While Walker was keeping these journals, virtually all published diarists were white. RELATED: 'Racism is really just a mask for greed': Salon talks to Alice Walker on the 40th anniversary of 'Meridian' about the power of revolt

But readers interested in diaries are also asking: How does her book claim a place in the history of African American women's diaries? The journals offer inside details of Walker's work, family, and lovers, including her relationship with songwriter and performer Tracy Chapman, which Walker has been reticent to discuss until now. The book's editor, Valerie Boyd, notes how 'the personal, the political, and the spiritual are layered and intertwined' through the ensuing decades. Publication day is here for ' Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker,' a book that has kept Alice Walker fans waiting for an ' intimate glimpse into an important writer's life.' Best known for her 1982 novel 'The Color Purple,' Walker has worked in many genres - poetry, fiction, essays, films, children's books - and influenced public thought as a critic and activist.Īt 500 pages, 'Gathering Blossoms' includes entries from more than 35 years of Walker's journals, starting with a travel diary given to her in 1962 when she was 18.

Gathering blossoms under fire