3177058crime and the City Solution Crime Fiction, Urban Knowledge, And Radical Geography
Urban Fiction
description
Transcript of Urban Fiction
A genre of fiction that usually centers on the dark side of urban life. Largely written by and for the African-American community, Urban Fiction novels commonly include frequent profanity, violence, graphic sex and crime.
While often criticized for portraying the “hood” or urban “lifestyle” as glamorous,
many of the novels end on a positive note – often with a plot that involves a moral or
ethical dilemma not unlike less graphic novels considered to be “mainstream.”
Iceberg SlimIceberg SlimAka Robert Beck Aka Robert Beck
August 4, 1918 – April 28, 1992
PimpPimpTrick BabyTrick BabyLong White ConLong White ConThe Naked Soul Of Iceberg SlimThe Naked Soul Of Iceberg SlimMama Black WidowMama Black WidowAirtight Willie and MeAirtight Willie and MeDeathwishDeathwishDoom FoxDoom Fox
Donald GoinesDonald Goines
December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974
Aka Al C. ClarkAka Al C. Clark
DopefiendDopefiendWhoresonWhoresonBlack GangsterBlack GangsterStreet PlayersStreet PlayersWhite Man's Justice,White Man's Justice, Black Man's GriefBlack Man's GriefBlack Girl LostBlack Girl LostEldorado RedEldorado RedSwamp ManSwamp ManNever Die AloneNever Die Alone
Crime PartnersCrime PartnersDeath ListDeath ListCry RevengeCry RevengeKenyatta's EscapeKenyatta's EscapeDaddy CoolDaddy CoolKenyatta's Last HitKenyatta's Last HitInner City HoodlumInner City Hoodlum
Ice-T releases his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987, containing (arguably) the first “gangsta rap” song – “6 n the mornin.”
“Once you open an Iceberg Slim book, you’re instantly taken into a world of hustlers, pimps, con-artists, and bad, fast women. The stuff I loved! My friends and I felt like we were part of this cult-like underground, ‘cause they let us in on something real – Iceberg’s words. These words had a profound effect on my career and life.” – Ice-T, introduction to Doom Fox
N.W.AN.W.A
Boogie Boogie Down Down
ProductiProductionsons
PubliPublic c
EneEnemymy
Too ShortToo Short
TupacTupac
Dr. DreDr. Dre SnooSnoop p
DoggDogg
OnyxOnyx
NotoriouNotorious B.I.Gs B.I.G
RaekwonRaekwon
MobMobb b
DeepDeep
“If Black people kill Black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?” - Sister Souljah, 1992.
Those words are "filled with the kind of hatred that you do not honor today.“ – Bill Clinton, in response to Sister Souljah’s comments regarding the 1992 Riots in Los Angeles.
Sister SouljahSister Souljah
The Coldest Winter Ever and True to the Game, both
published in 1999, are widely considered responsible for the renewed popularity in
Urban Fiction today.
19991999
An Overview of Modern Urban Fiction•Often referred to as street lit, hip-hop books, black pulp fiction, ghetto lit/ghetto books, gangsta lit•The average protagonist is an African-American female between the ages of 15 and 25•Common subjects featured in urban fiction: abortion, crime, premarital sex, incarceration, violence, murder, rape, abuse, pregnancy, drugs•Written in first person, non-standard English, prominently featuring the use of slang and frequent profanity. •Money and sex are most often the means used by the female protagonist in order to gain power and dominate others. • Most of the more popular titles are actually “cautionary tales,” as the protagonist learns from his/her experiences or mistakes and offers words of advice for readers.
Readers of Urban Fiction
•The average reader is female, African-American, between the ages of 15 and 30.•Readers come from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds – the audience is not limited to poor/working class communities (which most of the stories focus on. )•The novels seem to satisfy a natural curiosity for taboo subjects – drug use, sex, sensuality, and abuse. •The subject matter can also inform readers on issues such as love, relationships and escape from traditional gender roles. •May provide the reader a more “honest” depiction of the African-American female, as opposed to stereotypical roles in traditional media.
Popular authors
T.N. Baker Tracy Brown Chunichi Wahida Clark Eric Jerome Dickey Keisha Ervin Nina Foxx Shannon Holmes La Jill Hunt Brenda Jackson Jihad Solomon Jones Dwayne S. Joseph K'wan
Thomas Long Victor L. Martin Noire Gary Phillips Daaimah S. Poole Sister Souljah Vicki Stringer Nikki Turner Omar Tyree Carl Weber Tu-Shonda Whitaker KaShamba Williams Teri Woods Zane
Publishers
Triple Crown PublicationsMacavelli PressQ-Boro BooksGhetto Heat
Kensington Books Dafina Simon and Schuster’s Strebor line
Melodrama PublishingSt. Martin’s Griffin Imprint
Urban Books PressCartel Publications
Gorilla Convict Publications Wahida Clark Publishing
A “starter-Kit” Collection of titles
Brown, Tracy (2003). Black: A street tale. Brown, Tracy (2007). White lines. Goines, Donald. (anything by) Holmes, Shannon (2003). B-more carefulHolmes, Shannon (2007). Dirty Game. Jones, Solomon (2001). Pipe dreamKing, Deja (2005). Bitch K'wan (2003). Gangsta: An urban tragedy. (and anything else by K'wan)Slim, Iceberg. (anything by)Souljah, Sister. (anything by)Stringer, Vickie (2006). Dirty redStringer, Vickie (2002). Let that be the reason.
Stringer, Vickie (2008). Still dirty. Styles, T. (2007). Black and UglySwinson, Kiki (2005). I'm still Wifey.
Swinson, Kiki (2007). Life after Wifey. Swinson, Kiki (2008). Still Wifey material. Swinson, Kiki (2004). Wifey: A novel. Teague, Kwame. (anything by)Tyree, Omar (2005). Boss Lady. Tyree, Omar (1996). Flyy girl. Tyree, Omar (2000). For the love of money. Williams, KaShamba (2003) Blinded.
Woods, Teri (1994). True to the game: Woods, Teri (2007). True to the game II. Woods, Teri (2008). True to the game III.
A “starter-Kit” Collection of “safe” YA titles
Booth, Coe. Tyrell. Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bucking the SargeFlake, Sharon . The Skin I’m InFrost, Helen . Keesha’s HouseGrimes, Nikki . Bronx MasqueradeJames, Brian. Tomorrow MaybeJohnson, Angela . The First Last PartLangan, Paul . Blood is Thicker Lipsyte, Robert. The BraveMyers, Walter Dean . MonsterMyers, Walter Dean. DopesickOrtiz Cofer, Judith . An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio
Pearsall, Shelley . All of the AboveSchraff, Anne . A Matter of Trust Sitomer, Alan. HomeboyzSoto, Gary. Buried OnionsStrasser, Todd. Can’t Get There From HereStrasser, Todd. If I Grow UpVan Diepen, Allison. SnitchVan Diepen, Allison. Street PharmWolff, Virginia Euwer . True BelieverWoodson, Jaqueline . Autobiography of a Family PhotoWright, Bil . When the Black Girl Sings