URBAN/STREET LITERATURE

By Angie Green and Paula Shapiro

Also Known As…

Hip-Hop Lit

Urb

an Lit

Urban Fiction

Phat LitStreet Lit

Gangsta Lit

Urban

Pulp

Fict

ion

Ghetto Fiction

Hood Lit

Definition

Street Literature Raw, gritty urban stories set in the violent, dangerous,

familiar, and sometimes exhilarating landscape of the streets, featuring tough characters (often African American) and focusing on themes of interpersonal relationships and survival by any means necessary. (Honig, p. ix)

African American Literature Simply, writings by people of African descent living in

the U.S.

Definition cont.

Same feel as Hip-Hop Lyrics Sensationalizes inner-city conditions Gratuitous Graphic Not African American Literature

Common Characteristics

Settings Urban areas Street life

Characters Young adults Females in turmoil Males often are abusive, drug dealers, in jail

Plot Action is fast-paced Conflict driven

Themes Violence, death, drugs, sex, crime, etc.. Modern Cautionary Tales

Common Characteristics cont’d

Writing Styles First Person Street Slang and Hip-Hop Verbiage Profanity

Authenticity Write From Personal Knowledge

Paperback Covers Similar to Rap Albums

History

Authentic tone, flavor, appeal connected to publishing history

Non-conformist attitudes with mainstream publishing Whiteness Middle/upper class aspirations

Market to own communities Authors maintain creative control

History cont.

Self-published Independent publishers Poorly edited Began selling titles from the trunks of

their cars Reviews

Iceberg Slim

August 4, 1918 – April 28, 1992

Robert Beck

Donald Goines

December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974

That credit you dead it, I know heads gettin'

annoyed, And knew all about a dope

fiend before reading Donald Goines

-from 'Can I Live II' Reasonable Doubt (Jay-Z)

[1999]

pseudonym: Al C. Clark

Rise of Contemporary Street Lit

Began with two street-themed novels Published by Simon & Schuster Large-scale attention Independent authors gain underground

success Not targeted to teens but they were

reading it!

Sister Souljah

www.sistersouljah.com

April 21, 2011Chicago Public Library

400 State StreetChicago, IL 60605

6:00 pm

Independent Authors Gain Followers

Zane

Vickie Stringer

Publishing Houses

http://www.triplecrownpublications.com/theblog/

Vicki Stringer

http://www.teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html

Carl Weber

http://www.urbanbooks.net

Major Publishing Houses

Why teens like it

Just Like Shakespeare… Similar themes of love, sex, jealousy, betrayal,

murder, and revenge Meaningful Reflection of experience Identify with characters Engage at safe distance Entertainment Risk-free thrills Escape

Value of Urban Lit

Harry Potter phenomenon Teens need books with which they can

identify Morals across all cultures Appeals to “Picky” Readers Confidence Gateway for discussions Reading = Bigger World

Core Collection Sample

Books from Research

Read-a-like Titles

What Else?

Read a Book

Blokhedz

Criticisms/Controversy

Inappropriate Language and/or Sexual Content

Glorifies Sex, Drugs, and Crime Exposed To Dangerous Ideas

May Emulate Language and Behaviors Negative Portrayal of Women and GLBTs Portrayal of African American Community

Reinforces Stereotypes

Criticisms/Controversy cont.

Literary Quality Grammar/Spelling Focuses on Plot

Shelving Inclusive Collection

Reviews

“Word on the Street Lit” – Library Journal

Newsletters

Book Smack

Word on the Street Lit

Professional Materials

Urban Grit: A Guide to Street LitBy: Megan Honing

The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Street Literature

By: Vanessa Irvin Morris

Experts?

Megan Honig

aka Ms. Dominohttp://missdomino.blogspot.comhttp://kcboyd.wikispaces.com

http://www.meganhonig.com

KC Boyd

Vanessa Irvin Morrishttp://www.vanirvinmorris.com

Websites, Wikis and Blogs

Street Fiction www.streetfiction.org Street Literature www.streetliterature.com Phat Fiction Wiki

www.phatfiction.wikispaces.com Library Success Wiki

http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Urban_Fiction/Street_Lit

ALA Wiki http://wiki.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php/street_lit_collection_development_resources

KC Boyd (aka Ms. Domino) http://missdomino.blogspot.com

Bottom Line