THE JAMES BALDWIN REVIEW
1963
It is Summer 1963 in Moss Point, Mississippi. My mother and I are sitting on the front
porch of my grandfather’s house at 1010 Barnett Street. Although we owned it, in my mind, the house always
belonged to John Henry Ward. He bought
the two acres of land on which it sat. He built the house. He died in the
house. His son, my father, was born and died in the house. It was their house.
I am reading The Fire
Next Time. Aloud. My mother is
listening intensely as I dramatize Baldwin’s prose. My mother thinks James Baldwin is a man who
has “good sense.” I agree. I do not recall exactly why I am reading the book aloud. Perhaps I want to prove to my mother that she
made a wise investment of the hard-earned pennies and dollars she earned to get
me through Tougaloo College. Baldwin is full of moral authority. He has more authority than the priest at St.
Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Pascagoula. Protestants say some things better than
Catholics do.
2014
It is summer in New Orleans, a season for local, national,
and international confusion and warfare.
After 51 years, I still grow stronger for listening to James Baldwin’s
uniquely voiced authority. I was much pleased to discover the following CFP for
the James Baldwin Review:
The James Baldwin Review (JBR), an annual peer-reviewed journal,
is seeking submissions for its inaugural issue. An Open Access online
publication, The James Baldwin Review will bring together a wide array
of peer-reviewed critical and creative work on the life, writings, and legacy
of James Baldwin. JBR publishes essays that invigorate scholarship on
James Baldwin, catalyze explorations of the literary, political, and cultural
influence of Baldwin’ writing and political activism, and deepen our
understanding and appreciation of this complex and luminary figure.
Deadline for submissions: Sept
30th,
2014. Submissions must be accompanied by a 250-word abstract. Detailed
submission instructions can be found on our website:
It is the aim of the James
Baldwin Review to provide a vibrant and multidisciplinary forum for the
international community of Baldwin scholars, students, and enthusiasts.
Next year I will read JBR
with James Brown’s “Say It Loud” in the background. “Yes, Mother. I am still
reading aloud. But I have my own house now.”
Jerry W. Ward, Jr. July 3, 2014
