American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (1997) Winner
Thulani Davis
トゥラニ・デイビス
Thulani Davis
Aliases:
Barbara Neal Davis
Pen Names:
Barbara Neal Davis（Birth name / given name）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1949-07-19 （United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Jodo Shinshu (Buddhism)
- Residence History
- San Francisco, California, United States → New York City (including Brooklyn), United States
Career
- Occupations
- playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, screenwriter
- Active Years
- 1970-
- Affiliations
- Third World Artists Collective, Brooklyn Buddhist Association (founder), The Village Voice (served as Senior Editor)
- Memberships
- Third World Artists Collective, Brooklyn Buddhist Association (founder)
- Influenced By
- Writers and artists of the Black Arts and related movements, Ntozake Shange (collaborator / contemporary)
- Influenced
- Greg Tate (cultural critic; she mentored him)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Putney School | — | — | — | 在学〜1966 | United States |
| Barnard College (Columbia University) | — | — | 学士 | 1966–1970 | United States |
| University of Pennsylvania (graduate studies) | — | — | — | 在籍（年不明） | United States |
| Columbia University (graduate studies) | — | — | — | 在籍（年不明） | United States |
The Putney School
Period:
在学〜1966
Year of Graduation:
1966
Country:
United States
High school graduate
Barnard College (Columbia University)
Degree:
学士
Period:
1966–1970
Year of Graduation:
1970
Country:
United States
Graduated with B.A.
University of Pennsylvania (graduate studies)
Period:
在籍（年不明）
Country:
United States
Attended graduate school
Columbia University (graduate studies)
Period:
在籍（年不明）
Country:
United States
Attended graduate school
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Grammy Award (Best Album Notes) | Liner notes for Aretha Franklin's "Queen Of Soul – The Atlantic Recordings" | — | The Recording Academy | 受賞（部門で初めての女性受賞者） |
| 1993 | Grammy Award nomination (Best New Work, Classical) | X, The Life & Times... | — | The Recording Academy | ノミネート |
| 1996 | Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers Award | — | — | Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest | 受賞／フェローシップ（1996–99） |
| 1993 | PEW National Theatre Artist Residency Grant | — | — | The Pew Charitable Trusts | 受賞（1993–95） |
| 1998 | Induction into the Black Writers Hall of Fame | — | — | Black Writers Hall of Fame | 殿堂入り |
| 2008 | Inaugural Fellow, The Leon Levy Center for Biography | — | — | The Leon Levy Center for Biography (CUNY Graduate Center) | フェロー（2008–09） |
| 2004 | Declared an Admiral of The Great Navy of the State of Nebraska | — | — | Governor of Nebraska | 称号授与 |
Grammy Award (Best Album Notes)
1993
Work:
Liner notes for Aretha Franklin's "Queen Of Soul – The Atlantic Recordings"
Organization:
The Recording Academy
Result:
受賞（部門で初めての女性受賞者）
Grammy Award nomination (Best New Work, Classical)
1993
Work:
X, The Life & Times...
Organization:
The Recording Academy
Result:
ノミネート
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers Award
1996
Organization:
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest
Result:
受賞／フェローシップ（1996–99）
PEW National Theatre Artist Residency Grant
1993
Organization:
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Result:
受賞（1993–95）
Induction into the Black Writers Hall of Fame
1998
Organization:
Black Writers Hall of Fame
Result:
殿堂入り
Inaugural Fellow, The Leon Levy Center for Biography
2008
Organization:
The Leon Levy Center for Biography (CUNY Graduate Center)
Result:
フェロー（2008–09）
Declared an Admiral of The Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
2004
Organization:
Governor of Nebraska
Result:
称号授与
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
My Confederate Kinfolk
2006 Non-fiction (family history)A nonfiction exploration of Davis's family history and the complexities of race and memory in the American South.
family historyrace and memoryAmerican South history
Playing the Changes
1985 Novel / FictionA novel that explores personal relationships and cultural change, with music as a backdrop.
musiccultural changepersonal growth
All the Renegade Ghosts Rise
1978 Poetry / experimental poetryAn early poetry collection emphasizing poetic language and performance.
memoryidentityBlack experience
1959
1992 NovelA novel set around the year 1959 that examines historical context and individual lives.
historysocial changeindividuals and era
Maker of Saints
1996 Non-fiction / biographical elementsA work collecting essays and pieces on faith, art, and personal spirituality.
religionartspirituality
Bibliography
- All the Renegade Ghosts Rise
- Playing the Changes
- 1959
- Maker of Saints
- My Confederate Kinfolk
- The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forging a Culture of Freedom
- Malcolm X: The Great Photographs
Adaptations
- X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X - opera (libretto)
- Amistad - opera (libretto), 1997 (revised 2008)
- Paid in Full - film (screenwriter), 2002
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical yet documentary narrative voicetheatrical and experimental elements
- Recurring Motifs
- family and genealogyrace and memorymusic and culture
Legacy
Active across multiple genres—plays, libretti, nonfiction, poetry—Davis has contributed significantly to documenting African American culture and history. Her work, including a Grammy win, has earned broad recognition.
Academic Societies
- Black Writers Hall of Fame
Archives
- Thulani Davis Collection (Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University)
- Davis Family Papers (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)
In Popular Culture
- Her libretti for works like 'X' and 'Amistad' brought recognition in classical music and contemporary opera circles.
Trivia
- Birth name is Barbara Neal Davis.
- In 1993 she won a Grammy for liner notes to Aretha Franklin's recordings collection, the first woman to win in that category.
- Founded the Brooklyn Buddhist Association with Joseph Jarman.