https://digitallis.isg.siue.edu/files/original/d8eb1aa3baa8362470f1f9ad7acd11de.pdf 192c5bb1aee5077ef8c5dd67e040609d PDF Text Text j. nhlil,1d j. ' s titl e 11 ilard llcad M:.ikcs a Sof t ,\ss " li,1p lies tile )Oem ' s stute!llent. And fnntasy etcrnaliz cs , " 'ike a ,.,uoJ hi..:,h," ft)r 'J o1:uay Cuy in " Hro t hcc . " 13ut the thc1:ws uf unity , self-esteem , Ll c .\frlc.an " 1,1utherL.111d, 11 nnJ unabat eLl an,,cr rcr,m in in tl1c n -~w poetry .:is the !·fiJ11cst ,1Il J \:est cuntr ibutc inunensely to tl1<! Lrllliancc nnJ tlK conLro v crsey . sented .'.l unique ga tl1eri ni of a nwnLer of poets to aid the l~il~orc, Ohio , for cxnrnp lc, r cpre- live rsc views on the new consciousness , u ttr.:icti n~ I ) , /\tkins, J.:11ues o rk of :ion an Jordnn (1 93G - (all form Cleveland) a nd JlL~rnton . ~low at Oberlin, 1Jen1Lon succeeJc,l Redmond \1h o \Jas oritcr-ln-resiclencc thcr , (1969-1970) , th e snme yea r Troupe bezan a r esidency at Ohio Uni ·.1e rsit y . during ll erH ton ' s le:ive-of-abs •nee . Sarah Uehst ec ho.s also L,1u<)1t a t Oberlin llowe ve r, Cleveland activity was spurred by a lonB tradition of Il lack \ffitcrs in 1.uLlin g llu ~hes , Ches nu t t (,rnL' of t1k fuun<lers of Karainu llu L, se) and At kins . host of y0tmger pO, '. U, : Th is continuum producc<l Jordan an! a ,\nthony Fml;~e , L:trry Howard , Larry \fade, .\r Nixon , Clin t Nels on , Rob er t F lernin!; (K u \!ais maga zine) , Alan Bell, Uo]and Fo rt e , Tc<l Hayes , E. llufo rd and Bill Rus s,•11 o f th e Mun tu Poets. Other p,Htlcipati'ng writ e r - artists uerc Clyde Shy, 1\p1cer ltn , hid a nd A11ettn Jeff e rson. for poets an<l thelr nctivi .. ies came fro n vnrlous places: Support the Clcvcl,md Call and Post, Afro - SeL Black Arts project , Unite<l Black Artists, Free Lance and Karu11tu ll u usc 1-1h e r~, Jordan ' s pl.:iys wer·e pro du ce<l . Ki] :_: ore 1-.rrit es out of a stron<,_ -t rn tliti.on of Black hum ::i nism riurturcd in rcliiiou s homes . llis vol umes arc The Di g Buffalo and Other Poems (1969) , 1·1i.dnir;ht Blast (1 )70 ) and A Time of Bla ck Devotion (1971) . the c ont ra<licti o1 The poems expose in i\m..; rican De1.1oc r acy ancl s urvey the " lli r:,h Rjsc Dreams" of metropolitan ] lacks caught in the urban r enc\·Wl scrabble . Devo ti o n, dedi- cated to ~o re t ta Scott KinG , vibrates wi t h concerns for Black stu<lents, ThirJ I I \ ·I �\!orJJ s urvival , a nd f.:1sc i nation with Frnnz Fnno n. .'.l /1. different kind of poe t, Jo r dan i . somet i me s a n gr y , c y nic a l ::i nd v i o lent; o t her tim s pr o ph e tic le h as p ubl i s hed t hree v o l urnes : and my sti ca l. 19 71 ) , Ab ov e J:, ·1 Des t ina t ion : Ashes (1 96 7, ( 1971) , nm! uith r!arc lw G.--1. g e , Two Poets ( 197l1) . D<:!clica t e <l to t h e " Corimun i , y , 11 Det~t innti o n contains J o rdan ' s best anJ most memorabl e po e ms . In Cl eveland h e c me r ~~d ns n major fo r ce in t h e n e w Bla ck poetry , u niti ni_; t he olJe r t raditio n s ymbol ized by rree Lc1ncc , c1 nd the !1untu Poets . Dest i nation , 1 irs t pub l is h eJ priv a t e l y b y J ,1rd,:m , wa s lat e r brou ght o u t by Th i r d Worl d Pr e s s (Chica ~o) wi t h nn Int r o duc ti on by Lee , uho sni d he " l ea r ned " th::i ~ Hu ~hes h a d no n e ed to "r e-\-T i t e and r ev i se ." ( ! ) Any \•.•a y , Dest i naU 0 11 ch r o11 ic l es J ord.:1.n ' s 0vm dev e l o 1 '11cn t from the pe riod of civil ri g hts thr ou ~h BJ ack Pm1e r . lli.s poet r y i s a ll f r e e v e rse, u s u a l l y simp listic narra tiv e maki n r~ rnup l c use of d rama t is pe r !~o n a f r om e v e r y wa l k of Bl ack li fe . Th e r e is .J. lcoh o l i sm , v iolence , pov er _t y , l o n e liness and exal t a tion· o f' Bl a ckness . " I Have Se e n Them" d e scrib Lis those o n r elief , hun :'. r y and c o ld pray in i3 for " mira cles . " Ne l ] . e Recd u r;ed t o be a hirl-ab ou t-town, "Lau ghin 13 an d danc ing ," b ut now a t 26 s e is deaJ and h e r !3hos t " tremble s" i n nn alley wine b o t L1e " n c>ed i n r, ,1 fix . " Jordan a l s o spoofs " l!i zh Art a nd All Lhat ,tiz z " : ru c k you and yo1.. r d rn.m v erbs l e t me t e ll it l i ke it is na~, _t;,.<',.;,' and f W.11~~:,•. " Fe eJin r: th e Lion s " (1 966) is hi s ;:,osL anth o lo g iz e d po em . Thl! " a r my " uf brie f-c a s e - c.1 rryin:~ s oci a l wo r k !2rS in v ad e s lH:lck nei r) 1b o rl1ood s L'.:l c li 1.10 r nin~, pas ::; out ch e c ks , 1;1ove qui c kly from 0 11 2 door t o anoth e r , anJ , after filling �th e ir qu ut;1~, lenvc " before uurk ." ' TlH!r<= are nl so poems about 1ay ~; ticisu , rc lii i o n, 111y t holo13y , anJ l:aniu , i ncludinlj drm1i 1, r, s o f e y es , Lr icrn~ J cs :J.nd cir c l es--all r e.· i" lec t in ~; tl1 c mcm y in[ l uenc<.! S u n .J o r dan ' s ,wrk new mood (Abov c-_: ia va) . ,111J the a pp i: ouc l1inL, Bu t Dcs t i r.:t Li o n , \·J i th it s slor t, cxp i f:ra ,t1n::i tic v e rses and pa r ables , ~; ccs tltrou .jh allus ory , r omantic "unity" n ea r th e e nd a nd moun t s an att ack o n rc vo luti on;:iry d iur l .:t.:a n s , b uck- s lid e r s of th e 1no v emcn t :inJ t hose \-1h o vil~11 vi o l en c e a s th e onl y sol u t i on t o racism . reaff i rms h i s fa ith in Bl.:i cl: writ e r s 1.'o r tin g far Yet " Cosuti c lli t ch<loc t o r s " j n t o u " l i q u i d n i ght''./ t hl!y provid e t he !o unJ u ti on for t omo r ro w' s liberati u J o rcl a11 ' s he l ief in th e 11ys ticul, rn.i,: j , ·11 pm·1 ers of th e word can be see n i n t h e name Vi br .:i t iu n, a Cl ev e 1nJ rna r, a z · ,1e 1. ith which he 1.Ja s c lose l y ::issoci.:J. t eJ . · It i s " Deel i ca t e d to th e n e sur r ec ti on of t he ~~e n t ally a n J Sp irit u:1lly lh~ad ." Ot her Oh i o poets f' oun<l out] ets for th e ir wor k i n Vi bra t Lon ,1n<l o t he r journal s : nL:ick As cei, s i on s (Cuyo. ho ga Co1mnunit y Colle g e) , Proud 1aack. I mo.:~es (Ohi o Stnt e Un ive r s it y) and Lif e line : W11 e n Amer i ca Sin g s Sh e Croaks (O be rlin). Ob e rlin stude nt s a l so pro <l u~ed a .sr c ci ,l l Blacl~ i ss ue o[ th e col l cge ' ·s Ac tivi s t . ma e,az in e ; i t c ont a i ned poems by both s..: ucl e nt s and wel l k now n poets . a sta f f me1,1 be r o f Rl.:1ck .i\sce ns ions, pu i1 l i s h e <l Mi r, rati on in 1 9 7 2 . Clev e l a n d p<Je t, IL Fe lton (1 934 - .Fu dge. , Ano th e r )~ br ou t_; Lt out Conclusi o ns wi t h an Iutro- duct io n by .\ t k ins \/ho p r aised the youn~ . po e t [ or n o t c o nscio u s l y e n gag i ng in the "<li sfi .; u r c,ae nt o f pe rc e p tio n s " tu pole mi c i ze a " co n stric t e d kind of 'r elc v anct· 111 In 11 /\n i: l egy t o Et e rnit y , 11 Fel ton, :1 vib rnnt poe t, s::iys : Ten r - du cts swe ll, b urstin g in a de l i ght o f flooJ and fu ry . Ga r f i ,· LJ J ackson , a yo unr; pri:~e-winn i n g poe t, i s one of th e ed itors of �P rou,1 Black Im:1~es. pai;es: Nany youn G .111J old e r Ohio poets are includc!c.l ~rn1ong its Forre:, t Cay, Diunne Cou j J , Jacki e Toone, Ebrahim Alj a hi z z, Hohssen Asl,:1111 ( Chris Jenkin &) , Battuta Luk-1lilha Barca , LinJa Callend e r, Be verly Cheeks, Antar Sudan Hberi, Lt!ntrict! Emcrm.1 a, Ros]yn Perry Ford, Ray Hon ,t gomccy, Kil(jore , JorJan, an d otlwrs . J\lthoueh the journal's title set s tl1 e conceptual paci2 :11H.l plac e s .i L in the strem11 of the ncu consciousness, tli " rc, is no unifyin'.', theme or iJea in the poetry. John \·/hit taker calls "Singe rs, Dancers," the "do ers of initial cl..•c ds " anJ Implementers of th e inc!Vitable Black life. llernt o 11, \Jh o atten<lec.l 0 ]1io schools , Le cm1e ,1ril c r-Jn- r cs idt'1 1cL! .i t Centra l State Univl.!rsity , in the sixth· ; , !louse of Ni;~ht son ;-.; in 1963 and Il e publ:ished Th e• Co nin r•. o[ Cltron o:; t o t:he ;incc theu he J1as ,vrittt' n mn11y l>o o Ls :rnd ,irticL.. s on Amer:lca ' s sor:lal/se:·'. u.:11 han ), 1ps . in the fir:;t issue o[ Confro nt n ·ion: One of his moGt powerful Jh)('i,1s wpp0 J n,;d ,\ J ,lllnrnl of Third Worl J Lit e rature (suuuner, 1.970) founder\ anLl cJited by Troupe at Ohio University. " S tr ' ct Sc.en c " shm-1s Her n ton plav[ 1] ly lookin ~ at the hl 2ntity question alon~ with other things . \/lien he mL · tG ,rnd s ricn l(s to his "<lream" on the " street," h ~ recc.ives " Go t o hell, so no 1hi tch." Cnnfro nt ntion nlso publishes o !1er Ohio poets; yet , its concerns are broa<l as see n in th r names of co ntribu t i 1g edit o rs: Damas , Sergio Mondra~on , FernanJo Al ~13ria, , ,·.'