Of Poetry & Protest is truly a beautiful book. The graphics, the photography, the poems have all been put together so carefully. Editor Philip Cushway wrote "My objective was to treat the book as a work of art" (11) and that intention and the work that went into it is clear in every page.
I really appreciated how he poets wrote their own introductions. "I was always a poet in that I was interested in concentrated, non-linear language and had an ear for different kinds of speech." (25) this quote from from Elizabeth Alexanders introduction really relates to my process of writing poetry.
One thing I find very interesting about this book is how it focuses heavily on history while also exhibiting work from only living poets. I think this combination is a very powerful statement because it shows the constant affect the past has on the present and allows the reader to see how the pain of such tragedies like Emmett Till's murder is still carried in the hearts of the Black community and how the the prejudices that caused it are still working today. Poetry is a unique writing medium in that time and history can become so fluid that the past and present are one.
"How can we wake from a dream we are born into, that shines around us, the terrible bright air?" (49) This is one of my favorite lines. From A Note on My Son's Face by Toi Dericotte. I also found the rhythms in Emmet Till by Wanda Coleman to be very striking.
I agree that reading the poet's own introductions was really powerful. I found that I was just as enamored with the language of how they described their work as I was with the work itself. I also really appreciate your comment about all of the writers being living poets working in our contemporary climate. That in and of itself highlights the fusion of past and present in a way I hadn't thought about before.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the historical subjects the book focused on really connected with the present for me. It begins with Trayvon Martin and moves along to Emmett Till, and MLK jr. Reminding us that not only is the pain still being felt from the past events, but we're still adding to the list of young black boys being targeted and killed.
ReplyDeleteYou and Sarah and Katthryyn are right! You connect the historical meaning to the poems. And their relevance to the current time. I also appreciate your look at the poems and how they are effective, but how that is done would make this discussion more complete.
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