Nappy Edges

NAPPY EDGES by Ntozake Shange is a collection of poetry written during the Seventies on a myriad of issues in the poet's trademark style. Shange creates a rhythm that leaps from the page and lyrically dances around the room. The words beg to be spoken aloud, and the emotions implore you to feel them. Shange's message is often pro-woman as she deftly builds phrases that sometimes seem unrelated to form a heavy lesson. Also included in this collection is a speech that she gave to a conference in which she discussed the poet's right to individual expression. She challenges readers to know their poets and to know what their individual sound or flow is like. It's hard for me to pick one favorite poem from this compilation. Each poem speaks to a different place and a different time. Nonetheless, this is a volume of poetry that needs to be on the shelves of all verse lovers and on the lips of all those who strive to express themselves lyrically. Reviewed by Diane Marbury of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Ntozake Shange is a genius, a goddess, but above all else, a poet. This book revolutionized the way I viewed poetry. As she says, "A poem shd fill you up with something/ make you swoon, change yr mind or make it up/a poem shd happen to you like cold water or a kiss." My favorite poems in here are "Advice," "Between a Dancer and a Poet," and "An Invitation to My Friends." She makes connections between music and poetry and I came away (never really away- the book is always in my soul) with new spirit and passion that was inside me all along, but then it resonated, "Yes, yes, yes."