Description
Book SynopsisIn
or, on being the other woman, Simone White considers the dynamics of contemporary black feminist life. Throughout this book-length poem, White writes through a hybrid of poetry, essay, personal narrative, and critical theory, attesting to the narrative complexities of writing and living as a black woman and artist. She considers black social life—from art and motherhood to trap music and love—as unspeakably troubling and reflects on the degree to which it strands and punishes black women. She also explores what constitutes sexual freedom and the rewards and dangers that come with it. White meditates on trap music and the ways artists such as Future and Meek Mill and the sonic waves of the drum machine convey desire and the black experience. Charting the pressures of ordinary black womanhood, White pushes the limits of language, showing how those limits can be the basis for new modes of expression.
Trade Review"The powerful fourth book from White challenges and embraces language on fresh terms as it explores motherhood, creativity, music, and Black feminism. . . . This collection is alive with urgent questions exquisitely posed." (Starred Review) * Publishers Weekly *
"White achieves a stunning and important feat in the articulation of the material dynamics of being and the pursuit of freedom.
or, on being the other woman pulses with the vitality of a woman who has made her own language for love." -- Tess Michaelson * Full Stop *
