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Unique in its poetic style, this book of poems contains some the most honest and personal poems ever written.  With such soul-bearing pieces as “The Image I See” and “Self Worth” or the hauntingly poetic “Bitter Fruit” and “Who Knows Of The Wilted Rose”

 

 

Books by Terry O'Neal

Motion Sickness, The Poet Speaks In Black, Ev'ry Little Soul, Good Mornin' Glory, and  novel Sweet Lavender

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The Poet Speaks In Black 

By Terry O'Neal

Reviews

 

Her poems are reflective of African American culture and at the same time underscore our universal humanity.

--Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California

The Poet Speaks In Black is a rich volume of rhythmic, free-verse poetry by Terry O’Neal, an emotional, talented, and compelling female writer. Encouraging dreams, pondering life, and stretching past the horizons of the mind, The Poet Speaks In Black is highly enjoyable reading whether aloud at a microphone or quietly at home.

--THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, www.midwestbookreview.com

Just when we are finally catching our breath from her first book of poems, Motion Sickness, Terry a. O’Neal takes us on yet another emotional journey in The Poet Speaks In Black. 

Unique in its poetic style, this book of poems contains some the most honest and personal poems ever written.  With such soul-bearing pieces as “The Image I See” and “Self Worth” or the hauntingly poetic “Bitter Fruit” and “Who Knows Of The Wilted Rose,” O’Neal grabs you by your heartstrings and won’t let go until her poems have left a permanent mark on your soul.

With thematic variety, O’Neal runs the gamut - for the casual reader there’s “Ella Mae’s Bear” and “Word Of Mouth.”  For the socially conscious there’s “M.E. Mississippi Blue.”  And for the abstract and artsy there’s “Contrary” and “Mind Games.”

O’Neal constructs her poems as if she were a sculptor, carefully choosing each and every word – making her poems three-dimensional and astonishingly real.  She is arguably one of the most important African American writers of our time.

--D. Gossett / DEG Graphics, Los Angeles, California

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Terry A O'Neal--1.jpg

Terry O'Neal -- Author of Motion Sickness, The Poet Speaks In Black, Ev'ry Little Soul, and the upcoming novel Sweet Lavender.

Motion Publishing  P.O. Box 2551     Elk Grove, CA 95624

Phone: 866-552-2211            email: mpublishing@emai.com www.terryoneal.com       terryo@poetic.com                                 

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Go, Tell Michelle
African American Women Write to the New First Lady

Edited Barbara A. Seals Nevergold and Peggy Brooks-Bertram

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Weep Not, Child

By Ngugi wa Thiong'o

This is a powerful, moving story that details the effects of the infamous Mau Mau war, the African nationalist revolt against colonial oppression in Kenya, on the lives of ordinary men and women, and on one family in particular. Two brothers, Njoroge and Kamau, stand on a rubbish heap and look into their futures. Njoroge is excited; his family has decided that he will attend school, while Kamau will train to be a carpenter. Together they will serve their countrythe teacher and the craftsman. But this is Kenya and the times are against them. In the forests, the Mau Mau is waging war against the white government, and the two brothers and their family need to decide where their loyalties lie. For the practical Kamau the choice is simple, but for Njoroge the scholar, the dream of progress through learning is a hard one to give up.—Penguin 

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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.

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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)

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Ancient African Nations

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Negro Digest / Black World

Browse all issues


1950        1960        1965        1970        1975        1980        1985        1990        1995        2000 ____ 2005        

Enjoy!

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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

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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg

The Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804  / January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of Haiti 

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update 10 July 2011 

 

 

 

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Related files: Terry O'Neal Bio  Terry O'Neal Reviews  my backyard  Here I Go Again