Makes the case that diversity, innovation, and canon expansion are essential to maintaining the vitality of African American literary studies

Lovalerie King is Director of the Africana Research Center, Associate Professor, and Director of Graduate Studies in African American studies at Pennsylvania State University. She is author or co-editor of six books, including James Baldwin and Toni Morrison: Comparative and Theoretical Essays; Race, Theft, and Ethics: Property Matters in African American Literature; and New Essays on the African American Novel.

Shirley Moody-Turner is Assistant Professor of English at Pennsylvania State University.