Committed to Breathing.by Tony Medina, Third World Press May 2003, 10.00, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-883-78247-2 we feel everything we smile and wait for our collective recall to coagulate coagulate /co·ag·u·late/ (-lat) to undergo coagulation. co·ag·u·late v. To change from the liquid state to a solid or gel; clot. with centuries of rage--From "Diallo" Tony Medina's fifth book of poetry, Committed to Breathing; explores the connections between social conditions and our mental, physical, financial and political health. This dynamic book flips from rage to compassion, epic exposition to precise brevity. Medina remains adept at using verse to explain his fiery contempt for people who are not dedicated to the pursuit of justice, compassion, activism and honesty. This book has the usual political bravado readers have come to expect from Medina, but he presents a few twists. This is evidenced most acutely with "Sometime in the Summer There Is October" as it renders the emotions a man must address in the wake of a beloved's death. Medina sings tunes hard to dance to. They reveal an infectious hard bop Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Hard bop incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing. tinged with a hip-hop beat. "Mingus Among Us" is a metaphoric journey into the survival stories of mad geniuses like the phenomenal jazz bassist Charles Mingus Charles Mingus (April 22 1922 – January 5 1979) was an American jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and occasional pianist. He was also known for his activism against racial injustice. . While in "Coltrane Spoke to Me One Night" Medina pays homage to the iconic sax player and to the black poetic tradition Poetic tradition is a concept similar to that of the poetic or literary canon (a body of works of significant literary merit, instrumental in shaping Western culture and modes of thought). by using lines from Yusef Komunyakaa Yusef Komunyakaa (1947- ) is an eminent American poet who currently teaches at New York University and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Komunyakaa is a recipient of the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award (for Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems , Amiri Baraka and others in a deft collage. Committed to Breathing presents a diversity of subjects to allow a wide variety of readers to find poems that will touch them and maybe even move them to action. --Toni Asante Lightfoot is a poet and arts administrator living in Chicago. |
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