Illinois Authors

The Illinois Center for the Book banner

Haki R. Madhubuti

Born: 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas
Pen Name: Don L. Lee

Connection to Illinois: Madhubuti moved to Chicago as a child and still resides there today. He attended Roosevelt University, the University of Illinois Chicago Circle. In 2007, he was named ''Chicagoan of the Year'' by Chicago Magazine. The papers of Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti are housed at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois.

Biography: A leading poet and one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement and proponent of independent Black institutions, Haki R. Madhubuti, publisher, editor, and educator and activist?has been a pivotal figure in the development of a strong Black literary tradition. He founded Third World Press (1967) and Third World Press Foundation (2002). He is a founder of the Institute of Positive Education/New Concept School (1969), co-founder of Betty Shabazz International Charter School (1998), and Barbara A. Sizemore Academy (2005), all of which are in Chicago. He is the former University Distinguished Professor and Professor of English at Chicago State University where he founded the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Creative Writing and Black Literature; he also created the annual Gwendolyn Brooks Writers Conference (1989-2010) and was the founding director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. He has published more than 30 books (some under his former name, Don L. Lee) and is one of the world's best-selling authors of poetry and nonfiction. Professor Madhubuti's Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous? The African American Family in Transition (1990) has over 1 million copies in print.


Awards:
  • American Book Award, 1991 Illinois Author of the Year, Illinois Association of Teachers of English, 1991 Fuller Award for Lifetime Achievement, Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, 2015

Primary Literary Genre(s): Non-Fiction; Poetry

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThirdWorldPress
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thirdworldpress
Web: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Haki-R-Madhubuti
Web: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/haki-madhubuti
Web: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/haki-madhubuti-39
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haki_R._Madhubuti


Selected Titles

African-Centered Education: Its Value, Importance, and Necessity in the Development of Black Children
ISBN: 0883781514 OCLC: 31885773

This book legitimizes the need for African-centered education at an early age in child development.

Black Men, Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The Afrikan American Family in Transition
ISBN: 0883781352 OCLC: 23145644

Third World Press, Chicago : ©1990.

Here is the seminal and critical work that helped solidify Haki Madhubuti as an informed, passionate, and caring commentator on Black life, culture, relationships, and the development and stability of the Black community. In ""Black Men,"" an integral text for anyone with vested interest in building healthy, thriving Black families and communities, Madhubuti takes aim at some of the critical issues facing the African American family. He offers useful, pointed, practical solutions for overcoming these obstacles and challenges.

Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Rape, Redemption: Blacks Seeking a Culture of Enlightened Empowerment
ISBN: 0883780909 OCLC: 30954035

Third World Press, Chicago : ©1994.

Following his ground-breaking books of essays (From Plan to Planet, Enemies: The Clash of Races, and Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?), Haki Madhubuti has refined and expanded his ideas to provide us with a book for nurturing ourselves and our young people into Black consciousness and activism. Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Rape, Redemption: Blacks Seeking A Culture of Enlightened Empowerment outlines practical possibilities for the individual to contribute to, remain involved in, and positively impact on Black world struggle. Madhubuti insists,

Confusion by Any Other Name
ISBN: 0883781484 OCLC: 22515224

Third World Press, Chicago, Ill. : ©1990.

Don't Cry, Scream
ISBN: 088378016X OCLC: 26285736

In this classic collection of poetry, the reader will find a bold poem for each crucial issue of Black life.

Earthquakes and Sun Rise Missions: Poetry and Essays of Black Renewal 1973-1983
ISBN: 0883781093 OCLC: Chicago, IL :

Third World Press Chicago, IL : 1984

Enemies: The Clash of Races
ISBN: 0883780739 OCLC: Chicago :

Third World Press Chicago : 1978

This book presents an explosive collection of essays that call for Black consciousness and revolutionary action. The author examines Black nationalism, white minority rule, Pan-Africanism, the necessity for Black institutions and the role of the creative artist in Black struggle.

Groundwork: New and Selected Poems, Don L. Lee/Haki R. Madhubuti from 1966-1996
ISBN: 0883781735 OCLC: 35212757

Third World Press, Chicago : 1996.

Thirty years of poems and a few essays of Don L. Lee beginning in the militant Black Arts Movement and metamorphosing into the more mature yet critical voice of Lee as Haki R. Madhubuti. The subject is consistently political and poetic as it challenges the people of the world to rights the wrongs committed against Black people and all oppressed people of the world.

Heartlove: Wedding and Love Poems
ISBN: 0883782014 OCLC: 38551031

Third World Press, Chicago : 1998.

HeartLove is love that matters. In these poems, Madhubuti gives us essential meditations on commitment and caring. He offers honest and sometimes cutting criticism that is expected from a true friend or lover. And he gives us poetry -- constant reminders of our wholeness and humanity. "Some of the finest human poems in English are in this book" (Robert Bly).

Honoring Genius: Gwendolyn Brooks: The Narrative of Craft, Art, Kindness and Justice
ISBN: 0883783258 OCLC:

Third World Press For over thirty years, poets Gwendolyn Brooks and Haki R. Madhubuti shared a unique literary and personal relationship. In this latest volume of his work, Madhubuti, a renowned poet in his own right, pays tribute to Brooks' legacy and memory with this collection of poems that he produced during those years. He also offers two essays and a selection of newer poems to express his gratitude and show his great respect for this literary giant.

