Eroticism, Spirituality, and Resistance in Black Women's Writings

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Many people and institutions contributed to the development of this book. My gratitude first goes to the readers who critiqued the chapters of this project : Opal Palmer Adisa, Susan Schweik, David Lloyd, Margaret Wilkerson, and especially the late Barbara Christian—to whom this book is dedicated. A Career Enhancement Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation allowed me to take a year’s leave from teaching in order to begin this manuscript in its current evolution. I would like to thank Richard Hope, Sylvia Sheridan, and William Mitchell at Woodrow Wilson, as well as Lydia English at the Mellon Foundation, for their support of that program and for providing mentorship and support over the years for me and for the thousands of Mellon fellows in graduate schools and academic positions across the nation. Neither my career nor this book would have been possible without the support of the Mellon and Woodrow Wilson Foundations. Thanks go out, as well, to Florida International University for providing partial support for my Career Enhancement Fellowship year and to Dean Furton, Provost Berkman, and Vice-Provost Wartzok for their generous support of this book and of my career at Florida International University. Many people read different versions of this manuscript as it underwent various revisions, and I am grateful to all of them for their loving energy, outstanding collegiality, and firm commitment to seeing me complete a project they sincerely believed in. Critic Houston Baker’s incisive comments encouraged me to push beyond my comfort zone and to settle for nothing short of excellence. I am grateful to my colleagues Candice Jenkins, Arlene Keizer, and Kwame Dawes, who offered significant insights. In addition to writing brilliant critical texts to which my own work is much indebted, both Candice and Arlene have been especially generous and careful readers. I thank also my former teacher, the late Myrna D. Bain, who first made me aware of the critical connections between Afro-Jamaican spirituality and other African-derived spiritual practices in the black diaspora. Similarly, other Hunter College professors (Frank Kirkland, Audre Lorde, Dona x / Acknowledgments Marimba Richards, Melinda Goodman, Louise DeSalvo, Alan Brick, and Richard Barickman) were all instrumental in setting me along the path I am traveling today. To my colleagues Kathleen McCormack, Tometro Hopkins, and Mary Free in the English Department of Florida International University, whose support for this project and for my career have been unwavering since the first day I met each of them, I extend my sincere gratitude. My colleague Meri-Jane Rochelson also read this manuscript in various stages of its development and never refused me when I called on her for feedback on a section or chapter that was particularly challenging. In addition to her professional support, Meri-Jane’s support of me personally cannot be over-stated. I feel very blessed to have both her and Kathleen as dear friends and colleagues. Thanks go out to all of my colleagues in Arts and Sciences at Florida International University, and especially to my colleagues in English and African New World Studies. I am also grateful for the support of the F.I.U. libraries and staff and, most especially, for Steve Switzer and George Pearson who went above and beyond the call of duty to assist me in my research. The University Press of Florida, and especially my acquiring editor, Amy Gorelick, believed in this project before it reached maturity and carefully shepherded me through every stage of its development. I value Amy’s dedication , professionalism, and the meticulous care she took to ensure that this manuscript found fair and capable readers. I also appreciate—and have responded to—the insightful comments made by the anonymous readers of my manuscript. Carine Mardorossian went above and beyond the efforts of many readers. Her meticulous reviews, incisive queries, and generous praise for the project helped to shape and sharpen my critical thinking and writing. Because of her generosity as a critic this book is a much improved product. Thanks also to Michele Fiyak-Burkley and Ray Brady who painstakingly edited the final draft of this book. Toward the end, when I needed support to finish well, Tiffany Pogue and Simone Bailey came through for me like true sister-friends. I also appreciate the proofreading skills Paulette Kerr offered at the earlier stages of this project. Thanks go out as well to a wonderful research assistant, Alisha Grines, who was a great resource during a critical stage in the life of...