Synthia Saint James (born February 11, 1949) is an American visual artist, author, keynote speaker, educator and actor in the 70s. She is best known for designing the original cover art of the hardcover edition of

Terry McMillan Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951) is an American novelist. Her work centers around the experiences of Black women in the United States. Early life McMillan was born in Port Huron, Michigan. She received a B.A. in journalism in 1977 from ...

's book ''

Waiting to Exhale ''Waiting to Exhale'' is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMill ...

''. Additionally, Saint James designed the first

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called ''Karamu'', usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest ...

stamp for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

, first issued in 1997 and the Kwanzaa Forever Stamp, issued in 2016.

Biography

Synthia Saint James was raised in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and the

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...

. She sold her first painting in New York City at the age of 20. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Career

In 1976, Synthia Saint James appeared in the film

Emma Mae ''Black Sister's Revenge'' is a 1976 Blaxploitation film written and directed by Jamaa Fanaka. The film stars Jerri Hayes, Ernest Williams III, and Charles David Brooks, III. The film was released theatrically as ''Emma Mae'', then re-titled to ...

(also known as

Black Sister's Revenge ''Black Sister's Revenge'' is a 1976 Blaxploitation film written and directed by Jamaa Fanaka. The film stars Jerri Hayes, Ernest Williams III, and Charles David Brooks, III. The film was released theatrically as ''Emma Mae'', then re-titled t ...

). The film is set in

Compton, CA Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...

and played the role of Ulika Stansell, cousin to the title-character Emma Mae. In 1977 she appeared as the spokesperson and counter girl in a national McDonald's TV commercial. Saint James had her first solo art exhibition in 1977 at the Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California, where she studied performing arts. In 1980, she participated in her first international exhibition in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. She received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters) from

Saint Augustine's University Saint Augustine's University is a private historically black Christian college in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded by Episcopal clergy in 1867 for the education of freed slaves. History Founded in 1867 as Saint Augustine's Normal S ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, on May 8, 2010.

Bibliography

Children's books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Adult literature

* * * * * * * * * * *Saint James, Synthia (2015). ''In and Out of Love: Selected Poetry from the 1970s. Atelier SAINT JAMES. .'' *Saint James, Synthia (2016). ''Creative Fixings from the Kitchen: Multicultural Delights. Atelier SAINT JAMES. .'' *Saint James, Synthia (2016). ''Honey Suckle Kisses. Atelier SAINT JAMES. .'' *Saint James, Synthia (2016). ''I AM EDMONIA LEWIS and I AM WILDFIRE (A Monologue). Atelier SAINT JAMES. .'' *Saint James, Synthia (2016). ''Honey Suckle Kisses: Love's Refreshment. Atelier SAINT JAMES. .''

Awards

43rd NAACP Image Awards (2012)

"Living My Dream: An Artistic Approach to Marketing": Outstanding Literary Work-Instructional category.

References

External links

Synthia SAINT JAMES Official Web siteCoretta Scott King Book Award RecipientsM.K. Asante, The Black Candle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James, Synthia 1949 births Living people African-American women artists American stamp designers Women stamp designers American children's book illustrators American women illustrators Kwanzaa Women graphic designers 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women