.11 , IZcdmond , Tam J?.io1· i , Duvicl Henderson , Melviu J'c hmrd s :.rnJ \Jilfr,:J Cwrtey. I n other Ohiu c01,1munili.es reL:.1tcd events occurrl:!J. Cincinattj ' s fir ~: l Black An ,. FL!stiv .i1 11Js oq;an.iz12J by . . ikki Ciov,rnni i11 1 0 G7 ~nJ uut uf tl1.is �lUl.l l o :1 dnJ Other l'oc:ms (l0(i9) , 1:1a J2 :1:1 i.u11e .1 su1·Ltb1 y v:..t]u::ible conu·lhut:i,m to th L! Lt1tderslnnJin[_; of f,lacl- poet r. / li hcn h e o r~ .t1Yi.:OL•d thL! P:1ul L.1urence Dunbar Ccntennl:11 lu ] lJ 72 at the Cniv,orsity of Dayton . Indio.no. hc::ived foL"th precious \,orJs from Cary , Imlian..;po]is, Purdue , Terre llo.ut e .J11d- oi.:llL!r !!arl Ev;rn" ·or t:,. ,nlzeJ o.rts ar.J ..:onsciou::;ness ,l ."L! as . progr:11,1.; in Int!i.:inapuli. i ,. .:11J l.l loo,nin~~ton . wrilLL'.1 T .\Jn a DL1ck W,ll:1.1 n,conL.1inin g poc1:1s over s c ver.::il ye::,trs , unfortunately di d not finJ a puL!isher unti] ]970 . Howe v er , the ]Jock cles "rvcdly received the Black ,\caJerny of Arts ..inJ Letters Secom! L\nrn1al Poetry ,\Hard . She h s bL!C!l closely idc•ntifil!d ,iith :1ctivitics in Chlca;; u \lhere Third \Jorlcl Pres :· publi '.d tes her childr •n ' s writ:in;;~, . Her t itle pc>1 ' ... is ::i spiritual , psyclt<,l o r, ic::il ,ind historical journey of the: t.:la ck woman \-,hose " tr iegt'r t re/ cl fin~cr :;" now seek tltc softness of my \-1 0.rrior ' s bco.r<l ... L\ major po em a111ong the nc.:1-1 poetry, it combines the b e st of L:lw 111o~lernists tec h n i que :, \Ji Lit a dwrt-\JOrk of 111 usic :;o as to r,i.ve th e impre:, sinn of 80111eonL slnzlng 01 l1u11unl11;~ .:1lon:~ with the readin:.:, o( it . Mar-i. Cv.in:, sc.:in ~; 0Lltv1 · fil'] ,L of Black 1 i.f,,, writing abou t lor\ely ancl di.;jLCtl!J \Wl11en , se]f-priJc , violl.!n e, Black uni.L y and L\frica . In 11 \1110 can be llorn Black" she joyously :rn,l_ Jefiantly asks : can he born and 1ot c .:ult ! Al :;o clo s ely ;.iss11ci:1ted with the Cl1lca~o ;ind DeLruit mov e m nts is Et h riJGe Knight (1933- ) , \~I o 11as ser.vinf, a '.20-year tcn.1 in In-!Lm:1 State Prison �Brooks. She called his poetry Vital. Vital. Thi s 1, 01.;try is a rnaj or anno unc eHicn t . .. And there is blackn ess, inclu sive, possess ell nnd give n; fr eed nnJ terribl~ uriJ beautiful . lier own vers ion of th e JlL1ck ,\esthctic was expressed in the snrnc statement: " Si nc e Et h er id ge Kni~ht is not your stifled artiste, th e re is air in these poems ." Knight roams the deep crevices of Black spi ritu:11 and psychic experienc es as he combines the lan:.u:i~e of the prison suh-culture with the rhythms of Black Americ~rn stree t speech . lie bounces or drjvt'S lwrd--a poetry of " Iinrd bop " --lookine :.it prison Jifc, love c111J ancestry . Exception.'.11 plcc s are the folksy "llard Rock Returns to Prison from th e Hospital fo r thi.:! Crimini>l Insan e , " th e mysti ca l and mythical "lie Secs through Stone," the genea lo gi c a l "The Iden of Ancestry," the innov.'.ltiv c Haiku sections , and "On U11ivcrsa]ism 11 which ,~arn s agnins t appl y ing " univ crs.'.ll la,JS " to " pains " and America . 11 cl 1a in s 11 in lli s technic a l ab ilities arc poignantly <lisp] nyed in h.'.lik.1_1 " 9 " : 1!.'.lidn g j a z 7. swing in Seventeen syl lables AIN ' T No square poet ' s job . Kni gl1t , ,-1ho vrns lnt c r released from pr l so n, al so edited rnack Voices From Pris on (1970) and in 1973 HrnaJside Pi0ss published lle]ly Son g and Other Poem s . He los es hi s reach whL~n he tri es to over- int e ll e ctualize in his poetry . Ant.I t hough it may be a hit unchnritablc. to say , Belly Sonr proves tl1at h e wrot e better poetry in prison . slips into polem ics . Th 0 last book has some fine moments -hut it sometimes However, Knight is still stretchinr; out as a poet, currently doing research into or;i l lit e rature with the aid of a Cu;~genheim grant . �· ncJ l y s h ows h im pu r s u in g t his t radition in " Th '-' Bon es of My Fath e r " which smil e at the moon in Mississ i ppi from th e bottom o f th e Tallahn tc hi.e . Fi nal 1~, , a numb e r o f · p oets fr om t ' lis z enern l re g ion of the Midwest a nd So u th ar e includ e d in ;i sp e cial Bl nck Poet r y issu e of Ne ~ro Am e rican Li t e r ature · Forum ( spr ing , 19 72) eJi t e <l by RedmonJ . The Forum is publi s hed by India na S tat e Univ e r s ity School o f EJuc a ti u n and e dited Ly John Luy ll s s, :.i n 1:n z li s hm:.1r1 . I t H !r,uLirl y r e vi e ws lllack lit e rature . Ch i c a g o i s a Hi Lh-,cs t !1e,1r t nnd lws .1 l ong tr.;id _i t i.on o f e L: 1c L /.rts , to i n 1; back tu, a nd before, Co un t lJnsie ' s op cn i n, ; at the Su nse t Clu b i n l (J '..!7 . 1/m:eve r, some o f th e 1,1orc r •cent forces h e lpin g t o sh a pe th e; 11<..: 1.1 po e tr y mu v e111e nt LIJL'rl' ar c : So uth Side C01,1 munity Art s Center , John s on Public:itio n s , Kuumbn ' s l' oot Th e a t er (Franci s and Val \~ard) , th e DuSable Muse um of Afri c,rn· A:,w ri c au ll i s l o r y , 01\AC, 1 ll !, Litutc of Positiv e Edu cntion ,rnd Third \!o rld Pr esr; (/J;,,lhuhL ti ) Frt~l~ lllack l' r ess , Af r o - ,\rt s Thea t e r, l!alcolr.i X College , Oscar Br0\·/11, Jr. , Muh a nuil ad Spe <.i.ics, Elli s Books tores , Ch ica go De fe n der , Philip Coliran (Art i s t l°c ller Lta.Ge Ens embll') , to n ame j ust a few . As a maj o r point b e t1-1e c n East a nd \/c;s t/ Nor t h aud Sou th , Chic ag o r eHiains a city in tran s j tion . Huch of th<..! n c H poetry sc e11e 0 c, nerat cs from t lte huh known as th e Or ;_;il ni :<'. a t ion o[ Blacl~ /uae ri c ;..111 Culture and 1,\1e nd o l y 11 Bro oks . Fuller , BJ :ic t i!u rld mana ~ inr_: edit o r, is a lso advi s or t o OBAC ' s Writer ' s \/or ks hop·. ln J 969 ( fall ) issue of Hommo , th e workshop ' s j u urn n J , Fuller said: Bl ac L i n a 11ay o f lo o kin t c1 t the 11orl d . Tl1 e po ts 01· OJ;AC , in rev ea lin g their vis i on , c c lcbrntc th e ir bl:.icl:ne ss. In thi s momen t ·i n hL s tory , what mi g ht un der differen t ci r cum- �st; nce s be sii!lfllY assumed must nec 2 s s aril y be :.1ssertcJ . 1\ml the OBAC poets know--if others do not--tlwt pale men out of the \vest do not <lefine for mankLnJ the perimeters of arl. Tliis they want all blacl; people to knoo . In the Jou nw l ' :; \lint e r issue of th . s ai.w ye :ir, Fuller said 01:,AC members · \·J er e " see];in t;" to 1..i·e "both si1:1ple and profound." They display an " i maginative re- pres e ntation of their e;~pe~ _i.ences ," but they also seek "t o be revolutionary." In the first quote, Fuller ' s tone, carrying the battle-baiti1 ,r, phrnse , "even if others do not," see111ed to have been a signal [or, among oth e rs , Don L. ) , to continue his attack on all fr o nts. Ther e \Je r e no :.;a cre<l cows, as Lee saw it, anJ since "others do not" know what the youthful Chicago Blacks presu1;1ahly <lid knm-1 , Lee's assi gnment was to teaclt them. C\iendolyn Brooks concurre<l with most of this feeling, embracing as it \Jer e a "n e w" Blackness anJ (unfortunaLely) occasionally enr,aging in a kind of self-Jeprecation : ·j "It fri g htens me to reali.ze that, if I had <lied before the age of . [.Lft y , I I \·JOuld have died a ' Neero ' fraction." I Lee follm,7 in8 the examples o[_ Randall anJ Bar aka, be gan Third 1-Jor] d Press-"-a valuable vehicle for the ne\l poecs--:rnd I chang ed his name in thL! e arly seventies to llaki R . !>iadhubuti. I He al s o eslab- lished the Institute for Positive [ cluc .'.l tipn whicli publisl~cs nl.a c k Books Dul let in \vith himself a s e<litor. St e rlin ~ Plurnpp (1940- Oth ..: t· poets .1 included in the editorial st.::iff: ) , Joh.::iri i\ 111in.L (Jewel Latimore) (1935- ) , Em.'.lnu c l, I I Sarah Webster Fabio, the late Ll o r e ns ( who launched Le e's n:.1tional c a reer in I Ebony, l ~rch 1969), a nJ Ha dall. I OBAC was founde<l in 1967 anJ poets of varying temperauents were attracted to it and Gwendolyn Brooks' worksh.o ps: Rodr,ers (1943- ) , I/alter Bradford (1937- ) , Carl Clari~ (1932- Cnrolyn ) ' I I I I �Hike Cook (1939- ) , Jo.1:10s Cunnin~:h;1m (1936- Sam Greenlee ( ), Phillip Royster (194 3- Lee, Linyatta (]947(1938- ), Sharon Scott (19510 ), Ro1da Davis (1940- )' ) , Pe ;;g y K.2nner (1937- )' ) , and Sigt moncle Hjmherli (Ebon) ) , and continual stre:::n of ne,·: ly arrivin g poets. 0 Other Cl!ica ::;o area poets are St cp b n n y Fuller, Eugene Perkins, Irma McLaurin, Lucille Patterson, Jerrod , Zack Gilbert (1925- ) , Alicia Johnson (1944- ), Ruwa Chiri and Robart Butler. Th e work of many Chicago area poets can be found in Nommo, Black Expressions, B]nck Horld, Blnck Writers' News, Muh.'.lmmact Speaks, and in the antholo :; ies ~ Broacls .Lde Treasury (1971) arvl Jump ll a<l: edited by Gwendolyn Brooks . .\ Ne w Clli ca :~ n .\n tho lo f'. V (1971), both They c.'.ln al s o he foun<l .in the numerous . other nationally-llistrilrnteJ antholo ~ ies a nJ journals already l i.