A Giant Has Fallen: Frances Goldin Presente!
Frances Goldin was ferocious. There is a place on this earth for beautiful, fearless and courageous women. She never once turned her back on a fight. When Robert Moses tried to bulldoze her block in the 50’s, the capitalist bully met his match. Frances dove right in and hung on. It took literally 50 years, but her iridescent anger and trenchant love of her friends and her neighborhood saved the East Village of New York City.
Frances and Mumia were made for each other. Brilliant dedicated revolutionary writer on death row meets socialist literary agent and brazen provocateur. What was not to love? Hear Frances speak about Mumia by clicking here.
The transcendent literary career of Mumia Abu-Jamal was built on Frances’s belief in his writing, starting with Live From Death Row 1994 (Harper Perennial). Mumia got the recognition he deserved, becoming a best selling author moving beyond pamphlets and protests. With Frances as a lifeline, Mumia garnered an international stage.
Everything begins with a favor. (Although, to hear Terry tell it, it might have been a demand.) In the summer of 1994 I asked Terry Bission to help place Live From Death Row, and I asked that he help me find an agent. I knew this book had an audience. It was simply a question of could we reach it. Terry answered there is one person. And her name is Frances Goldin.
In 1994, NPR’s All Things Considered had just hired and fired Mumia. Democracy Now was championing him. Mumia’s right to speak and the critical value of what he had to say were being hotly contested in the national media and on the Senate floor. It was the perfect time for his first book to be born.
Terry and I traveled to Frances’ East Village office/apartment on 11th St. and made our pitch. She was Frances: bold, brash, and curt. “You do all the prep work and I will write the cover letters and see what happens.” Two weeks later Mumia was under contract, had a 30K advance, and a hardcover edition of Live From Death Row.
The bond between Mumia and Frances grew. She wrote thousands of letters to him over the last quarter century of her life. Here is just one Frances story: Frances wrote a note on the back of a picture of herself that she sent into the prison. The prison censors went mad. The picture was of Frances, 87, reading a book, nude from the waist up. The picture got Frances banned. Prison Radio launched a campaign on her behalf to reinstate her visiting rights.
Frances and Mumia were made for each other. Brilliant dedicated revolutionary writer on death row meets socialist literary agent and brazen provocateur. What was not to love? Hear Frances speak about Mumia by clicking here.
The transcendent literary career of Mumia Abu-Jamal was built on Frances’s belief in his writing, starting with Live From Death Row 1994 (Harper Perennial). Mumia got the recognition he deserved, becoming a best selling author moving beyond pamphlets and protests. With Frances as a lifeline, Mumia garnered an international stage.
Everything begins with a favor. (Although, to hear Terry tell it, it might have been a demand.) In the summer of 1994 I asked Terry Bission to help place Live From Death Row, and I asked that he help me find an agent. I knew this book had an audience. It was simply a question of could we reach it. Terry answered there is one person. And her name is Frances Goldin.
In 1994, NPR’s All Things Considered had just hired and fired Mumia. Democracy Now was championing him. Mumia’s right to speak and the critical value of what he had to say were being hotly contested in the national media and on the Senate floor. It was the perfect time for his first book to be born.
Terry and I traveled to Frances’ East Village office/apartment on 11th St. and made our pitch. She was Frances: bold, brash, and curt. “You do all the prep work and I will write the cover letters and see what happens.” Two weeks later Mumia was under contract, had a 30K advance, and a hardcover edition of Live From Death Row.
The bond between Mumia and Frances grew. She wrote thousands of letters to him over the last quarter century of her life. Here is just one Frances story: Frances wrote a note on the back of a picture of herself that she sent into the prison. The prison censors went mad. The picture was of Frances, 87, reading a book, nude from the waist up. The picture got Frances banned. Prison Radio launched a campaign on her behalf to reinstate her visiting rights.
It took months of calls and letters, and round after round of with the prison administration, but eventually she was able to visit again. She could now sit side by side with him. Mumia had just gotten off death row and was able for the first time after over 30 years to have regular visits. Mumia comments on what it meant to have a contact visit. Mumia also just recorded a beautiful memorial for Frances.
Frances Goldin visiting Mumia in their first contact visit.
I had many visits to Frances' apartment at 305 E. 11th St. I would stop and bring updates on Mumia's case along with Veniero’s cannoli and spumenti.
Thank you, Frances, for championing courageous and moving authors like Mumia, Adrienne Rich, Barbara Kingsolver, and Dorothy Allison Thank you for bringing their words into the world.
One night I was reading a copy of Frances's own book to my son Miles. He reached over and filled in his name. He knew it was for him as well as for me.
Long Live Frances Goldin’s spirit and those that dare to follow in her footsteps.
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