American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

The first of five collaborations between H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. In this story, a wizard uses black magic to punish his adulterous wife. Through a framed narrative our authors give us a window into the mind of the villain.

In 1862, William Wells Brown wrote a series of short biographies of black activists, politicians, scientists, and artists in an attempt to prove black people's capacity for self-rule in the context of the Emancipation Proclamation. It begins with a great philosophical essay.

The final by-line publication by H. P. Lovecraft during his life was THE HAUNTER IN THE DARK. I explore this story in this episode, finishing up the formal read through of his works.

In this episode I look at a play by William Wells Brown called THE ESCAPE. It is an effective look at the horrors of slavery and the necessity of resistance.

The second part of my review of THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME by H. P. Lovecraft. I cannot believe I made it this far. There is still a lot to look at in future episodes but only one more "by-line" publication. Anyway, this story is good.

An only slightly deeper look at William Wells Brown THE AMERICAN FUGITIVE IN EUROPE. The second half of this travelogue focuses on Browns' travels through Britain, him seeing the homes and monuments of great writers, and some of his anti-slavery work.

William Wells Brown spent 1849-1854 in Europe doing anti-slavery work. This narrative of these years reads more like a traditional travelogue than a polemical text, and that is okay.

The first half of my review of H. P. Lovecraft's THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME. This story is a nice mix of cosmic horror, science fiction, and horror. It also has one of Lovecraft's most well-developed protagonists.

CLOTEL is the first novel by an African-American in the United States. While not a plot-driven page-turner, William Wells Brown created a convincing portrait of the sexual and gender politics in American slavery.

Another H. P. Lovecraft story (THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP) is explored in this episode. You think your marriage is bad. Try being married to a bossy lady who is actually an old wizard who wants your body (not in that way).