Includes bibliographical references (pages 725-736).
Introduction / Darwin T. Turner -- The chip woman's fortune / Willis Richardson -- Emperor of Haiti / Langston Hughes -- Our lan' / Theodore Ward -- Bayou legend / Owen Dodson -- Take a giant step / Louis Peterson -- Trouble in mind / Alice Childress -- In the wine time / Ed Bullins -- Five on the black hand side / Charlie L. Russell -- Great goodness of life (A coon show) / Amiri Baraka -- Black masque : the passion of darkie's bones / George Houston Bass -- A soldier's play / Charles H. Fuller, Jr. -- Ma Rainey's black bottom / August Wilson -- Miss Honey's young'uns / J.E. Franklin -- Flyin' west / Pearl Cleage