Song of the Land: Celebrating the Works of Mildred D. Taylor

Contributions by Jennifer Ansbach, Jani L. Barker, Melissa Bedford, Helen Bond, Wanda M. Brooks, Susan Browne, Sabrina Carnesi, Emily Cardinali Cormier, Y. Falami Devoe, Bahar Eshraq, Latrice Ferguson, Catharine Kane, Michelle H. Martin, Devika Mehra, Ngozi Onuora, Lauren Rizzuto, Shelly Shaffer, Bryanna Tidmarsh, Ann Van Wig, Annette Wannamaker, and Raen Parker Washington

A major figure in African American children’s literature, Mildred D. Taylor (b. 1943), has been publishing groundbreaking, award-winning books for fifty years, including Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Song of the Trees, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, The Friendship, The Road to Memphis, and The Land. Taylor’s renowned Logan family saga has become a staple in classrooms and libraries, resonating internationally with its profound impact on readers. Her significance in literature extends beyond captivating storytelling. She has effectively illuminated the struggles and triumphs of African American families, challenging societal norms and shedding light on historical injustices. Through compelling narratives rooted in personal experiences and family history, Taylor has enriched the literary landscape and sparked crucial conversations about race, resilience, and the enduring power of love and courage in the face of adversity.

Yet, her significant literary contributions have not received the critical recognition they deserve. Seeking to fill that gap, Song of the Land: Celebrating the Works of Mildred D. Taylor, brings together creative and critical responses to Taylor’s work and ongoing legacy. The chapters in this anthology represent an array of disciplines and theoretical lenses, highlighting the impact of African American children’s literature. Song of the Land is an invitation to learn more about Taylor’s work, which lays bare the dangers of white supremacy and racism in American society.

Sarah Layzell is a writer and editor. Their research has focused on economics in children’s literature and sports in children’s literature. Layzell is author of the children’s novel, Cottonopolis. Tammy L. Mielke is an English language arts teacher and academic. Her research focuses on the ways in which culture is represented in literature intended for children and young adults. Her previous publications include a history of illustrations of Little Black Sambo and responses to African American dialect in children’s literature in the 1930s. She has also published on steampunk, representations of religion in YA fiction, and the concept of flow in coteaching contexts. Michelle H. Martin became the Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Services in the Information School at University of Washington in 2016, and she was the inaugural Augusta Baker Endowed Chair in Childhood Literacy at the University of South Carolina from 2011-2016. Her current research project, Dream Keepers for Children of the Sun, is a critical analysis of the collaborative and individual works that Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps wrote for children during their 40-year friendship. Martin co-founded with Dr. Rachelle Washington Read-a-Rama (www.Read-a-Rama.org), a non-profit that uses children’s books as the springboard for programming.