It's James Baldwin's Birthday

We're re-reading poems "Le sporting-club de Monte Carlo (for Lena Horne)" and "Stagerlee wonders" by James Baldwin on account of his birthday (he would be 93 today)!  Jacket Copy is also celebrating Baldwin's birthday with a very informative "Did You Know?" section. From that:

• Recently, Baldwin has returned to the public eye, almost 30 years after his death. Last year saw the release of "I Am Not Your Negro," a documentary about civil rights based on Baldwin's "Remember This House," an unfinished manuscript by the author. Times film critic Kenneth Turan called the documentary "a mesmerizing cinematic experience, smart, thoughtful and disturbing."

• Barry Jenkins, director of the Oscar-winning film "Moonlight," acknowledged that his movie was heavily influenced by Baldwin's work. "I describe ‘Moonlight’ as sort of the child of ‘Giovanni’s Room’ and ‘The Fire Next Time,’" Jenkins said. "What I love about what Baldwin does is that the plot is important, but the emotions are much more what he’s about. That’s the way ‘Moonlight’ works too."

• Last month, Jenkins announced that his next film would be an adaptation of "If Beale Street Could Talk." Jenkins said, in a statement, "To translate the power of Tish and Fonny’s love to the screen in Baldwin’s image is a dream I’ve long held dear. Working alongside the Baldwin Estate, I’m excited to finally make that dream come true."

• Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose “Between the World and Me” won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2015, was inspired by Baldwin in terms of both how he addressed racial inequalities and his literary style. "Baldwin was a writer, first and foremost. The ‘Fire Next Time’ is a beautiful work of art,” he told Rolling Stone. “And I really wanted to make something beautiful."

Find out more at Jacket Copy.