Haki Madhbuti shares literary talents with WSSU

Poet, essayist and entrepreneur, Haki Madhubuti, embodies a true spirit of renaissance man as he moves through the worlds of literature, business and education. Madhubuti was the guest speaker for a program was held by the Department of English and Foreign Languages on September 4. Many students were given opportunities to engage in conversation on issues of concern to African Americans.Madhubuti highlighted the importance of using reading and education to escape to a hard-knock life. From this experience he immersed himself in the black arts world. Madhubuti has published several collections, some of which he shared with the students. These collections included: Book of Life, Selected an New Poems, and Don’t Cry, Scream. Among Madhubuti’s writings to emerge from his Third World Press are Direction of Life.Madhubuti’s work charts the growth of Blackness within the individual consciousness. His work is especially characteristic of attempting to chart a way out of whiteness, allowing strength and self-determination for Black Americans. Madhubuti said he invested time in writing political essays, hoping to open the eyes of the public to the events and attitudes of the world around them. One of the most prominent African-American authors, Madhubuti published over twenty-two books of essays and poetry. This extraordinary aspect of his career relied upon the establishment of the Third World Press.Madhubuti said he was encouraged by acclaimed poet Gwendolyn Brooks to publish a collection of his poetry. The result, Think Black, appeared in 1966 and was entirely self-published and distributed. After selling several hundred copies of Think Black within a week, Madhubuti realized that the dream of independent publishing-free from established corporate interests-could be attained. The following year, Madhubuti and two partners launched the Third World Press in the basement of his Chicago apartment. With four hundred dollars and a mimeograph machine, an institution was born in this humble setting.Madhubuti now serves as the director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at Chicago State University, which hosts the Annual National Black Writers Conference.He and his wife, Safisha, are the founders of the Institute of Positive Education/New Concept School, a Chicago-based grade school that promotes an afrocentric curriculum.