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Works The Plum Flower Dance Afaa Michael Weaver The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005 (Pittsburgh) Weaver grew up in East Baltimore, served a voluntary stint in the U.S. Army Reserves, and worked at the Proctor and Gamble plant for 14 years. He also wrote poetry on the side, and, like Lucille Clifton, the poems survived and thrived against all odds. These days, he directs the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Center at Simmons College and counts the likes of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. among his admirers. This collection, Weaver’s ninth, is steeped in Chinese philosophy, but that doesn’t mean the poet can’t also riff about jazz greats (“Thelonious,” “The Last Jazz Club,” and others) and recall beatdowns administered by other Poets (in this case, a Dunbar Poets basketball team that destroyed Weaver’s hapless Poly squad). It’s a great mix, one that makes the book intellectually buoyant and down-to-earth at the same time. John Lewis Baltimore Magazine Multitudes
“The poems in this volume (Multitudes), shrewdly chosen from five previous books and including some new pieces, amount to a compelling presentation of the mind and art of an important writer... His vision is local and focused, and as befits a poet of genuine depth and seriousness of purpose, it is as wide as the horizon itself.” --Arnold Rampersad These Hands I Know
“A joyous celebration of the variety and enduring humanity of black family life.” --Vanessa Bush, Booklist “This collection of essays challenges our perceptions of ourselves as well as our perception of those deemed as 'others.' At the core we find ourselves through these fresh representations of self. We learn that we are more alike than unalike.” --Virginia Quarterly Review Stations in a Dream
“With astonishing success, Michael S. Weaver recreates the world Marc Chagall painted: that of East European Jewry, its passions and its Scriptures. ..I was startled again and again, by Weaver’s wise humanity, his beautiful imagery, and the confidence of his vocal music. This is a wonderful book” --Robert Lapides, co-editor Lodz Ghetto |
