<I>Some Men</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1981
name: label: Written by
content: Ntozake Shange, American, 1948 - 2018
label: Illustrated by
content: Wopo Holup, American
label: Printed by
content: Unidentified
notes: label: Description
content: A booklet of poems entitled “Some Men” written by Ntozake Shange. The images in the booklet were illustrated by Wopo Holup. The poems have been presented in a booklet format that resembles a highschool dance card, a small booklet that would be tied to the wrist of a girl attending a high school dance. The booklet has an orange cover that features an illustration of a man in a black suit with a bow tie, dancing with a woman with long hair in an outlined dress. The booklet has a black, grosgrain ribbon attached through a hole punch through the top, left corner of the booklet and the ribbon strands have been knotted together near the ribbon ends. The text on the booklet cover at the top reads [SOME MEN] and at the bottom reads [ntozake shange / wopo holup]. The booklet has forty-eight cream colored pages and an orange flyleaf page at each end of the book. Most of the pages have poetry, an illustration or both printed on it. Several of the pages have illustrations depicting a table that holds a bowl, a picture frame and a lamp shaped like a woman, holding the lamp shade with one hand while holding the lightbulb in her mouth. Another set of illustrations depicts a table with a vase of flowers. Three pages resemble dance card pages, with filigree pattern borders with the names of dances listed followed by a blank lines. Several of these lines have been filled in printed script that reads [some men]. Four pages depict a picture frame, four pages have been filled in with illustrations of pink, orange, purple, blue and red flowers and four pages have illustrations depicting male figures pointing guns and female figures with their arms stretched out. All of the illustrations are references to lines of Shange's poems, many of which depict violence and sexual aggression towards women. At the center of the book are six entirely black pages and there are eight pages that have been left blank. The booklet has a handwritten number and has been signed by poet and illustrator inside front cover.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Feminism
label: Topic
content: Gender
label: Topic
content: Identity
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
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Wopo Holup
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2013.85.1
objectType: label: Type
content: pamphlets
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © ntozake shange/poetry wopo holup/images © may 1981
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper with ribbon and metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Booklet): 4 1/4 × 3 1/4 × 1 15/16 in. (10.8 × 8.3 × 5 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Booklet and ribbon): 11 7/16 × 3 1/4 × 1 15/16 in. (29 × 8.3 × 5 cm)