Poet, activist, and spoken word performer Jayne Cortez delivered a dozen lectures, spanning the years 1972 to 1987. Cortez was a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship winner and the spouse of sculptor, Melvin Edwards, also a frequent lecturer to the course. Cortez spoke on 5/12/1972 (2015-0002/RR20), 11/28/1972 (2015-0002/RR74), 12/4/1973 (2015-0002/RR75), 2/18/1975 (2015-0002/RR76), 4/11/1978 (2015-0002/RR77), 2/19/1980 (2015-0002/RR78), 4/7/1981 (2015-0002/RR79), 3/30/1982 (2015-0002/RR80), 3/22/1983 (2015-0002/RR81), 2/7/1984 (2015-0002/RR19), 2/4/1986 (2015-0002/RR82), 2/24/1987 (2015-0002/RR83).
Jayne Cortez, poet; performance artist, was born Sally Jayne Richardson in 1934 in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. She took the surname Cortez, the maiden name of her maternal grandmother, early in her artistic career. She attended Compton Junior College; studied drama at Ebony Showcase in Los Angeles; and was informally educated in African American music and oral traditions. In 1964, Cortez cofounded the Watts Repertory Theater Company; she served as artistic director of the company until 1970. In 1969, Cortez published her first poetry collection, Pissstained Stairs and the Monkey Man's Wares. Jayne Cortez died December 28, 2012, in New York City, aged 78.
