Kalamu ya Salaam
Kalamu ya Salaam (born March 24, 1947) is an American poet, author, filmmaker, and teacher from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. A well-known activist and social critic, Salaam has spoken out on a number of racial and human rights issues. For years, he did radio shows on WWOZ. Salaam is the co-founder of the NOMMO Literary Society, a weekly workshop for Black writers.
Kalamu ya Salaam

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- Name
- Kalamu ya Salaam
- Birth Name
- Vallery Ferdinand III
- Born
- 24 March 1947
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Education
- Carleton College; Delgado Junior College
- Occupation
- * Poet
- Nationality
- United States
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Kalamu ya Salaam figura nell'archivio di autorità come autore e produttore cinematografico; la nascita è registrata nel 1947.
Vita
La nascita è registrata dalla Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
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wikidata · Q6350480 · wikipedia · Kalamu ya Salaam
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kalamu ya Salaam • Birth Name — Vallery Ferdinand III • Born — 24 March 1947 • Birthplace — New Orleans, Louisiana, United States • Education — Carleton College; Delgado Junior College • Occupation — * Poet • author • filmmaker • teacher • Website — www.kalamu.com
Background
Background
Born Vallery Ferdinand III in New Orleans, Louisiana, he graduated from high school in 1964, joined the U.S. Army and served in Korea. He attended Carleton College (1964–69) and Delgado Junior College, where he earned an Associate Arts degree in business administration. He was the editor of The Black Collegian magazine for 13 years (1970–83), and has written for many publications including Negro Digest/Black World, First World, The Black Scholar, Black Books Bulletin, Callaloo, Catalyst, The Journal of Black Poetry, Nimrod, Coda, Encore, The New Orleans Tribune, Wavelength, The New Orleans Music Magazine, The Louisiana Weekly newspaper. He is co-founder/editor of Runagate Press. He is the moderator of Neo-Griot, a Black literature information blog.
Selected bibliography
• The Blues Merchant: Songs for Blkfolk. New Orleans: BLKARTSOUTH, 1969. • Hofu ni kwenu: My Fears for You. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1973. • Pamoja tutashinda: Together We Will Win. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1973. • Ibura. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1976. • Tearing the Roof off the Sucker: The Fall of South Africa. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1977. • South African Showdown: Divestment Now. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1978. • Revolutionary Love: Poems and Essays. New Orleans: Ahidiana-Habari, 1978. • Herufi: An Alphabet Reader. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1979. • Iron Flowers: A Poetic Report on a Visit to Haiti. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1979. • Our Women Keep Our Skies from Falling: Six Essays in Support of the Struggle to Smash Sexism and Develop Women. New Orleans: Nkombo, 1980. • Our Music is No Accident. New Orleans: New Orleans Cultural Foundation, 1988. [Images by Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick] • What is Life? Reclaiming the Black Blues Self. Chicago: Third World Press, 1994. • Tarzan Can - Not Return to Africa But I Can. 1996. • He's The Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana's 50 Years of Mardi Gras Indian Suiting. New Orleans: New Orleans Museum of Art, 1997. • 360° A Revolution Of Black Poets. Alexandria, Va.: Black Words; New Orleans: Runagate Press, 1998. • Magic of Juju: An Appreciation of the Black Arts Movement. Chicago: Third World Press, 1998. • New Orleans Griot: The Tom Dent Reader. New Orleans: UNO Press, 2018. • Be About Beauty. New Orleans: UNO Press, 2018.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Kalamu ya Salaam, revision 1370263983 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Kalamu ya Salaam. The History Makers. November 14, 2002.
- 2."KALAMU YA SALAAM ('Pen of Peace') Bio-Sketch" , ChickenBones: A Journal for Literary & Artistic African-American Themes.
- 3.Antoine Battle, "Life of Kalamu ya Salaam" . New Orleans Unmasked. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- 4.University of New Orleans Press. Runagate Press.
- 5.Neo-Griot, Kalamu ya Salaam's information blog. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 18
- The Blues Merchant: Songs for Blkfolk. New Orleans: BLKARTSOUTH, 1969.
- Hofu ni kwenu: My Fears for You. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1973.
- Pamoja tutashinda: Together We Will Win. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1973.
- Ibura. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1976.
- Tearing the Roof off the Sucker: The Fall of South Africa. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1977.
- South African Showdown: Divestment Now. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1978.
- Revolutionary Love: Poems and Essays. New Orleans: Ahidiana-Habari, 1978.
- Herufi: An Alphabet Reader. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1979.
- Iron Flowers: A Poetic Report on a Visit to Haiti. New Orleans: Ahidiana, 1979.
- Our Women Keep Our Skies from Falling: Six Essays in Support of the Struggle to Smash Sexism and Develop Women. New Orleans: Nkombo, 1980.
- Our Music is No Accident. New Orleans: New Orleans Cultural Foundation, 1988. [Images by Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick]
- What is Life? Reclaiming the Black Blues Self. Chicago: Third World Press, 1994.
- Tarzan Can - Not Return to Africa But I Can. 1996.
- He's The Prettiest: A Tribute to Big Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana's 50 Years of Mardi Gras Indian Suiting. New Orleans: New Orleans Museum of Art, 1997.
- 360° A Revolution Of Black Poets. Alexandria, Va.: Black Words; New Orleans: Runagate Press, 1998.
- Magic of Juju: An Appreciation of the Black Arts Movement. Chicago: Third World Press, 1998.
- New Orleans Griot: The Tom Dent Reader. New Orleans: UNO Press, 2018.
- Be About Beauty. New Orleans: UNO Press, 2018.
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