The August Wilson Archive: First Panel Discussion (January 2021)

The Editor and Managing Editor of the August Wilson Journal met with four specialists from the University Library System (ULS) at the University of Pittsburgh and one University of Pittsburgh history professor via Zoom on January 14, 2021 to discuss the ULS’s recent acquisition of August Wilson’s archival materials.

Erratum to Saunders, Skyler. "Unlocked Minds: August Wilson’s Suspects, Ex-Cons, or Soon-to-Be Convicted Characters in his American Century Cycle." August Wilson Journal [Online], 2(2020): doi https://doi.org/10.5195/awj.2020.55

The article Saunders, Skyler. "Unlocked Minds: August Wilson’s Suspects, Ex-Cons, or Soon-to-Be Convicted Characters in his American Century Cycle." August Wilson Journal [Online], 2 (2020): https://doi.org.10.5195/awj.2020.55 contained several errors in the original publication. The original version has been updated to reflect the following changes: On page 1, the following sentence has been removed: “Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.” The Black Lives Matter group is not about individual rights but is run by Marxists. The error was introduced by the editorial board. On page 3, the following section has been removed: “As of this writing, Blacks make up about 2.3 million of the 6.8 million or about 34% of incarcerated individuals, according to the NAACP. Former president of this organization Benjamin Jealous said, “Our country has five percent of the world's people and 25 percent of the world's prisoners. Now, you can flip that a different way, a Black person today in this country is more likely to be incarcerated than a Black person in South Africa at the height of apartheid” (NAACP)”. There are in fact not 6.8 million incarcerated people in the US. There are actually 2.3 million people behind bars. The error was introduced by the author.

Subverting the Role of Les Lieux de Mémoire: Alaga Syrup as a Symbol in King Hedley II

An analysis of the impact Alaga Syrup has had on Black communities and its relevance within August Wilson’s play, King Hedley II.

Stage Review of Fences

A stage review of Fences by August Wilson, staged by the Chattanooga Theatre Centre in Chattanooga, Tennessee from Friday, February 15 through Saturday, March 9, 2019.

Unlocked Minds: August Wilson’s Suspects, Ex-Cons, or Soon-to-Be Convicted Characters in his American Century Cycle

This essay is a meditation on the significant number of carceral references made by the late Mr. August Wilson in his American Century Cycle. It sets out to delineate the various instances where Mr. Wilson mentions the many associated pains, both mental and corporal, that crop up in lives of his characters, related to prisons, jail, work farms, chain gangs and other forms of detainment and imprisonment.

August Wilson's Legacy Felt Strongly by Those Who Perform His Works

Trajan Clayton and Nic Starr write about their experiences relating to the work of August Wilson. Trajan, winner of the 2019 August Wilson Monologue Competition, writes about how Wilson's plays are songs that "work together to relay the triumphs and struggles of what it means to be black." In his segment, Nic writes about how, through August Wilson, he has gratefully gained relationships with an "army of talented brothers and sisters, and many inspiring mentors."

Reframing the Blues as a Performance Strategy in after august

An analysis and review of Patrick Maley’s after august regarding the topic of blues and how the subject is used in a variety of methods associated with August Wilson’s American Century Cycle and other related works.

August Wilson 'Jitney' Interview with August Wilson Journal Editor Michael Downing

David Drexler of KSDS-FM San Diego interviews Dr. Michael Downing, editor of the August Wilson Journal, about Wilson's play, "Jitney," which was staged January 18 through February 23, 2020 at the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Stage Review of Jitney at Arena Stage

A review of Jitney by August Wilson, staged at The Kreeger Theater's Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. from September 13 through October 27, 2019.

Stage Review of Matrix Theatre’s Two Trains Running

A review of Two Trains Running by August Wilson, staged at Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles, California from March 1 through March 3, 2019.