An Unmistakable Shade of Red, and the Obama Chronicles: Poems [Paperback]

Mary E. Weems (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1933964189 | ISBN-13: 978-1933964188 | Publication Date: August 25, 2008

Here is a voice of America singing, Mary E. Weems is a poet laureate of Cleveland Heights, but also of Ohio, the Midwest, and America. Her relentless journeys into the truth of experience make her a spokesperson for us all. As Patricia smith says, "In this deftly crafted collection--defiantly rooted in the real world--Mary Weems' stanzas manage to be both tight and explosive, concise and wildly lyrical. She brings an enviable experience to the page, an experience fueled by unerring focus and a knowledge of just what it takes to jolt a reader out of complacency."

That Mary sings of Barak Obama here is only a reminder of how clear and full is her awareness. She too finds dreams growing in the streets.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An Unmistakable Shade of Red…is the bomb. I found so many moments, so many moods, so many insights. Yours is the voice of compassion, of elegant rage. It is country but urban-wise. -Lamont B. Steptoe



Yes, this writer is a woman, who knows that "every mouth's its own love language, / lust's first cousin." And yes, she is a black woman, for whom the eyes of Barack Obama "are so deep brown / I see blue in them, / ocean water, / bones rising, / right fists raised." And yes, like the rest of us, she's getting older, "hair graying in places / I shouldn't have hair." But beyond all divisions, she is a poet, who knows that poetry is music, and music is "the first place Black and White / came together like unwritten notes / in a jazz composition." In these poems Mary Weems both challenges and embraces America in all its turbulence and beauty. We should be grateful.

-George Bilgere, author of Haywire

Book Description

An Ummistakable Shade of Red AND The Obama Chronicle by Mary E. Weems

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Bottom Dog Press (August 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933964189
• ISBN-13: 978-1933964188
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,201,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Weems winner., May 12, 2010

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Unmistakable Shade of Red, and the Obama Chronicles: Poems (Paperback)

Mary Weems, An Unmistakable Shade of Red and the Obama Chronicles (Bottom Dog Press, 2008)

I'm not a big fan of Barack Obama's. Never was, though not for the silly partisan reasons a lot of other people spout; I'm of the opinion that almost no one who actually wants to get elected should be. (I can't remember who it was that said that any politician who aspires to elected office should automatically be disqualified from running for it, but I subscribe to that hypothesis, in general; I wrote in Mike Gravel in the 2008 election.) But I am a big fan of Mary Weems, and given that the poems in the second half of this book were written during the campaign trail, I'm willing to overlook a lot of optimism that we've all found to be kind of unfounded in the last two years. But all that deals with the last twenty-odd pages of an eighty page book, so we'll dispense with talking about that (any review I'd have penned of "The Obama Chronicles" would probably have said all that and little else anyway) and turn to the first half. If you've read Mary Weems before, you know what's in store--short, punchy pieces, heavy on the image, heavy on the unexpected juxtapositions, and with messages, but messages that are in general shown rather than told. In other words, damn good poetry:

"Seeing my skeleton head
in the dentist's office
reminds me of how we turn
to ash and dust
how we sweep it from our floors."
("X-Ray")

Yes, that's the whole piece, and when you think about it, why should it be any longer? Everything that needs said gets said, without a whole lot of extra verbiage hanging around like the sprigs of parsley bad restaurants trying to be swank stuck in the middle of your chicken salad back in the mid-eighties. Mary Weems knows how to write a poem, and every time she release a book, she proves that over and over again. If you haven't found her yet, this is a fine place to introduce yourself. ****

5.0 out of 5 stars Capturing the Time, October 12, 2008

By 

D. Hoston "Sage" (Shaker Heights, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Unmistakable Shade of Red, and the Obama Chronicles: Poems (Paperback)

An enjoyable read! Mary Weems is able to concisely present the raw experiences of life off on a tangent. Drunk Ugly kicks your teeth out while the lucid flow of Moon Story afford many contemplative moments and a reflectively provocative evening!

5.0 out of 5 stars Performance Poet, October 8, 2008

By 

Ebani Edwards "Artistic Healer" (Luling, LA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Unmistakable Shade of Red, and the Obama Chronicles: Poems (Paperback)

Dr. Weems' work is a rare example of quality work on the page that can easily be performed on stage as well. The language is active and fiery, with skillful cadence. This collection is necessary and poignant especially in our current political and economic state. It exceeded my expectations and I look forward to others.

Ebani Edwards, MA
Performance Poet