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When Rap Spoke Straight to God
Contributor(s): Dawson, Erica (Author)

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 ISBN: 1947793039     ISBN-13: 9781947793033
Publisher: Tin House Books
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Binding Type: Paperback
Published: September 2018
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | American - African American
- Poetry | Women Authors
Dewey: 811.6
LCCN: 2018021938
Physical Information: 0.5" H x 5.3" W x 8.3" L (0.25 lbs) 70 pages
Themes:
- Ethnic Orientation - African American
- Sex & Gender - Feminine
Features: Price on Product
Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 10/01/2018
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

When Rap Spoke Straight to God isn't sacred or profane, but a chorus joined in a single soliloquy, demanding to be heard. There's Wu-Tang and Mary Magdelene with a foot fetish, Lil' Kim and a self-loving Lilith. Slurs, catcalls, verses, erasures--Dawson asks readers, "Just how far is it to nigger?" Both grounded and transcendent, the book is reality and possibility. Dawson's work has always been raw; but, When Rap Spoke Straight to God is as blunt as the answer to that earlier question: "Here." Sometimes abrasive and often abraded, Dawson doesn't flinch.

A mix of traditional forms where sonnets mash up with sestinas morphing to heroic couplets, When Rap Spoke Straight to God insists that while you may recognize parts of the poem's world, you can't anticipate how it will evolve.

With a literal exodus of light in the book's final moments, When Rap Spoke Straight to God is a lament for and a celebration of blackness. It's never depression; it's defiance--a persistent resistance. In this book, like Wu-Tang says, the marginalized "ain't nothing to f--- with."

Contributor Bio(s): Dawson, Erica: - Erica Dawson is the author of two collections of poetry: The Small Blades Hurt (Measure Press, 2014), winner of the 2016 Poets' Prize; and, Big-Eyed Afraid (Waywiser Pess, 2007), winner of the 2006 Anthony Hecht Prize. Her work has appeared in three editions of Best American Poetry; the Pushcart Prize XLI: Best of the Small Presses, Resistance, Rebellion, Life: 50 Poems Now, Barrow Street, Bennington Review, Crazyhorse, Harvard Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and numerous other journals and anthologies. She lives in Tampa, FL and is an Associate Professor at University of Tampa, where she also directs the low-residency MFA program.
 
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