African American women writers have made an enormous contribution to world culture. Many of these authors wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, a particularly vital time in Black arts and letters, while others have been especially active since the 1970s, an era in which works by African American women are adapted into films and are widely read in book clubs. Literature by African American women is important for its aesthetic qualities, and it also illuminates the social issues which these authors have confronted. This book conveniently surveys the lives and works of African American women writers. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on more than 150 African American women novelists, poets, playwrights, short fiction writers, autobiographers, essayists, and influential scholars. Some of these figures, such as Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor, are among the most popular authors writing today, while others have been largely neglected or are recently emerging. Among the authors covered are: Marita Bonner; Annie Louise Burton; Pearl Cleage; Michelle Cliff; Lucille Clifton; Jayne Cortez; Mari Evans; Jarena Lee; Diane Oliver; Henrietta Cordelia Ray; Shay Youngblood; and many more. Each entry provides a biography, a discussion of major works, a survey of the writer's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies. The Encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography.