A history of African American autobiography This History explores innovations in African American autobiography since its inception examining the literary and cultural history of Black self representation amid life writing studies. By analyzing the different forms of autobiography including pictorial and personal essays editorials oral histories testimonials diaries personal and open letters and even poetry performance media of autobiographies this book extends the definition of African American autobiography revealing how people of African descent have created and defined the Black self in diverse print cultures and literary genres since their arrival in the Americas. It illustrates ways African Americans use life writing and autobiography to address personal and collective Black experiences of identity family memory fulfillment racism and white supremacy. Individual chapters examine scrapbooks as a source of self documentation African American autobiography for children readings of African American persona poems mixed race life writing after the Civil Rights Movement and autobiographies by African American LGBTQ writers. 1. Introduction Joycelyn K. Moody Part I. Origins and Histories: 2. Black life writing and print culture before 1800 Rhondda Robinson Thomas 3. Reading the edited I Eric D. Lamore 4. An overview of nineteenth century slavery narratives William L. Andrews 5. 19th century autobiographical writings by freeborn African Americans John Ernest 6. African American life writing 1865 1900 Andreá N. Williams 7. Black life writing in print cultures at the turn into the twentieth century Lois Brown 8. New negro autobiographies Cherene Sherrard Johnson 9. Transnational and postcolonial Afro Caribbean life writings Nicole Aljoe 10. Writing race and remembrance in the Civil Rights Movement years Brian J. Norman 11. The biomedicalization of black life narratives Moya Bailey and Whitney Peoples Part II. Individuals and Communities: 12. Spiritual autobiography past and present Cedrick May 13. Life writings of contemporary African American women Barbara McCaskill 14. The Autobiography of Malcolm X James Smethurst 15. Black queer life writing Aliyyah Abdur Rahman 16. Black celebrity auto biographies Anthony Foy 17. Mixed race autobiographical narratives Caroline Streeter 18. Black biography and the complexities of telling anothers life Tara D. Green 19. Black lives in persona poems Howard Rambsy II 20. Depicting African American life in graphics and visual cultures Michael Chaney 21. Life writing for Black children and youth Giselle Anatol 22. Telling African American lives in literature for young readers Jonda McNair 23. Can cups be books Frances Smith Foster