- On View
- Community/Third Floor, 3 050
- Museum Maps
- Objects in this Location
- Published by
- Bantam Books, Inc., American, founded 1945
- Written by
- Shange, Ntozake, American, 1948 - 2018
- Date
- 1978; reprinted 1980
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 7 × 4 1/8 × 1/2 in. (17.8 × 10.5 × 1.3 cm)
- Description
- A paperback edition of Nappy Edges by Ntozake Shange.
- 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:
- “*the roots of your hair / what
- turns back when we sweat, run,
- make love, dance, get afraid get
- happy: the tell-tale sign of living”
- 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.
- Classification
- Books and Published Materials
- Type
- books
- Topic
- Literature
- Poetry
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ntozake Shange
- Object number
- 2016.131.3.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Ntozake Shange
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




