WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSOR RECEIVES HONORS FOR SCHOLARLY WORK, SCHEDULES LOCAL PRESENTATIONS

Westchester Community College Professor of English Richard A. Courage (resident of Valhalla, New York) has been garnering national attention for a book he has co-authored. Most recently, the Illinois State Historical Society announced that a Superior Achievement in Scholarly Publication award had been given to his The Muse in Bronzeville: African American Creative Expression in Chicago, 1932-1950.
 
Courage is making a number of local presentations to spread the word about his book and the topic it covers. He will speak at Temple Shaaray Tefila, 89 Baldwin Road, Bedford Corners on Tuesday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Budarz Theater, Ossining Public Library, 53 Croton Avenue, Ossining on Thursday, September 20 at 7:00 p.m.; and at Warner Library, 121 North Broadway, Tarrytown on November 8 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Illinois State Historical Society Executive Director William Furry says “Through its awards programs, the ISHS recognizes the extraordinary commitment of our historical societies, museums, and public and academic historians to articulate the Prairie State narrative in a state, national, and global context, and to give meaning and depth to the Illinois experience. We extend a hearty 'congratulations' to all our award recipients."
 
Courage co-authored The Muse in Bronzeville with his own teacher and mentor, the late Professor Robert Bone of Columbia University. This highly informative and accessible work offers the first comprehensive account of the creative awakening that occurred on Chicago’s South Side from the early 1930s to the Cold War. During these years, African American artists such as Richard Wright, Gwendolyn Brooks, Mahalia Jackson, Muddy Waters, Katherine Dunham, Charles White, and Gordon Parks produced works of literature, music, and visual art fully comparable in distinction and scope to the achievements of the Harlem Renaissance.

Since its publication last fall, The Muse in Bronzeville has been well-received by scholarly and general readers alike. Besides the ISHS award, the book has been nominated for the Westchester Library Association’s Washington Irving Award for Nonfiction and several other prizes and is “Highly Recommended” by Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. The book is also being used as a text for a National Endowment for the Humanities-supported "Landmarks of History" summer seminar on the Black Chicago Renaissance for secondary teachers.

More information is available at richardacourage.com.