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Creator
Hemphill, Essex
Call number
Sc MG 832
Physical description
0.83 linear feet (2 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Essex Hemphill and Wayson Jones collection, Sc MG 832, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

The Essex Hemphill and Wayson Jones Collection documents the collaboration and friendship of poet (Hemphill) and musician (Jones), and their artistic endeavors to foreground the experiences of Black gay life in the United States.

Biographical/historical information

Essex Charles Hemphill was an African American poet, performer, editor, and cultural activist. Hemphill and Wayson Jones, a musician and performer, became roommates while attending the University of Maryland where Jones was a music student. Their friendship developed into a creative partnership when Jones joined Cinque, a poetry ensemble group that Hemphill co-founded with Larry Duckette in 1983. The trio performed in Washington, D.C. and appeared in Marlon Riggs's documentary about Black gay men, Tongues Untied. In 1985, Hemphill and Jones began performing as a duo and were recipients, along with filmmaker Michelle Parkerson, of two residencies at the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia in 1986 and 1987.

Hemphill continued to write and perform until his death on November 4, 1995, due to complications associated with HIV/AIDS. Currently, Jones continues to perform in the D.C. area, and has been exploring representation ideas in his work, especially in regards to racial/sexual orientation.

Scope and arrangement

The Essex Hemphill and Wayson Jones collection documents the collaboration and friendship of poet (Hemphill) and musician (Jones), and their artistic endeavors to foreground the experiences of Black gay life in the United States. The collection contains biographical information by and about Hemphill and Jones, as well as various tributes, 1981-2008. Hemphill's published and unpublished writings, 1982-1994, and scripts for collaborative performances and projects, 1983-1994, are included. There are also programs, flyers, and clippings.

The Essex Hemphill and Wayson Jones collection is arranged in four series:

  • Personal
    1981-2008

    This series is comprised primarily of biographical information written by and about Hemphill, various tributes, and planning documents for the Hemphill memorial, "Vital Signs", in 1996. There are also a few letters from Hemphill to Jones, and biographical information about Jones in the form of a transcribed interview..

  • Writings
    1982-1994

    This series consists of Hemphill's published and unpublished writings. Of the published writings, there are copies of the chapbooks Some of the People We Love Are Terrorists (1982), Diamonds Was in the Kitty (1982), Plums (1983), as well as a manuscript for the chapbook "Conditions" (1985, 1994). Unpublished writings contain 5 manuscripts: "Family Jewels" (1989), "Critical Care" (1993), "Domestic Life" (1994), "Tomb of Sorrow" (n.d.) and "Vital Signs" (n.d.). There are also articles and essays published by Hemphill and material on various projects, including information on incomplete projects such as: "The Evidence of Being Project", an oral history project about Black gay lifestyles in the early 20th century; "Besides Companions", an anthology of Black, gay men's short fiction; and "A Dose of Color", a collaborative event with the filmmaker Isaac Julien.

  • Collaborations
    1983-1994

    This series contains several scripts, including one for an early Cinque performance (n.d.). There is a script for the Hemphill and Jones collaboration, Earth Life(1985), and the screenplay for the film, Tongues Untied (n.d.). There are also scripts for group collaborations with Michelle Parkerson, including "Voicescapes" (1986), as well as a Jones and Parkerson collaboration titled "The Amazon Papers" (n.d.).

  • General
    1981-1999

    This series consists of programs, flyers, and clippings. Programs and flyers contain almost identical information in different formats. These materials chronicle various Hemphill and Jones performances, including their Painted Bride performance for Voicescapes and their frequent visits to d.c. space. There is also information on The Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum and a flyer for a benefit performance for the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. The clippings include an array of newspaper reviews, interviews, and features on Hemphill and Jones from many news outlets including the Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Washington Blade.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Wayson Jones, 2010.

Revision History

Finding aid updated by Lauren Stark. (2020 November 19)

Processing information

Processed by Joyce Joseph and Steven G. Fullwood, 2011.

Separated material

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs

Related Material

In the Life Archive (ITLA) miscellaneous collections, Sc MG 736, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor