March 14, 2000

     Angela Weaver has provided us with a very valuable resource for locating information about African-American women playwrights and their written works. Weaver is a librarian, as well as a playwright, and many librarians (including this one) will certainly find value in this site as they assist students and library patrons. Researchers will delight in the wealth of information provided here. Casual browsers also will find a trove of interesting materials. The site is well organized and materials are meticulously documented. On the opening page, Weaver features books of the month, records the recent Oprah Book Club pick, and also provides a link to search Amazon.com.

     The main material is organized into various clearly defined categories which are listed in a stable menu bar, as well as in a floating menu bar. (Weaver notes that the floating bar doesn't work with IE, but I had some sporadic results with it in Netscape 4.7.) Among the categories are: Writers, Plays, Critical Resources and Research Centers.

     Weaver currently includes 18 women playwrights, both active writers and deceased. Those included are: Vinnette Carroll, Alice Childress, Pearl Cleage, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, P.J. Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Shirley Graham, Angelina Weld Grimke, Lorraine Hansberry, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Adrienne Kennedy, Suzan-Lori Parks, Aishah Rahman, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Anna Deavere Smith, Cheryl L. West and Shay Youngblood. A large amount of information is provided for each of the writers, consisting of biographical information, a quotation, a complete list of all their plays, awards, critical resources, links, and bibliographies of secondary materials. Most entries also include a photograph. The Plays category features one play from each of the 18 writers. Detailed information is available about each play, including production history, list of characters, information about setting and structure, author notes, and an excerpt.

     Those looking for additional information will find bibliographic information in the Critical Resources, Timelines and Dissertations sections. Weaver has listed a number of references for sources pertaining to these 18 women playwrights, as well as the history and background of African American theatre in general. The Links and Theatres sections provide links to information available on the web; the directory of U.S. theatres that produce African-American and multicultural plays will be of particular interest to many.

     Picky editor types will notice a few typos here and there. The site is an Amazon.com affiliate, which adds a commercial aspect to the site's "Reading Nook," which is a listing of books by the featured writers with links to go buy them at Amazon.com. But these are minor concerns compared to the wealth of information available. The Women of Color, Women of Words site is one which can be recommended for use by anyone interested in African-American women playwrights, whether it is a casual interest or the beginning of an advanced research agenda.