First published 2010
Dave shapes clay with his hands in antebellum South Carolina. The earth beneath his feet becomes vessels under his touch. He is enslaved, but his potter's wheel spins stories into existence. Dave carves words onto his creations, poetry that speaks truths his voice cannot safely utter. Each pot holds both practical purpose and artistic vision. His hands work the clay while his mind crafts verses that will outlast the system that binds him. The kiln fires his work, hardening both vessel and verse into permanence. Dave's art becomes his resistance, his poetry a quiet rebellion against the forces that seek to diminish him. Through mud and fire, he builds something beautiful and lasting from the materials at hand.
Genres: art, historical-fiction, biography-memoir, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, quiet-rebellion
Setting: South Carolina
Period: Antebellum
40 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: slavery