Customer Reviews

Teahouse of the Almighty (National Poetry)

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Four-time poetry slam champion Patricia Smith presents Teahouse of the Almighty, an anthology of dynamic, free-verse poetry that sublimely captures the thrills and dilemmas of the human experience. From the sad denouement of the end of a marriage, to the numb shock surrounding a mother of soldiers losing her loved ones to war, to a visualization of Dexter King meeting James Earl Ray, each poem conceptualizes amorphous instants into heavy, tangible feeling. "Down 4 the Up Stroke": But you have poetry, you say. / And if you can tell me what poetry is, / where the line is drawn / between the beauty and the breathing / of breath into something to make it beautiful, / I will claim poetry as my own.

I purchased Smith's Teahouse of the Almighty for I had selected her as my concentration poet for a workshop class I was taking. I had been quite fond of Patricia Smith because of her piece "Biting Back", and had a peculiar anticipation when beginning this collection. She didn't let me down at all.

The strength in delivery and tone is undeniably evident in her work. Pieces such as "Her Other Name" hit me with such a convicted presence, that it took multiple reads just to grasp and better understand how well Smith could be both incredibly blunt and fantastically poignant within the very same moment.

If almost for nothing else at all, experiencing the first poem in this collection is worth the price. "Building Nicole's Mama" spits at you raw imagery of truth while making you consider the beauty, power, and responsibility that comes with putting yourself and words down on pages.

If you have never experienced Patricia Smith before, this collection is a very worthy admissions ticket.