No Sleep Till Brooklyn New and Selected Poems

by Powell, Kevin

• ISBN13: 9780979663697
• ISBN10: 0979663695
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-10
• Publisher: Soft Skull

Summary

Written between 1989 and 2008, the poems in Kevin Powell’s powerful new collection encompass everything from his early role as a renowned slam poet (and original cast member of MTV’s Real World) to his current incarnation as a poet operating away from the scene. Within this rich tapestry of musings, confession, and introspection, Powell weaves issues like racism, black self-hatred, and gender violence with his own anguished revelations about sex, love, and misogyny. Sampling from the personal and the political, Powell reshapes them into a provocative soundtrack for the times.

Author Biography

Kevin Powell is one of the most acclaimed political, cultural, literary and hip-hop voices in America today. Powell is the author of twelve books, including The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood, Open Letters to America, Someday We'll All Be Free, and No Sleep Till Brooklyn. It is a critically acclaimed and brutally honest memoir about his life, including his youth. Kevin's writings have also appeared in CNN.com, Esquire, Ebony, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, ESPN.com and Vibe Magazine, where he worked for many years as a senior writer, interviewing such diverse public figures as Tupac Shakur and General Colin Powell.

Table of Contents

struggle	p. 1
struggle	p. 2
September 11th	p. 3
Rican & Soul	p. 4
Hair Stories	p. 6
Haiku 4 Badu	p. 10
Soul Interlude	p. 11
Pre-Millennium Tension	p. 12
Incense-lit	p. 14
What the deal, son?	p. 15
The Soul of Summertime	p. 18
Reality Check	p. 19
Street Vendor	p. 21
(y)our mouth(s)	p. 22
come sunday	p. 23
No!	p. 26
A Poem Written After Seeing 'Basquiat,'
The Movie	p. 27
Southern Birth	p. 28
Where Brooklyn At	p. 29
altar for four	p. 31
Postblack	p. 34
Trees on our backs	p. 35
darryl strawberry fields forever	p. 36
Blues for Charlie	p. 37
(self)portrait (the remix)	p. 38
Katrina	p. 39
love/a many splintered thing	p. 41
love/a many splintered thing	p. 42
Not for Nothing	p. 43
April in Brooklyn	p. 44
for Danielle	p. 45
Fear	p. 46
Love	p. 47
Vespers	p. 48
That Thing	p. 49
possibilities	p. 50
only children	p. 51
anniversary	p. 52
To Be Continued	p. 53
Haiku #2	p. 54
Oh Love, Oh Where's My Love	p. 55
Of Your Birthday	p. 56
And then we kissed	p. 57
An American Beauty	p. 58
A Prayer	p. 59
Where's My Daddy?	p. 60
why come?	p. 61
Here, take this	p. 62
For You	p. 63
for aunt cathy	p. 64
Amor	p. 70
Jersey City	p. 71
Son2Mother	p. 74
Publication Credits	p. 82
About the poet	p. 83
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.