Description
Black poets from the early twentieth century and onward come together for a moving anthology, edited and organized by the late, revered poet June Jordan.
First published in 1970, soulscript is a poignant, panoramic collection of poetry from some of the most eloquent voices in the art. Selected for their literary excellence and by the dictates of Jordan's heart, these works tell the story of both collective and personal experiences, in Jordan's words, "in tears, in rage, in hope, in sonnet, in blank/free verse, in overwhelming rhetorical scream."
Soulscript features works by Jordan and other luminaries like Gwendolyn Brooks, Countee Cullen, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Gayl Jines, James Weldon Johnson, Audre Lorde, Claude McKay, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, and Richard Wright, as well as the fresh voices of a turbulent era's younger writers. Celebrated spoken-word poet Staceyann Chin, an original cast member of Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, has also added an introduction that speaks to Jordan's legacy, helping to further cement soulscript as a visionary compilation that has already become a modern classic.
Author: June Jordan
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Published: 11/02/2004
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.42lbs
Size: 8.22h x 5.54w x 0.56d
ISBN13: 9780767918466
ISBN10: 0767918460
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | American | African American & Black
- Poetry | Anthologies (multiple authors)
First published in 1970, soulscript is a poignant, panoramic collection of poetry from some of the most eloquent voices in the art. Selected for their literary excellence and by the dictates of Jordan's heart, these works tell the story of both collective and personal experiences, in Jordan's words, "in tears, in rage, in hope, in sonnet, in blank/free verse, in overwhelming rhetorical scream."
Soulscript features works by Jordan and other luminaries like Gwendolyn Brooks, Countee Cullen, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Gayl Jines, James Weldon Johnson, Audre Lorde, Claude McKay, Ishmael Reed, Sonia Sanchez, and Richard Wright, as well as the fresh voices of a turbulent era's younger writers. Celebrated spoken-word poet Staceyann Chin, an original cast member of Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, has also added an introduction that speaks to Jordan's legacy, helping to further cement soulscript as a visionary compilation that has already become a modern classic.
Author: June Jordan
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Published: 11/02/2004
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.42lbs
Size: 8.22h x 5.54w x 0.56d
ISBN13: 9780767918466
ISBN10: 0767918460
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | American | African American & Black
- Poetry | Anthologies (multiple authors)
About the Author
JUNE JORDAN was an internationally recognized and beloved writer, teacher, and activist. The author of many books of poetry and essays, including Kissing God Goodbye, Haruko/Love Poems, Some of Us Did Not Die, and Affirmative Acts, she died from breast cancer in 2002.