~teJ. as nci1,l l! and conc ept, \-/llS concessio n won by Chic.:i~o ar e a artj_st ~ HJack h'o rLl, , 1,1 d i.l Ctivi s t: s , who prot e sted again s t the ,)ld na1i1e ,Je f- r o Digest in the lo.tc six tie s . Fuller continues to r, uidc th e ma z azine' s new i111a g e throue,h the ticklish · 1rnters· of · I controversy and chan r_:e; . I as Bln c k \!or] ,1' s But m.:iny readers have been critical of wh:1t is sel!n pi.!rtlcular i2ej st;:in.li,, lack o f "open" (orur11 on \k.C ti nent -I Blnck issues, and a tendency to circu:-:1scribc in<livi<lu.:11s and ~ r o ups .. But _ the ·j journal l1as an indispensable a id to man y · Blnck poets and writer 3 , printing t11eir \vork, ident Lf y i1 1,: antholor;ies, 11otin13 books published, an<l servin g as facilitator for prizes .:ind genercil contact. Among all neu poets, Hadhuu1 ti is sec o nd o nly to il ikki_ Giovanni in the nu1n!Jer of accolad e s anJ the comm <..!rcial nttenti o n h e nnJ his poetry have receiv e d. A sampling of critics, poets and s cholars \Jho feel he is one of the 3reatest of the new poet:, 1Jo uld h.Jve to in c: lude Stephen Henderson, Fuller, G,,en<lolyn Brooks l!ar g aret \h!lker, Prwla Gid ,lin[; s,· Dar<1ka, Hnri Evans, lbndall and Gayle. I .-1 1 �GwcnJul y n Broo l~s !ins said Had hubuLi r cser.1h lcs Jesus Christ n,1cl hL·r IntroJ ucti on t o Juiap Bnd hail s hi1:i as "th e r.os t signifjcant, inv entive , nnc.l influent .i. ::i l black poet in th e country. " Overlookinr: , fo r th e I11ouc nt, the necessity of r eading " all " the poetry in t he "countr y " before rnal · Ln r~ suc h a state1:1ent, iL sj 1,1 pl y i i; not Hise in view ,i f th e " collective" policy--,:1.ncl \\ the antl-intliviclu::ilist f..::clin~s--1,,h i c h ::iller;edly for m the cornerstone of th e Chic.::ico poetry scene . Lee ha s publis h e d five volumes of po e try : Think Dlack ! (1967) , Dlnck Pride (1968), Don ' t Cry, Scr eam (1 96 9), He IJa lk. the l'i.1y of th e New \Jo rl<l (1970 ), Di.r ec tion sco r c : (1973). Selected nn ,1 nc1J Pocr,1s (] 971) :ind Tl,L' His Dynamite Voice s, Vol. I ill)l)] : of L{fc (Broadside), published in 1971, i s a study of 1L1 Elnc k poets of the s i x ties; but it reveals , like hi s othe r criticism, that h e/\ .:i hazy thinker, who l.:icks discretion ancl firm underst;inJing of the Blc1ck poetry tradi t ion . l!e spends an entire pa ge , for examp le , illuminatin~ a nd apparently advoc a tin g th e use of the uord " motherfucker . " And any bo ok about th e sixties should not cor.1e off the press without ex:wni.:.. ning the poetry of LeRoi Jones/Im::imu nara!~a . Mad hubuti attributes · the f a th e rship of the New Black 1ioetry to B.:irakn , but apparently is inc ap abl e o f discus~Jng the man' s poetry . Tl1ere arc othe r, i ncredible flaws in the book; for ~rl1ich t his youn ~ poet ' s olJ e r mentors must 's hare some blame. As a critic , he did not (could not!) cultiv.:itc the "dist nncc " of a Johnson, DrOlm, P..eddin~, or Henderson, ancl consequenLly--nlreaJ y lackin g discipline and tralnin g- -could n o t really see the poetry . But: in fairness, it mu s t be snid that his biblio ~raphy and oth e r rand om bits of informa tion abo ut the n ew poetry a r c usable. As a poet, Lee· far es bett e_ r, employin~ wi.t, i.rony , unclerstnt emen t and sig nifying . nut there are exec] lent poL~ t s in Chi c.:igo uhich his politico- poetic .I �i.magl: lws d\-Jarfed (Plurnpp , Cunnin f~ lwm, Rodgers, Gilbcrt, etc . ) llis themes r a n r;e fror.1 what Arthur P . Davis has cnlled " The t!ew Poetry of Black llnte," t hr o u g h love and J3lacl~ pd.de , to the ha-gared pontifications i.n The Rook of Life wh e r e he re-arran:; es saying s and pa rnbl c s stnted better by Aesop, b u s h Africans, Plato, and nnrnka, and Tnlson . Like Nikki Giov.::inni .:ind othe r s -, his ea r ly \mrk re- inforced tlte self-love CLJ11cept, ca!3ti2,i.lted whitcy a nJ encouri.l/jl!d 1\L!cL unity . llost of his themes i.lrc! s unuacc.1 up in the ti.tlc!, ThinL el.,ck ! and Blnck Pride and l1is devices .::ire everyday conversation, often not well\vrOu[',ht hut sometir.1es quite st~1rtlin~ and mus-Lcnl rh yllw1s ("The \.'all"). These he a<ljustD in an often effective typor,raph) \.Jlrich 1,1ovcs 1.a pc1r:1llel column s vertically or hoi:izont;.1lly on Lh e p;:i :•,cs. In IntroJucti.ons t o h i.tJ bool~s and critical ar ticJ cs :ia<lhulrnti nh•ays r; ives "directions" tu l;l;:ick 1•1ritcrs - - as he c.loes in much of t he poetry itself. "First Impressioas of ~ 7r i.l Poet ' s De::ith , " his elegy for Conr.::id Kent tivcrs , subtl~ly rev c.::i l ~ th e often · un- tall:ed -il bo ut thln:~s that cau se pre1;1ature l\lack Jcaths . Spc.:11,.i.n)j · of "too much " sex nnd <lrink, he sGy::; many "poets who poet" I ·1 die fro 1 ovcre,:posurc . Du t he can unknowln ;:;ly dabble wilh LliL uost complex aspects of Blac k life as in "Thr: !, c l[-llatr cd of Don L. L..cL: 11 1Jitcre , nftcr stu<lyin~ ianck history , he le a rns to love tl1c "L1rner" person .::ind h.::itc (w.ith vehemenc 0 ) my li t:,li t �Cert n in Ly n profound and tragic dile1nmn is stntl:d here: since hating one ' s color will not chanze it; and since one h n s to live with it for the rest of one ' s life . It is a ioo<l poem for s tudying the so-called "solution" that some Black writers claim to have "found 11 to the iJentity probll!1:1. 'J'l1ere are o t her peaks of revelry .:1 11J dunt.;eons of confusion Ln HaJhubuti's poetry. of his most f cmo u s poems L "Don ' t Cry , Scream ." One PraiseJ hii~hly by Stephen :, ? llenJerson , the poem paruphrases the her tic ,11 rantings of lton l~,irengci \·1ho encourageJ Blacks to renounce the Blues . Mc1<lhubuti ' s poem, a tribute to Coltrane , is lnrgcly ~raphic 1-1ith occasiona 1 areas of intc] l i~ibility . Then there is the self-disgust : i cried for billy hollidny. the blues. we ain ' t blue the blues exhibiteJ illusion..., of manhood . Even the Germnn Janheim: J ahn knew better. must face the question: it 11 ? AnJ certainly , today, l·ladhubuti · if the blues were destructive , then ,.ow d Ld lw " make Indeed, h ov1 did anyone " r.1ake it" 11ithout the totem of survivnlisms· necessary to " c ross over 11 ? Madhubuti ' s influence on the new poetry - has been . s u bs t ant i al , however , though in most insta n ces t he influence has been in ·~he area of politics rather than poetry. Carolyn Ro<l~ers I volumes arc P.:1pi:~r Soul ( 1968), Sonr;s of a ·Blackbird ( 1969) , 2 Love Raps (Broadside) Got Over (1975) . 1.forncinly revolut i.onaries and music . (1969), Blues Gittin Up (1972) anJ How I ,id convi n cing , she writes of youn~ women , love , In " Phoenix" sl1e recalls travel in~ '\1i th the wind" and hearing the many voices screaming bloodc.lrops of ti11e. "J.:1~2 11 descril>cs "three" at the bar, the cli c king of drink.in:_; f.lnsscs, and the murmur of thicl~ mouths . . . . �11 Rc b o lw; ~1inary ::-nas / e nstuh juli.c 4/et c . e t c . 0 cc ." is a satire on " militants ." Anc! she tells 11s that hits of r.1c s plintered in to a t;lirror in "Look n t Hy Face cnn also ];0. i1 Colln g e ." Th e s e id e n s [tn,l th eme s, .1 nJ 1,wny o th e r s , fnu1Hl in t hL' poe try of Johnri Am ini, Plumpp , ,md Cunnin g ha m. Johari Arn ini I s books incluJe I m, :• es in Blnck (1967), /\. f o H (1%9), T.et ' s r.o F;:i lll e (hr oa dsiJe) SomewhPre .(1970), and A Hip Tnle in 1Je.1th St v l e (1972). She relies heavil y upon Black colloqu i nlisu s , usu.-ill y nchi e vin ~ success . But she h as oth e r nin n; es a s can be see n i.n "B rother " which lon g s for the "s oil " of Black po ep l c , wh e re they can _feel the u niverse s huJJer .... ,L Plumpp' s PortabJ. ,, Soul (1969), lla1 f Blnck, llc1lf Bl.1ckcr (197 0) and Steps t o Bre;:ik the Circle (1 975) . A southenwr ,1ith a back g round in psy ch o l o r:Y , b~ ha s also wr itt e n a provocative study called Black Rituals ( ). His interests are seen i.n titles like "From Ma n less Sisters to Big Bad Rappers,'.' "Black Hessar,es" ("believe in us"), "Liv in?. Truth" ("lllnck hi.story ... a li .:m1 1e d ,: I) Le "), an<l E~ypt (For Black ~iotli e rhood ) ,., : an e v e rl as tln t: sunrise m,•oke ... One o f the mo st pcrc e rtiv e , skill f ul a nJ .innov~itive poe t s , hu1: ·v s: r, i s Cunn.in g l1 a1t1. llis one volu1:1e is The Bl u e ,,nrrat o r (197 4 ) nnd li e h ~ts be e n p ull/ li sl 1eJ ,,.i.d c l y i.n pe ri o Ji.c a ] s . " Tll<.! l. l t y Rises " as a s a d stj f f \JO o de .1 pL " St .. Juli. e n ' s lve: ci= ror Den n.is Cro s s " li e 11011Jer[ully i,1 i xc i, Lli <.! Sl, n s ..; s ; tiie n a rr a t o r i s tl 1e " ,,a r " by llrnhms , and th e n th..:rc full o1vs f; rt.!i.l t po etry : tli ~ "' .i nd -1.1: 11 a s a man s L ,md s \Ju n d e 1.· i.n ~: tenriri'.j ::it the brid :;e �why does th e riv e r float u p to th-'. sl~y In n Tols on i:rn thru s t, "Ra ppl!l r_ Al on ;; with l'. 