Dr. Niama Williams' Steven is a psychological triumph. This long overdue Song of Survival, punctuated by cataclysmic overtures of epiphany, minimalist agreement, and happenstance, is proof that truth does not always come via verbal messenger.The melodic tones of “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” a thoughtful tribute to Billy Joel's song of the same name, provoke the perennially elusive question regarding successful ascension, i.e., "how"--especially when, in the 'hood, rationed hope is at a low premium. We discover in “Mama’s Washcloth," a poem celebrating one daughter’s attempt to recapture bathing in the purity of maternal love, a young Black woman who does in fact ascend as we watch Dr. Williams trace, page by page, the indelible markings each of us makes on the other, and on the collective consciousness of American society.$17.95http://www.blowingupbarriers.comRead more…
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