4 New Collections of Work by and About Bold, Free-Spirited Poets
A quartet of just-released books illuminates the artistry of Nikki
Giovanni, Mary Oliver, Joni Mitchell, and June Jordan, oracles who've
lived lives of boldness and beauty.
By Claire Luchette
4 of 4
We're On: A June Jordan Reader
By June Jordan
500 pages;
Alice James Books
In sorting through June Jordan's vast oeuvre, the editors of
We’re On: A June Jordan Reader (Alice James Books)
lament facing "the challenge of too much brilliance." The dense volume
includes selections of her poetry—free verse, tankas (a Japanese form
featuring 31 syllables divided into five lines), odes to
lovers—alongside speeches, letters, and reflections on urban planning,
the politics of language, and racial inequality. Jordan was, as Toni
Morrison said, "our premiere black woman essayist." The writer, who
succumbed to breast cancer in 2002, delivered this rallying cry before
she passed: "That new women's work will mean we will not die trying to
stand up: we will live that way: standing up."
Published 11/01/2017