I'm trying to make the poems as musical as I can - from the inception. So that whether they're read on the page, or people read them aloud, or I read them aloud, the musicality will be kind of a given. Amiri Baraka aloudinceptionkind share on social
The poet is someone, I think, who's interested in registering experience immediately or giving you the sense of immediacy and directness. Amiri Baraka directnessexperiencegive Change image and share on social
There will be, and should be, reams and reams of analysis, even praise, for our friend but also even larger measures of non-analysis and, certainly, condemnation for James Baldwin, the Negro writer. Amiri Baraka analysisbaldwincondemnation Change image and share on social
Spike Lee is part of a retrograde movement in this country. Amiri Baraka countryleemovement Change image and share on social
I always liked jazz. And my people liked the old blues, race records and the doo-wop and all that. Amiri Baraka bluedoojazz Change image and share on social
The artist's role is to raise the consciousness of the people. To make them understand life, the world and themselves more completely. That's how I see it. Otherwise, I don't know why you do it. Amiri Baraka artistcompletelyconsciousness Change image and share on social
I changed my name when we became aware of the African revolution and the whole question of our African roots. Amiri Baraka africanawarechange Change image and share on social
My family came to Newark in the '20s. We've been there a long, long time. My father's name was LeRoi, the French-ified aspect of it, because his first name was Coyette, you see. They come from South Carolina. Amiri Baraka 20saspectcarolina share on social
It seems natural to me that as a writer, you should have some kind of, you know, there should be some kind of projection that you actually have influenced people who are closest to you. Amiri Baraka closeinfluencekind Change image and share on social
A man is either free or he is not. There cannot be any apprenticeship for freedom. Amiri Baraka apprenticeshipfreefreedom Change image and share on social
