Mark Griffith

Manchester

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Articles

Harlem on our minds: The impact and legacy of our cultural institutions

1 week ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

“Think about how this community has continued to exist. Think about all those other communities that have disappeared or burnt to the ground. We’ve been able to continue to thrive for a number of reasons, but I think it’s because we’ve been such a cultural center. — Sydney BriggsThe recent death of Charlie Rangel, the “Lion of Lenox Avenue” who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 46 years, showed just what the Black community is made of.
Supernatural stories coming out this summer

3 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

Now that you’ve seen “Sinners,” surely you’re hankering for some more playtime with the otherworldly, the un/dead, and all things fantastically Black. If so, this is your lucky summer. Three novels by Black authors that are on sale in the coming weeks delve, in their own distinct ways, into supernatural realms that feature adventures in Black culture, family, and community.
A conversation with ‘The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery’ author Clarence A. Haynes

3 weeks ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

Clarence A. Haynes knows books. Which is to say that he doesn’t just write them, but actively cultivates them. He’s established himself in middle-grade nonfiction with his 2022 authoring of “The Legacy of Jim Crow,” and has made his mark in science fiction by collaborating with actor/producer Omar Epps to co-author the teen fiction companion works “Nubia: The Awakening” and “Nubia: The Reckoning.” Meanwhile, as a freelance editor, he regularly burnishes the offerings of fellow writers.
Molière in the Park’s ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ — A conversation with Sahr Ngaujah

1 month ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

For all the love that summer in New York gets, spring is really where it’s at. The weather is non-oppressive, free outdoors events have started to appear, and New Yorkers have already begun to light up the parks. Molière in the Park checks all of those boxes. Since 2019, this world-class production house has brought the works of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, the 17th-century playwright, actor, and poet known as Molière, to Prospect Park.
Netflix’s ‘Forever’ - the fierce urgency of Black teenage love

1 month ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark and Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards in “Forever.” Credit: Netflix/Elizabeth Morris photo t’s rare to find fully realized Black teenage love on screen.
32nd New York African Film Fest: 2 billion people, 100 films, 3 reviews

1 month ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

“Black Tea” Credit: FLC Press photo No land is more prone to reductionist narratives than Africa. Whether it’s the invisibilizing of thousands of ethnicities and languages, or its chronic depiction as a place of famine and war, it’s no secret that the Western World is trained to see Africa as a monolith of despair.
‘A Wu-Tang Experience’ - Hip-Hop as unifier

1 month ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

Stills from “A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre." (Images courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures) Early in “A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre,” the impresario Robert Diggs, a.k.a. RZA, the co-founding leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and the co-director of “A Wu-Tang Experience,” declares that “music is a universal language.” It’s a statement so cliche as to make you want to roll your eyes. Fortunately, in the case of “A Wu-Tang Experience,” it’s also a pretty fair...
New York African Film Festival returns to Lincoln Center

1 month ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

“Black Tea” Credit: (FLC Press photos) At a time when international headlines focus obsessively on Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, we could all use a peek into life on the African continent.
Commentary: ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ — What good news looks like

2 months ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

If you want a deeper appreciation for the Broadway production of “Good Night, and Good Luck,” co-written by George Clooney and starring Clooney as the iconic television journalist and CBS correspondent, Edward R. Murrow, take a time machine back to 2005, and then watch the original movie that was co-written and directed by Clooney. There isn’t much difference between the story itself or the telling of it in the film and the subsequent play.
Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ celebrated at Symphony Space

2 months ago | amsterdamnews.com | Mark Griffith

Broadway stars singing Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” at Symphony Space. (Sean Sime photo) Few pop artists are as universally recognized for their musical genius as Stevie Wonder.