106-453: The Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed , "dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary American multicultural literature". The Foundation makes annual awards for books published in the US during the previous year that make contributions to American multicultural literature. Adhering to its founding grant's requirement that he have
212-503: A John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award (known as a "genius" grant). In 1999, he received a Fred Cody Award from the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association, and was inducted into Chicago State University 's National Literary Hall of Fame of Writers of African Descent. Other awards include an Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre (2002); a Phillis Wheatley Award from
318-541: A Black Aesthetic. Although Reed never participated in that movement, he has continued to research the history of black Americans. While working on his novel Flight to Canada (1976), he coined the term "Neo-Slave narrative", which he used in 1984 in "A Conversation with Ishmael Reed" by Reginald Martin. During this time, Reed also made connections with musicians and poets such as Sun Ra , Cecil Taylor , and Albert Ayler , which contributed to Reed's vast experimentation with jazz and his love for music. In 1970, Reed moved to
424-573: A centralized black male villain are Amiri Baraka and Ed Bullins . Looking forward in his writing Reed has stated that he wants to sustain Western values but mix them up a little bit to express a sense of multi-culturalism that represents more than just the African-American voice. Published in 1993 the novel , Japanese by Spring , was Reed's first trilingual text. The novel used English, Japanese, and Yoruba to better represent his ideas of
530-588: A diversion and occupied it on September 9, 1863. Following the Battle of Chickamauga , the defeated Union Army retreated to safety in Chattanooga. On November 23, 1863, the Battles for Chattanooga began when Union forces led by Major General Ulysses S. Grant reinforced troops at Chattanooga and advanced to Orchard Knob against Confederate troops besieging the city. The next day, the Battle of Lookout Mountain
636-457: A growing part of Chattanooga's economy, with 2014 being the first year for Hamilton County to surpass $ 1 billion in revenue. Startups have been an increasing trend, due in part to EPB 's fiber optic grid. Notable venture firms based in the city are Blank Slate Ventures, Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, Lamp Post Group, SwiftWing Ventures, the Jump Fund, Dynamo Ventures, and Brickyard VC. The city
742-718: A larger three-state area that includes Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia, and Northeast Alabama. Chattanooga was a crucial city during the American Civil War due to the multiple railroads that converge there. After the war, the railroads allowed for the city to grow into one of the Southeastern United States' largest heavy industrial hubs. Today, major industry that drives the economy includes automotive, advanced manufacturing, food and beverage production, healthcare, insurance, tourism, and back office and corporate headquarters. Chattanooga remains
848-521: A major waterfront attraction that has helped to spur neighborhood development. Since the opening of the aquarium, downtown Chattanooga has received over $ 5 billion of private investment, including nearly $ 1 billion from 2014 to 2018. The city has won three national awards for outstanding "livability", and nine Gunther Blue Ribbon Awards for excellence in housing and consolidated planning. Public art experts chose Passageways 2.0 City Thread from among 50 outstanding public art projects created in 2018 through
954-482: A more realistic American multi-culturalism. Conjugating Hindi was deeply compelled by his ideas of depicting a unification of multiple cultures. In this novel Reed explores the congruencies and differences of African-American and South Asian American cultures though political discourse posed by white neo-conservative Americans toward both ethnicities. As described in the Los Angeles Review of Books , "it
1060-531: A municipality has its own typeface in the United States and the first crowd-funded , custom-made typeface in the world. On July 16, 2015, five people — four U.S. Marines and one sailor — were murdered and two more were wounded in shootings at two U.S. military facilities in Chattanooga . The perpetrator was Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, an Islamic terrorist . On November 21, 2016, a school bus carrying students from Woodmore Elementary School crashed in
1166-430: A new afterword by Reed. In 2019, he contributed forewords to The Collected Novels of Charles Wright , published by Harper Perennial ; Charles Fréger 's Cimarron: Freedom and Masquerade ( Thames & Hudson ); and Cathy Jackson-Gent's Surviving Financially in a Rigged System (Third World Press Foundation). Reed's Introduction to The Minister Primarily , a previously unpublished novel by the late John Oliver Killens ,
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#17327918105581272-803: A new edition of his third novel, Mumbo Jumbo , cited by Harold Bloom as one of 500 great books of the Western canon. It includes a new introduction by Reed. Among Reed's other books are seven collections of poetry, including Why the Black Hole Sings the Blues: Poems 2006–2019 , released by Dalkey Archive Press in November 2020; 11 collections of essays, with the most recent, Why No Confederate Statues in Mexico, released by Baraka Books in September 2019; one farce, Cab Calloway Stands In for
1378-444: A new short story by Reed, "The Fool Who Thought Too Much", in November 2020. In 2022, Audible released Reed's new novella, The Man Who Haunted Himself . Reed has also edited 15 anthologies, including the recent Bigotry on Broadway , co-edited with his wife, Carla Blank, and published by Baraka Books of Montreal in September 2021. Other anthologies include Black Hollywood Unchained ( Third World Press , 2015) and POW WOW, Charting
