On the occasion of his 1967 collection titled Tales, the renaissance man presently known as Amiri Baraka was described as "…at the center of the drama of contemporary America." Using a geometric concept of our own, January 16 will mark the 40-plus year return of his Obie Award winning play “The Dutchman” to its original venue at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. Directed by Bill Duke and starring Dulé Hill in the Robert Hooks-originated role, The Dutchman is a classic play that confronts issues of race, gender and class.
Making his way downtown, where his presence in the American avant-garde movement was solidified, Amiri Baraka will join forces with fellow scribes Felicia Luna Lemus and Aaron Petrovich at The Kitchen for the Akashic Books co-sponsored evening of readings and discussion on each writer’s recent release March 26. Baraka’s latest, Tales of the Out & the Gone, which includes both narratives on his life and entertaining commentaries on social issues, is in stores now.
