Bearden's Odyssey
Poets Respond to the Art of Romare Bearden
by Kwame Dawes (editor), Matthew Shenoda (editor), Derek Walcott (foreword)
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Pub Date Apr 15 2017 | Archive Date May 02 2018
Northwestern University Press | Triquarterly
Description
Borrowing from Romare Bearden’s aesthetic palette and inspired by his Odysseus series, Bearden’s Odyssey gathers, for the first time, poems from thirty-five of the most revered African diaspora poets in the United States. Poetic echoes come forth in themes of inspiration with historical intersections of one of the greatest visual artists of the twentieth century.
The award-winning editors, Kwame Dawes and Matthew Shenoda, assemble an esteemed literary congregation, with original poems by Chris Abani, Rita Dove, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Ed Roberson, Aracelis Girmay, Yusef Komunyakaa, and more. With a powerful foreword by Nobel laureate Derek Walcott and stunning visual reproductions of select Bearden masterpieces, this anthology fuses art and literature, standing as a testament to Romare Bearden’s power and influence in the contemporary artistic world.
A Note From the Publisher
MATTHEW SHENODA’s debut collection of poems, Somewhere Else (2005), was named one of 2005’s debut books of the year by Poets & Writers magazine and was the winner of a 2006 American Book Award. He is also the author of Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone and, most recently, of Tahrir Suite: Poems, winner of the 2015 Arab American Book Award. Shenoda is currently an associate professor in the Department of Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago. Shenoda is a founding editor of the African Poetry Book Fund.
Advance Praise
“Bearden’s Odyssey is a powerful exercise in coherence—a bringing together of text and image, a negotiation of identities. The collection opens new paths by which to explore Bearden’s most emblematic paintings. It will bring new audiences to both poetry and visual art.”—Jennifer Benka, executive director, Academy of American Poets
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780810134898 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 160 |
Featured Reviews
Sarah E, Reviewer
On a recent visit with my brother and his girlfriend to the Detroit Institue of Arts, I came across Bearden's mosaic 'Quilting Time.' It's a beautifully made piece, quintessentially Bearden with it's bold, bright colors and distinct texture and shapes. My excitement to share the works of one of my favorite artists with quelled when my brother's girlfriend said, "So who is this guy again?" That is precisely why this collection is necessary. Here, Kwame Dawes and Matthew Shenoda have assembled an outstanding group of poets from Nikki Giovanni to Rita Dove to Tracy K, Smith (amongst many, many others) to remind us of the importance of Bearden's work and legacy. Some of the poems are tributes to the man himself, others are ruminations on the world that birthed him, and a few pose the question "What does Bearden's work tell us about the world as it is now?" The interaction of visual image with written text is a wonderful reminder that Bearden's impressive works have always constituted a source of lyricism themselves.
Educator 144982
I only wish there were more books out there that so seamlessly yet provocatively examine the intersection of visual art and literature. Both fields are much richer for the treasures found in this book.