011,tL1 D,7 vis " is ,l deli ghtful comhination of }:oon \.J r,au:-; E. y a rn s anJ s hous Cunnin t: h, ,11 ' s :1 b i l l t y to pl.::ice dis par a t e o rJ e cL 1~s in l,is poetic vi Sl!. "A Street in Kaufma n-ville : place '' is i.l s tuJy of the 11 or a note thrm,m t o c:1r o l y11 f ro1:1 r oJ l,e rs fra1:;ments 11 of Bob Kn ufmnn in wh o111 tit , i1 oet se e s a madn ess unlike my oi-m . . .. Arrivin g " From the Narrator ' s Tr.: mce, " a song thur.1bcd-dow11 n crui se r for a r lJ e .... Cunningham nlso 1vrites of other poets nnJ artists. In cu nclu c ti n: ; l1i s f.:iscina tin~ experiments 1Jith the l a ngua g e, he celeurat e s the Hid e span of the l1yhricl Afro-Ameri c an herita~e. And certainly, h e r e is a po e t to be closely watched. AI.1ong o tl1er Chica go poeu, uho puhlished volumes are : Gi lu~rt, t-lv Ovm llallelu jnhs (1971); Chiri , J\n Acknm,lecl c: cmcnt to Hv Afro-Ame r l e an llrotllcr (1968); Perkins, lllack is Beautiful (1968); Wioberli (Ebon) ~l1etto Sc enes _ (1968) a nt.I Rev o lution (1968) (' 1a n e11 Black voice to alaro1 tile cstablishme1~t 11 - - Perkin s ); Nargarct Durroughs, \.lha t Sh3ll I Tell my Children W110 ·are Black (1968); Greenlee, Blues for an Africnn Princess (1971); Lucille Patterson, Hoon in Black (1974); Stephany, Hoving Deep (1970) ; Royster, Th e Black Door (1971); Kr; ositile, Spirit s Unch.'.lin c d (1969) anc..l For 1-:elb.'.1 (1970); Butler , Black \'isions (1968); and Jerorld To Paint .1 Black Picture (1969). Yet a newer ~j roup, not all Chicagoans , have been published in Third \forl<l Press' New Po e Ls series: An fl ela Jackson, Voodoo/Love Ma ~ic (1974); Damali (Denise Burnett), I Am th.'.lt Ive May lle (1974); Fred Hord, After !lours (1974) and �S.:rndra !~oys ter, \Jon,cn Talk (1974) . These young poets d eu l wit h a vnri c ty of subjects, th o u,;h Hith a smc1ller v ar iet y of forr1s; mostly, ho\l cvc r, they arc concern e d witl1 revolution, self-pride, het e ro sex ual relati ons c1nd Clc1ck life in urban i\mcrica . Among tli c_ many goo d thinr.;s which emer g ed from Chica go was the "ne:w" Gwendol yn Brooks who, a!; we s m -1 in Clinpter V, has alwnys beC!n t,olid in her Bla ckness and wonderfully magic in her pocLry. The Brooks of Tn the Mecca (1968) , Riot (1969), Family Pictures (]970) nnd /\]oneness (1971) is not drastically dif fcrcnt from her former self. In Report From Part One (1972), her autohio r, raphy, she npparently approved the use of a Mc1clhuL11U T'r e(ncc which tells more about his own readin ,1 and writing prob1cmi, rhan i.t Joes about this g reat woma n's r,oetry . Madhuhuti comp1nins ::th,1 ut h er comp] x verse; but her poetry has never been "easy" to read (probably never wjll) and Iliot continu es t l1at tradition of toughness, a poetry which y i e lds mcanin ~ after 11111ny readings. She employs mytholo gy , history, sarcasm :rnd . drama tic dia] or, uc to r e veal white middle class pomposity even in face of n "li.iot.," latGr incorporatin ~ Hin g Crosby and Melvin Van Peebles , and aspects of love. The "Black philosopher" is the thread that spines the section called The ThirJ Sermon on the WarplanJ. There arc traces of h e r ters e earlier style, p:.irL.i c u] a rl y her unlquc wor<l-sound pro;~r-L!ssions: as her underfed l1uunchc·s· ·je rk jazz. i\nd a 1-11\lLc 1.Lbcral, o l.rnt:rv.in 0 a ri,i t, asks " ll ut l.':IY do Tl1csc l'L!op l c offend tl1 unsclvL' :,? 11 a<ldin::: th at .it ls tlme to "help . " he r 11 2 11 Family Pj c ture s con tn.ins the s naps hots of yo11n;; !1 e roe s , the pcop_l e who helped her beco me "Bl.:ick." l\ut despite 11e:ll-r.1c,111ln 1; s,1 lut cs to K0 osi ti.l e , ]Jon, l~r.::id(ord , and younr~ i\fricans, thcrl! is a 111011otony o[ praise. - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - - Ad mitt ed ly, no 011e is perfc!ct, a nd she ls .:..p 1>uren Ll y �s t ru,~;•,J it, 0 as h a r cl Hith co rmn itment us sh-2 i s 1,ith t i ll' n ew poet r y . In " Spee c h to th e Youn g , " d eJ icated to own childr e n , th e s e n s itive mother-po e t gives advi se that ma ny nnother younr, person ~1i1~ ht cud J le a ncl c h e rish : Live not for The-Encl-of-the-Son :; . Live i n tlt ~ a lon g . Such aclvicc come s at n n i 1apu rtant juncture 1,h e n th e 11orlJ i s mo ving ri g ht a lou~ , Lo use a cliche , ~mJ lenving behind tho s e to o mir e d in tlt e ir own " s elf-revelations " to look, listen 3 nd l e arn . Yet o n e crO\,'I in 3 s alute to this i rcat laJ y of Bl a ck letters was an impressive antholo ~y o f poetry and t es t imo n i:ils , Tor.wen with Love : assembled b y MaJhubu ti ancl A Trilrnte to G\-/c ndu l vn ilr ,,oh; ( l 'l7 L), ,the rs. Chica r,o poets were only a skip fro m pl ac e s like c ~1ry , Indi ~tndJW l is , Detroit, and St . Loui s , Cleveland , Kansas City , and the closen es s p rovided interchan g es ancl exchang es on all levels . Motovm ' s poetry output , l i ke that of otlter communities , was a]so in t erwoven with relatcJ symbuL; · ancl · expressions of the new consciousness : 11.:trgaret Danner ' s Boone House for · the Arts , Itev. Clea g e 1 s Shrine o f th e Dlac]; Hadonna , Mot own Rec ord s , Bro udside Press , Vau r, lm's Bo okstore, and are a Dlack studies projects . Th e poetry hub for the late sixtie s and seventies, of cour ~e , is RundallJs Broadside Pre s s. Randall h as cha nged as a poet and per so n , he says, in \vays thn t perhaps parallel the chi..inge s in Gwe ndolyn Br ool~:-; . A "f a ther " fi 3 ur e rnno ng so m"' n e w Black poet s , h e publish es c.l o zens of t hem (over 100 at this writin g ), releases new books of his own poetry , serves as distri.butor of nr e man ' s li e rita ~e Se rle s , and tr a v e l s wid e ly ns a lecturer, teacher , libraria n a nc.l t r:1n s lator of Rus s i a n po e lry . A foni1a]i s t by tr a inin z a nd tcmp e 1· nmcnt , Rarnla]J <l e s c rjb e d l1is new poetic st a n ce: in a stat eme n ~ in llo c.l e rn an ,l Contc.mpor a r v .\f r o-/wte rlc a n Po e try �(l}e l l, 1 9 7 2) : Ny poetics ls to try to write poetry as 11ell .:is I can. I think I have said elsewhere that the function of the poet is to write poetry . t!y earlier poetry was more formal. No1J I am tr y iq c to write a looser, more irregular, rnore colloquial and more idiom.:itic verse . I abhor logorrhe;.1, anJ try to m.-ike L1y poems as conceutrateJ as possjli]e. Indeed, R.::mdall has tried to Jo just th.:1t--moving from n traditional to conversational verse . il loose This he attem1its in volumes like Love You (1970) o.nJ Aft e r th .:: Killin g (1973). \Jhen R.:-mdall is descrihi1 g a L; irl i n a n Af r ic ,rn villaze or the " Hirac1e " of love, he cones over 1;2nui.uely ,:111J str o n-.; . f, ut poe1:1 9 like "Gr een Apples" and "Word s I-lords \lords" show him out of ltis field. These and other pieces are merely vertical prose, appcarin[; as rou ghed-out letters. But he is primarily a librarian, publisher, :ind cdit o. r whose service to Black poets h as been .:mcl remai.ns invaluable. This is see n not only in his production of their ,v0rk, but in the ma n y anthologies Hhich he h a s odit,~J. \-Jith Cliicai~ oan I!ar~aret Burroughs, he co- edited Hnlcolm: Poems on the Life and Dea th of Ma] calm X (196 7), a foresight ful nnd command in ~ work . · Also to his edi.tinr, credit are Black Poetrv (1%9) and The Black - Poets (1971), the latter imbal.1nced and apparently quickly thrown together since it has practically · 1 no Introduction and contains no bio~b1b lio grnpl1ical material on the poets. In addition to r:.n nuall and Hnrjaret Dan ner , otlter poets in this upper Midu-2s t area arc James llandall (1938Thomas (1 93·)- ) , !Uchard ) , \Hlli a m Thl~ren (1941';-1971), llao1:1 L Ha d:;dt , Hay,len, P-ock y T.iylor (Te j u1;iol~ Olo ~bonl) /\tlanta, 1043- ) , Jai,1es Thompson (193 6- I (Elt1_5) , I I �) , J ill \Jith e r spo on (19 4 7- ) , S tc J l a Cr m,,1 s ) , Ln Donna Tolbe rt (1956- ) , IJ arne J 1 Ha\Jkins (19 116 - (1 950 - ) , ) , Shirl ey \/ootlson (1936- Leone:1tl Da il y (190 6- ) anJ Frcncy ll o tlr, -.! s (1 9!10- ). Tiley c a n b e [,rn nd iL1 1' , n , A 1\ro ad s idc Trcasur.,r , fhc lilacL l\JL.ts , :rnJ i n t he s,n:11] (<. t" -" ~.(. •.. ,•.Ji..c.: ~ ,~,:. ._ I,·. ilt •?..1 lntliri d11 :1 l v o lum es 1c..:,uL1rly publi she d by nro;.1J s i Jc Pr ess . f' n r furt l1"' r d e t ai l s on De t roit :1nJ ot he r f roatl s idc po e ts s e e Br o adsid e Aut hors anJ .\ rLi s t s (Leoneatl Bailey , 1974) . J ames l~n Llal l h a s published Don 't Ask Me Who I Di s.:1 s t c r :, (197 3). 11 NetuorL 1\1.1 anJ Cities :rnJ Othe r lli s poe try is i n t e n s e , c o1:111inmlin ~ :mtl dr.JJ.i' t ic . In !ews ," we ;_ire tulcl that for years he ' d watch e d th e 6 r ow in ~ 111adnl!ss of the State . 