Killing Memory, Seeking Ancestors
ISBN: 0883780933 OCLC: Chicago, IL :

Third World Press Chicago, IL : 1987

Written in the tradition and style of the Black Arts Movement, this collection contains lyrical poems, laced with satirical allusions and political exhortations to Black readers.

Kwanzaa: A Progressive and Uplifting African American Holiday
ISBN: 0883780127 OCLC: 30118678

A complete guide to celebrating Kwanzaa, the African American holiday based upon the principles of the Nguzo Saba value system. Explains some of the myths associated with this holiday as well as the qualities that make it uniquely African American.--Page [4] of cover.

Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems: 1966-2009
ISBN: 0883782898 OCLC: 154667808

Third World Press, Chicago : ©2009.

Not only did/does the poetry of Haki R. Madubuti (Don L. Lee) help define and sustain a movemenrt, his verse helped shift the paradigm of contemporary American poetry aesthetics. With its brash urgency and, often, quiet passion; the musicality and homage in Madhibuti's work continues to resonate. Here in this new offering, ... Madhubuti's words, vision and insights are preserved for a new generation of readers.--Cover.

Million Man March/Day of Absence
ISBN: 0883781883 OCLC: 34148034

Third World Press ; Chicago : [©1996]

A reflective account of one of the most transforming events of the twentieth century -- the October 16, 1995

Run Toward Fear: New Poems and a Poet's Handbook
ISBN: 0883782650 OCLC: 54960411

Third World Press, Chicago : 2004.

Run Toward Fear offers readers a mixture of poems that challenge and cause both reflection on and questioning about many headline issues that have launched this century. Madhubuti includes poignant moving tributes to Jacob Carruthers, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Amiri Baraka, as well as heartfelt words that provide comfort and guidance to the families of the 21 people who lost their lives in Chicago's E-2 nightclub tragedy. The final section of the book, ""A Poet's Handbook,"" provides personal and sometimes anecdotal insights on the craft of writing poetry.

Taking Bullets: Terrorism and Black Life in Twenty-first Century America Confronting White Nationalism, Supremacy, Privilege, Plutocracy and Oligarchy
ISBN: 0883783614 OCLC: 925426402

Taking Bullets: Black Boys and Men in Twenty-First Century America Fighting Terrorism, Stopping Violence, and Seeking Healing starts a national debate on Black male empowerment with an urgency for the survival of a generation of Black men and boys who are confronted with disparity and adversity on the streets of every city in America. Haki Madhubuti speaks directly to these young men with an empathic understanding of their plight, yet he sees hope and a vision for their future. In Taking Bullets, he challenges community leaders, educators, and all of those individuals who directly impact the lives of our young men to develop sustained strategies to confront and challenge the systematic problems of police violence, mass incarceration and economic disparity.

Taught By Women: Poems as Resistance Language New and Selected
ISBN: 0883783584 OCLC: 913335231

Taught By Women, Poems as Resistance Language, New and Selected by Haki R. Madhubuti, marks a return to his roots. It is his first single-authored book of poetry in over nine years. In it, he pays homage to the many women who have influenced him and contributed to his unique worldview. Readers are urged not to forget various women who have nurtured, encouraged, challenged and strengthened us despite our sometimes dismal circumstances. Madhubuti asks that we remember these women, long distance runners, who give hope, optimism and courage to the next generation of children who need their strength, perseverance and quiet power. In these new and selected poems Madhubuti, formerly Don L. Lee, poet, publisher, editor, and activist, places us in lyrical proximity to a legacy of women whose lives he honors with heart warm verses and timeless reverence. Each poem is a vivid portraiture of the “magnificent energy” emanating from a rainbow of Black women. In this mosaic collection of poetry, Madhubuti celebrates the luminous spirits of women whose visible ‘greatness’ has left an indelible mark on his life’s work. In Taught By Women, Madhubuti sings their struggles and praises with pitch perfect precision, every note― an empowering song and unforgettable melody.

Tough Notes: A Healing Call for Creating Exceptional Black Men
ISBN: 0883782367 OCLC: 49531689

Third World Press, Chicago : ©2002.

From the author of the best-selling Black Men, Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The Afrikan American Family in Transition, Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Redemption, and Heartlove: Wedding and Love Poems, comes this profound series of letters, notes, and written conversations to young boys and men. In this moving text, Haki R. Madhubuti, poet, publisher, editor, educator, and institution builder, hopes to guide young men in search of direction to make good choices and wise, informed decisions on the road to a healthy life. Madhubuti writes as a caring father and resourceful teacher, with the insight of one who has benefited from his elders.

We Walk the Way of the New World
ISBN: 091029626X OCLC: Detroit,

Broadside Lotus Pr Detroit, 1970

Why L.A. Happened
ISBN: 0883780941 OCLC: 27264421

A series of essays discussing the reasons for and the solutions to the rioting that took place in Los Angeles in 1992 and the violence that grew out of it in Atlanta.

YellowBlack: The First Twenty-One Years of a Poet's Life
ISBN: 0883782758 OCLC: 72763688

From the Publisher: Powerful prose, poetry, and jazz riffs chronicle the first 21 years of the life of Haki R. Madhubuti, formerly Don L. Lee: poet, publisher, editor, and activist. He was raised by his mother Maxine, whose life is also recounted-including gritty details of how she used her body to feed, house, and shelter her children without help from their absentee father. Despite the obstacles in his childhood, music and literature molded the young Don Lee, effectively saving his life.

 

 

Accessibility