A wealth of poems that offer penetrating glimpses into the wide range of African experiences.
A collection of works in English by 51 African poets provides a vibrant tapestry of modern perceptions about the continent.
In the foreword to this rewarding anthology, the editor, Zimbabwean poet Chikumbu, notes that, in spite of Africa’s cherished oral tradition of poetry “through its griots and praise singers,” there is a dearth of published African poetic voices. He means to counter this lack with a volume of poems dedicated to the broadest definition of love: “A love of grappling, a love of taking up space, a love of beauty, a love of finding, a love of words, images, sound and a love of the creative passion.” The poems Chikumbu has chosen are intoxicating both in the beauty of their language and the depth of their analysis, and they sweep readers into the dazzling and wounded landscape of Africa’s past and present. In “Playing God in Old Love Skin,” Henneh Kyereh Kwaku sets up a central paradox: “You, god—have given / the crow the wind / & here’s the crow flying against / the gift & not gliding with it.” A number of poems confront the ongoing violations of colonialism. “The Gospel According To Colonialism” by Carolyne M. Acen seethes: “The colonialists...Taught us how to / pray with our / eyes closed. / To a God who hates / our dark skin.” In “Elec(sanc)tions,” Adjei Agyei Baah uses the Japanese Senryū form of ironic verse to satirize how this legacy persists: “Bursting at his seams / the politician tells us / to tighten our belts.” The condition of women is also given broad representation in such works as “Her Story—Flowers,” an indictment of rape culture by Esnala Banda, who warns: “Don’t blame the girls who think that love sounds like an opening zipper, / Or feels like unwelcome hands.” The poems in this collection are well chosen, viscerally lyrical, and deeply meaningful. They offer English-language readers a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the multifaceted voices of modern Africa, and they prove Chikumbu’s assertion that “poetry is powerful, is cathartic and most importantly is far from being a dying art.”
A wealth of poems that offer penetrating glimpses into the wide range of African experiences.Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-578-39715-3
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Mukana Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Breathtakingly magical.
A powerful homage to the natural world, from England by way of Canada.
Combining poetic words (somewhat reminiscent of Mary Oliver’s poetry in their passion for the natural world) with truly stunning illustrations, this unusually beautiful book brings to readers the magic and wonder of nature. This is not a book about ecology or habitat; this is a book that encourages readers to revel in, and connect with, the natural world. Focusing on a particular subject, whether it be animal, insect, or plant, each poem (rendered in a variety of forms) delivers a “spell” that can be playful, poignant, or entreating. They are most effective when read aloud (as readers are encouraged to do in the introduction). Gorgeous illustrations accompany the words, both as stand-alone double-page spreads and as spot and full-page illustrations. Each remarkable image exhibits a perfect mastery of design, lively line, and watercolor technique while the sophisticated palette of warms and cools both soothes and surprises. This intense interweaving of words and pictures creates a sense of immersion and interaction—and a sense that the natural world is part of us. A glossary encourages readers to find each named species in the illustrations throughout the book––and to go one step further and bring the book outside, to find the actual subjects in nature. Very much in the spirit of the duo’s magisterial The Lost Words (2018), this companion is significantly smaller than its sprawling companion; at just 6.5 by 4.5 inches when closed, it will easily fit into a backpack or generously sized pocket. “Wonder is needed now more than ever,” Macfarlane writes in the introduction, and this book delivers it.
Breathtakingly magical. (Poetry. 6-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4870-0779-9
Page Count: 120
Publisher: House of Anansi Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2020
A poet/photographer deftly makes Idaho look—and sound—like heaven.
A collection offers photographs and devotional verse.
The images are the real stars of this elegant volume. Moseley’s photos of North Idaho will make readers who have never been to the region feel like they have been missing out. On one level, her book is a visual love letter to her home state. In it are dozens of pictures of the Western landscape rendered in gorgeous detail. If these images are any indication, Idaho’s natural beauties are just stunning. The state’s skies are breathtaking, its waterways lucent, its foliage lush, and its snowscapes pristine. Those who have tried their hands at nature photography know it’s not for amateurs, and Moseley is a real pro. Her photos are crisp, colorful, and expertly framed. But the pictures are not the only gift she has for her readers. Mixed among them are swatches of lucid, moving poetry. Sometimes these poems are barely a few lines. A jaw-dropping shot of a double rainbow is accompanied by a humble quatrain: “Late afternoon Spring storms / adorn radiant skies with / wreaths of glistening rainbows / shimmering in the distant horizon.” Other poems, like “The Road Beyond,” stretch on to multiple pages. That piece ends: “Not once has He left me to travel alone / Through the bends, shadows, or strife / I wait for His hand to show me the way / No never alone on this road, my life.” The “He” here is God, and the natural world is enduring proof of the Lord’s benevolence and love. In this, the poet follows the great Gerard Manley Hopkins, who wrote that “the world is charged with the grandeur of God.” For Moseley, as for Hopkins, people can look to nature for evidence of God’s enduring presence, and her book is a touching testament to that belief.
A poet/photographer deftly makes Idaho look—and sound—like heaven.Pub Date: April 9, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-973688-26-6
Page Count: 104
Publisher: WestBowPress
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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