1 Th e re i s irony and pathos as i n " Str e et Cnmc s ' \Jh c r e a boy is bl.:1ct a s the ancient cur se of Af ric a J\ diff e r e nt kind of poetry is written b y Ol o gboni \/h o int cnn i.n:; l cs drum rhyLhn1s , inc a ntatory me dita t ion_s am.I sharp est a blishment-d i r e ct e d bar bs in Drum So nB (1969), Intro d uced by Gwendolyn Brook s . \vho tells us in 11 Th e pot i s a l so a n a r tist Unti t l c tl 11 that th e ni i ht contai n s indif f erent stars ... . ll.'.ly<lcn has ue e n t e nchin g a t th ,! Un iv e rsity of lfichi r.,,:rn, hi s a l ma 1tia t e r, sinc e tl1e l a te sixties when h e l eft. fist under pre ss ur e . His \fords in th e Ho urni n°, time (19 70) n nticip a te the t heme of J a yne Corte z ' s ov e rp owering " Fe s tivals & Funer a ls . 11 He seeks a p l nce v1here m.'.ln uill n o lon g er be c a lled ni g~ er, gook, kit e or hun k. le , but " 1.1a n ." Th ere a r L~ fri !_', ht en i ng poems :rn <l t e rrif y ing i mage s in Hor ds .'.l s llnyd c n s _u rvey s the " Sphinx ' 11 Sol ed.1<l" (' ' cradled by dru g s , by jazz "), 11 1 1 (' my jok e nnd me " ) , 11 !Z odachror.1e s of th e Ts lnnd �("fin gerless hancls") and "El-llajj Halil~ Cl-Shabazz" ("the \J::tkin;; drea1:1 " ). " Zeus over l~eJcye" r eflects on a visit to the n.,,Jstnne Arsenal. It is an intense drama, joininr, other ~rea t poer:is as a major statement on our times . Hes tern man ' s mythic totem, his depravity , his quixo ti c movements at the speed of a blur, the liu1:1an " loom" of t ensio n--all are sta~ed ,1~~ains t the backdrop missile arsenal where death-machines bear the names of ancien t Gcaeco-Romnn mythological fi gur es. mythologies " to "c or.1e to birth ." Such naming allows death-dealing ''new Among terms nssociated with llnyden ' s ni ghtmarisl1 world of visible/invisible and antic ipated violence nre dragon, hydra, basilisk, tulip s , coro.llas , 7.eus, J\pollo, tab, nnJ llerc ul..~s . missiles toHcr ("st nsis ") The 2:; a sacred phallic grove .... Apparently th e gu ides at th e arsenal cj-Unot satisfactorily ansuer ciues ti ons about the missi les' destinies and dan ge rs: ✓ You r partial answe re reassur e me less than they appall. I feel ns thou[;h invi sible fuses \Jere burning all aro und us burning all around us. Il ea t-quiveri.n,;s tuitch dan ge r's hype rsensitive skin . The very sunlip,ht hero. scer.1s flmTJmable . And shadows give us no relieving shade. Dismal and final, llayclcn ' s poem adds its mm particular ton e , style and langua ge to the len gthenin g t otem of the New Tilack Poetry . For, despite his disa ~re ements with th e Black J\estheticians, th ere i s no doubt th a t �"Zeus" r0af firms a belief exp r essed by youn~er, sometimes lo uder, poe t s : the Hes tern world is <loomed to destruction at its a yo unce r poet might say) Olm that h:i.nJs (oill " off itself, " ind t h is is wha t has been decreed . In fact , the th eme of a n appr oachi n g e nd i s quit e "America n " in poe t ry , still being pre.:iched by white poets nnd spokl;s1,1,rn : from Uobby DyLrn to Dilly Graham . Rich contrihut.i.on s ltavc also been mac.le by poets und artists in sou t hern lllino.i.s .:rnd His sour .i.. East St . Luu is anc.l St . Louis , thou;;h loc1.1 teJ in t \vO different otates and separntecl by the Hississipp.i., have a mu t ual history Ll w t ~oes bacL before the days of the L1moL1s Dred Scott Case . These Blacl~ communities , al t ernately wur ring an<l loving , uorked closely to :;e th e r dur i_n~; t liL'. lH.:ick Arts Hovem '11t . ! tt! Lt•, ht of tlte Poe t s 1.1nd arti::;ts Here drawn to or supported by !\AG (ln~1cl, Artis t Group) , House of U1noja , The: nlacksmith Shop uf J;la ck Cultur e , lllack Liberator project , the llouse of Truth, Irnpack llouse , tlte Experiment in Higher Ed u cation a t SIU , Sop h ia Ho use , Ka t herine Dunham ' s Performin!; Arts Train.ing Cen t er ( tl!E_- SIU ), Black lt i ver \friters , and t he So ut hend Nei g huorhood Center . Some of the poe t s i n the area were Druce Ru t lin , Rhen Sharlem Carant , Sher nwn Fowl ~ r, lle<li.1onJ , Cynthia Conley. (1-,ho later joined ODAC) , Ar t hur Do::1icr , Bobb Elliott , ,\ustin Black (1928- ) (who v1ent to Los Angeles) , Fre<l llorton;_ Dwight Jenkins , Rornenetha foshi n gton , Do nnld llen c!erson , .llenry Osborne , Jon Hi l s6n , Vincent Clark , Gloria Walker; Vincent Terrell , Reginald. Allen ·r u rnage , Wayne Loftin , Derrick Wrigl1t , Gregory An thony , Katherine Ounham, and others . \.JritinLs by these poets are included in SiJes of the P.iver : A Mini - Antholo~y of Black. \fritin~s ( 1969 , Redmond) , Detty Lee ' s St . Louis-based ProuJ mar,azine wh i ch offers prizes , The Hill Creek IntellL gcncer , n special issue of Sou ' wester (fal l, 1 968 , selected by ncdmon<l), Th e Black Lib t2 r a tor, Th c Creator (1969) , Tambourine (1966 , \Jliite and Schwartz) , Collec t io11 (1968) , ,,o_ �\loluue [ of Poems by Blacks (1970). Dum.:1s, 1,ho t,1ur;lit for a ycc1r c1t East St . Louis (SIU-1:l!E, 1967-1963), .inJ ReJmond co-sponsor-.,<l writin ~ progr;__ims in thE:! l~ap-\-lrite NO\v l/orksl1ops c1n<l Black River Writers group. Collect ion was stu<lent-produceJ under Dumas ' supervision , with Fowler am Li n In Stennis servin 8 as e ditors. El1 i.ott writes , in " The Dream Time ," al.iout th~ " spirochete womb " of the mother of the uni.verse, the Phoenix , anJ th e Jeath "fashioned at the end " of 500 years. Great Phoenix that she was, the mother of the univ,~rse now leaves the dream e r \-llth only her J ~rc;__it murky sexu;:i lity .... Elliott .is .:1 dreamer and rrealisl but Dl.:1.ck ushers ln .:1 different l~ l!lJJL'ra- ment with hls Th e Tornado in My Houth (1966 ). lie !ias the i r re v erence of th e Bea t s , the funkiness _ nd dr i ve of the hard boppers , arnl the sexuality . 110\1p pursu1.t • o f one 1.n . " Asexual Flight " says a man ' s last wish is to be banished to the island of remiss and loose his love . Another mood is presented in "Ra~or M.:irnn Democr.:icy/. the nchc .i.n J-D " where the blue haze h u rts and 11011 the hair is turning " into ~ n ·.. ching grey. " 13lnd, snlutes " the gladiator" iu "Coeval Drum~ for l.L' roi " but in the me.:1nt imc he covers quite a bit of ground: 11 " the dead arterL1l ins:mity " ; " futility in jagged crags " ; Kierkeganrd / Sartre 11 ; " lil~e drippin~•. brine " ; " over the windO\-J of my being " ; and fin.:i.lly "Her pouer in howling \linds " bring s A Dl~lJHBEAT POil LEl~OI . �I I I I "Black &. 1'unky " is subtitl ~d " a h y poth<.! ti ca l or:;.1s1:1 " ;ind t he r e l s ir rev e r e n ce I in " DAH!-1 YOU!l ;~o d ! " His 11 ( a poer1 for ! !,\LCOLM X) " is subtj tl ed "th e lib e r a te d I wa r- hor se ." I In " C,1 rr y in~ a S ticl ·. , " f owl e r asks : l \T\10 cn r cs, t h;i t I had yes t e r<ln y ' s stal e ~ul'l f o r I breakfas t · I " Thin kin g " a ll ows various i ma ~e s st r e a m and burst forth only the mind can h c nr . S t ud e nt - mo th e r Ro1:ien e th .'.l "1a sh i n g ton writ e s a bout t'.1e pr r>r:stir ,·s o n t o<lny ' s Black woman wa tc h in8 pe o p l e Scu rr y i n ~ from s un t o s un •.. Al so pulled a l on r; , she says I p r otes t b ut s till I run. Lof t i n , a young poe t wh o writes with economy a n d simp lici t y , s umma r i z t.:s \,Jrl. g ht a n d Baldwin u p in " Re aljt y ": out o f the co tt on fi e lds anJ butnin g suns t o ov e rcr owded citi es an J s h ades of s lums li(:d.~,o nd ano..l F011 l e r f ounJ c d tl1~ J.;la c k Riv e r \Jrit c r s publi s hin~ c olll pan y whi c h ll r o u:.!, ht out Si.des cc t l1c !Uvcr . Cu r rentl y un UL' r th e sup t: rvi s i. u u of Ca'tl 1er i.nc Yo un Ge , t l1e Jl L"L'.~;s h as puh li. s h cd l:c d rnonJ ' s vo lumes : Toms (l iruc.1ds Ld c ) Se nt r y o( ,\ Ta l e uf Two (1 %13 ), ,\ Ta l c of Ti 1,1c L To Ll C't T .i. s~;ue ( pamp hlet) (1 969 ) , th e f o ur Go l Jcn l' .i. ll nrs (1 9 70) , 1nve r of' !!,ones ~i ncl Fl e sh a nd IHoocl . ;, Des i.re (197J) , (1 971) , Son ° s Fro1·1 an Afro / Phon e ( 1972) , In A Time o f n.-a in �anJ 3n Lp , 1aoodli.11Ls anu S;-icred Pln c.:c :; (1973). Thin:,s uas published in 1973 by Consi.Jcr Loneline ss as 'Jiicsc :c ntro :- Ludi [ Scnn,hj lnt c>n a:~ionali in I taly. Rc<lmond, a native of [as t St . Louis, strives fro I3L1ck faE1il yl1oo d (imm2di.atc and e:~tended) in his poe try; th o u ~~h ltc nttcrn pts to d o this \/ithout forced alle~ianc r•~;, 1d tl1out " Jj sf i~urcr.w .. t of pe r cep tion s , " but by .:1llm;ing the Jec<l-!.jlt· pin~ worJs co1:1c natural] y atHl hi s torically . ~ hu,norous fo J.k portraits lil~e His nose Wi..1S 11 llis poetry ranGeS from 11 va sio n of the ~;ose ": hi s re lar, !!is eye s ic y J irt s that mo, c J faster tkm speeJ-of- so uncJ jet s. He cou] d ri.lp 1 i.ke :: pneurna ic drill Or c r oon 1 i.k c SmoLcy Bill lien the occasion arose . to con s iJcrations of love unJer s train as in " Ins i de My Perimelcr ": Inside my pcrimc t e· Of fe.'