In this collection of essays, lectures, and reviews gathered from several decades, award-winning poet and professor Major Jackson reveals an intimate look at what it means to be a poet in our times and the social function of the art of poetry amidst political unrest and inner conflict. Exploring subjects such as the necessity of language as freedom, the historical poem, the relationship between music and poetry, and the making of a “lyric self,” Jackson also surveys a range of poets who challenge the intellectual and sonic possibilities of the art form, including Ai, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Frank Bidart, Afaa Michael Weaver, and Terrance Hayes. Both intellectually rigorous and readable, this installment of the Poets on Poetry series published by the University of Michigan Press and edited by Amor Kohli allows readers to marvel at the known wonders of poetry and the power unleashed through song.
