Description
Book SynopsisFrom her activism to her passionate writings, June Jordan (1936 - 2002) is one of the most revered American poets of our time. Jordan''s writing simultaneously provokes delight and energy while urging reflection on American society and its injustices. In Still Seeking an Attitude, the first reflection on her legacy, Jordan''s life and works are explored in depth and detail, focusing on subjects ranging from her use of language and linguistics to her political activism and role in children''s literature. These critical examinations elucidate the power and poetry of Jordan''s words, serving as an exciting supplement for those already familiar with Jordan and an excellent guide for anyone discovering her works for the first time.
Trade ReviewDespite her tragic premature death, June Jordan remains an essential American writer, ludic and transgressive, whose work rescues the idea and ideals of American culture from their current debasement in government. Her poems and essays continue to spark delight, rage, and an energy which . . . is in itself an act of resistance. This thoughtful critical collection on Jordan's poetry and prose . . . will enable a new generation of readers to take June Jordan's writing as example, inspiration, and permission, and will incite the both the activists and the scholars among them to keep it firmly in view. -- Marilyn Hacker
Table of Contents1 Introduction: "Olive and Us: Notes for an Empire of Barbarians" 2 Part I: Individual and National Identity in a (Not So) Democratic State 3 Poem: "Case in Point" by June Jordan 4 "This is the only time to come together": June Jordan's Publics and the Possibility of Democracy 5 Exposing the Lie of Neutrality: June Jordan's Affirmative Acts 6 Narrating Nation: Exploring the Space of Americaness and the Place of African American Women through the Works of June Jordan 7 Part II: Who Says It's Not a Language? Black English in Theory and Practice 8 Poem: "What Would I Do White?" by June Jordan 9 Black English as a Linguistic System: A Statement about Our Rights 10 Telling Her Own Truth: June Jordan, Standard English, and the Epistemology of Ignorance 11 Notes Toward a Multicultural Writing Center: The Problems of Language in a Democratic State 12 Section III. Radicalizing Children's Lives and Literatures 13 Poem: "One Minus One Minus One" by June Jordan 14 "Affirmative Acts": Language, Childhood, and Power in June Jordan's Cross-Writing 15 Taking Children Seriously: June Jordan's Contribution to African American Children's Literature 16 Beyond "Orientation": On Sex, Poetry, and the Violability of Children 17 Section IV. The Art of Resistance, or Poetics Politicized 18 Poem: "Calling on All Silent Minorities" by June Jordan 19 Performing "Righteous Certainty": The Shifting Poetic Address of June Jordan's War Resistance Poetry 20 June Jordan's Radical Pedagogy: Activist Poetry in Public Education 21 Finding a Democratic Speech: The Intercultural Poetics and Pedagogy of June Jordan's Poetry for the People 22 Section V: Writers Reflect 23 Poem: "War and Memory" by June Jordan 24 Writing War, Writing Memory 25 Words & Roses 26 June, with love 27 A Colored Democracy: "Cultural Exchange" Revisited 28 Directed by Desire
