Oasis in the Diaspora is a literary, cultural and artistic emporium featuring a vast collection of books and ephemera, each of which have led their own marvelous lives. Consisting of more than 12,000 rare Black books, small press poetry, multicultural children’s books, and unique cultural artifacts, the collection primarily reflects the visions and voices of Black writers, historians, activists, artists and scholars across the African diaspora. Sweet smelling pages housed in pristine dust jackets, illustrated by the likes of artists Romare Bearden, Tom Feelings and Lois Malou Jones, are graced with the signatures and inscriptions of icons including Octavia Butler, Alice Walker, Amiri Baraka, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Roy DeCarava, and contemporary writers of equal brilliance.
The Oasis in the Diaspora archives also include a collection of more than 5,000 letters documenting Black lives and cultures from the late 19th century to the present, including correspondences from Jennifer Lawson, Afeni Shakur, Barack Obama, Richard Pryor, June Jordan, Shirley Graham DuBois, Angela Davis and hundreds of others.
Amassed by writer, activist, cultural broker and former manager of the iconic DC bookstore Drum and Spear Daphne Muse, the collection is now being sold to the people in order to preserve the legacies of those who have been an integral part of forging the paths of Black lives and cultures across two and into three centuries. Take a beat to browse, and behold the collective knowledge of Black lives across the Diaspora.