“the bull-jean stories are a tantalizing blend of poetry and performance art that sings and dances across the page. The oral tradition that has kept Black culture alive informs the phrasing, melody and rhythms of each of these pieces and invites the reader to listen as well as read. Surrender to the jazzy/bluesy riffs here and you’ll come away singing…” Jewelle Gomez, author of Don’t Explain.
Cover art by Juarez Hawkins
Published by RedBone Press the bull-jean stories earned the 1998 Lambda Literary Award for Best Book by a Small Press; a Lambda nomination in the category of Best Lesbian Fiction and a nomination from the 1998 American Library Association for Best Gay/Lesbian Book.
I am proud to say that the bull-jean stories was the 1/2012 pick of the month on Sistahs on the Shelf! Check out the interview I did HERE..
Listen to samples of the audio book
Written, arranged and performed by Sharon Bridgforth
Music by Deacon John
Vocals by Sonja Perryman
Produced by Lisa C. Moore
To view a clip of The root wy’mn Theatre Company/featuring Sonja Parks performing an excerpt from the bull-jean stories at The Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival in 1995 CLICK HERE (Scroll down once you get on the page.)
the bull-jean stories is based on the idea of circular Life/the transmigration of Souls. using traditional storytelling and non-traditional verse to chronicle the course of lovve returning in the Life-times of one wo’mn-lovvn-wo’mn named bull-dog-jean/the bull-jean stories give cultural documentation and social commentary on African-American herstory and survival. events pivot from the Heart of bull-jean, but the Work is about community, past times and Spiritual binding. “my intent is to serve as griot-anthropologist much like langston hughes and his jesse b. simple stories and zora neal hurston/preserving & passing on memory/language/humor and Truth”. Though each story stands fully alone/together they herald the fluid connecting power/NOMMO (Life force) that is the Spirit of African-American people.
bull-jean On Stage
Q Ragsdale received a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Award from NPN, The South Dallas Cultural Center and DiverseWorks to adapt/perform/and tour a Multi-Media Adaption of the bull-jean stories.
More HERE.
You can purchase the bull-jean stories directly from RedBone Press HERE.
