Books
"There are too few of us left: poets who rise without fear against white storms and hurricanes. I can count them on one hand. Those elder African-centered poets who have not lost memory, message, creativity, nerve, or productivity; yet possess a musical voice that renders them wise in the tradition of Sterling A. Brown, Margaret Walker, Claude McKay and Sarah Webster Fabio.... [His work] consists of poems driven by a deep knowledge of history and culture, with an acute insight into the damaged psychology of his people existing under extreme lock-down conditions...."
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--Haki R. Madhubuti, Poet and Publisher,
Third World Press
"[His poetry] challenges us to close generational divides, go beneath the surface of consumer culture, overturn the contradictions of American democracy and rediscover ourselves. Finally, a poetry ... that bridges the gap between the Black Arts Movement and the hip hop explosion. Mwatabu Okantah is a clear voice, reminding us of the Black poet's responsibility to rhyme AND resist."
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--Bakari Kitwana, Author,
The Hip-Hop Generation
NEW BY
EDUARD
MILLER
Deeply rooted in the tradition of African American artistic expression, these lyrical poems are provocative and revelatory. They remind us that black poetry is not only a legitimate literary genre but that it is life as we have experienced it for generations and the challenges we still face.
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--Naomi Long Madgett,
Poet and Publisher,
Lotus Press
"I'm glad to see ... that some of the old spirit of our people ... is still alive in [his] poetry."
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--Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet
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"In these times when we are stuck listening to the lies of leaders at home and abroad, Okantah's poetry follows Mari Evans' orders to, 'Speak the truth to the people/Talk sense to the people/Free them with honesty...."
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--Diane Kendig, Poet,
Prison Terms