.lrs A un it of ~;ucrlll:1 : Su ·.Lkcs a1 the hi.lr 1 c d-1s•ire llo vc ls th .i t ·honrd >llr love: Th a _ incarcerate c 1r nf•ctls-- An in s ur ge nt army St on.1s tJi,, bastil ~ of pride Shells this facaJ ( of custo1;1, Of the s trnw me,1 in i,ide us-Ac ce pts the sun , Al Lm-.'s the contorted fnce · of �I I I Str~ ss to smile again-- I To z low again! I Allows Love t o Live. I Els ewhere in the lc1r 0 er arei.l ll1c r e \Jere /an~ other go i ngs-on in poetry : I0\,1a , Nebr,1:,k:1 .1n,l l-'.ans.1s · C Lty wl1ere \!ilbu r Rutledge (1 9110- ) and others I I associ n.t e d \•J ith th e Afro -Ame rican Cu ltural Center and th< ~ J~ l..ick Writers Hork shop I r ecci.ved assistance and exposure . Amo n g these poets are !lary Ruth Spicer , Guiou Taylor, \.Jillesse Hes ter and .fa ckie Has hin g t o n . I So me of the1:1 are includ ed I in An th o l o,w : Dlacl: Fri tcr ' s \lorl:shop (l~iz na, 1970) and \./ashin g ton has pub- 1 lish ed Jo~ (19 71) . I Loc.1tccl a t the University of Denver for t he year 19711-1975 where he s ub stituted £or ~lphah e le dur ing a leave of absence, K~;os i tile (] 938eml ocl ies P,m-Africani ·m in f,ct and symbol. ) lie was born in Johanne s bur g , South Afric a , and h as been ex iled in the United States since- 1961 . His . articl es, po w s and int e rvi ew s have been published on an int e rnati o nal scale, a nd le hast; ug h t at several fun e rican coll ege s and universities . to 1, In adJition ,o ks alre a dy mentioned , he .h as publish~cl Hy }lmne Is Africa (1971 ) ;:ind cdiL ,1 The We rd is ll ere : Poetry from Hodern Africa ( 1973) . llis O\~n est)1etic is stated in his Introduction to the nntholo g y : Poe try, the wo rd .'.l t its most ex·pre ss ive, can be a prayer, an app ~. 1, cond cin na tion, encoura r e ment, aff irma tion--th e list of e ndeavor s is e ndl ess . And if it is authentic, as any t 1in g else expressive of a people ' s spirit , it is c1 hm ys ;o cial . This conce r L he embra c es in hi.s <•\ /11 poems, especially in Africn wh e r e in the Introduction, Gwendol y n Brooks writes th~t his Art is lif e worked with; ... I I I �Ilis Afr o - Ame r ican broth e rs incorporated th e i\fricanisms into t heir Horks ;ind6 ,.,,,. l~gos i ts il e comb i nes his own incli.r,inisms with a mastered flt1 c nc y of American Bl a cl: i sr.is . He :-1ss;:i y s th e •:rho le of o ur tu1c1ult·11ou s t i.m e s (in Africa an d Ame rica), i nterm i n g l-Ln ~ an acq u ire d Bl ack stree t la n :1, un g e with a Je1:wnd i n g an d s t rin ~:e nt form . One cf tlt e mos t ;:ib l r craf t s 111.2 n , h e un i t e s excel lent p o e ms :.i bo uL ch i ld r ..,.n , wome n , vL o lenc e , mu s ic , l·\: l c olrn X, Lun u1 ubn , 1.1!e nJoly n Bro oks , ,\ f r.I.can J,:mces, Bill y !Io llid ~ty , o r "The ii itt y l' ri t ty" in 11h .i. cl1 Lh c o nc e f u r iou s s o n ijs ar c now (roz en on ba tt(~r c> J LL 1..:!, li ps 1'111..! poet:, u f t !w Ea st , South , Hid1-1e s t ;1 11 d n e ar \lest cl re a bit more than I I a hop , sl~ip a nd jump fro m Cnlifornin , bu c. mnny o f th em we r e i ns p:ir ed b y tv I appe a r a nc ,:' s , nati o nal ma ~az i ne cov e r ag e, anJ c ross - co untr y t o u rLl of Llie \·/.::i tt s .I 0 po e ts . Born, as i t wer e , be t we en th e C, ,i ifor nl.a s un ,111.1· th e r ebell i on I l) [ 1 9 Ci5, t he lfa t ts \lriters' \/orks l1o p ,~as i 11i t:i.all y under the dir e ction of Budd · I Scl1ulLer ~ . I ·I l.:1ter , as ol d e r ,vr.I. t 2rs l eft and n c.1-.1e r ones ca1~ie in, t l1e sup e r - vi ~;ion of tlt l.! workshop Has ass L 1cd by l lai ry Dolan an J llerbcrt S.i.rn1•1o ns . centers of cult u re ,111d l.nfluen I.! ReL.1 t ~d includ e- I th e \!at t s llappen l. n ~ Coffee House , t he shor t - l i ved Shr l~IJ magaz in L, ~he \Jatt s Reper t o r y Theater , the Acquiarian Bookstore , L11e Son s u f \/atts , :: he Black !)anthers , Kareng a I s u:; or)janizatiDn , rtn cl Frederi c]~ !Jou r.J., s ~. lh i ter : ' !louse wh ich housed th e 1-/a t ts writers pro g r a m. /uno n g tho ~c , s socia ,. e d vli th t l s anJ tith e r \ffiting groups \verc Hilton tlcFarlan e , ) , Tr --- up e (194 3- ) , Rober t ) , Stanley Crouch (1 9L15- ) , ) , E!.1mery 1:vans (1943 ), Vallejo Ry:tn 1:enn c Jy ( L9 L, 7Clevela nd S i • s (1 9 ! ) , J;los _su111 Po11e , Oj ..-mke (,\ lvin Sa x on , 19!17 C . l~ . ~!u r c LrnJ , Jirn.1y Slle n:km (1 9!, 4- Ha y ltn ,J , J a1:ic.s Tl 011 as J :1..:k:., on (1 9 27 Dnvi J i- e es 12 Mo od y (1 9 3 3- ) ) , Simmons ( 1930- !, - ) , Johni e Sc o tc (1 948 - , , ) , Erne s t ) , Fa nni e Ca role ll rown (19 4 2- ) , f.Jn a Cl. ,ison (1 94ll- ) ) ) , ) , JJync Co rte z (1933- ) , ': �(19 29 f i rd Ql l Ch ew (1913antholo t; i c s: (1 91,/f- ) , Sonor a tlc l~e ll e r ) , Ridhi , na , and och e r s . ) , Ha rl ey Hi ms (1 925 - ) , Th e ir wor ks a r c in two fr om the As h es (19G7 , Sc hulb e r g ) and 1·h tt s Poc Ls a nd Wr iters (19 68 , Tro u pe ) . Othe r poems a r e s c a tt e r ed throu g h such pe ri odical s a s Lo s An ge les t!a ~,;_:i,:ine , Shr e_1, , Co nfront a ti o n , ..ind I/e st . Seen a s a mov e1:1ent , the \fa t s i; ro u p , i n qu a lit y a nd qu a nti ty , eme r ge a s o n e of the most powc r f u:).. o n tl ,2 llew Bl ac l~ Poe tr y scene (r o u;:•,h ly r esernblin i3 the mag nific e nt llm,,a rd g roup) . or excel l e nt, Tu r althou :1 h the pe e. try is no t uni f ormly e ood th erlc! i s c o ura ge i r. th e vi s i o n s , s t yles a nd th c nies th :i t o ne looks h :1r d t o fin d i n oth e r i; r o u p~ . patt e rn s of Black s Thi s r.iny be du e: lu p:.rl tu tl1c mi~~ra t ury Ln th e 1Je st-- mos t of t h ese poe ts \vere not born i n Los An ge l es -- a nd the r u l i a l k a ' e i d osco pe o f Calif or n i a . What eve r t h,~ r easo n s , t her e i s a pri. s mnti c ra n 2,e i n th e poetr y t h a t mov e s fr 01,1 the ear th-woman • mu s icallt y of J ay n 0 Co rt e z , a c ross t he all u s o r y a n d often mys l ica l ex cur s i ons of Ly l e , to the s i ;n i fy ln li blues in t erluJ c s of Cr o uch who h a s a l :;;0 11F i t t e n s o me darl n g and s e1,1 i na l c riti c ism in l3 lnck World a nd the J o urnn l of Black P oe try . .\ in ' t No Ambul anc e s £or · no Nir, g uhs Tonigh t b o th hi s ho o k and Lp r c c o rd i n r, whi c h includes lin e r n oL,!S h y Ly 10 . 11 (1972) is th e title of r ap 11 a s we ll :is poe tr y , wit h Cro u ch uses fol.k f orms ancl th ems a nJ v ari o u s <lr. a ma tic t e clrnici u es . in tcr t11Lnc d with music Man y o [ th e poems ,H e d e Ji en t e d t o lll u s ic i a n s li k e Parl : c r a nd Colt r a n e ; othe rs att L'T'lpt th e co1:1p lic a t ecl s~1o nt ane it y o f liv e j a~ ~ s o l os . Th e tltl e poc1•1 nnt ici p:-ite s th e J ay of th e fin a l ri. o t wh e n th e r e wil 1 not b e " n o " a mb uLm ccs f or 11 ni gr,ah s 11 • But the p oe m' s hero , Han key Junior, " g o t on hi.s j o b " li h~ na t Turner . I Ly 1c.: says hi s i.nflu c· n c cs arc> Art a u d , Oct nvi o Paz , Ce s a r Vallejo, Ccs:.1i.r e , .::me! ot h P ·s . His po e try j s g rounded in elli p tic a l phrases and obsc ure information �which h e constricts into fri ght e nin~ , surreal images nnd states. "So me times I Go to Cnmarillo & Si t in the Lounp,e" dL~scribes ]10\.J the poc•t st.:nes into "an nwninr., of i,pirit , 11 viewinr.:; t he \mrld .1c yellow tru1:1p'-'ts of stL1rving blu es Yet l1e.::irin._: ,l \' letn::t·IL!s-2 i.10th2r ' s "ult ra- L:~h - frequency screams ." told th.'.lt "cob.'.llt bull , iL;'' ·s1.1.::ish tlie hec:.L or Ll 1l.3re is a need t o Screm!1 . 11 IIO\,cVvt·, uf the "lone- ranr.,cr" i.n \Je ,He. 11 Lacrl111as Lyle ' s r1ost L11.1ous poc:..1 is 11 l Ca11 Get it for Yo u \ll1olcsulc ," n s t atenent on t;1e contemporary polltlc1l-re J l~:lousr.:icL.11 sc •nc. Ojenb~ Ji 1s an unlie1.i.t0cl nm::;c of l11LellectunJ anJ soc.i.3] concerns ~is lie sculpts his poetry from tlte diverse in:3redients tk1t prL)ducetl th e: Afro-Amee .Lean . J\pparently 1-1el l-v ersetl, reflectln:._. h i s ::reu t kno\l l .J!_;e ,)f Cr.'.lec,>-R,l11a11 cL.1s ,, Le :~, 11 l\L1c l: l'O\u~r" h:1s t!t-2 l yre of 11 Bl,1cJ: Orpheus " pi erce the dark solitude of :1 ll.:idean world : l l e ~ r s i11Lo ancient Greece nncl lli~erlo. in th e same poem . is a co1iu11otiun ca u sed by li).;h lnln:~ .:inJ [m1lne , ,bsass .i.H aLin:._; tin _people an<l whole i:rass-blad es? Later on Dioi~encs, Socr.:itcs anJ the Or.::icle of Delphi enter tl1c poem. Iiut the se characters only come to Hatts to find people esc:.1p i n3 into a "toxicnnt" an<l ·r1eein~; from so~ too-true truth Ojenke, ls o \,rote an Introduction l tl Eva ns' re.:i<ll.ng ability, Oj enke s.:ii<l: Evans ' book The LllVC Poet (1971). " Emmery i s cry in:; sly l y into your cnr ." Fo r this po 2 t, Ev:rns ' s " Roach es " <lcpicLs n L:rn1ili.:ir sc12nc Lo some : t wo ro ,tches dnnce across the room to th e tune of pover t y ; About �S,:o Lt i s one o f t ik r.1o r, we ll LnO\m o[ t!.c 1/atts poe t s . In "T lic Fish Part y ," he s.