Even when the dirt was hard and spent, black hands eked sprouts from it, tended them to fullness. And ate from the bounty.

John Edgar Wideman’s 1990 novel ‘Philadelphia Fire’ is not just a map of the city but of the nation and our collective condition.

Even when the dirt was hard and spent, black hands eked sprouts from it, tended them to fullness. And ate from the bounty.

Mothers ride the backstage of their lives frequently. Even mothers like me, who live a substantial portion of their lives center stage.

Andrew Moore’s clear-eyed, compassionate photographs reveal the heart of a state long saddled with the weight of our national shame.

  Lorraine Hansberry was a giver. Bitterness never prevailed long enough in her spirit to destroy the “lift” that was a such a large part of her talent, and which comes naturally when human beings are created on stage. Mostly we see shadows …