M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A: Poems

This is a beautiful volume of poetry that will speak to non-poetry readers as well. Very different styles of poetry tell the story of a life.

Such a special account. The poems evoke such emotion. Lost my first one, so had to order another one. Put these poems in your library!

Deep, rich and bittersweet. You learn about black history reading this poetry. It is often heartbreaking and brought tears to my eyes. Excellent literature and pure joy to read.

Excellent book. It was a required reading for school but I really enjoyed it and am glad that I read it!

M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A, about an African American spelling bee whiz-kid, is a compelling, heart-grabbing use of actual history origami-ed with the music of poetry. This collection takes the factual accounting of MacNolia Cox Montiere and orchestrates it with original imaginings and charged reveries that challenge the reader to stand and hear, to witness, the intimacies of a young bright girl on the jagged-sharp wrong-end of racial attitudes during the Depression. Van Jordan is everything a great historical fiction writer should be--he just does it wearing the hat of a poet. Van Jordan has crafted a phenomenal work utilizing historically significant issues--and, unfortunately, issues still front-and-center in our current times. Some will read this stunning creation and comment on How Far We've Come. Others of us will sigh with regret, mournfully acknowledging how closely--too closely--this story mirrors those of our nightly news, our communities, even now. Get M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A today. Kick back, maybe put on some Earl Hines, some Billie Holiday. Slip yourself in the freshly-shined shoes, the new hand-made fancy dress of MacNolia--listen to the tip-tapping of her soles across the stage. Feel that silver-tinged hum of adrenaline? Listen to her confidence as she calls out the letters to words that (mostly) live in other people's lives. Drink in her elation, swallow her heartache. Marvel at how her disillusions with life, with the concept of fairness and equality--mirror water-colored shades of your own, of all our own. Bear witness. She deserves that much at least. Don't we all? Van Jordan is a poet that has the power to stretch minds, to turn hearts, with his haunting portrayals. This is why I read contemporary poetry.

I admit, the purchase of Macnolia was an impulse buy. The eyes of an inocent brown face staring at me with a definition printed across her forehead. I was intrigued. And I sat in the indie bookshop and read. A half hour later, I walked away with a new book for my collection.mac*no*lia (mak nol ya), n. a Negro who spells and reads as well [if not better than] any white.This is my introduction ot A. Van Jordan. This was the first poetry book that opened my eyes to what a poetry collection could be. Too often, books of poetry are loose, wandering collections of randomness. Profound, perhaps. Deep even. But strewn together without any connectivity or coherence. This is acceptable because, it is poetry. I love this poetry book because I understand with the turn of each page that each poem was written with pure intention.Macnolia explores the love between the man and a woman, Macnolia explores the effects of being Black in America, Macnolia the public moments which defined private experiences of Black history - A. Phillip Randolph, Josephine Baker, Richard Pryor, Jesse Owens among others.This is a beautiful collection of poetry, a poetic storyline, a bound confession of a people.

amazing

yeats' advice to beware of poetry of "passive suffering" rings true with the (feigned) sentiments of this sophomoric effort. whereas Rita Dove's Thomas & Beulah derived from familial grounds, Van Jordan's hodgepodge hangs on its purported subject by a thin thread--unsure of it's direction and executed with a lackluster hand.

Poems that tell stories and paint pictures. Accomplished and visionary. An important addition to the African-American domestic is political genre.