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Recent Reviews for Latorial Faison
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28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History (Book) - 8/12/2007 8:27:45 AM
We all know the familiar names: Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes, all readily recognizable for the high profiles of their lives, as well as their contributions to the rich legacy of African-American culture. But, who can really say they know much about Charles Drew or Ossie Davis? Or just how much the Buffalo Soldiers really accomplished during their years of service?
28 Days Of Poetry is an impressive mosaic of the kaleidoscopic African-American experience. In it, Latorial Faison has breathed new life into the usual retellings of Black history that have often been reduced to quaint clichés and trite sound bites. The breadth and depth of her compositions are so comprehensive that 28 Days can - and probably should - replace most of the textbooks and other outdated materials currently serving as ersatz representations of the American Black experience.
The broad-based appeal of 28 Days will certainly endear it to individuals from all walks of life, but the focus of most of Faison's offerings is clearly on the young. She repeatedly implores the leaders of tomorrow not only to remember the struggles of their forebears that forged the freedoms they currently enjoy, but also to continue the fight to preserve those freedoms for posterity's sake. Witness the second half of the poem "B.L.A.C.K. H.I.S.T.O.R.Y.":
"Hope ran through their veins
In search of rights and freedom trains
Sons and daughters still dying a million deaths
Trying to be free of the chains
Others pressed their way across the
Racial divide of prejudice and hate
Yesterday"
And this moving section of "Slave Questions":
"Why use the whip
And change my name,
Tell all the world
That I've been tamed?
Why teach me words
And give me things
But give me not
What freedom brings?"
Passages such as these should strike today's youth with the same conscientious impact that Alex Haley's ROOTS had on a generation of young viewers in the `70s.
Faison's opus is not just a treatise on cries in the night and cracks of the whip, though. She provides refreshing insight on the lesser known names of some our culture's greatest contributors, such as Phillis Wheatley and Charles Drew. Even the unsung inventor Benjamin Banneker gets the star treatment in "Who Was Benjamin Banneker?":
"If you visit the nation's capital
Or hold a watch in your hand
Think of Benjamin Banneker
Another great African American"
Such tributes serve as reassuring reminders of the towering giants on whose shoulders we stand.
But make no mistake: just as easily as Faison seeks to soothe, she also seeks to stir. Many of her pieces are brashly unapologetic, like this passage from "After Katrina":
"Horrific, embarrassing,
A travesty it is...
When a government waits
To aid its own citizens.
And where was America's
'Great White Hope'
Securing the Middle East
From dictatorship's scope"
Or this one from "Irreconcilable Differences":
With their played out and pimped out politics
Washington is filled with a sad lot of lunatics
So I speak to and preach to my fellowmen
About the need to politically be "born again"
Polemic stances such as these, of course, won't surprise anyone familiar with Faison's other works - namely her contributions to the anti-war (Iraq) movement, "Poets Against The War." In fact, many of the pieces in 28 Days can easily serve as revolutionary fodder in their own right. Consider this passage from "A Slave's Revolt," detailing Nat Turner's insurrection of 1831:
"they bled a dark people of life running through
their veins, mocked them with husbands, wives, and
mulatto baby cries until it was, to no surprise,
a justified rebellion, a righteous revolt, a song
of silent amen's."
At its heart, 28 Days Of Poetry bravely continues the ongoing task of reminding us all that African-American history and American history are one and the same, conveyed most effectively in these lines taken from the opening poem, "Celebrate":
"Acknowledge Black history on any day.
Allow freedom to ring in the noblest way."
While she may only have intended for it to be celebrated during Black History Month, Faison's collection is a treasure that MUST be hailed every day of the year.
28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History (Book) - 12/27/2002 8:06:15 AM
Poet to poet, Latorial is a literal example of precise, acrobatic artistry.
It Cannot Be Done With Guns! (Short Story) - 2/9/2005 2:47:42 PM
this is indeed a powerful write, on a topic that is very sensitive in our community. as one brother who has also had encounters with the law, i was blessed to have a strong father and mother as well as opportunities associated with growing up a military brat. even still, i got into as much trouble as one could, in such an environment. if i'd grown up in a city, well, i know that i probably wouldn't be here today.
you have a wonderful writing style, the confessional nature of this story is its strongest draw, you make the reader feel like we're there with you, a part of your life, your family. intimacy, and familiarity. even those not familiar with such a worldview and reality outside of tv can feel it, in your words. kudos!
