June Jordan Livres

"Directed by Desire . . . is a powerful addition to the entire canon of American poetry."--Booklist Now in paperback, Directed by Desire is the definitive overview of June Jordan's -poetry. Collecting the finest work from Jordan's ten volumes, as well as dozens of "last poems" that were never published in Jordan's lifetime, these more than six hundred pages overflow with intimate lyricism, elegance, fury, meditative solos, and dazzling vernacular riffs. As Adrienne Rich writes in her introduction, June Jordan "wanted her readers, listeners, students, to feel their own latent power--of the word, the deed, of their own beauty and intrinsic value." From "These Poems": These poems they are things that I do in the dark reaching for you whoever you are and are you ready? The cloth edition of Directed by Desire was selected as a Library Journal Poetry Book of the Year and received the Lambda Book Award for Lesbian Poetry. June Jordan taught at UC Berkeley for many years and founded Poetry for the People. Her twenty-eight books include poetry, essays, fiction, and children's books. She was a regular columnist for The Progressive and a prolific writer whose articles appeared in The Village Voice, The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and The Nation. After her death in 2002, a school in the San Francisco School District was renamed in her honor.

Gathering poems alongside photographs and manuscript pages, the definitive introduction to the work of June Jordon. For the poet and activist June Jordan, neither poetry nor activism could easily be disentangled from the other. Her storied career came to chronicle a living, breathing history of the struggles that defined the USA in the latter half of the twentieth century, and her poetry, accordingly, put its dazzling stylistic range to use in exploring issues of gender, race, immigration, representation and much else besides. Here, above all, are sinuous, lashing and passionate lines, virtuosic in their musicality and always bearing the stamp of Jordan's irrepressible personality. Here are poems of suffusing light and profound anger poems moved as much by political animus as by a deep love for the observation of human life in all its foibles, eccentricities, strengths and weaknesses. With a afterword by Jericho Brown, The Essential June Jordan allows new readers to discover -- and old fans to rediscover -- the vital work of this endlessly surprising poet

After decades out of print, Passion--one of June Jordan's most important collections--has returned to readers. Originally entitled, passion: new poems, 1977-1980, this volume holds key works including "Poem About My Rights," "Poem About Police Violence," "Free Flight," and an essay by the poet, "For the Sake of the People's Poetry: Walt Whitman and the Rest of Us." June Jordan was a fierce advocate for the safety and humanity of women and Black people, and for the freedom of all people--and Barack Obama made a line from this book famous: "We are the ones we have been waiting for." With love and humor, via lyrics and rants, she calls for nothing less than radical compassion. This new edition includes a foreword by Nicole Sealey.

The only young adult book by June Jordan is rediscovered and introduced by best-selling author Sapphire.

This anthology showcases the powerful voices of Black poets from the early twentieth century to the present, reflecting a rich tapestry of experiences and themes. Edited by the esteemed June Jordan, the collection highlights the profound impact of these poets on literature and culture, celebrating their contributions and unique perspectives. The work serves as both a tribute to their artistry and a vital exploration of identity, resilience, and social issues within the Black community.

Searingly beautiful poems about compassion, resistance and desire by an iconic Black American activist and writer

'Poetry for the People' – so hieß das Projekt, das June Jordan 1991 (als Professorin) in Berkeley ins Leben rief und das bis heute besteht. Poetry for the People bedeutete für sie eine Lyrik, die, fern aller Selbstbezüglichkeit, im Leser Aufmerksamkeit und Anteilnahme weckt. June Jordan, das Kind jamaikanischer Einwanderer, das bereits mit sieben Jahren zu schreiben begann, die enorm erfolgreiche Lyrikerin, war ganz aus ihrer Poesie heraus Hochschullehrerin und politische Aktivistin, Afro-Amerikanerin und Feministin. Das 'damn black devil child', wie der strenge Vater sie nannte, ging mit unbeirrbarem Mut durch alle Bereiche des amerikanischen Lebens. Sie hat mit ihren Versen der Theorie der Gender Studies eine Melodie gegeben und mit ihrem Vertrauen auf die universell emanzipatorische Kraft von Lyrik die Nachfolge Walt Whitmans angetreten. June Jordan (1936–2002) ist in den USA eine der anerkanntesten Autorinnen ihrer Generation. Vom Jahr 1969 bis zu ihrem Tod publizierte sie 28 Bücher, darunter Lyrik, Essays und Werke für Kinder. 'Abschiedskuß für Gott' aus dem Jahr 1997 zeichnet sich durch seine Vielfalt aus: sehr lange und sehr kurze Stücke, traditionelle und experimentelle Texte; philosophische Gedichte und religionskritische Lyrik, Liebesgedichte und politische Texte, die explizit die US-Außenpolitik und die Gewalt als Machtmittel der 'westlichen' Welt kritisieren. Gemeinsam ist allen die Stimme des Selbstbewußtseins, eines grundsätzlichen intellektuellen, politischen und auch lyrischen Widerstands gegen jede Form von Unterdrückung. 'Jordan läßt uns an Achmatova, an Neruda denken. Sie gehört zu den mutigsten unter uns, zu den zornigsten. Sie fühlt mit allen. Sie ist die universale Dichterin.' Alice Walker 'Poetry for the People' – dem Konzept folgt auch die Übersetzung dieses Bandes, die das kollektive Ergebnis der Arbeit von insgesamt über 50 vornehmlich studentischen Übersetzern und Übersetzerinnen ist. Sie verbindet die Vielfalt kulturellen Wissens und persönlicher Erfahrungen und bildet so eine Analogie zur globalen Perspektive der Lyrik June Jordans.