First published 2005
Elizabeth Alexander captures the testimonies of those who have witnessed too much. Bodies marked by violence tell stories through scars and missing limbs. Glass eyes reflect histories that voices cannot speak. Alexander gives voice to the silenced, drawing from the slave rebellion aboard the Amistad to the canvases of nineteenth century American artists. She writes persona poems that inhabit historical figures, jazz riffs that echo musical traditions, and sonnets that frame contemporary experience. The collection moves between public histories and private dreams, weaving together biography and pop culture. Alexander writes as both sensualist of history and romanticist of race. Her fourth collection spans elegies for the lost, ars poetica sequences that examine the craft of memory, and historical narratives that resurrect forgotten voices. The poems make public and private experiences dance together, creating a vivid tapestry of African American tradition and contemporary life.
Genres: biography, art, american, african-american, contemporary, poetry
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: found-family, historical-fiction
Setting: America, Amistad
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century
96 pages · Paperback · Graywolf Press