VAMP 94 (from: Don't Woke Him, Let Him Slept: A Vamp on the American Wet Dream)

This excerpt originates from Harrison's currently in-progress memoir Don't Woke Him, Let Him Slept: A Vamp on the American Wet Dream. Weaving together moments from his social, political, and intellectual life as a playwright trying to work in film, Harrison clarifies some long persistent structural challenges for black artists in Hollywood. Within the context of this Close-Up, Harrison's "vamp" is especially apt as he describes how he ended up in Los Angeles and the horror-show-like atmosphere that he experienced. With humor and insight, Harrison catalogs the specific challenges for a New York– raised artist trying to make some headway into an industry interested in capitalizing on the moment.