1484-688: A partner, Reed chose poet Victor Hernández Cruz , now a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets . Next to become directors were Shawn Wong , novelist and former chair of the English Department at the University of Washington in Seattle , and Presidential medal recipient Rudolfo Anaya . The foundation, named after Ivan van Sertima 's book They Came before Columbus (1976), began as a multi-cultural distribution project, but evolved into
1590-614: A prominent presence in Chattanooga, the sole site of production of Altoids breath mint products since 2005. In a seminal event for Chattanooga, Volkswagen announced in July 2008 the construction of its first U.S. auto plant in over three decades, the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant . In May 2011, Volkswagen Group of America inaugurated its plant. The $ 1 billion plant, opened in May 2011, served as
1696-430: A service organization devoted to the recognition of Hispanic, African-American, and Native American authors whose literature of quality might be neglected by the literary mainstream, which, according to the directors, continues to be segregated and fifty years behind the south in terms of diversity—a mainstream that limits its inclusion of minorities to tokenism. Through classrooms, poetry readings, symposia, and publications
1802-463: A similar sit-in protest. Class President Paul Walker, Lehman Pierce and as many as 200 other black students organized peaceful sit-ins at four businesses along one block in downtown Chattanooga. White youth mobs responded with agitation, inflammatory language and violence. By the third day, Mayor Rudy Olgiatti instructed the fire department to utilize water hoses on crowds becoming the first city to utilize this tactic against protesters. Three months later
1908-421: A transit hub in the present day, served by multiple Interstate highways and railroad lines. It is 118 miles (190 km) northwest of Atlanta, Georgia , 112 miles (180 km) southwest of Knoxville, Tennessee , 134 miles (216 km) southeast of Nashville, Tennessee , 102 miles (164 km) east-northeast of Huntsville, Alabama , and 147 miles (237 km) northeast of Birmingham, Alabama . Divided by
2014-856: A virtual reading premiere in March 2021, and a full production premiered at the Off-Broadway venue Theater for the New City on December 23, 2021. The Conductor premiered at Theater for the New City on March 9, 2023. His twelfth and newest play, The Shine Challenge 2024 , premiered as a virtual staged reading February 23 through April 15, 2024, sponsored by the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Reed's most recent nonfiction works are Malcolm and Me , an audiobook narrated by Reed and released by Audible in 2020, and The Complete Muhammad Ali , published by Baraka Books of Montreal in 2015. Audible released
2120-614: A wide variety of entertainment, dining, cultural and architectural attractions, including the Tennessee Aquarium , opened in 1992; the Creative Discovery Museum , opened in 1995; and the historic Walnut Street Bridge , reopened in 1993. The downtown footprint is bounded by interstate highway I-24 on the south to Frazier Avenue in the Northshore, as well as US highway 27 in the west to Central Avenue in
2226-463: Is Mumbo Jumbo (1972), a sprawling and unorthodox novel set in 1920s New York. Reed's work has often sought to represent neglected African and African-American perspectives; his energy and advocacy have centered more broadly on neglected peoples and perspectives, irrespective of their cultural origins. Reed was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee . His family moved to Buffalo, New York , when he
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#17327918105582332-511: Is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee , United States. It is located along the Tennessee River , and borders Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee's fourth-most populous city and one of the two principal cities of East Tennessee , along with Knoxville . It anchors the Chattanooga metropolitan area , Tennessee's fourth-largest metropolitan statistical area , as well as
2438-969: Is brilliant — the same sort of experimental brilliance observable in the fiction of Thomas Pynchon or the cut-up technique of William S. Burroughs — and more accessible. ... Conjugating Hindi is a firebrand’s novel, the crackling, overflowing, pugnacious novel of someone who doesn't care about genre boundaries any more than he cares about historical boundaries, but who does care deeply about innovating." Ishmael Reed's texts and lyrics have been performed, composed or set to music by Albert Ayler , David Murray , Allen Toussaint , Carman Moore, Taj Mahal , Olu Dara , Lester Bowie , Carla Bley , Steve Swallow , Ravi Coltrane , Leo Nocentelli , Eddie Harris , Anthony Cox , Don Pullen , Billy Bang , Bobby Womack , Milton Cardona , Omar Sosa , Fernando Saunders , Yosvanni Terry, Jack Bruce , Little Jimmy Scott , Robert Jason, Alvin Youngblood Hart , Mary Wilson of
2544-582: Is expected to create one thousand new jobs and $ 800 million in investments. In addition to corporate business interests, there are many retail shops in Chattanooga, including two shopping malls: Hamilton Place Mall in East Brainerd and Northgate Mall in Hixson . Eastgate Mall in Brainerd used to be a shopping mall, but has changed into a multi-use office building. Tourism and Hospitality has been
2650-589: Is impounded by the Chickamauga Dam north of the downtown area. The city is nestled between the southwestern Ridge-and-valley Appalachians and the foot of Walden's Ridge ; the river separates the ridge from the western side of downtown. Several miles east, the city is bisected by Missionary Ridge . The downtown area sits at an elevation of approximately 676 feet (206 m), one of the lowest elevations in East Tennessee . Downtown Chattanooga has
2756-823: Is included in The Best American Poetry 2019 . Among Reed's other honors are writing fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts . In 1995, he received the Langston Hughes Medal , awarded by City College of New York . In 1997, he received the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Award , and established a three-year collaboration between the non-profit and Oakland-based Second Start Literacy Project in 1998. In 1998, Reed also received
2862-596: Is one of the producers of The Domestic Crusaders , a two-act play about Muslim Pakistani Americans written by his former student, Wajahat Ali. Its first act was performed at the Kennedy Center 's Millennium Hall in Washington, D.C., on November 14, 2010, and remains archived on their website. Critics have also pointed to Reed's influence on writers Percival Everett , Colson Whitehead , Victor LaValle and Paul Beatty . In Chris Jackson's interview of Reed in
2968-495: Is served by several incubators, notably Co.Lab, the Business Development Center, and Lamp Post Group. The Business Development Center is among the nation's largest incubators, both in square footage and in the number of startups that it supports. Co-working spaces have picked up downtown, including Society of Work and Chattanooga Workspace. Unique in the city is the startup accelerator Gigtank, which utilizes
3074-511: Is what we want: to sabotage history. They won't know whether we're serious or whether we are writing fiction ... Always keep them guessing." When discussing influences on his writing style in Writin’ is Fightin’ he attributed much of it to the warrior tradition he feels is inherent in African and African-American culture. Similar contemporary authors that Reed insists deny victim literature with
3180-723: The East Village Other , which became a well-known underground publication. Reed was also a member of the Umbra Writers Workshop (he attended his first Umbra meeting in Spring 1963, with others present including Lorenzo Thomas , Askia Touré , Charles Patterson, David Henderson , Albert Haynes, and Calvin Hernton ), some of whose members helped establish the Black Arts Movement and promoted
3286-627: The American Civil War , Chattanooga was a center of battle. Chattanooga served as a hub connecting fifty percent of the Confederacy's arsenals, those being located in Atlanta , Augusta , Columbus , and Macon . Chattanooga's railroads were vital to the Confederacy's transportation of raw material to processing plants for producing small arms munitions. During the Chickamauga Campaign , Union artillery bombarded Chattanooga as
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3392-520: The Archaic , Woodland , Mississippian / Muskogean / Yuchi (900– 1714 CE), and Cherokee (1776–1838) periods. The Chickamauga Mound near the mouth of the Chickamauga Creek is the oldest ( c. 750 CE ) remaining visible art in Chattanooga. The Citico town and mound site was the most significant Mississippian / Muscogee landmark in Chattanooga up to 1915. The first part of
3498-660: The Beat poets , the American surrealist Ted Joans . Poets have to be more attuned to originality, coming up with lines and associations the ordinary prose writer wouldn't think of. Among writers from the Harlem Renaissance for whose work Reed has expressed admiration are Langston Hughes , Zora Neale Hurston , George Schuyler , Bruce Nugent , Countee Cullen , Rudolph Fisher and Arna Bontemps . In 1962, Reed moved to New York City and co-founded with Walter Bowart
3604-838: The Before Columbus Foundation , which since 1980 has annually presented the American Book Awards and the Oakland chapter of PEN , known as the "blue-collar PEN", which also gives annual awards to writers. Kip Hanrahan has released three albums featuring lyrics by Reed: David Murray has released several albums featuring lyrics by Reed: Yosvany Terry has released one album including lyrics by Reed: Releases produced by Ishmael Reed Releases with music composed and performed by Ishmael Reed (piano) Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( / ˌ tʃ æ t ə ˈ n uː ɡ ə / CHAT -ə- NOO -gə )
3710-544: The Central Time Zone . As of the 2020 United States census , there were 181,099 people, 79,565 households, and 41,059 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2010 , there were 167,674 people, 70,749 households, and 40,384 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,222.5 inhabitants per square mile (472.0/km ). There were 79,607 housing units at an average density of 588.8 units per square mile (227.3 units/km ). The racial makeup of
3816-691: The Grande Halle in Paris, the Red Bull Music Academy World Tour premiered three new songs with lyrics by Ishmael Reed, performed by Macy Gray , Tony Allen , members of The Roots, David Murray and his Big Band, Amp Fiddler and Fela! singer/dancers. In 2013, David Murray, with vocalists Macy Gray and Gregory Porter, released the CD Be My Monster Love , with three new songs with lyrics by Reed: "Army of
3922-666: The Harlem Book Fair (2003); and in 2004, a Robert Kirsch Award , a Los Angeles Times Book Prize , besides the D.C. Area Writing Project's 2nd Annual Exemplary Writer's Award and the Martin Millennial Writers, Inc. Contribution to Southern Arts Award, in Memphis, Tennessee . A 1972 manifesto inspired a major visual art exhibit, NeoHooDoo: Art for a Forgotten Faith, curated by Franklin Sirmans for
4028-723: The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas , where it opened on June 27, 2008, and subsequently traveled to P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in New York City, and the Miami Art Museum through 2009. Litquake , the annual San Francisco literary festival, honored him with its 2011 Barbary Coast Award. Buffalo, New York, celebrated February 21, 2014, as Ishmael Reed Day, when he received Just Buffalo Literary Center 's 2014 Literary Legacy Award. In April 2022, Reed
4134-635: The National Press Club , and arranged by the late Daniel Shore . Awards are given annually for books published in the US during the previous year that make contributions to American multicultural literature. In 1992, the Beyond Columbus Foundation published two anthologies of award-winning selections (one poetry and one fiction). Though severely underfunded, it has survived through what Executive Director Gundars Strads called "blind persistence". Its directors are drawn from
4240-836: The Southeastern United States ), the Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel (a converted railroad terminal), the Maclellan Building, the Dome Building (once the home to the Chattanooga Times), and the Tivoli Theatre . The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee headquarters, atop Cameron Hill, is the second-largest LEED Gold-certified corporate campus in the nation. Downtown Chattanooga has four main bridges over
4346-501: The Tennessee River , Chattanooga is at the transition between the ridge-and-valley Appalachians and the Cumberland Plateau , both of which are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains . Its official nickname is the "Scenic City", alluding to the surrounding mountains, ridges, and valleys. Unofficial nicknames include "River City", "Chatt", "Nooga", "Chattown", and "Gig City", the latter a reference to its claims that it has
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4452-492: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) system was created in 1933 by Congress . The flood crested at 58 feet (18 m) and completely inundated the city. Since the completion of the reservoir system, the highest Chattanooga flood stage has been nearly 37 feet (11 m), which occurred in 1973. Without regulation, the flood would have crested at 52.4 feet (16.0 m). Chattanooga was a major priority in
4558-512: The University of Delaware in Newark . Ishmael Reed: An Exhibition , curated by Timothy D. Murray, was shown at the University of Delaware Library from August 16 to December 16, 2007. Reed said in a 2022 interview for World Literature Today : "I come from a family of Tennessee fighters. Like my mother, who was abandoned and had to make do with her skills. She organized two strikes. One of
4664-492: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 's campus and features the largest mural in Chattanooga. The 40,000-square-foot mural was created by Philadelphia-based muralist Meg Saligman and seven other local artists. In late 20th and early 21st centuries, substantial private and governmental resources have been invested in transforming the city's tarnished image. In 1993, restoration of the Walnut Street Bridge
4770-454: The 1970s. Reed's current publishing imprint is Ishmael Reed Publishing Company , and his online literary publication, Konch Magazine , features an international mix of poetry, essays and fiction. Among the writers first published by Reed when they were students in his writing workshops are Terry McMillan , Mona Simpson , Mitch Berman , Kathryn Trueblood , Danny Romero, Fae Myenne Ng , Brynn Saito, Mandy Kahn, and John Keene . Reed
4876-585: The 2010 census, an 11% increase during the 2000s. The single largest religious group in Chattanooga is Christianity . According to 2010 statistics, the Southern Baptist Convention was the largest denomination with 225 congregations and 122,300 members; followed by the United Methodist Church with 31,500 members and 83 churches. The third-largest group of Christians identified as non-denominational congregations; and
4982-478: The Americas, 1900–2002 (2003), in which Reed endorses an open definition of American poetry as an amalgamation, which should include work found in the traditional Western canon of European-influenced American poetry as well as work by immigrants, hip-hop artists, and Native Americans. The 2013 Signet Classic edition of Mark Twain 's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn features
5088-640: The Aryans ("a satire that chronicles the misadventures of two hapless revolutionaries"), had a staged reading in 2017 at the Nuyorican Poets Café and a full production in 2018. Reed's ninth play, The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda , premiered on May 23, 2019, at the Nuyorican Poets Café. Archway Editions, an imprint of powerHouse Cultural Entertainment, published the script in October 2020. His tenth play, The Slave Who Loved Caviar , received
5194-531: The Black, Hispanic, Italian, Irish and Jewish communities. One of the current directors is Juan Felipe Herrera , Poet Laureate of California from 2012 to 2014 and US Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known work
5300-637: The Blue Note Café in Tokyo. The Village Voice ranked the 2005 Conjure CD one of four best spoken-word albums released in 2006. In 2007, Reed made his debut as a jazz pianist and bandleader with For All We Know by The Ishmael Reed Quintet. His piano playing was cited by Harper's Bazaar and Vogue as he accompanied a 2019 fashion show at the Serpentine Gallery in London, featuring
5406-458: The Brainerd neighborhood , killing 6 and injuring 23. In March 2018, the driver, an employee of Durham School Services , was convicted of six counts of criminally negligent homicide, 11 counts of reckless aggravated assault, seven counts of assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and illegally using his phone while driving. The crash reignited the debate about whether seat belts should be required in school buses. On June 5, 2022, there
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#17327918105585512-416: The Confederacy itself in half, while Chattanooga served as the doorway to the Deep South . These battles were followed the next spring by the Atlanta Campaign , beginning just over the nearby state line in Georgia and moving southeastward. After the war ended, the city became a major railroad hub and industrial and manufacturing center. The largest flood in Chattanooga's history occurred in 1867, before
5618-408: The Faithful", "Hope is a Thing With Feathers," and the title track, "Be My Monster Love." In 2022, Reed released his first album of original compositions, The Hands Of Grace . In 2023, Konch Records released Blues Lyrics by Ishmael Reed with Reed reading his poetry with the East Coast Blues Caravan of All Stars featuring Ronnie Stewart, and guest artist David Murray. Ishmael Reed is the founder of
5724-461: The Fall 2016 edition of The Paris Review , Reed discusses many literary influences, including Dante , the Celtic Revival poets, James Baldwin , George Schuyler , Nathanael West , Bob Kaufman , and Charles Wright . Reed said in a 2011 interview with Parul Sehgal : "My work holds up the mirror to hypocrisy, which puts me in a tradition of American writing that reaches back to Nathaniel Hawthorne ." Reed has also been quoted as saying: "So this
5830-407: The Fault Lines in the American Experience—Short Fiction from Then to Now (2009), a collection of works by 63 writers, co-edited with Carla Blank, which spans more than 200 years of American writing. In his foreword, Reed calls it "a gathering of voices from the different American tribes". POW WOW is the fiction companion anthology to From Totems to Hip-Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across
5936-511: The Hamilton County jail and lynch Johnson on the Walnut Street Bridge . Chattanooga grew with the entry of the United States in the First World War in 1917; the nearest training camp was in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia . The Influenza pandemic of 1918 closed local movie theaters and pool halls. By the 1930s, Chattanooga was known as the "Dynamo of Dixie", inspiring the 1941 Glenn Miller big-band swing song " Chattanooga Choo Choo ". Through Mayor P.R. Olgiati's efforts, Chattanooga became
6042-426: The Klan across the country in the following years. In 1987, the city's at-large voting process was challenged on the basis that it marginalized the voting power of Black voters. The issue was initially presented by Lorenzo Ervin , Annie Thomas and Maxine Cousin to the ACLU in Atlanta . Following the case of Brown v. Board of Commissioners of Chattanooga , the city terminated the at-large voting system. Since
6148-518: The Moon or The Hexorcism of Noxon D Awful (1970); two librettos, Gethsemane Park and in collaboration with Colleen McElroy The Wild Gardens of the Loop Garoo ; a sampler collection, The Reed Reader (2000); two travelogues, of which the most recent is Blues City: A Walk in Oakland (2003); and six plays, collected by Dalkey Archive Press as Ishmael Reed, The Plays (2009). His seventh play, The Final Version, premiered at New York City's Nuyorican Poets Café in December 2013; his eighth, Life Among
6254-435: The Public Art Network Year in Review program, a national program that recognizes compelling public art. In addition to winning various national and regional awards, Chattanooga has been in the national limelight numerous times. Chattanooga was the profile city of the August 2007 edition of US Airways Magazine . Chattanooga-based businesses have been recognized for their investment in solar energy. In December 2009, Chattanooga
6360-443: The SFJAZZ Center's North Gate in Linden Alley. In Venice, Italy , in May 2016, he became the first recipient of a new international prize, the Alberto Dubito International, for an individual who has distinguished himself or herself through innovative creativity in musical and linguistic expression. His poem, "Just Rollin' Along," about the 1934 encounter between Bonnie and Clyde and Oakland Blues artist L. C. Good Rockin' Robinson ,
6466-529: The Supremes , Cassandra Wilson , Gregory Porter and others. Reed has been the central participant in the longest ongoing music/poetry collaboration, known as Conjure projects, produced by Kip Hanrahan on American Clavé: Conjure I (1984) and Conjure II (1988), which were reissued by Rounder Records in 1995; and Conjure Bad Mouth (2005), whose compositions were developed in live Conjure band performances, from 2003 to 2004, including engagements at Paris 's Banlieues Bleues , London's Barbican Centre , and
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#17327918105586572-435: The Tennessee River: the Walnut Street Bridge, the Market Street Bridge , the Olgiati Bridge , and the Veterans Memorial Bridge . These bridges allow pedestrians to connect the Riverfront and Northshore to the Tennessee Riverwalk and Bluff View Art District. Downtown Chattanooga parks include Coolidge Park , Renaissance Park, Miller Park, Miller Plaza and Main Terrain Art Park. The Martin Luther King District runs parallel to
6678-405: The West Coast to begin teaching at the University of California, Berkeley , where he taught for 35 years. Retired from there in 2005, he is serving as a Distinguished Professor at California College of the Arts . He lives in Oakland, California , with his wife of more than 50 years, Carla Blank , a noted author, choreographer, and director. Reed's archives are held by the Special Collections at
6784-425: The Year 2020. In June 2018, in Detroit, Reed was honored with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Award. On November 20, 2017, Reed received the AUDELCO Pioneer Award for the Theater. Between 2012 and 2016, Reed served as the first SF Jazz Poet Laureate from SF JAZZ , the leading non-profit jazz organization on the West Coast. An installation of his poem "When I Die I Will Go to Jazz" appears on
6890-413: The age of 18 living with them, 36% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under
6996-424: The age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 27% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. 46.1% of the population was male and 53.9% of the population was female. The median income for a household in the city was $ 35,817, and the median income for a family was $ 43,314. Males had a median income of $ 36,109 versus $ 31,077 for females. The per capita income for
7102-486: The annual peak in nor'easter activity. Summers are hot and humid, with a July daily mean of 80.0 °F (26.7 °C) and 52 days annually with 90 °F (32 °C) or greater temperatures. Chattanooga is the sixth fastest warming city in the United States due to climate change . Average annual precipitation is over 52 inches (1,300 mm). On average, November through March represents an extended relatively wet period, because of Chattanooga's frequent placement (in
7208-431: The area designated as Indian Territory , in what is now the state of Oklahoma . Their journey west became known as the " Trail of Tears " for their exile and fatalities along the way. The U.S. Army used Ross's Landing as the site of one of three large internment camps, or "emigration depots", where Native Americans were held before the journey on the Trail of Tears. In 1839, the community of Ross's Landing incorporated as
7314-401: The beginning of the 21st century, the city of Chattanooga has grown, attracting people from out of state and even out of the country. Chattanooga launched the first one-gigabit-per-second Internet service in the United States in September 2010, provided through the city-owned utility EPB . In August 2012, Chattanooga developed its own typeface , called Chatype , which marks the first time
7420-436: The city and nearby locations, including Apison and Cherokee Valley in Catoosa County, Georgia , where fifteen people died, eight in Apison and seven in Cherokee Valley. An EF3 tornado struck southeastern portions of Chattanooga on the night of April 12, 2020, and caused significant damage and three fatalities. Chattanooga uses the Eastern Time Zone . Counties directly to its west (in both Tennessee and Alabama) use
7526-412: The city of Chattanooga. The city grew quickly, initially benefiting from a location well-suited for river commerce. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Chattanooga became a boom town. The city was known as the site "where cotton meets corn," referring to its location along the cultural boundary between the mountain communities of southern Appalachia and the cotton-growing states to the south. During
7632-537: The city was $ 23,756. About 14% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over. Chattanooga's Metropolitan Statistical Area , which includes Hamilton, Marion , and Sequatchie counties in Tennessee and Catoosa , Dade , and Walker counties in Georgia, grew from 476,531 people, as of the 2000 census, to 529,222 people, as of
7738-422: The city was 58.0% White , 34.9% Black , 2.0% Asian , 0.4% American Indian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 2.8% from other races , and 1.9% from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin (regardless of race) constituted 5.5% of the total population. Non-Hispanic Whites were 55.9% of the population in 2010, down from 67.3% in 1980. There were 70,749 households, out of which 26.7% had children under
7844-575: The city would agree to desegregate the downtown businesses. Unlike many southern cities the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. did not lead to riots in Chattanooga. Mayor Kelley and Police Commissioner Turner met with young people to defuse the situation and bought the protesters lunch. The frustrated youths voiced their complaints about racial injustice in Chattanooga, but were convinced to peacefully disperse. In 1971, John Franklin Sr. became
7950-698: The city's gigabit capacities and focuses on 3D printing, healthcare, and smartgrid technologies. Notable startups include Quickcue (acquired by OpenTable in 2013), and Reliance Partners . Chattanooga went from zero investable capital in 2009 to over $ 50 million in 2014. Electric power for most of the city and surrounding area is provided by the city-run Electric Power Board (EPB). EPB also provides high-speed Internet service, TV, and telephone service to business and residential customers throughout Hamilton County, as well as parts of Bledsoe County , Bradley County , Catoosa County , Dade County , Marion County , Rhea County , Sequatchie County , and Walker County , via
8056-414: The city. Chattanooga, like much of Tennessee, has a four-season humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ). Winter days are usually mild, but most years have at least one day (average 3.2) where the high remains at or below freezing. Snowfall is highly variable from year to year. 11 inches (28 cm) were recorded between January 9–10, 2011. The average snowiest month is February which corresponds with
8162-417: The city. In 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga had the dirtiest air in the nation. Like other early industrial cities, Chattanooga entered the 1970s with serious socioeconomic challenges, including job layoffs because of de-industrialization, deteriorating city infrastructure, racial tensions, and social division. Chattanooga's population increased by nearly 50,000 in the 1970s. However, this
8268-591: The design of the TVA reservoir system and remains a major operating priority in the 21st century. In December 1906, Chattanooga was in the national headlines in United States v. Shipp , as the United States Supreme Court , in the only criminal trial in its history, ruled that Hamilton County Sheriff Joseph H. Shipp had violated Ed Johnson 's civil rights when Shipp allowed a mob to enter
8374-689: The east. The modern downtown skyline is dominated by the Aquarium, the Republic Centre (tallest building in Chattanooga ), John C. Portman Jr. 's the Westin (Gold Building), the James Building (Chattanooga's first skyscraper), and The Block, a climbing gym with 5,000 square feet of functional climbing space. Chattanooga has buildings with historical significance, such as The Read House Hotel (the longest continuously operating hotel in
8480-612: The fastest internet service in the Western Hemisphere. Chattanooga is internationally known from the 1941 hit song " Chattanooga Choo Choo " by Glenn Miller and his orchestra . It is home to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) and Chattanooga State Community College . The first inhabitants of the Chattanooga area were Native Americans . Sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period (c. 10,000 BCE ) show continuous human occupation through
8586-632: The first African-American elected official of Chattanooga. However racial tensions related to poverty and education continued to simmer. In the same year, a cancelled concert refusing to give ticket refunds sparked a four-day riot of black youth. An all-night curfew was called and close to 2,000 National Guard troops arrived in the city, setting up a post at City Hall. The unrest led to 1 death and 300 arrests. On April 19, 1980, three Ku Klux Klan members rode down historic 9th street and opened fire on five black women: Viola Ellison, Lela Mae Evans, Katherine O. Johnson, Opal Lee Jackson and Fannie Crumsey. All of
8692-450: The first city in Tennessee to have a completed interstate highway system in the latter 1960s. In February 1958, Chattanooga became one of the smallest cities in the country with three VHF television stations: WROM-TV (now WTVC-TV ) channel 9 ( ABC ), WRGP-TV (now WRCB-TV ) channel 3 ( NBC ), and WDEF-TV channel 12 ( CBS ). The same mountains that provide Chattanooga's scenic backdrop also trap industrial pollutants, which settle over
8798-616: The foundation has met this goal. In 1980, a recording of a reading presented by the Foundation at the Oakland Museum , featuring 14 poets led by Ishmael Reed (with Amiri Baraka , Jayne Cortez , Joy Harjo , David Henderson , Victor Hernández Cruz , David Meltzer , and others), was released on the Smithsonian Folkways label. In 1980, Ishmael Reed suggested that there be an American Book Awards to challenge
8904-735: The fourth-largest organized denomination was the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) with 82 churches and 17,900 members. The 5th largest Christian religious group, according to 2010 statistics , was the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville , which had 12 congregations and 14,300 members. Islam has 2,200 adherents in Chattanooga. Chattanooga's economy includes a diversified and growing mix of manufacturing and service industries. Notable Chattanooga businesses include Access America Transport , BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee , CBL & Associates , The Chattanooga Bakery , Sanofi ,
9010-775: The group's North American manufacturing headquarters. The plant, which initially employed 2,700 people, later increasing to 4,700, manufactures the Passat and the Atlas . It also has a full research and development center in downtown Chattanooga, employing some 200 engineers, the first of its kind in the South. The plant was the first new Volkswagen plant in the United States since the 1988 closure of Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly near New Stanton, Pennsylvania . In 2019, Volkswagen Chattanooga announced plans to expand its Chattanooga-based plant to construct electric vehicles . The expansion
9116-890: The lack of diversity in the Pulitzer Prizes and the National Book Awards . The first awards ceremony was held at The West Side Community Center. In the following year, Public Theater director Joseph Papp hosted the American Book Awards in New York. The master of ceremonies was Quincy Troupe . Among the presenters were Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison and writer Donald Barthelme . The American Book Awards have been held in Los Angeles , Chicago , New Orleans , Seattle , San Francisco , Oakland , Miami , and Washington, D.C. , where they were held at
9222-523: The lines I wanted, influenced by [Nathanael] West and others. I didn't want to be a slave to somebody else's reading lists. I kind of regret the decision now because I've gotten some of the most racist and horrible things said to me because of this. In 1995, the college awarded him an honorary doctorate. Speaking about his influences, Reed has said: I've probably been more influenced by poets than by novelists—the Harlem Renaissance poets,
9328-551: The main tribe to establish resistance to European settlement during the Cherokee–American wars . In 1816 John Ross , who later became Principal Chief , established Ross's Landing . Located along what is now Broad Street, it became one of the centers of Cherokee Nation settlement, which also extended into Georgia and Alabama. In 1838, the U.S. government forced the Cherokees, along with other Native Americans, to relocate to
9434-526: The maker of nationally known Little Debbie brand snack cakes, is a privately held, family-run company headquartered in nearby Collegedale, Tennessee . Notable companies that have manufacturing or distribution facilities in the city include Amazon.com , BASF , DuPont , Invista , Komatsu , PepsiCo , Rock-Tenn , Plantronics , Domtar , Norfolk Southern , Ferrara Candy Company (manufacturer of Brach's candies ), Alco Chemical , Colonial Pipeline , and Buzzi Unicem . The William Wrigley Jr. Company has
9540-579: The name "Chattanooga" derives from the Muskogean word cvto /chắtȯ/ – 'rock'. The latter may be derived from a regional suffix -nuga meaning dwelling or dwelling place. It is also believed to be derived from the Creek Indian word Chat-to-to-noog-gee , meaning ‘rock rising to a point’, which is speculated to be a reference to Lookout Mountain. The earliest Cherokee occupation of the area dates from 1776, when Dragging Canoe separated himself from
9646-544: The strikes was of the maids at a hotel in Buffalo. The other was at a department store, where the Black women were assigned to do stock work and the white women were salespersons. She became the first Black salesperson as a result of the strike. She wrote a book I deeply admire called Black Girl from Tannery Flats. But when she died, her achievement was that she became a salesperson. She was a fighter." In 1960, Reed married Priscilla Thompson. Their daughter, Timothy (1960–2021),
9752-477: The winter season) in a zone of conflict between warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cold, dry air from Canada, amplified by jet-stream energy and abundant Gulf moisture. July presents a secondary maximum in precipitation, due to frequent thunderstorm activity. Despite the mountains that surround the city, Chattanooga has been affected by tornadoes. These tornadoes include the 2011 Super Outbreak , which impacted
9858-465: The women survived. When an all-white jury acquitted the three Klan members for their crime, Chattanooga erupted into four nights of rioting. Not deterred by the jury verdict, the five women went on to be plaintiffs in a historic civil lawsuit against the Klan. In 1982, the federal courts ordered the Klan to pay the women $ 535,000 on account of the attack. This case created the legal strategy for dismantling
9964-524: The work of designer Grace Wales Bonner . In 2008, he was honored as Blues Songwriter of the Year from the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame Awards. A David Murray CD released in 2009, The Devil Tried to Kill Me , includes two songs with lyrics by Reed: "Afrika", sung by Taj Mahal, and the title song performed by SF-based rapper Sista Kee. On September 11, 2011, in a Jazz à la Villette concert at
10070-556: The world's first Coca-Cola bottling plant, Coker Tire , U.S. Xpress Inc., Covenant Logistics , Double Cola , CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries , Luken Communications , Miller & Martin , the National Model Railroad Association , PepsiCo , Reliance Partners , Republic Parking System , Rock/Creek , Tricycle Inc., and Unum . The city also hosts large branch offices of Cigna , AT&T , T-Mobile USA , and UBS . McKee Foods Corporation ,
10176-523: Was a mass shooting in Chattanooga that left three dead and injured 11. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 144.6 square miles (374.4 km ), of which 137.1 square miles (355.2 km ) are land and 7.4 square miles (19.2 km ), or 5.12%, are water. The most prominent natural features in and around Chattanooga are the Tennessee River and the surrounding mountains. The Tennessee River
10282-491: Was a child, during the Great Migration . After attending local schools, Reed attended the University at Buffalo . Reed withdrew from college in his junior year, partly for financial reasons, but mainly because he felt he needed a new atmosphere to support his writing and music. He said of this decision: This was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time because I was able to continue experimenting along
10388-739: Was also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize . His New and Collected Poems, 1964–2007 , received the Commonwealth Club of California 's gold medal. A poem published in Seattle in 1969, "beware : do not read this poem", has been cited by Gale Research Company as one of approximately 20 poems that teachers and librarians have ranked as the most frequently studied in literature courses. Reed's novels, poetry and essays have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Dutch, Korean, Chinese and Czech, among other languages. The University of California at Berkeley honored Reed as their Distinguished Emeritus Awardee of
10494-574: Was announced as the recipient of a lifetime achievement Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in recognition of his contributions to literature. In October 2023, Reed received the Hurston/Wright Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Honoring his experience of first achieving national publication of his poetry in anthologies edited by the senior writers Langston Hughes and Walter Lowenfels , as a result of his introducing Lucille Clifton 's poetry to Langston Hughes, Reed
10600-947: Was born the same year. Timothy dedicated her semi-autobiographical book Showing Out ( Thunder's Mouth Press , 2003) to her father. Reed and Thompson divorced in 1970. Since 1970, he has been married to writer and teacher Carla Blank . Their daughter, Tennessee, is also an author. Reed's published works include 12 novels, beginning in 1967 with The Freelance Pallbearers , followed by Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down (1969), Mumbo Jumbo (1972), The Last Days of Louisiana Red (1974), Flight to Canada (1976), The Terrible Twos (1982), Reckless Eyeballing (1986), The Terrible Threes (1989), Japanese by Spring (1993), Juice! (2011), Conjugating Hindi (2018), and most recently The Terrible Fours , third in his "Terribles" series and published by Baraka Books of Montreal in June 2021. To commemorate its 50 years in print, in 2022, Scribner's released
10706-457: Was completed. An excellent specimen of the Camelback truss bridge , it is the oldest surviving bridge of its kind in the Southeastern United States, having been built in 1891. Efforts to improve the city include the "21st Century Waterfront Plan" – a $ 120 million redevelopment of the Chattanooga waterfront area, which was completed in 2005. The Tennessee Aquarium, which opened in 1992, has become
10812-631: Was fought, driving the Confederates off the mountain. On November 25, Grant's army routed the Confederates in the Battle of Missionary Ridge . In regard to victories won by the Union, Chattanooga marks one of three defining moments that turned the Civil War in their favor. The Battle of Gettysburg brought the streak of victories obtained by the Confederacy to an end, while the Siege of Vicksburg split
10918-580: Was mostly because the city annexed nearby residential areas. By the mid-1980s, local leaders launched Vision 2000 , an effort to revitalize and reinvent Chattanooga's culture and economy. Chattanooga's population declined by more than 10% in the 1980s, but regained it over the next two decades, the only major U.S. city to do so in that period. The civil rights movement of Chattanooga began in 1960 when teenage students of Howard High School, inspired by activists in Nashville and Greensboro , began to organize
11024-504: Was published by Amistad in July 2021. In 2023, Forewords by Reed were included in Selected Poems of Calvin C. Hernton , Library of America's special publication of John A. Williams ' novel, The Man Who Cried I Am , and photographer Awol Erizku 's Mystic Parallax . Two of Reed's books have been nominated for National Book Awards , both in 1973: his poetry collection Conjure , and his 1972 novel Mumbo Jumbo . Conjure
11130-617: Was ranked 8th out of America's 100 largest metro areas for the best "Bang For Your Buck" city, according to Forbes magazine , which measured overall affordability, housing rates, and more. Chattanooga has many buildings and three neighborhoods on the National Register of Historic Places : Ferger Place , Fort Wood , and St. Elmo . Additionally, Chattanooga has several local historic districts: Battery Place, Glenwood, Missionary Ridge, M.L. King, and Stringer's Ridge . Four of these are formally managed as local historic districts by
11236-625: Was responsible for her first national recognition in Hughes' anthology The Poetry of the Negro (1967). Reed has continued to champion the work of other contemporary writers, by founding and serving as editor and publisher of various small presses and journals since the early 1970s. These include Yardbird Reader (which he edited from 1972 to 1976), and Reed, Cannon and Johnson Communications, an independent publishing house begun with Steve Cannon and Joe Johnson that focused on multicultural literature in
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