<I>Nappy Edges</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1978; reprinted 1980
name: label: Published by
content: Bantam Books, Inc., American, founded 1945
label: Written by
content: Ntozake Shange, American, 1948 - 2018
notes: label: Description
content: A paperback edition of Nappy Edges by Ntozake Shange.
label: Description
content: The cover of the book features a portrait of Shange, in three-quarters profile, dressed in yellow, with layers of gold necklaces and gold earrings. Above her is the title [nappy edges] in a decorative rainbow font against a white background. There is a black band along the interior edge with white text reading [poems by Ntozake shange / author of for colored girls…]. The first interior page has the poem “What Do You Believe a Poem Shd Do?” along with two quotes from critics. The title page has the title [nappy edges* / ntozake shange] at the top and at the bottom is the text:
label: Description
content: “*the roots of your hair / what
label: Description
content: turns back when we sweat, run,
label: Description
content: make love, dance, get afraid get
label: Description
content: happy: the tell-tale sign of living”
label: Description
content: The dedication page includes a list of dedicatees along with a message to Romare Bearden, a poem by Lawson Inada, and a quote from Anais Nin. There is a table of contents listing the poems by titled sections: “things i wd say,” “love & other highways,” “closets,” “& she bleeds,” and “whispers with the unicorn.” There are 144 numbered pages, with a biography of Shange on the final, unnumbered page. The back cover is white, with the title in the same rainbow text as the front cover, this one including the asterisk and corresponding poem from the title page. Also included is a summary of the book and a quote from a critic.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Literature
label: Topic
content: Poetry
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Books and Published Materials
label: Exhibition
content: Forces for Change: Mary McLeod Bethune and Black Women's Activism
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ntozake Shange
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2016.131.3.2
objectType: label: Type
content: books
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Ntozake Shange
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 7 × 4 1/8 × 1/2 in. (17.8 × 10.5 × 1.3 cm)