The definitive guide to a major African American poet
This volume promises to be the definitive guide to Calvin C. Hernton's
unparalleled poetic career, re-introducing readers to a major voice in
American poetry. Hernton was a cofounder of the Umbra Poets Workshop; a
participant in the Black Arts Movement, R. D. Laing's Kingsley Hall, and
the Antiuniversity of London; and a teacher at Oberlin College who
counted amongst his friends bell hooks, Toni Morrison, and Odetta. As a
pioneer in the field of Black Studies, Hernton developed a theoretical
and practical pedagogy with lasting impact on generations of students.
He may be best known as an anti-sexist sociologist, following in the
footsteps of W.E.B. Du Bois, but Hernton viewed himself, above all, as a
poet. This volume includes a generous selection of Hernton's previously
published poems, from classics like the often anthologized "The Distant
Drum" to the visionary epic The Coming of Chronos to the House of
Nightsong, reprinted in full for the first time since 1964, alongside
uncollected and unpublished material from the Calvin C. Hernton papers
at Ohio University, a new critical introduction, and detailed notes,
chronology, and bibliography.
[sample poem]
The Distant Drum
I am not a metaphor or symbol.
This you hear is not the wind in the trees.
Nor a cat being maimed in the street.
I am being maimed in the street
It is I who weep, laugh, feel pain or joy.
Speak this because I exist.
This is my voice
These words are my words, my mouth
Speaks them, my hand writes.
I am a poet.
It is my fist you hear beating
Against your ear.
