From the Publisher
In Signifyin’ Me: New and Selected Poems, Jamie Walker, noted journalist and poet, celebrates the Black women’s literary tradition, a tradition comprised of what feminist scholar Patricia Hill Collins calls "a legacy of struggle" and "culture of resistance." Walker tackles issues of internalized racism and sexism. Her work not only explores the inextricable link between gender, race, and class, but also women’s politics and spirituality. Signifyin’ Me is a deeply empowering book that is both a testimony to the spirit and passion of the soul.
About the Author
Jamie Walker is a poet and journalist who writes for The New York Amsterdam News, The Long Beach Times, The San Francisco Bayview, and countless other Black newspapers and media outlets. Originally from Oakland, California, Walker’s first book, 101 Ways Black Women Can Learn to Love Themselves (J.D. Publishing Group 2002), was praised by Black Issues Book Review as being "an ambitious guide to personal growth and fulfillment." Highly recommended for women of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, Walker’s first book received stunning reviews from Heart and Soul magazine, Upscale, and The Raw Sistaz Book Reviewers. In the Fall of 2001, Walker received a distinguished scholarship award from poet Sonia Sanchez on behalf of The Elizabeth Howard and Thorton H. Trust Fund. That same year, poet Ethelbert Miller recommended Walker for a Lannan Poetry Fellowship at The Shakespeare Library in the District of Columbia. Praised for her "superior skill" in research, Walker was also selected (out of thirty students across the United States) by Camille O. Cosby and Renee Poussaint to join the first class of students in the launching of The National Visionary Heritage Fellowship Program. Walker’s work produced during her time with The National Visionary Leadership Project is published in A Wealth of Wisdom: Legendary African American Elders Speak (Atria Books 2004), a book edited by Cosby and Poussaint, respectively. Walker received her B.A. (magna cum laude) from San Francisco State University where she studied Theater and Black Studies. She earned her Master’s Degree in African American and Caribbean Literature from Howard University. Featured in numerous publications, including The Quarterly Black Review, Mosaic magazine, and BMa: The Sonia Sanchez Literary Review, Walker teaches Freshman Composition at Howard University, where she is finishing her Ph.D. As a consultant, Walker assists D. Kamili Anderson in the Marketing and Editorial Departments at The Howard University Press, and is currently editing a critical anthology on Sonia Sanchez entitled Sonia On My Mind: A Collection of Scholarly Essays and Literary Criticism. She can be reached via email at jamiedwalker@yahoo.
