Thulani Davis

Thulani Nkabinde Davis
Born Barbara Neal Davis
(1949-07-19) July 19, 1949
Occupation Playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter
Language English
Ethnicity African American
Notable works My Confederate Kinfolk
Playing the Changes
All the Renegade Ghosts Rise
Website
www.thulanidavis.com

Thulani Davis (born 1949[1]) is an American playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter. She is a graduate of Barnard College and attended graduate school at both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.[2] In 1992, Davis received a Grammy Award for her album notes on Aretha Franklin's Queen Of Soul — The Atlantic Recordings, becoming the first female recipient of this award.[3][4] Davis wrote for the Village Voice for more than a decade,[2][3] including authoring the obituary for fellow poet and Barnard alumna June Jordan.[5] Thulani Davis is a contemporary of and collaborator with Ntozake Shange.[6][7]

Biography

Thulani Davis was born to two educators from Virginia,[2] Willie ("Billie") Louise Barbour Davis and Collis Huntington Davis, Sr.[1] The Davises are a prominent African-American family of Virginia and the subject of her 2006 book, My Confederate Kinfolk.

Davis graduated from the Putney School in 1966 and continued her education at Barnard College, from which she graduated in 1970.[1] Davis also attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.[2] After graduating from Barnard, Davis moved to San Francisco where she worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Sun-Reporter, reporting on news stories such as the Soledad Brothers trial and the Angela Davis case.[1][2] Davis became a performing poet and worked with a number of musicians and poets in San Francisco.[2] She also joined the Third World Artists Collective, collaborating with Ntozake Shange and others.[1]

Davis returned to New York City in the 1970s. There, she wrote for the Village Voice for 13 years, eventually working her way up to serve as Senior Editor.[1][2] In the mid-1980s Davis collaborated with her cousin, composer Anthony Davis, in order to write the libretto to X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X. The two collaborated again in 1997 when Davis wrote the libretto to Amistad.[1] Davis was also involved in the creation of documentaries and film after moving back to New York City. Her filmmaker brother, Collis Huntington Davis, Jr., introduced her to other black filmmakers. Through these connection, Davis became involved in the making of documentaries;[2] the first with which she was associated aired on PBS.[2] She continues to work on a number of creative projects including operas, films, novels, and plays.

Davis is an ordained Buddhist priest in the Jodo Shinshu sect.[8] She founded the Brooklyn Buddhist Association with her husband Joseph Jarman.[3]

Works

Books

Film

Plays

Musical works

Documentaries and recordings

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Guide to the Davis Family Papers, 1876-2007 and undated, bulk 1924-2004". David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Thulani Davis, a voice of the written word". African American Registry. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Thulani Davis". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "The GRAMMYs' Trailblazing Women, Part One". Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Davis, Thulani (June 25, 2002). "June Jordan, 1936–2002". Village Voice. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Thulani Davis by Stephanie Fleischmann". BOMB Magazine. Fall 1990.
  7. ↑ "Black music / Ntozake Shange and Thulani Davis ; interviewed by Joan Thornell". Pacifica Radio Archives. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Masaoka, Miya. "Rules of Engagement". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
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