In the tradition of Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman, We Speak Your Names is an inspiring poem from New York Times bestselling author Pearl Cleage for all women—a perfect holiday gift destined to become a classic.
This is the poem that served as a centerpiece for Oprah’s documentary, “Legends Ball,” which aired in October 2005. O Magazine published an excerpt of the poem in August 2005, and this season, Oprah is promoting the poem’s publication in hardback by Random House in April 2006.
Angela Basset, Phylicia Rashad, Halle Berry, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Aretha Franklin, Coretta Scott King, Alicia Keys, Lena Horne, Toni Morrison, Rosa Parks, Tina Turner, and Diana Ross were among the many readers of the poem at the Legends Ball and many of them will be offering comments on the book.
Pearl Cleage is the author of Mad at Miles: A Black Woman's Guide to Truth and Deals with the Devil and Other Reasons to Riot. An accomplished playwright, she teaches playwriting at Spelman College, is a cofounder of the literary magazine Catalyst and writes a column for the Atlanta Tribune. Ms. Cleage lives in Atlanta with her husband.
