term/format 'choreopoem'.
  • Inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
  • A proclamation of 'Ntozake Shange Day' in Manhattan was made on June 14, 2014.