Khary Jackson wants you to hear his poems. |
That passion does come through in print, in a different way. Jackson takes the reader to Detroit, where an abandoned house reflects on life and longs for what has been. To L.A., where a black man and his son can't make sense of the Rodney King verdict and the riots that followed. To Italy, where Antonio Stradivari lovingly creates violins as tribute to his beloved. Jackson writes of love, loss, family, and justice, of slavery, civil rights, and the streets. Most of the selections left me wondering, "What is the back story? Who are these people? What am I missing?" not in a way that leaves the reader frustrated, but in a way that leaves the reader coming back to read the poems again. I have a feeling that is just what Jackson wanted.
*Note: I am no poetry expert. I don't read a lot of poetry, to be honest. But it sort of bothers me when a "poem" isn't arranged in verses like a poem by Blake, Yeats, Shelly, Browning, etc. Rhyming is nice, too, but not totally necessary. I know, I am stuck in another century. So are these poems? Is this poetry? I suppose so.
Meet Khary Jackson: reciting "Her Name"
His publisher, Write Bloody.
His web site, LayItBare.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic copy!
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Thank you so much for this post. This is my first book, and it means a lot to have your help sharing it with others. Thanks. Even though I rarely rhyme :)
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