Arthur Flowers facts for kids

Arthur R. Flowers, Jr. (born in 1950) is an American writer. He writes novels, memoirs, and performs poetry. His work often focuses on the experiences of African Americans. He explores topics like folklore, blues music, and a spiritual practice called hoodoo.

Flowers was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He served in the Vietnam War before starting his writing career. In New York City, he was a leader at the Harlem Writers Guild. Since 1996, he has been a professor at Syracuse University.

Today, Arthur Flowers lives in Syracuse, New York.

Biography

Early Life and Activism

Arthur Flowers was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a nurse and teacher. Growing up, he was part of the American Civil Rights Movement. This movement worked for equal rights for all people.

In high school, Flowers was known for being very smart. He was nicknamed "Mr. Brain." He was also known for his strong beliefs, earning the nickname "Bullet." In 1968, he heard Martin Luther King Jr. give his last speech. After King's assassination, Flowers led his high school class in a walkout. He has said they had "all kinds of riots" during this time.

Flowers later joined the U.S. Army. He was sent to Vietnam during the war. He had some disagreements with officers, which led to formal reviews of his actions. He has shared that being in the war changed how he saw history.

Writing Career and Guilds

After returning from Vietnam, Flowers moved to New York City. He joined writing workshops led by John Oliver Killens. Killens was an important person in the Black Arts Movement. Flowers looked up to Killens as his mentor.

Flowers became a member of the Harlem Writers Guild. This group was for African-American writers. Killens helped start it. Through the Guild, Flowers met other famous writers like Terry McMillan. He later became the executive director of the Harlem Writers Guild. Flowers also helped start the New Renaissance Writers Guild in New York City. He served as its executive director too.

In 1986, Flowers published his first novel, De Mojo Blues. The book is about three African-American soldiers. They try to get used to life in the United States after leaving the Vietnam War. Publishers Weekly called it "exquisitely written" and a "sincere and creative first novel." Paula Giddings wrote in Essence that it was a "compelling look" into the characters' lives.

His second novel, Another Good Loving Blues, came out in 1993. This story is about a hoodoo practitioner and a blues musician. They travel from Arkansas to Tennessee during the Great Migration. This was a time when many African Americans moved from the Southern U.S. to other parts of the country. Publishers Weekly described it as a "spirited effort." The New York Times called it a "charming, provocative novel."

In 1996, Flowers began teaching at Syracuse University. He taught in the Creative Writing Program. Since then, he has written a memoir called Mojo Rising (2001). He also wrote The Hoodoo Book of Flowers (2019), which is about hoodoo spiritualism. He has also written three books for young readers.

Work

Writing Style

Arthur Flowers's writing often sounds like blues music. He uses different dialects and African-American Vernacular English. His stories often begin with him talking directly to the reader. This shows his interest in old oral storytelling and hoodoo spiritualism. By saying he is the narrator, he also uses a technique called metafiction. Flowers calls his writing approach "literary hoodoo."

As a performer, Flowers has created a "blues-based act." He calls it "griotic performance." This style uses traditional African storytelling methods.

Main Ideas in His Work

Experts who study Flowers's novels often look at his main ideas. These include language, cultural traditions, and social responsibility.

The scholar Keith Gilyard says that in De Mojo Blues, Flowers shows how important language skills are for African-American culture. Another scholar, Patricia Schroeder, points out that Flowers wants to preserve history and traditions. She says Another Good Loving Blues shows his interest in connecting to history and community. She compares the book's structure to a traditional call-and-response song.

Kameelah Martin, another scholar, has studied Another Good Loving Blues. She says Flowers aims to connect and bring new life to two important parts of African-American culture: hoodoo and the blues.

Flowers's focus on tradition and community shows his deep care for social responsibility. According to Gilyard, he wants to "forge a modern myth" from African-American culture. He turns important stories, traditions, and places into what Deborah Smith Pollard calls "African-American holyground." By giving these traditions and places spiritual meaning, Flowers's work highlights the need to protect and grow them through community involvement.

Influences on His Work

Flowers has said that John Oliver Killens greatly influenced his writing. He has also spoken about the impact of African oral storytelling traditions. Scholars and critics have noted that writers like Zora Neale Hurston and Ishmael Reed have also influenced his work.

Honors

Arthur Flowers has received several awards for his writing:

• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction (1985)
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1991)
• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Nonfiction (1999)
• New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction (2008)
• Keeping the Blues Alive Award from The Blues Foundation (2008)

His work has been included in collections like Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction and Gumbo: An Anthology of African American Writing. He has also been a guest professor or speaker at many schools. He has been invited to speak at literary festivals, including the Jaipur Literature Festival in India.

Cultural Impact

Flowers helped with Spike Lee's 2020 movie, Da 5 Bloods. This film is about Vietnam War veterans. Spike Lee asked Flowers to be a consultant after reading his first novel, De Mojo Blues.