-iys Tl1c fish are in tit er in~ again tonight, ... And fish-\.;atcllecs , i ~;noran t of th~ \:orld' s problcws, ~ct tlw i r char,~es from Dur ing th e conversation, ~;co t t t:ilks t o 2uc~.s \•!hat ell ~ fish will do . ./ ✓ ;_ nu par:tnth c tically about 1:a r Hey, look? 11 pove rty, but nll is exc l ar.1.:itor i ly intcrrupt~d: Goldie has eat,~n Jesus up! 1-/atts, 1966 " is a poeu m~llions heard on nation.11 cv. th e1nc o[ iauck ra ;;e nnd \vh lte indlf fe r enc It has th e familiar Dut Scot t closes it on rne1,1oraule line s: The 1:1,m nnmeJ Fear bns inheri.te<l half an ncre , and i :, nngry . Other \/att s poets den] with love , violence , contemplation of freedom uml music . Hn nyToft hfatts a fl cr th e l a t e sixti es . Troupe went to Ohio Unive rsit y _ (t o edit Confrnntation) and published Embryo (1973), Ash Doors ancl .Tu.Ju Guitars (19751, and co-edited G ~ Talk: Third World Voices (197:i), a f ter moving '· I' on to New York. Lyl e, who hns not published a value~ , went to Washingt on University in St. Louis, an d recently returned to Los Angeles. Ja~ne Corte~ w1 r"flr:J!,., went to New Yo rk where she has lived an~ wrote since the late sixties. iler three books are Pisstained Stairs and the Monkey Man's Wnres (19o~), Festivals and Funerals (1971) and Scarificatioris (1~73). Celebrations and Solitudes ' (1974). She has also recorded an Lp , Her themes and styles are broad, but mo stly embrace music a s aspect and fo nn, Af rica, as stru gg le and spirit, is also a dominant th 0me in ~er poetry. Pisstnined is especially ricl1 in its interwcavin i•.s of mus! c and str_u ~:; le. "The Road" is "where another llank moans'.' and is �St on e y Lones ome "Lead" descri be s the k ind of hard li fe t ha t i s " c r a c kl in ho t a "'sunr i se ." Lead, o f c o urs e , is Lea d Be ll y whom th e "n i r,g u hs " <l esperat e l y want t o h ea r sp it t hP. blues out. lie r struf'. f' ) cs are n ot simp le "contriva nc es " a s th ey chr on ic le th e h a r dsJ-d1Js and goocltimc s of Dj n ah , li ir <l , Or n c tt e , Co ltra n e , " Pa ts" Nav a rr o , Cl i ffor d Brown and n t hers--a veri f i ab l e po e ti c t apest r y of Bl ack exp ressi on i n defia nc e o f death, f rorn one wh o wo uld ... ea t mu d t o tou c h th e r o ot o ( y ou •••. ) , Arthu_r Amo n g oth e r So uth e rn Ca li fo rn ia poe t s a r e Rob e rt r.owen (1 936Boze (194 .... - ), Kin amo Hodar i ( l~4~ - ; , ), Dee Dee McNeil ,1 :, -.:J- Bill Thomp son, and Lan ce Will iams . Northern Califor nia h as a lso been chara cterized by in- a n J t ra n sm i g rati on o f Bla c k poet s a n d wr j ter s. I n deed a li s ti n r~ o f po e t s f rom t h <.: of th e S;rn rr a n c is co 1:ay r c a ,ls like a na t io n al co nv e nt i o n : Re cd , Yo un ~ ( 193 9- ) , Ha r p e r (] 938- ), Cru z (]9 4 9( 19 47- ~c n e r a1 ·a rea Co n c11 Jv es (.19 3 7- ) (no w a t Br uwn), Co ny u s (19 L12 ) , An [: clo J. c 11is ( 1 950- ) , Miller , 1.m,rl!ncc llcCau1~ h (19 L10- (Ha rvin X), Lcoua Welch ( 1 ) , El llulwj i r ) , J oyc e Ca ro l Th omas · (1.93 8- ) I ), L.V . Ma ck (1.9!14 --:- ) ) , Jos ep_h ) , Gl e n ! ly 1 cs ( 19 33- ) , D:iv id flen d crson , .Jon Ec kel s ( ) , llcnnnn Bro1m ( ), - ) ) U1uumba ) , Pa t Parker ( De Lenn 1! ,1 rr iso n (1 9L1 I - ) , S.:irali We b s t e r Fabi o ( 192 a- m,d Ma y a An;;e l o u ( 1928- ) • ) , HJ.llln m ,\n<lers o n . Ha y are.:i ;1c l i v it y in t h e ar ts h a s hP. c n h e i ;;l 1L c n r d n n<l e n li a n ccJ by th e S,1n Fra n cisc o Afro - Ameri c an Hi s tori c a l and Cu] t urnl Soc i e t y , b oo kstores s uclt a s Her c , Harcus .:i nd New Day ( Go n calv es ), n c tiv iti c s of l' ,111t h c1- s a n J s .i. l!l ilar :· r o u p s , t he Rai nb o.1,1 Sir,n cul tu r a l ce nt e r in llt:: r kc ley, ' �N;iirobi Colle;,e , and numerous other c ult ur : 1 :111d lite rar y pr ojec ts. b y many bard s are in c luded in llill e r' s l)j Po ems ce s of BL1ck P, onc.s (l<J70), Jo ur nal of Black Poetr y , Yar<lbird Kea dc.r (a semiannu a l ediL e<l by nee d , Yo un g , Cecil Brown, Youn ~ and Myles), --,-.Umbra ]}ln ckwork:s (H e nders o n, all issues, espccLtlly 1970-71), and otlwr nation.-1lly distrihut2d antholo r, ies a n ,! per i odicals . I: c cJ h n s puhlished thre e voluues : chur ch (1971), Conjure: an d severa 1 nove 1 s . critics : c ::i t e chi sm o[ <l ne o.:1merica n hoodoo Select:ed Poems, 1963-1970 (1972), Chnttanooga (1973), . wor, l l 1as J r.:1wn o. curious · . ✓ I. t.ive s [· rom ]I 1s misture o f cllJec " brill iant, 11 " c ute," "jumbl es anc.l puzzles, " comics " and so on. 11 11 i 1i1p ortant," b:1J Inc.'.eec! , Recd writes his poetry inLo lits nOVL' 1 s ::ind hi s nov e l s into hi s poems . In thi s service, he emp]nys dialects, Voodoo , the occult, whimsicality, wit, mysticism, sa tir e, which he obviousl y cn _jo ys, al l reinforc e d by ns sorted libra ry information and street-instinct s . He violates time b :1ri- iers, placin :~ an ancient Gr e e!~ figure in a contemporary poem, or vic e v e r sa . His verse forms are experimental, rou ghly recalling· th o Beats ·. a nd other recent or p.:1st stylistic irreverencies. Tl1ere .:1 re no s ac red _cows [or Reed who sometimes L11,1ha sts · BL:icl: nntionalists and white lib cr:1 1s in the same poem . Generally, hi s techniques work (some are astonishin:J; bu t lie often s pends t oo 1: uch time a tt ackin·r 1·enl or cr e at ed antn ;~ o nists and li avi nr; iun at tlt L! expens e of reauers. 11.i s titles nlone are enou~h to keep you slapping your t h i gh or scra tchin :; "O u r he.'.1 d: 11 "Report o f the Reed Conu,ti ssio n," 1 am a cowboy in the boat of R:1," " There I s n whal e in my thi. gh," "The fe ral pi.oneers ," "The I3lack Cock," "C: r i s C:ris," "And the nevil Sent Pinto, which She also Routed ." .:.1 ford In ]973 Reed became the f irst Bl n ck writer to be nominated for a National Book Award in two cate g o ri es . �Gu nc Rlv es ( Dln ga n e ), a n oc c a sion .J I po e t, i s u n i que i n his int e llect ualt yp o grn ph ica l t ap e s t r y of i dea s ( see Bl nc k fir e ), but h i s se rvice to Blac k poe tr y h n s be en more obv i ou s i n h is wo r k n s found c r -ed i tor of Jo nn w 1 n' BL1 cl. Po etry . He a l so s er ve d a s po etr y edi t o r of Blnck Di. a l og u e . A q11icl, b ut stea d y , in f l uence on t h e ,;cw Bl n ck Poetry , h e h a s writt e n s ome o f t he mos t in f orme r! c ri t ici s m t o cn1.:c out of t he per i. u d . Ne u !J.iy Boo ks t o r e in Sa he,idquar t er e J . Fran c i sco , wher e Tlt c .Tourn.1. l a n d it s p r es s :.ire Amo n r, po e t s puh l i sh e, ] liy t h e p re ss u r e Nc .J l ,md \/e l t o n S1:1 l tl1 (P e n et r .'. l t i o n , 1 971 ) , n virtuo s o poe t \vh o 11 Cu r ren t ly h e ru n s / ope r a t t! s \luS ho r n a n,I r ;.i i f;c d in San l'r...1nc i. sc o . U:1 lcolm 11 e n ds dis c ussi.n ~ t h e kinds of tr ...i cks t e:1rs ii1:ll ~P ,1ncl L0 ll f n:j· t li e read e r th.: t i n 1.1y l1 e:1 r t ther e ar e ma n y unmarked g r aves . Ther e a re a lso word- gif t s in "the dan g er zone," "If I could h o l d You fo r . Li ght, 11 " f or n sor c ere ss " (" y ou kee p chan~i n ~ me into air") a n d "IHac·k · Mo the r " ("an odd ecsta sy mov i n g "); the s e j o i n blues, e x cur sio n s thr o up;h ·ci t y streets , and thoughts on Africa. tf Yo un p, a n d Harper both teach writing) at St a n fo r d a nd,, Brown , You_n g h as published Dnnc i n p, (19o9) a n d Th e So n c ~-~rnin r, Ba ck f nto -I t self (1971) , as we ll as n ov e ls and a rticl e s. lli s r, o c t r y s at i rize s milit a nt s , sa lutes wh i te a nd Thir d Wo rl d poets, and in cor po r a te s le g end s int o a broad b ns e of l inguist i c kn ow le d ;\ e, t i tl es o r h is books . Th e r e i s a co n s istenc y of i nter es t n s seen in the In "Er o son g " he finds hims el f d nnc i n r "na ked" th ou g h I I ·I 1 I All my s hore s h a d been pull e d u p " Ye s , the Se cret ~!ind Hhi s per s , " dedi c a ted t o Knu fm n n , c a lls poetry a "tree" for ever a t yc, ur doo r .... �YounR ranges over the whol~ of the life experience, writin ~ about squirrels, jazz musicians, Spain, Stockholm, ni ~ht time and sorrow. His poetry is markedly different from that of Harper who left California in 197u. llar per's volumes are Dear John, Dear Coltrane (1::,7,.;;, History is Your O,.m Heartbeat (l::,711, Photo ~ra ;)hs: Hant a Witness (1973 1 (1::,,4). Ne gatives: , History as Apple Tree ,19 /2;, Son ):L:.