THE OXFORD AMERICAN
At the invitation of by Editor-in-Chief Danielle A. Jackson, Tayler Montague was the Guest Editor of the Film Issue of the Oxford American this Fall 2023.
The issue was an immediate success, garnering 10x the usual amount of pre-orders before hitting newsstands.
Tayler worked hard to commission pieces for the issue dealing with the theme Southern film, which in her vision, included the Global South.
Montague assembled a team of writers and artists to discuss a wealth of topics and then worked with the art team on licensing pieces for the issue, including the beautiful cover “Lady For Television” painted by Nigerian artist Barry Yusufu.
There was also a short film produced in conjunction with the magazine’s release, “BodyPoetry” by award winning filmmaker Zandashé Brown.
For this interview, I wanted to talk solely about Kasi Lemmons’s filmmaking work in the American South. I asked her if she’d be willing to contribute never before seen ephemera from the making of her films. Upon her agreeing to allow us to use the materials from her archive, I began working with the art team (Alyssa Coppelman Ortega + Carter/Reddy) on conceptualizing this layout.
PRESS FOR THE OXFORD AMERICAN FILM ISSUE:
Filmmaker Tayler Montague to Guest-Edit OA Cinema Issue, Arkansas Business
Fall 2023 Issue of Oxford American Focuses On Southern Film, Arkansas Times
Oxford American Wins Whiting Prize, $20K Grant and 3-Year Support, Arkansas Business
Another favorite work of art from the issue is this illustration that accompanies the acclaimed poet Justin Phillip Reed’s piece The Black Girl Best Friends at the Survivor Party. In it, he celebrates Black Final Girls in horror films. Actresses such as Brandy, Nia Long, Elise Neal, Loretta DeVine, etc. For this, we commissioned this gorgeous piece from artist Monet Alyssa.
IG users began posting stylized pictures of the issue. @blkwmndirectors