Conversations with Yusef Komunyakaa
brings together over two decades of
interviews and profiles with one of
America's most prolific and acclaimed
contemporary poets. Yusef Komunyakaa (b.
1947) describes his work alternately as
"word paintings" and as "music," and his
affinity with the visual and aural arts is
amply displayed in these conversations. The
volume also addresses the diversity and
magnitude of Komunyakaa's literary output.
His collaborations with artists in a variety
of genres, including music, dance, drama,
opera, and painting have produced
groundbreaking performance pieces.
Throughout the collection, Komunyakaa's
interest in finding and creating poetry
across the artistic spectrum is made
manifest.
For his collection
Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems,
1977-1989, Komunyakaa became the first African American
male to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Through his
work he provides keen insight into life's mysteries from
seemingly inconsequential and insignificant life forms
("Ode to the Maggot") to some of the most compelling
historical and life-altering events of our time, such as
the Vietnam War ("Facing It"). Influenced strongly by
jazz, blues, and folklore, as well as the classical
poetic tradition, his poetry comprises a riveting
chronicle of the African American experience.