Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, in podcasts, and in books.
Today is a story of February 22nd
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It is the 53rd day of the year, leaving 312 days remaining in 2023.
He tells his stories, often about the oppressed fighting their oppressors, with sardonic language, satire, and unorthodox political and racial commentary. He injects ironic humor into his prose and poetry, exposing human excesses and absurdities and turning stereotypes upside down.
His writings combine standard English with language from the streets, music, film, and African-American culture, combining their dialect, slang, and rhythms to create a language that is familiar, yet unique.
One poem, written in 2007, questions the tired views of the cowboys and the Indians.
The pioneers and the indians
disagree about a lot of things
for example, the pioneer says that
when you meet a bear in the woods
you should yell at him and if that
doesn't work you should fell him
The indians say that you should
whisper to him softly and call him by
loving nicknames
No one's bothered to ask the bear
what he thinks
Reed's first novel, written in 1967, was The Freelance Pallbearers, about the Bukka Doopeyduk, who revolt against their despotic leader, Harry Sam, the ruler of the nation of Harry Sam. Perhaps his best known novel is Mumbo Jumbo, published in 1972, about a voodoo priest in Harlem battling the Wallflower Order, which is dedicated to wiping out the jes grew virus, a personification of ragtime, jazz, polytheism, and freedom.
One of Reed's plays, The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda, staged in 2019, critiques the author of the musical Hamilton, in part by having historical figures not in the musical confront Miranda about the omissions. He also says Miranda whitewashes Hamilton's views and actions, along with those of George Washington.
While living in New York City in the 1960s, Reed co-founded the underground newspaper, The East Village Other. Moving to the west coast in the 1970s, he taught at Berkeley for 35 years. He has written a dozen novels and seven collections of poetry.
His novels have been nominated for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In 1998, he was awarded the genius grant from the John T, and Catherine C. MacArthur Foundation.
Reed lives in Oakland, Calif.
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