New exhibit reflects on friendships among Black women writers

Published 8:00 am Sunday, February 5, 2023

Years ago, beloved poet Maya Angelou won an award and consequently received some money. Not long after, she mailed a letter to fellow poet and close friend Mari Evans with a check enclosed.

“She sends Mari Evans a check, and she [says], ‘I got a windfall and now you have a windfall,’ and I just thought that was just such a sweet thing that the award wasn’t just Maya Angelou’s; it was also her friend’s as well,” said Gabrielle M. Dudley, head of Research Services at Emory University’s Rose Library.

The correspondence between the two women is just one of many that can be found in a current exhibit, “She Gathers Me: Networks Among Black Women Writers,” at Mary Vinson Memorial Library through a partnership with Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University and the Georgia Public Library Service.

Originally on display at the Rose Library, the exhibit was curated by Dudley and examines the connections found within intimate correspondences, personal projects and speaking engagements and furthers the understanding of the interconnectedness of Black women writers beyond their published works. The exhibit features luminaries like Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Pearl Cleage, Tayari Jones and others.

“Through the exhibition, viewers will witness the ways that writers seek community with one another that may not always be apparent through published works,” said Dudley. “While close friendships can be seen throughout, viewers will also see how these women respectfully challenged and shaped each other’s ideas and perspectives.”

“She Gathers Me” is a colorful mosaic of six upright banners exploring the insights, experiences and relationships of the featured authors with each panel dedicated to a specific aspect of their community — Collective; Sister Writers; Dialogue; and Remembrance — so their works are never lost.

Dudley, who was previously the instruction archivist for Rose Library, said she was inspired to create the exhibit after showing students the connections between these writers for years.

“It really sort of settled on the themes of the exhibition … the places they were in dialogue, the places where they were sharing really close friendships, places where they disagreed and then also places where they were giving homage to Black women writers of the past,” she said.

Branch Manager Dana Portwood said she is excited for the opportunity to share a different aspect of the lives of prominent Black women authors.

“While we may be familiar with the names of these authors and their more popular works, this exhibit showcases a more intimate side of their lives and their creative process,” said Portwood. “Ms. Dudley… has curated a brilliant example of the intersectionality of the lives of some of our most well known Black authors and thinkers.”

Portwood said in a world where Black, female voices have long been suppressed and ignored, it is an honor to give an audience to these powerful women in a unique way.

Patrons are encouraged to explore, read and reflect the self-guided exhibit. The display is located on the second floor of the Mary Vinson Memorial Library where there is plenty of space and seating. Selected works of authors represented on the panels will be on display and available for checkout.

The exhibit is also being juxtaposed with the library’s Contemporary Black Authors Exhibit, which includes a large selection of works from the last two years of everything from cookbooks to fiction, general self improvement, life management and more.

“We are hoping to bring attention to both writers that we’re very familiar with that kind of laid the groundwork for Black authorship especially in fiction and then also show where we are now, where it has led to,” Portwood said. “Our contemporary display will be pretty extensive, and so we have items available from both of those eras for people to check out and just see what has changed, what has stayed the same and just be able to see the world through the eyes of people of color.”

“She Gathers Me” will be on display at the library until Feb. 20.

Dudley’s hope for the impact of the exhibit is twofold.

“I hope that [people] walk away with a great sense of the ways that archives can show these personal relationships that may not be apparent just reading someone’s book, but then on the other hand, I also hope that it will help folks to discover a new author that they can then go and read their work and engage with it.”