___!_ Debridement ,L. i3;, and Ni P,htmare Ber.ins Responsibility Praise for his poetry has come from a wide spectrum o f eminent critics and poets, primarily academicians, including Gwendolyn Brooks an<l Ha yden. Critic M.L. Rosenthal recently singled out Harper and Baraka as important examples of Black poets contributinr, to the new Ame rican poetr y s cene ,The New York Times Ma gazine, Movember 2.'.,, 197-.J. Laurence Lieberr.1an has also praised Har per who received nominations for the National Book Award as well as the Black Academy of Arts and Letters First Annual Poetry Award. Harper . has kept n consistency of tone which critics particularly enjo y and thou gh his poetry sometimes lacks metaphorical tension lfunk ? ) to ignite the important statements he makes about Black music, there is a firm intelli gince at work. His themes are i : lusion, pained creativity, war, racism, j nz~, _ nature, history, death, and the mythological evolution of mankind. Much of his poetry is personal, confessional, and he interweaves a medical vocabu. I lary into some of it. and musicians. He often inclu.cles ·chants, hums, and names of songs His musico-poetic concerns can be seen in these lines from "Dear .John, Dear Coltrane": Why you so black? cause I a m Why vou so funky? cause I a m �Why you so black? cause I am Why you so sweet? cause I am ~,Jhy y o u SQ black? cause I am a love supreme, a love supreme: ... El Muhajir (Marvin and adamantly Black: X1 is a different kind of poet, Islam-influenced -· Fl y to Allah (l~o~,, Black Man Listen ,l~u~,, Woman-- Man's Best Friend ,1 ~7 31, the latter obvi o u s l y a rejection of white America's· fetish for animals. Each book salutes Allah a nd cont ains irnme occasiona lly well-turned poetry intermingled with proverbs, parables and song s. He praises Eli jah Muhammad, Tommy Smith, and announces tha t "Bigg er·. Thomas Liv es !" In " The Ori gin s of nlackness" he says Black is not a color. bllt th a t / All colore come fro~ Black .•.• My l e s a nd Eckels are nlso at diff er ent e nds 11cNair is j n th e middle . of his drawin ~s a n ci po e ms. of th e p oe t ic s p~!c t n u1 ,1h.ile My les pu blish e d Down t Country in l 97 t; ~1,, a col l ri~~ e lie survey s. co nt empor a ry life, llis u pbrin13in g on " Bebop and blues in Phoenix," a n d his e xp eriences as an ,.irU st and art s tud ent . Ec kels lHrn 1.i oved from a p oet ry of :rne, er and protest to n "poetry \1ritten by n l mma n hei.n f'. , for hu m,:.rn h c inr;s." To morr o,;,.r, 111., ck lU f'. ht On, ! lli s boots inclucll! Bl nc k ll m m, This Time ome is hlh c r e th e Soul Is (1969) , Our Business i s in the Streets ( 1 970) , and Fire Si !~ n (1 973), which ;; ives its n.:1me to his press . In his earl y phn s e Eckels wrote ·about "!Hack Is," "ll ell, Mar y ," �"In Memory of Marcus, " "A Responsible t,Jeegrm1 Lcn,ler, " a nd other poems a lso coinin~ an interesting term: Western Syphilization Fire Sir;n "for the free and will be," shows a thematic and cultural h r ea dth 1/ as he writ<:s lov e po e ms and salutes freedom in ;;;eneral. NcNair, a cosmic poet 11ho bridges African spirituality and his o,-m psychic revelations, has published Earthbook (1972) -and J11bn Girl (1973). Cert:iinly tlic world \1ill hear more fro m this ~iftcd young writer. Amon g northern California women poets, Haya An ge lou is primarily a prose and script uriter, but has pµblished a book of pocr,1s: Drink of Water 'For I Die (1971). Pat Parker's 1>oetry Just Civo l!c A Coo 1 It wa s nomina t e d for th e Pulitzer Pr ize. can be found in a n excellent little volu me called Child of Myself (1972) and Dices. She uses her own wonw.n-feeling s t o assess landscape of the c urrent upheaval. "Brother " reveuls contradictions in the love-but-hurt app ro ach some Black men take towards their wonen . The "system " she has just been struck with, she says, is called a fist. 0tl1c1: poems deal with humor and tra gedy in husband-wif e relations. In "A Hornent Left behin9 11 she asks Have you ever tried to catch a tear? "F rom Deep Within" says the way of a woman is turbulent \Jith many forces and colors of feelings, but A ,JOman' s body must be tau ght to spcnk-- ... Pat Parker's work searches behind the cosmetics and the vo g ue to tl1 e truth and the disturbance. So cloes th e uork of Joyce Carol Thomas whose two books, �llitt~rs,,c c t (1973) a nd Crystal llreezes (1974), were pub lished by Fi r e Si ~n Press . Ile r poe1'1s are about ,1omei1' s mo ods, church, Black mus i c , children, a nd love. There i s a modern feel a nd te xture in her lines whicl1 e conomize and without d is playing abruptness or un decipherable co de . Ye t he r s treng th is unmistakable a s in "I r now a Lady": I kno11 a L 1d y /\ caref ul queen She bows to no one lier will is a Fine thread of s t eel .... In the s e poems, and the works of Pat Parker and Leona \lelc h , one sees a strong hea ]th nn d future in Bay a rea ,,omen poets. Welch's f ir s t boo k, wa s published in 1971. B1nck r.1-braltar, Leona He re and th e re, one fin ds sub- dued rage and impatience befor e racis m and i gnorance ; but her poetry also exalts th e Bla ck woma n and s pea ks in l ow t one s to men. f rom f olk ex pres sions to forma l exnminations of love. lie r lanB ua ~e ran t es "St n tus qu.o" 1.::; t lte stud y of a Bl ac k with "c las s" and d i 2nit y: Got my white poodle by the leash. Less able than the o ther women, h0r poet·r y s a lutes a number of heroines includin~ women in !er family and Ni ~k i Giovann· Finally ther e is the much-trave] ed Sarnh Fabio, instrumental in Black s tudies devel opmen t in nort hern Ca lifornia, but who noH lives in Iown . published two vo]umes, A ~ irror: She A Soul (1969) and Black Ts a Pa nth e r Ca :• ed (1972), and th en without notice, br ough t out s even volumes (!) all in 1973: Soul Is: Soul Ai n't, Boss Soul (also the name of her Lp), Black Back: Ba ck Bla ck, Juius & Jubilees, My Own Thing, Ju;us/Alchemy of the Blues, �and To gether/to the Tune of Coltrane's Equinox. /? (•' -. Her later work is more formal than the l a ter whic 11 shows that she has j oined the new poe try movement completely . One of her more memorable earlier pieces is "Evil is No Black Thin~•• in which she takes all dark thinp, s traditionally asso cia ted with evil and reverses them; or, allows them to be seen in a lar p,er cont.e xt wherein they invariabl y embrace somethin~ that is li ~ht. lier later volumi- nous efforts deal with experimental blues, ra p- styles, folk narratives, and the reconstruction of a general Black oral history. This she does quite well on her album but much of the writing in the new books is too conversational. Cruz has published Snaps (19~9) and Mainland (1~7JJ• A Puerto Rican now livin g in the Bay, he writes with brevity about other poe ts, New York City and other lar ge northern cities, and Spanish mythology, often interpolatinK bi-lingual phrases in lines. Barlow tGabriel, 1~7,; has done ~npressive things with languar,e and history. B. Rap published llevolution Is and Metamorphis of SupernigGer (1973 1 • \17~7 1 lfaile an inmate at Vacaville, Brown ,Muumba) published Some Poems and Thin3s (1~71). In Sacramento, the young po et Clarence MKie Wi gf all has shown promise in The Other Side ~19701, while I-Jes Young published Life Today (b10 1 and Ramblinp, and Thinp,s ,197:l;. Grant High School young Black poets ~ere included in Omnibus (1973,. At A number o f younger and older poets are studying with Redmond, who has tau ~ht at California State University since 1970. His workshops are located on the campus as well as in community sites like the Oak Park School of Afro-American Thou ght. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Black Arts West is attracting many poets; and across state at Washington State University po et Primus St. John writes and works with other w~iters. '.,! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eugene B. Redmond Digital Collection Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EBRWritings_07_50 Title A name given to the resource Copy of Drumvoices: The Mission of Afro-American Poetry: A Critical History, typed partial manuscript, p. 1-36 Relation A related resource Eugene B. Redmond Digital Collection Language A language of the resource English Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource For digital rights and permissions, see <a href="https://www.siue.edu/lovejoy-library/about/policies.shtml">https://www.siue.edu/lovejoy-library/about/policies.shtml</a> or contact <a href="mailto:library@siue.edu">library@siue.edu</a> for direct inquiries. In copyright. <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Redmond, Eugene B.