From Totems to Hip Hop: A Multi-Cultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas, 1900-2002 by Ishmael Reed (Editor)

From the Publisher

Celebrated novelist, poet, and MacArthur fellow Ishmael Reed pushes the boundaries once again in the publication of From Totems to Hip Hop—a truly all-inclusive multicultural anthology—a literary event which will finally even the playing field. This important collection synthesizes and presents broad swaths of work from poets of all races and backgrounds, as only Reed can, ranging from Gertrude Stein to Ai, from Bessie Smith to Askia Toure, from W. C. Handy to the little-known poetry of Ernest Hemingway. Through his unique position in American letters, as writer, teacher, and even publisher, Reed has an unparalleled working knowledge of many of the more marginalized voices in American poetry. This collection will reflect that unique access by including acknowledged masters as well as lesser known talents in greater variety than any previous anthology. From Totems to Hip Hop will cover American poetry from its pre-Columbian origins to the hip hop lyricists of today and, with the guidance of Reed's thoughtful and provocative introduction and headnotes, trace the remarkably rich cross-pollination which has continually occurred across racial and cultural lines.

Library Journal

In his informal introduction to this truly inclusive survey of American poetry, Reed explains that this anthology was the result of an "aborted textbook" project in which African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans were included only "as an afterthought." His response was this rich and representative sampling of the "multiuniverse of literature" as produced in America from 1900 to 2002. Reed's selections range from classic poems like Carl Sandburg's "Chicago" to contemporary texts like Tupac Shakur's "Why Must U Be Unfaithful (4 Women)." Along the way, readers will encounter familiar names like Marianne Moore, Claude McKay, Robert Frost, and T.S. Eliot but will also find less anthologized writers like Agha Shadid Ali, Bessie Smith, Speckled Red, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Haki Madhubuti, and the rock'n'roll composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Reed conveniently arranges the poems by thematic categories (place, gender, family, politics, heroes, and a special section on literary and cultural manifestos) and concludes with practical and well-written notes on the contributors. The result is a significant publication that will create a new generation of readers as well as a much-needed cultural consensus. Highly recommended.-Daniel L. Guillory, Millikin Univ., Decatur, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents