|
Songs in Search of a Voice
By Marcus Harris
The confessions of a
silver-tongued playboy ... the musings of a jilted lover haunted
by the scent of the departed ... the prayers of a single mother
pregnant with both hope and fear in a world beyond her control
... crafted in searing, vivid language, the poems in this
exciting debut are masterfully sculpted to resonate throughout
the very core of the reader like a melody unchained.
Through a variety of
different voices, Marcus relates universal truths that span the
boundaries of race, color, creed, and gender. Whether the
fertile promise of new love, the lingering sting of domestic
violence, the emotional scarring of child abuse, or the
beguiling face of blind patriotism – no matter which voice you
hear them in, these are truly 'songs' from the chorus of
everyday life.
Reviews
“Langston
Hughes goes street,” was my feeling as I read
Songs in Search of a Voice by
Marcus Harris.
In
“Songs”, Harris takes philosophical and prophetic thoughts
and eloquently transforms them into a modern, hip-hop
revolution. The
poems selected for this innovative public missive hold feelings
of love, honor, life and introspection.
Harris’ words allow the reader to envision the full
potential of life while at the same time, calling a spade a
spade. That’s
right, Harris pulls no punches regarding the mixed up world and
the mixed up thoughts that plague it, however, it is far from
judgmental.
Harris does
not project his words from a pulpit.
Though some of the poems plead to the broken masses,
Marcus Harris does not talk about
or talk at these
situations. Instead, he speaks through these subjects allowing the reader a glimpse as to what the people see.
Harris shows his capability to lift up even those individuals
that tend to let themselves down.
Two of my
favorites from the book are "Woman
to Player" and "Player
to Woman". These
two works describes the feelings of a woman trying to hold a
relationship with a player and, of course, the player’s
attempt to “maintain” while dealing with the attitude of the
woman. After
reading these two poems, there is a realization that both have
their eyes on the prize yet they refuse to work together to
obtain it.
Harris goes
on to present "Two
Little Piggies" which details the story of two boys
committing the same crime yet receiving completely different
“justice” because they possess a different color skin.
Controversial, but so real and revolutionary—and Harris
doesn’t stop there. He
introduces magnificent art through Haiku, presenting "Chainless
Gangs", "New
School Hip-Hop" and "NCAA
Football". They
take just a moment to soak in, but once they do—they will
shake you to the core.
I
highly recommend this insightful, prophetic journey of emotion
through poetry and prose. As
founder and president of The Lady Oya Foundation, a non-profit
organization that supports domestic violence survivors and their
families, Marcus Harris speaks not only for himself but also for
many souls that long for love, justice and equality.—Robert
Denson III,
Sunpiper
Press
* * * * *
Following yesterday's conversation on Walter
Moseley's Washington Post article, I thought it was great timing
to be in the process of preparing a review of a rising American
poet, Marcus Harris. As Moseley states that poetry and politics
should have a place in writing fiction, Harris speaks on the
things of controversy, sound and reason.
Marcus Harris
Songs in Search of a Voice doesn't have to look any further than its author for what it
seeks. This lover's lament, romantic refrain, psalms politik paints a truthful experience line after line. Divided
into six chapters appropriately titled for the sound of mood:
umbrous undertones (hushed quiet), key of melancholy (lover's
lament), etc., when read aloud these poems sing at their
loudest. Tight prose, packed emotion. A perfect compliment to
the silence in the room.
My favorite poem, "Heart-Shaped Bruises
(The Truth According To Tonya)":
you claim you love me--
so your heart must have been tucked
somewhere in your fist...
|
Great small, huge
work—Dee’s Books Reviewed
* *
* * *
I love poetry with depth and works that show that the poet is
versatile with the ability to write using voice to match the
tone of different pieces. I was definitely not let down by Songs
in Search of a Voice.
The poems in this
collection illustrate a wide range of topics from racism and
domestic abuse to hope and love. Each of these topics was
expressed in a different voice matching the topic perfectly. For
instance, one piece discusses a pregnant single mother. In this
piece, the reader can feel the anger and the frustration rising
off the page as he or she reads the realistic sounding phrases,
including the usage of slang. In contrast, another poem talks
about a lost love. This sensual piece almost has an air of
worship with an edge of classic regalness. Such power, such
passion, such talent.
Songs in Search of a Voice
by Marcus Harris is available at
Amazon—Tami
Brady
*
* * * *
This is a varied
collection, in terms of style, voice and subject. Harris ranges
comfortably from love to domestic violence to politics (and
other places in between), shifting from humor to seriousness
with apparent ease. The cover art is of a winged microphone
which fits perfectly, since I think many of the pieces in the
book would gain strength from live reading -- their cadence
seems to ask for performance -- yet they still stand up on the
page. This is definitely a good thing, since poetry that works
as spoken word often doesn't read well on paper. Whether awed by
love, talking politics, or delving into the rhythm of the
street, the poetry in this collection rings true and comes from
an honest place. Songs in Search of a Voice will be available
for purchase in March.—Jamelah
Earle (jamelah) Dec 12, 2005
*
* * * *
Author
Bio
Marcus Harris has long been hailed for
his insightful, timely, and often poignantly humorous body of
poetry, prose, and commentary. His writings have been featured
in several national and international publications, and can also
be seen on his website. He is also the Founder and President of
The Lady Oya Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that
supports domestic violence survivors and their families. Marcus
currently resides in Durham, NC.
Marcus Harris,
Songs in Search of a Voice (7
March 2006), 96 pages, $9.95,
/ Marcus@MarcusHarris.net bookings@marcusharris.net
posted 21 February 2006
* * *
* *
* *
* * *
|
Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
|
 |
* *
* * *
 |
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus
Created
By Charles C. Mann
I’m
a big fan of Charles Mann’s previous
book
1491:
New Revelations of the Americas Before
Columbus, in which he
provides a sweeping and provocative
examination of North and South America
prior to the arrival of Christopher
Columbus. It’s exhaustively researched
but so wonderfully written that it’s
anything but exhausting to read. With
his follow-up,
1493, Mann has taken it to a
new, truly global level. Building on the
groundbreaking work of Alfred Crosby
(author of
The Columbian Exchange and, I’m
proud to say, a fellow Nantucketer),
Mann has written nothing less than the
story of our world: how a planet of what
were once several autonomous continents
is quickly becoming a single,
“globalized” entity.
Mann not only talked to countless
scientists and researchers; he visited
the places he writes about, and as a
consequence, the book has a marvelously
wide-ranging yet personal feel as we
follow Mann from one far-flung corner of
the world to the next. And always, the
prose is masterful. In telling the
improbable story of how Spanish and
Chinese cultures collided in the
Philippines in the sixteenth century, he
takes us to the island of Mindoro whose
“southern coast consists of a number of
small bays, one next to another like
tooth marks in an apple.” We learn how
the spread of malaria, the potato,
tobacco, guano, rubber plants, and sugar
cane have disrupted and convulsed the
planet and will continue to do so until
we are finally living on one integrated
or at least close-to-integrated Earth.
Whether or not the human instigators of
all this remarkable change will survive
the process they helped to initiate more
than five hundred years ago remains,
Mann suggests in this monumental and
revelatory book, an open question. |
* *
* * *
The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
* *
* * *
Ancient African Nations
* * * * *
If you like this page consider making a donation
* * * * *
Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
1950
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
____ 2005
Enjoy!
* * * * *
The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery
* *
* * *
The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
* * * * *
* *
* * *
ChickenBones Store
(Books, DVDs, Music, and more)
update 27 February
2012
|
