Lisa Jones

Lisa Victoria Chapman Jones (born August 15, 1961)[1] is an American playwright, essayist, journalist, and memoirist.

For the biochemist, see Lisa Jones (scientist).

Lisa Jones
Born	(1961-08-15) August 15, 1961
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Yale University and New York University
Occupation	Author, Journalist and Playwright
Years active	1961- present
Spouse(s)	Kenneth S. Brown
Parent(s)	Hettie Jones and Amiri Baraka

Personal life and education

Jones grew up in New York City and Newark, New Jersey.[2] She is the daughter of poets Hettie Jones and Amiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones).[3] Jones graduated from Yale University and received a MFA in Film from New York University. She married Kenneth S. Brown in 2004 and their daughter was born in 2005. She is Jewish.[4]

Her sister, Dr. Kellie Jones,[1] is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University.[5]

Journalism

Jones joined the staff of the Village Voice in 1984 and wrote for the paper for 15 years.[6] She was known for her "Skin Trade" columns in the Village Voice, a selection of which were published as a book, Bulletproof Diva,[7] in 1994.[8]

Published works

Jones published a memoir, Good Girl in a Bad Dress, in 1999.[9] She also co-wrote three books with Spike Lee, all companion books to his films: Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Daze,[10] published in 1988, Do the Right Thing, published in 1989,[11] and Mo' Better Blues,[12] published in 1990. Her essays have been widely anthologized. One anthology is Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair.[13]

Plays

Jones wrote the plays Carmella & King Kong and Combination Skin while involved with the Rodeo Caldonia, a feminist collective of African-American women artists.[14][15] Combination Skin went on to premiere at Company One in Hartford, CT, in 1992. The New York Times Theater review called her "a fresh talent" and praised her "all-consuming vision".[16] Combination Skin was anthologized in Contemporary Plays by Women of Color.[2] Jones also created three works for the New American Radio series of National Public Radio: Aunt Aida's Hand (1989), Stained (1991), and Ethnic Cleansing (1993).[17] Aunt Aida's Hand and Stained were collaborations with Alva Rogers, who was also a Rodeo Caldonia member.[15][17] In 1995, Jones and Rogers received a joint choreography and creator Bessie Award for their collaborative work.[18]

References

1. Ellis, Trey (1988). Platitudes & "The new black aesthetic". Northeastern University Press, Ann Arbor. ISBN 1-55553-586-0
2. Perkins, Kathy and Uno, Roberta (1996). Contemporary Plays by Women of Color: an anthology. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-11378-4
3. Stetler, Carrie. "Still rebellious after all these years: Amiri Baraka turns 75, and Newark celebrates with five days of events", The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ, October 2, 2009.
4. The World According to Lisa Jones : Literature: The essayist writes about a place where hair explains history and any woman with lip and nerve can be a 'bulletproof diva.' June 29, 1994|MERI NANA-AMA DANQUAH | Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/1994-06-29/news/ls-9828_1_bulletproof-diva
5. "Kellie Jones Faculty Directory Department of Art History and Archaeology". Columbia University. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
6. Tate, Greg. "License to Ill: Black journalism in the pages of the 'Voice'", Village Voice, New York, October 18, 2005.
7. Jones, Lisa (1994). Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-47122-X
8. Solberg, Judy. "Prepub Alert", Library Journal, New York, December 1993.
9. Jones, Lisa (1999). Good Girl in a Bad Dress. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50180-7
10. Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1988). Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Daze. Fireside, New York. ISBN 0-671-64418-1
11. Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1989). Do the Right Thing. Fireside, New York. ISBN 0-671-68265-2
12. Lee, Spike; Jones, Lisa (1990), Mo' Better Blues, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-671-72570-9
13. https://ew.com/article/1994/04/29/bulletproof-diva-tales-race-sex-and-hair/
14. Taumann, Beatrix (1999). Strange Orphans: Contemporary African American Women Playwrights. Würzburg, Königshausen & Neumann. ISBN 3-8260-1681-5
15. Shipp, E. R. "Their Muse Is Malcolm X", New York Times, December 4, 1988.
16. Klein, Alvin. "Theater Review: In the 90's, Questions Of Color And Identity", New York Times, October 18, 1992.
17. "Lisa Jones and Alva Rogers: Stained". Somewhere.org. Archived from the original on 2009-12-27. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
18. "'Bessies' Go to New Artists and Philip Glass", New York Times, September 18, 1995.

Further reading

• "Lisa Jones: Combination Skin", in Beatrix Taumann, "Strange Orphans": Contemporary African American Women Playwrights, pp. 279–86.

External links

• Meri Nana-Ama Danquah, "The World According to Lisa Jones : Literature: The essayist writes about a place where hair explains history and any woman with lip and nerve can be a 'bulletproof diva.'" Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1994.