Soul Talk: The New Spirituality of African American Women

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN / SPIRITUALITY “Soul Talk is a worthy tribute to Toni Cade Bambara and to the lives and work of African American women writers.” –Toni Morrison, author of Beloved and Paradise “The explorations and truths that waft up from this powerful, practical and nourishing gumbo make interesting reading for anyone. In this intelligent work of the heart and spirit, Hull reveals the exquisite and reflective interiors of African-American women.” –Publishers Weekly “Hull has given us new revelations. I have seen many of my sisters embracing a new light in their lives–African American women giving birth to brightness and walking along the river of grace and redemption. This book talks to me. Soul to soul.” –E. Ethelbert Miller, author of Fathering Words “Akasha Hull’s Soul Talk offers us a cartography of New Age spirituality from the perspective of African American women. Embracing Spirit as a world view infused with political aspirations and creative impulses, she visions a new trinity of renewal and redemption, grounded in suffering, survival, and resistance.” –Bettina Aptheker, chair of women’s studies, University of California, Santa Cruz “A beautiful testament and tribute to the power of black women. Here, the one-dimensional New Age paradigm shifts to a “True Age” model for integrating spirituality, politics, and creativity. This book will help men understand why women are, and must be, in the forefront of a spiritual culture that could save us all. Ache O.” –Luisah Teish, author of Jambalaya From the last part of the twentieth century through today, African American women have experienced a revival of spirituality and creative force, fashioning from old traditions and New Age practices a unique way to connect with the divine. In Soul Talk, Akasha Gloria Hull examines this multifaceted spirituality that has fostered both personal healing and artistic brilliance, and has functioned as a formidable weapon against racism and social injustice. Through fascinating conversations with some of today’s most creative and powerful women, the author explores how this new spiritual consciousness is manifested, how it affects the women who practice it, and how its effects can be carried to others. AKASHA GLORIA HULL, PH.D., is a writer, professor of literature and women’s studies, lecturer, and consultant. Her previous books include Color, Sex, and Poetry: Three Women Writers of the Harlem Renaissance; Give Us Each Day: The Diary of Alice Dunbar-Nelson; All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave; and Healing Heart: Poems 1973-1987. She lives in northern California.