Marilyn Nelson is a national treasure. CARVER: A LIFE IN POEMS, A CROWN FOR EMMETT TILL, and now THE FREEDOM BUSINESS (Wordsong, 2008, October), all demonstrate her incredible talent with words. Ordinary words become extraordinary, wheeling into our eyes and ears and consciousness. Here, Nelson tells the story of Venture, a native of Africa, captured by slavers and brought to the United States. In spare poems that take many contemporary and traditionally classic forms, Nelson relates the events of Venture's life and his pursuit of freedom. On the facing pages are excerpts from his diary, his own slave narrative. The juxtaposition of the almost matter of fact description of Venture's life and Nelson's eloquent, sometimes lyrical, poems is jarring and unsettling. And perhaps that is as it should be.
business not as usual
Marilyn Nelson is a national treasure. CARVER: A LIFE IN POEMS, A CROWN FOR EMMETT TILL, and now THE FREEDOM BUSINESS (Wordsong, 2008, October), all demonstrate her incredible talent with words. Ordinary words become extraordinary, wheeling into our eyes and ears and consciousness. Here, Nelson tells the story of Venture, a native of Africa, captured by slavers and brought to the United States. In spare poems that take many contemporary and traditionally classic forms, Nelson relates the events of Venture's life and his pursuit of freedom. On the facing pages are excerpts from his diary, his own slave narrative. The juxtaposition of the almost matter of fact description of Venture's life and Nelson's eloquent, sometimes lyrical, poems is jarring and unsettling. And perhaps that is as it should be.
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some observations
I completed my self-quarantine today, 2 weeks after flying home from a visit with the great-granddaughter. As far as I know, I remain uninfected by…
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Self-Quarantine marches forward
I am now in the 11th day of self-quarantine. I suspect that there are many more days ahead as BH and I try our best NOT to become a statistic. While…
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a week in quarantine=many books read
As I said in the first post this week: when it is quiet here, it is time to read. While I have not quite cleared the stacks back in my work room, I…
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