Lisa Jones

This article is about the American writer. For the scientist, see Lisa Jones (scientist). For the businesswoman, see Lisa S. Jones.

Lisa Jones
Born	(1961-08-15) August 15, 1961 (age 63)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Yale University (B.A.) New York University (M.F.A.)
Occupations	Author journalist playwright
Years active	1961–present
Spouse	Kenneth S. Brown
Parent(s)	Hettie Jones and Amiri Baraka

Lisa Victoria Chapman Jones (born August 15, 1961)[1] is an American playwright, essayist, journalist, and memoirist.

Personal life and education

Jones grew up in New York City and Newark, New Jersey.[2] She is the daughter of poets Hettie Jones and Amiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones).[3] Jones graduated from Yale University and received a MFA in Film from New York University. She married Kenneth S. Brown in 2004 and their daughter was born in 2005. She is Jewish.[4]

Her sister, Kellie Jones,[1] is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University.[5] Jones has a half-brother, Newark, New Jersey, mayor Ras Baraka, and a half-sister, Dominique di Prima, from Amiri's relationship with Diane di Prima.[6][7]

Journalism

Jones joined the staff of the Village Voice in 1984 and wrote for the paper for 15 years.[8] She was known for her "Skin Trade" columns in the Village Voice, a selection of which were published as a book, Bulletproof Diva,[9] in 1994.[10]

Published works

Jones published a memoir, Good Girl in a Bad Dress, in 1999.[11] She also co-wrote three books with Spike Lee, all companion books to his films: Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Daze,[12] published in 1988, Do the Right Thing, published in 1989,[13] and Mo' Better Blues,[14] published in 1990. Her essays have been widely anthologized. One anthology is Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair.[15]

Plays

Jones wrote the plays Carmella & King Kong and Combination Skin while involved with the Rodeo Caldonia, a feminist collective of African-American women artists.[16][17] Combination Skin went on to premiere at Company One in Hartford, CT, in 1992. The New York Times Theater review called her "a fresh talent" and praised her "all-consuming vision".[18] Combination Skin was anthologized in Contemporary Plays by Women of Color.[2] Jones also created three works for the New American Radio series of National Public Radio: Aunt Aida's Hand (1989), Stained (1991), and Ethnic Cleansing (1993).[19] Aunt Aida's Hand and Stained were collaborations with Alva Rogers, who was also a Rodeo Caldonia member.[17][19] In 1995, Jones and Rogers received a joint choreography and creator Bessie Award for their collaborative work.[20]

References

1. Ellis, Trey (1988). Platitudes & "The new black aesthetic". Northeastern University Press, Ann Arbor. ISBN 1-55553-586-0
2. Perkins, Kathy and Uno, Roberta (1996). Contemporary Plays by Women of Color: an anthology. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-11378-4
3. Stetler, Carrie. "Still rebellious after all these years: Amiri Baraka turns 75, and Newark celebrates with five days of events", The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ, October 2, 2009.
4. Danquah, Meri Nana-Ama (June 29, 1994). "The World According to Lisa Jones : Literature: The essayist writes about a place where hair explains history and any woman with lip and nerve can be a 'bulletproof diva.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
5. "Kellie Jones Faculty Directory Department of Art History and Archaeology". Columbia University. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
6. "Amiri Baraka". DominiqueDiPrima.com. 28 June 2012.
7. "City of Newark, NJ: Ras J. Baraka". City of Newark, New Jersey. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012.
8. Tate, Greg. "License to Ill: Black journalism in the pages of the 'Voice'", Village Voice, New York, October 18, 2005.
9. Jones, Lisa (1994). Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-47122-X
10. Solberg, Judy. "Prepub Alert", Library Journal, New York, December 1993.
11. Jones, Lisa (1999). Good Girl in a Bad Dress. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50180-7
12. Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1988). Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Daze. Fireside, New York. ISBN 0-671-64418-1
13. Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1989). Do the Right Thing. Fireside, New York. ISBN 0-671-68265-2
14. Lee, Spike; Jones, Lisa (1990), Mo' Better Blues, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-671-72570-9
15. "Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex, and Hair". Entertainment Weekly.
16. Taumann, Beatrix (1999). Strange Orphans: Contemporary African American Women Playwrights. Würzburg, Königshausen & Neumann. ISBN 3-8260-1681-5
17. Shipp, E. R. "Their Muse Is Malcolm X", New York Times, December 4, 1988.
18. Klein, Alvin. "Theater Review: In the 90's, Questions Of Color And Identity", New York Times, October 18, 1992.
19. "Lisa Jones and Alva Rogers: Stained". Somewhere.org. Archived from the original on 2009-12-27. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
20. "'Bessies' Go to New Artists and Philip Glass", New York Times, September 18, 1995.

Further reading

• "Lisa Jones: Combination Skin", in Beatrix Taumann, "Strange Orphans": Contemporary African American Women Playwrights, pp. 279–86.

External links

• Meri Nana-Ama Danquah, "The World According to Lisa Jones : Literature: The essayist writes about a place where hair explains history and any woman with lip and nerve can be a 'bulletproof diva.'" Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1994.