It Cannot Be Done With Guns! (Short Story) - 10/26/2004 12:05:51 PM
"It Could Not Be Done With Guns" is a very heart-wrenching article! It voiced each and everyone of our concerns with the Black community. We're all walking around in a daze trying to figure out what can be done to reverse this horrible trend. (Ref: New Orleans Times Picayune, "The Cylce of Death") Also here at HU Campus, four promising young black students (who reportedly came from wealthy households) had their lives and future irrevocably shattered because of drugs and gun violence. There is a big "disconnect" that occurred
somewhere on the way to where we are at presently as race of people. The jails of America are bulging and about to explode with all the young black youths! (And I can't even begin to comment on single-parent, unwed black mothers) No wonder Bill Cosby is crying, "WAKE UP!"
It Cannot Be Done With Guns! (Short Story) - 9/27/2004 11:20:51 AM
((((((((((((((HUGS and prayers)))))))))))))))))))
It Cannot Be Done With Guns! (Short Story) - 9/27/2004 9:07:16 AM
Powerful write
God Bless
Michelle~
Sexuality In Black Books (Article) - 11/1/2004 5:33:01 PM
"Am I reading more Terry Macmillan, Zane and so many other contemporary writers who deal with sex in their books? Of course I am . . . these sisters understand how sexuality fits into the lives of African American women."
Really, Latorial??? The two authors mentioned are quite very different in their writing approach regarding sexuality. In Terry's character, sexuality is interwoven in the plot or story (sort of as a by-product) Zane novel's main theme is "raw and blatant sexuality" right from the start. The emphasis begin during slavery. (you know the story) Now people can't seem to maintain a stable, loving relationship without emphasizing that there partners "better
satisfy them sexually. What happened to "ole-school loving?"...
Your Favorite "Geechie" (ha! ha!)
Roger
We Need a Total Change (Article) - 10/22/2004 2:19:00 PM
"We have seen the brilliance of President George Bush, and I don't think many will disagree the he knows what he wants and he goes after it. But, I always thought that the job of the president of the U.S. was to know what was best for all Americans and to go after that."
I agree, except about seeing his "brilliance" (I'd call it madness.)
He has the lowest morals of any president on record. To knowingly (and he did) wait for the UN to assure Iraq was free of weapons, and then to do an unprovoked attack on a defenseless nation - killing over 10,000 civilians by last count... over 1,000 of our children died there too. He talks the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk.
I belong to the "anybody but Bush" campaign, but I definitely believe Kerry to be more competent. Sadly, I think the Kerry campaign managers have done a poor job.
So, I'm voting for Kerry. The Republicans should have run Ron Paul.
As to flip-flop (another over simplistic bushism) - there is a huge difference between someone who changes their mind when presented with new evidence, and someone who has a mind closed to all reality.
We Need a Total Change (Article) - 10/22/2004 1:42:18 PM
Kerry has my vote. R
We Need a Total Change (Article) - 10/22/2004 1:03:19 PM
i am voting for bush too. sorry, but that is whom i choose to vote for. i didn't vote for him in 2000, but i think john kerry flip flops on too many issues, and i don't like the fact that he supports abortion, gay rights, or same-sex marriages. that just doesn't stand too well with me. he doesn't have the experience to be a leader, and there is just something about him that gives me the creeps. just my point of view is all.
We Need a Total Change (Article) - 10/22/2004 10:39:25 AM
I appreciate your views on the subject and think that people must vote their choice. However from what I have seen of Kerry's record there is none. I like John Edwards but I am voting for the same man that I voted for in 2000. However I do believe that people can agree pleasantly to disagree. When I find the democrat in which I could support then I will. Unfortunately Dick Gephardt nor Joe Lieberman got the nod. I hope you understand my point of view. But you did put your comments far nicer than a lot on both sided and I commend you for it.
A Taste of Freedom (Poetry) - 7/30/2007 10:48:27 AM
Hi Latorial:
"A Taste of Freedom" is the ultimate experience and can only be obtain when Jesus sets us free. John 8:36 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Hey-y-y!...how was your Grandiose Speech in Suffolk?...
Where are your latest poems?...
I will send for your latest book shortly.
Take Care;
Much Love,
Roger
A Taste of Freedom (Poetry) - 7/15/2007 2:39:58 PM
It makes you hunger for more, thanks for sharing.
God Bless You and Your Loved Ones
http://www.myspace.com/barraheffner
A Taste of Freedom (Poetry) - 4/6/2006 10:08:56 AM
Great lines fused with compelling concepts, imagery, and philosophy. Vibrates with a powerful sense of truth and dignity.
Aberjhani
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