‘Blues for Black Opals’ at the Rosenbach
Philadelphia poet laureate Yolanda Wisher at WHYY studios (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
An homage to a 1920s literary magazine, Black Opals, produced by black writers in Philadelphia is taking place at the Rosenbach Library Thursday. City poet laureate Yolanda Wisher will be among the gathering of poets and musicians presenting “Blues for Black Opals.”
Black Opals was one of Philadelphia’s contributions to a vibrant period for African-American creativity.
“A lot of folks are familiar with the Harlem Renaissance era,” Wisher said. “I was doing some research, trying to find what was going on in Philly at the time. Around 1927, 28, a group of intellectuals, writers and creative artists got together and self-published a literary magazine. It was to express their voice in this new era of racial identity and pride.”
Accompanied by guitarist Jim Dragoni, Wisher spoke with NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller and performed some of her work.
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NewsWorks Tonight was a daily radio show and podcast that ran from 2011-2018. It is no longer in production, but the show's archive is available online.