In her 1977 essay “Poetry Is Not a Luxury,” the feminist poet and essayist Audre Lorde provided a profound reinterpretation of the literary form. “I speak here of poetry as a revelatory distillation of experience,” she writes, “not the sterile wordplay that, too often, the white fathers distorted the word ‘poetry’ to mean.” Here, Lorde argues that a poem is not necessarily impressive for its clever construction, or its adherence to age-old conventions, but rather for the emotional honesty and power it conveys. On her debut album, when the poems do what they do, poet Aja Monet gloriously inhabits Lorde’s vision as she reflects on the scars of social injustice, the strength of love, and her own multiplicity.
In her previous collections, such as My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter and The Black Unicorn Sings, Monet explored themes of childhood, race, and the rhythms of New York City with a rare gentleness and precise eye. Her new record expands upon these subjects, taking us through storm-battered homes and jump rope competitions as she explores Black joy and the blight of capitalism. The unhurried and gentle arrangements that accompany her words—provided by Grammy-winning trumpeter Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, drummer Marcus Gilmore, and other acclaimed musicians—only add to the gravitas and wonder.
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Links:
Pitchfork | Aja Monet (Wikipedia)
