Dr. Arlene Keizer is Professor and Former Chairperson of the Department of Humanities and Media Studies at Pratt Institute in NYC. She is a scholar in the fields of literary and cultural studies who writes about the literature, lived experience, theory, and visual art of the African Diaspora.
Dr. Keizer graciously granted Les Amis this interview as a prelude to the release of Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black, her book of poems inspired by Beauford's life and work. In Part 1 of this blog post, she discusses how she came to know Beauford's work and why it inspires her.
Cover art by Nell Painter
Les Amis: Congratulations on winning the 2022 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize! What inspired you to apply for this award?
AK: Thanks for your congratulations, and thanks for this question. It’s very difficult to publish a first book of poetry, so most US-based poets who haven’t yet published a full collection enter contests established by independent and university presses and foundations dedicated to keeping poetry alive. I submitted the manuscript of Fraternal Light to at least 50 contests or open-reading periods before it won the Wick First Book Prize.
Les Amis: When and under what circumstances did you first learn about Beauford Delaney?
AK: I’m a literary scholar by training, so I first learned about Delaney when I began studying the life and work of James Baldwin back in the late 1980s. At that time, I thought of Delaney as a footnote in Baldwin’s narrative, so it was an enjoyable surprise when he took center stage in my imagination.
Les Amis: What is it about his life and/or work that inspires you?
AK: I am awed by Delaney’s artistic skill, generosity of spirit, and extraordinary resilience in the face of intense adversity. I feel that his life and work can teach me (and others) how to endure the kinds of difficulties that he not only survived but often transcended. He somehow pushed himself to create original, continually path-breaking art in spite of grinding poverty, anti-Black and homophobic discrimination and violence, and serious psychiatric problems. And his work is radiant with the joy of existence.
Les Amis: In the interview you gave to Speaking of Marvels, you talk about “years of examining his [Beauford’s] art and reading his letters and excerpts from his journals.” How many years have you been studying Beauford?
AK: I began doing serious research on Delaney’s life and work in 2018.
Les Amis: In reference to the above statement, describe the documents you discovered at the Beinecke Library at Yale and the Schomburg Center in NYC.
AK: To summarize a wealth of material: Most of the Delaney documents at the Schomburg and the Beinecke are letters Delaney wrote to friends and professional acquaintances. Both archives also contain some letters that Delaney received from friends and colleagues. I was surprised and delighted to find that the Schomburg also owns some Delaney drawings and paintings.
(1944) Pastel on paper
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Image courtesy of Arlene Keizer
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
The Beinecke purchased two drawings of Delaney by the illustrator Don Freeman, a close friend, and one of these drawings appears in Fraternal Light. The Delaney-related materials I found most moving are David Leeming’s interviews with Delaney’s friends and relatives, including Baldwin and Bernard Hassell, which are housed at the Beinecke.
Les Amis: How did these documents inform your poems?
AK: As I wrote Fraternal Light, I was interested in learning as much as possible about Delaney’s character, his interior life, and his approach to art, and his letters to friends were illuminating. It’s clear from what’s in the archives that Delaney derived emotional sustenance from writing letters and reading (and re-reading) the letters he received from friends and family.
Image courtesy of Dr. Keizer
Fraternal Light is scheduled for release on August 29, 2023. It is currently available for pre-order HERE.
Come back next week to learn about specific Beauford Delaney works that inspired Dr. Keizer's poetry.
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