Lisa Victoria Chapman Jones (born August 15, 1961)Ellis, Trey (1988). ''Platitudes & "The new black aesthetic"''. Northeastern University Press, Ann Arbor. is an American playwright, essayist, journalist, and memoirist.
Personal life and education
Jones grew up in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
Hettie Jones
Hettie Jones (née Cohen; born in 1934) is an American poet. She has written twenty-three books that include a memoir of the Beat Generation, three volumes of poetry, and publications for children and young adults, including ''The Trees Stand ...
and
Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...
The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
'', Newark, NJ, October 2, 2009. Jones graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
and received a MFA in Film from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
. She married Kenneth S. Brown in 2004 and their daughter was born in 2005. She is Jewish.
Her sister,
Kellie Jones
Kellie Jones (born 1959) is an American art historian and curator. She is a Professor in Art History and Archaeology in African American Studies at Columbia University. She won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016.
Biography
Jones is the daughter of ...
, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. Jones has a half-brother,
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Ras Baraka
Ras Jua Baraka (born April 9, 1970) is an American educator, author, and politician who is the 40th and current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He was previously a member of the Municipal Council of Newark and the principal of the city's Central ...
, and a half-sister, Dominique di Prima, from Amiri's relationship with di Prima's mother.
Journalism
Jones joined the staff of the ''
Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...
'' in 1984 and wrote for the paper for 15 years.Tate, Greg "License to Ill: Black journalism in the pages of the 'Voice'" ''Village Voice'', New York, October 18, 2005. She was known for her "Skin Trade" columns in the ''Village Voice'', a selection of which were published as a book, ''Bulletproof Diva'',Jones, Lisa (1994). ''Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair''. New York: Doubleday. in 1994.Solberg, Judy. "Prepub Alert", ''Library Journal'', New York, December 1993.
Published works
Jones published a memoir, ''Good Girl in a Bad Dress'', in 1999.Jones, Lisa (1999). ''Good Girl in a Bad Dress''. New York: Random House. She also co-wrote three books with
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
, all companion books to his films: ''Uplift the Race: The Construction of
School Daze
''School Daze'' is a 1988 American musical comedy-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne), Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Based in part on Spike Lee's experiences a ...
'',Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1988). ''Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Daze''. Fireside, New York. published in 1988, ''
Do the Right Thing
''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...
'', published in 1989,Jones, Lisa and Lee, Spike (1989). ''Do the Right Thing''. Fireside, New York. and ''
Mo' Better Blues
''Mo' Better Blues'' is a 1990 American musical comedy-drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also wrote, produced, and directed. It follows a period in the life of fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (played ...
'', published in 1990. Her essays have been widely anthologized. One anthology is Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex and Hair.
Plays
Jones wrote the plays ''Carmella & King Kong'' and ''Combination Skin'' while involved with the Rodeo Caldonia, a feminist collective of African-American women artists.Taumann, Beatrix (1999). ''Strange Orphans: Contemporary African American Women Playwrights''. Würzburg, Königshausen & Neumann. Shipp, E. R.br>"Their Muse Is Malcolm X" ''New York Times'', December 4, 1988. ''Combination Skin'' went on to premiere at Company One in
Hartford, CT
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded County (United States), county government in 19 ...
, in 1992. The ''New York Times'' Theater review called her "a fresh talent" and praised her "all-consuming vision".Klein, Alvin "Theater Review: In the 90's, Questions Of Color And Identity" ''New York Times'', October 18, 1992. ''Combination Skin'' was anthologized in ''Contemporary Plays by Women of Color''. Jones also created three works for the New American Radio series of
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
: ''Aunt Aida's Hand'' (1989), ''Stained'' (1991), and ''Ethnic Cleansing'' (1993). ''Aunt Aida's Hand'' and ''Stained'' were collaborations with Alva Rogers, who was also a Rodeo Caldonia member. In 1995, Jones and Rogers received a joint choreography and creator
Bessie Award
The New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as the Bessie Awards, are awarded annually for exceptional achievement by independent dance artists presenting their work in New York City. The broad categories of the awards are: choreography, ...
for their collaborative work."'Bessies' Go to New Artists and Philip Glass" ''New York Times'', September 18, 1995.
References
Further reading
"Lisa Jones: Combination Skin" in Beatrix Taumann, ''"Strange Orphans": Contemporary African American Women Playwrights'', pp. 279–86.