Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance

Reviews

This book is exquisitely rendered. . . . a timely, healing mirror to a new generation of readers. . . . Black girls everywhere, this collection is salve and sanctuary. An abundantly layered landscape of Black female experiences. A compelling reflection on gender, race, politics, and everyday life. . . . A striking collection of voices, who examine and celebrate the experience of Black women from the past and present. An excellent introduction to Black women writers who were ignored by history. A compelling dialogue with the past. [A] tour de force of a poetry collection . . . Grimes lays claim to an amazing artistic legacy on every page, her poetic rejoinders building a stirring call and response. Remarkable. . . The art here is unified in its emphasis on portraying the beauty and uniqueness of Black girls and women. . . . This unique title is sure to spark thought and touch hearts. The eloquent and stirring voices of Grimes and her counterparts of the past resonate with passion, purpose, and resilience. Radiant mixed-media art bolsters Grimes's themes, full-page, full-bleed illustrations showcasing images of beautiful Black women, young and old, of all shapes, sizes and shades living their lives and being unapologetically themselves. The beautifully written Legacy will make anyone, regardless of age, sex or race, feel a sense of pride in being a citizen of the world. One Last Word is the work of a master poet. Gorgeous. Timely and thought-provoking. Grimes powerfully transposes the original poems’ themes of racial bias, hidden inner selves, beauty, and pride into the here and now. Innovative and powerful . . . a beautiful new homage to the Harlem Renaissance but also a moving reflection on the African American experience and the resilience of the human spirit. Between the covers of this compact volume lies artistic, literary, sociocultural, and curricular gold . . . Mothers and elders exhort and reflect while young boys and girls plead and dream, reimagining the sorrows and dreams of the legendary wordsmiths into scenarios involving superheroes, bullies, peer pressure, poverty, and prom dates that young readers will relate to. This is simply essential for both personal and classroom collections. The vibrancy of the Harlem Renaissance is illuminated in Grimes’s provocative poetry collection . . . This enterprising and unusual volume not only introduces the Harlem Renaissance to young readers but also presents the challenge of a new way to write and enjoy poetry. Expand reviews