(1939 – 1995) Born and educated in New York City, NY, Bambara worked as an educator and social activist throughout her life. She began her literary career editing several anthologies of Black writers. She published her first short-story collection in 1972 and her first novel in 1980, winning the 1981 American Book Award. Her fiction usually revolved around her involvement in community activities and observations drawn from her students and her experiences in such places as Cuba and Vietnam. She also wrote screenplays, including an adaptation of her friend Toni Morrison’s Tar Baby, and worked on community documentaries.