Black Novel Dedications

If you’ve ever wondered about the dedications offered by Black novelists in their books, then guess what? You’re not alone. Dedications, like the table of contents, copyright page, acknowledgements, and book blurbs are thought to be para-texts, that is, items that are a part of the book, but outside the main narrative.   In addition Black Novel Dedications

The Processes of Literary Data Work

By Howard Rambsy II One reason we call what we’ve been doing “literary data work” concerns our processes of moving from literary study to the collection and organization of data to the production of data sheets, charts, visualizations, and other compositions. Our studies of literature do not always involve the uses of spreadsheets and data The Processes of Literary Data Work

The Literary Data Gallery

By Howard Rambsy II As part of our Black Literature Network grant funded by the Mellon Foundation, my brother Kenton Rambsy and I created the Literary Data Gallery — a resource showcasing visualizations about black creative works, creative artists, and literary scholars. The Gallery gives us an opportunity to manifest literary data work. So far, The Literary Data Gallery

Literary Data Work

By Howard Rambsy II Every year, if not every month, someone releases one of those lists. “25 Great Novels by African Americans to Read.” “30 books by Black Women.” “45 Books by Contemporary African American authors.” Then there are the timelines charting publications produced during a given span of years. These timelines and lists constitute Literary Data Work