Poetry

Before the National Book Award-winning Just Kids, Patti Smith addressed the life and passing of her intimate friend, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

Through the linked pieces of The Coral Sea, Patti Smith honors her comrade-in-arms Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989). She tells the story of a man on an ocean journey to see the Southern Cross, who is reflecting on his life and fighting the illness that is consuming him. Metaphoric and dreamy, this tale of transformation arises from Smith's knowledge of Mapplethorpe from a young man to a mature artist; his close relationship with patron and friend, Sam Wagstaff; his years surviving AIDS; and his ascent into death. The Coral Sea is Smith's lyrically compelling recasting of her grief to recapture Mapplethorpe's life in the past and his future in his art. Rich in evocative details, it shows the man beneath the persona.

This edition features a new introduction and new material by Smith. 7 black-and-white photographs

In the labyrinth of Moore's prose and poetry, the blues force is synonymous with the Derridean trace in the way in which the language transverses celestial realms to reclaim or to re-contextualize God in an image that does not reflect the sensibilities and patriarchal attitudes of the Western world. God Is Not An American summons the spirits of the androgynous Gods written out of theological and scholarly texts. The book depicts the complexities of God. In the text, Moore performs ritual and praise song to African and Native American deities of love, beauty, intimacy, fertility and motherhood that have been sacrificed for the Gods of War and Power. Moreover, Moore s poetry serves as libation to her ancestors of Native American, African, and Irish descent whose blood is the mortar that has built the foundation of America but has been largely trivialized or ignored by the dominant culture. Hence, God Is Not An American and will not become an American until America wholeheartedly embraces the amalgamation of cultures that have contributed to her greatness. With her latest collection of poetry, God is not an American; Jessica Care Moore has ascended to a new zenith in her career as a professional poet. Similar to Ralph Ellison s Invisible Man and Gayl Jones Corregidora, Moore s fuses cultural memory, black American musicality and traditional African American literary traditions to broaden the parameters of contemporary black poetry. Influenced by the poets of the Black Arts Movement such as Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Jayne Cortez, Amiri Baraka, and Lucille Clifton. from the Afterword by Jessie Adolph

The Words Don't Fit In My Mouth has become a classic book among fans of the new movement of poets around the world. The first release from author jessica Care moore, The Words Don't Fit In My Mouth is a thematically, multi-various collage of poems on love and lost, relationships, racism, sexism, and identity that says: "..we exist, yes we do. It's a fact." In the words of editor Tony Medina, this collection is full of tom-boy muscle and tender sister love caresses. She coos and curses and condems- all in one breath, all in one poem, one book.

The Subtle Art of Breathing is a mature book with muscle, brain and essential love; and it is evident that her writing is well seasoned and well crafted. She writes about young women who have never learned to confront their shadows or say no the many dangers in their lives. bandele (has) produced a book of courage. - from the Foreward by Haki Madhubuti

Poetry. African American Studies. CD Included. Poet, basketball player, and outspoken anti-war activists, Etan Thomas is MORE THAN AN ATHLETE. In this, his first collection of poems, the center for the NBA's Washington Wizards defies the stereotype of the a-political athlete, and plants his roots in his budding literary career. With the conviction of a Bill Russell, and the poetic finesse of Muhammad Ali, Thomas takes on controversial topics such as The Death Penalty, the GOP, racism and abortion. This young, fiery poet approaches his work fearlessly, writing in the strong, historical lineage of his literary elders Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez, and in the tradition of contemporary poets Ras Baraka, Tony Medina and asha bandele. MORE THAN AN ATHLETE is more than a book of poetry; it's a statement about our generation not being confined to a box, a definition or a label. Some of us play ball, and some of us write poems. Etan Thomas has mastered the art of both.

The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto (AVG) is the highly anticipated release from author jessica Care moore. A rich collection of poetry and prose divided into three chapters of resistence, love and survival. In the midst of all the hype with this art form called poetry, jessica Care moore takes time to flex her opinions and obvious growth as a writer inside these pages. The AVG is a great contribution to the future of American poetry. With call to action poems, like, "Joseph," and "Epilogue," to honest sometimes haunting love poems, like "Purple," and "Leaving Brooklyn," we get to know this poet like never before. "I got my momma's eyes and my daddy's guns."