We Speak Your Names: A Celebration Pearl Cleage, With Zaron W. Burnett ISBN: 0345490274 Format: Hardcover, 64pp Pub. Date: May 9, 2006 Publisher: Random House Publishing Group List Price: $9.95
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Published to tie in with Oprah Winfrey's documentary of the same name, Cleage's eloquent, heartfelt poem is "truly the defining moment" ("People") of Oprah's recent Legends Ball Gala weekend.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

"The purpose of my writing, often, is to express the point where racism and sexism meet." An accomplished playwright, journalist, poet, and novelist, Pearl Cleage probes issues of race, sex, and love in a growing body of literary work while she reveals poignant truths about brave black women.

Born on December 7, 1948 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Pearl Michelle Cleage grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Her father was a prominent minister who ran for governor of Michigan in 1962 on the Freedom Ticket; her mother was an elementary school teacher.

Since the early 1980s, Cleage has drawn national attention with her dramatic works, which include Flyin' West, an extraordinary play about pioneer black women at the turn of the century, and Blues for an Alabama Sky. Her first novel What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, was an Oprah's Book Club selection, a New York Times bestseller, and a BCALA Literary Award winner. She is also the author of I Wish I Had a Red Dress, Mad at Miles, and Deals with the Devil. A contributing editor to Essence magazine, Pearl Cleage frequently performs her work on college campuses. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Zaron W. Burnett, Jr.