Ntozake Shange is a powerful writer and fresh imagery and lyrical movement in her words is testament to it. I enjoyed this collection but felt that the curation could've been done more engagingly so that all poems carried the same brilliance.

Thank you Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like this collection. It was raw, straightforward and authentic. However, I had difficulties connecting on some poems.

I have read three books by Ntozake Shange and I love her writing style. Some Sing, Some Cry is one of my favorite books of all time, as it was written with such heart and soul (from both her and her sister Ifa Bayeza). So when I saw that she had a new collection of poetry being released, I could not wait to read it! And I was not disappointed with Wild Beauty in the least. This collection holds some of the most beautiful, soul-stirring poetry I have ever read. And the spanish translations-- definitely the icing on the cake to reach an even larger audience.

I love that Wild Beauty has selected poems from Ntozake Shange's other collections so that I could enjoy a full experience of her poetry without having to had read the others. Although now, I am tempted to go check out her entire catalog. Here, she shares poems that are intimate, and embody what it's like to be a black woman in America. I was saddened by reading some, felt empowered while reading others, and even got goosebumps a few times. There are even some I feel I need to go back and reread to fully grasp what she was telling me. This woman has such a beautiful way with words and I thoroughly enjoyed getting caught up in them. I recommend this book to other lovers of poetry and fans of Ntozake Shange. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“i am more dangerous than noreiga”

** Trigger warning for rape. **

all things are possible
but aint no colored magician in her right mind
gonna make you white
i mean
this is blk magic
you lookin at
(“my father is a retired magician”)

i haveta turn my television down sometimes cuz
i cant stand to have white people/ shout at me/
(“from okra to greens”)

we need a god who bleeds now
whose wounds are not the end of anything
(“we need a god who bleeds now”)

WILD BEAUTY falls into that weird, nebulous category of “poems I’m not sure I completely understand, but am mostly smitten with anyway.” A mix of new and previously published poetry from Ntozake Shange, WILD BEAUTY is enchanting and seductive and, occasionally, raw AF. Shange explores wide-ranging issues, including race, gender, sexuality, love, the military-industrial complex, the police state, the process of creating art, and the centrality of music in her life. As is par for the course with poetry, I wasn’t convinced that I was always picking up what Shange put down, but I was happy to come along for the ride anyway. Well, more or less: it’s true that I did skim a few of the pieces, but these were few and far between.

Among my favorites are “my father is a retired magician”; “toussaint”; “live oak”; “irrepressibly bronze, beautiful & mine”; “rise up fallen fighters”; “7 tequilas gone”; “the stage goes to darkness”; “crooked woman”; “about atlanta”; “who needs a heart”; and “pages for a friend.” I fear that “crack annie” will stick with forever, though not in a good way; the poem is written from the pov of a mother who facilitates the rape of her seven-year-old daughter in exchange for drugs, and it is simply haunting. “ode to orlando” is as well, though in a more melancholy (as opposed to nauseating) way. Written in the days after the Pulse nightclub shooting, Shange reflects on how the tragedy did – and could have – impacted her own family. (Shange’s daughter is gay and has in fact been to the club.)


CONTENTS

Preface • xi
Prólogo • xv

Translating Ntozake Shange • xix
Traducir a Ntozake Shange • xxv

we need a god who bleeds now • 3
from okra to greens • 5
my father is a retired magician • 9
for all my dead & loved ones • 13
once there were quadroon balls • 17
tango • 19
toussaint • 21
just as the del vikings stole my heart • 31
on becomin successful • 33
nappy edges (a cross country sojourn) • 35
i heard eric dolphy in his eyes • 41
expiriese girl wanted • 51
lady in blue • 57
take the A train • 59
dream of pairing • 61
lady in blue II • 63
lotsa body & cultural heritage/ • 65
loosening strings or give me an ‘A’ • 67
never mind sister • 71
a third generation geechee myth for yr birthday • 73
i live in music • 77
latin night is monday • 79
mood indigo • 81
lady in brown • 91
18 march 1984 • 95
live oak • 97
box & pole • 99
hands & holding • 101
tropical dance • 105
lovin you is ecstasy to me • 107
between a dancer & a poet • 109
new orleans nuptials • 113
irrepressibly bronze, beautiful & mine • 117
“if i go all the way without you where would i go?” • 125
rise up fallen fighters • 131
elegance in the extreme • 137
chastening with honey • 139
wrapping the wind • 143
in the blueness • 145
7 tequilas gone • 149
the stage goes to darkness • 151
telephones & other false gods • 155
the old men • 167
crooked woman • 169
dressing our wounds in warm clothes • 173
crack annie • 175
about atlanta • 185
who needs a heart • 191
people of watts • 193
lady in red • 197
new world coro • 199
walk, jump, fly • 203
fame on all fours • 207
lizard poem • 215
five • 223
pages for a friend • 231
these blessings • 233
a word is a miracle • 235
an actual poem • 237
ode to orlando • 239
mama’s little baby • 234
chicago in sanfrancisco & you • 245

Acknowledgments • 249
Credits and Permissions • 253

I read "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf" when I was in college. To be quite honest, I forgot who the author was which is ironic because the book has been on my mind recently as I could have used it to tick off a box in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge (2017). I always make a disclaimer about anthologies as they always have hits and misses and poetry being so personal, I am always hesitant to offer an opinion for fear of revealing too much about my current state of mind. Having said that, I loved this collection with its poetry in English and Spanish. This book earned its place in my poetry shelf.

"i am the voice of my selves who have
not/learned to speak
my mute & deaf dreams come thru
here
my silent daughters
why i speak at all"

This is my first collection of poems by Shange, though I was already familiar with some of her individual poems. With this collection, Shange shatters the space between the political and the personal. At times these poems are emotionally wrought, depicting uncomfortable truths and devastation. But at the same time, there's a joy to her writing and in her descriptions of the mundane:

"where we come from, sometimes,
beauty
floats around us like clouds
the way leaves rustle in the breeze
and cornbread and barbecue swing
out the backdoor
and tease all our senses as the sun goes down."

There are also translations of each poem in Spanish.

As a relative newcomer to Shange's poetry, I would say this collection is a great place to start. Feminist, biting, yet intimate, I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Posted on Goodreads 12/12]
[Posted on Amazon 12/12]
[Will post on personal blog in January]

I like poetry but I don't really like to review it. Mostly because, the way I see it, the opinion on it is even more subjective than when it comes to prose. You truly need to be the right audience and in the right mood to appreciate poetry & connect with it. There is, of course, such a thing as downright bad poetry but you stumble upon it very rarely.

So I can't say Wild Beauty is bad, because it really, really isn't. I saw it described as strong & powerful and I can understand why that would happen. But at the same time, it didn't make me feel anything, so I guess it just wasn't meant for me to judge.

There is no one quite like Shange. This is lovely. Honest. Brutal. Beautiful. Sad. Uplifting. Heartbreaking. Heart mending. All things we wish poetry to be - and what it should be.

Ntozake Shange is SUCH a powerful writer - you can feel the energy in her words, see vividly what she describes, hear and smell and FEEL what she is saying - and this collection is just more proof. Unsurprisingly, my favorites in this book were from Shange's "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf," one of my favorite books of all time. THIS is the power of words.

Impressive! This prolific collection of poems elucidate the brilliance that is literary icon, Ntozake Shange! Her writing takes all readers on an emotional journey of meaningful depth!

"rise up fallen fighters
unfetter the stars
dance with the universe
& make it ours"

I love love love Ntozake Shange, and this collection didn't disappoint. It includes some new work, along with selected poems from previous works, all translated side by side into Spanish. Shange's poetry is so visceral, so vivid, so deeply moving. Wild Beauty is fantastic for readers new to Shange and to those that have loved her for years. I'm sure I'll return to it again and again.