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wellworn_soles's review against another edition
3.0
Im thankful to have taken the time to read a collection of poetry by black folks for black folks. The introduction to this anthology hopes that it is something passed through generations to serve as a voice and a balm for the community.
Inevitably, some poems of this anthology hit me more than others. Some of the sections, such as the Love and the Music, Dance, And Sports sections, weren’t exceptionally interesting to me. I do recognize this is an anthology not built with me, a white man, at their center; naturally, some of the subject matter may be harder for me to connect to. While conceptually I really liked the idea of sections that promoted positive aspects of black life, few of the poems pertaining to those subjects really grabbed me. Sections like the Freedom and Healing sections, which dealt with black struggles in America, were much more poignant and thereby made for better reading.
My specific tastes in poetry are also related to the poems i felt drawn to. Many of the haikus and more free-verse poetry wasn’t as impactful to me; a large portion of this, I admit, is just style preference. Overall, the poems in here that were good made the whole anthology more than worth it, but not enough of them resonated to earn a 4 star rating.
Standout Pieces:
Root Song by Henry Dumas
Poem About My Rights by June Jordan
Runagate Runagate by Robert Hayden
It Is Not Just by Harriet Jacobs
Black Mother Praying by Owen Dodson
The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks
Who by Tim Seibles
Inevitably, some poems of this anthology hit me more than others. Some of the sections, such as the Love and the Music, Dance, And Sports sections, weren’t exceptionally interesting to me. I do recognize this is an anthology not built with me, a white man, at their center; naturally, some of the subject matter may be harder for me to connect to. While conceptually I really liked the idea of sections that promoted positive aspects of black life, few of the poems pertaining to those subjects really grabbed me. Sections like the Freedom and Healing sections, which dealt with black struggles in America, were much more poignant and thereby made for better reading.
My specific tastes in poetry are also related to the poems i felt drawn to. Many of the haikus and more free-verse poetry wasn’t as impactful to me; a large portion of this, I admit, is just style preference. Overall, the poems in here that were good made the whole anthology more than worth it, but not enough of them resonated to earn a 4 star rating.
Standout Pieces:
Root Song by Henry Dumas
Poem About My Rights by June Jordan
Runagate Runagate by Robert Hayden
It Is Not Just by Harriet Jacobs
Black Mother Praying by Owen Dodson
The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks
Who by Tim Seibles
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