Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry [Paperback]

Maria Mazziotti Gillan (Editor), Jennifer Gillan (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1994

A powerful collection of thematically arranged poems, dealing with what it means to be an American, offers a multi-cultural gathering of poets, including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as they grapple with our country's myths.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aptly titled, this substantial anthology provides exposure to poets, emerging and established-Louis Simpson, Rita Dove, Luis Rodriguez-who write directly from the immigrant, ethnic and/or religious experience. The collection gives evidence of inequality and discrimination, and offers eyewitness accounts of the gross inconsistencies and bigotry of America. The poems tap into visceral energies, either born of or becoming a vitalizing anger; they bristle with a recognition of failed expectations. Thoughtful and attentive, the mother/daughter editorial team of the Gillans divides the book into sections concerned with "uprooting," "performing," "naming," "negotiating" and, finally and hopefully, "re-envisioning." The most moving poems concern a loss of home and custom, and the compromises struck in order to make life tolerable in a quietly (and not so quietly) intolerant society. Also distressing is work describing the intense desire of some poets to assimilate-efforts later remembered as humiliating. This collection is a must for anyone seeking an inclusive, unwincing catalogue of the American experience.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?Featuring well-and lesser-known American poets from a variety of cultural backgrounds, this volume presents fresh poems that tell the "American stories" of writers such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gary Soto, Louise Erdrich, Ethelbert Miller, and Lucille Clifton. Selections are grouped by broad themes: "Uprooting," "Performing," "Naming," "Negotiating," and "Re-Envisioning." The editors deliberately selected works that "...did not create a pluralistic play of voices, or...make a simplistic call for diversity, but...that directly address the instability of American identity and confront the prevalence of cultural conflict and exchange within the United States." It is this focus and the conscious effort to avoid producing yet another supermarket survey of multicultural literature that make the book such a find. Brief biographical information is included.?Gretchen Portwood, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014023778X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140237788
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author is thrilled to announce his debut novel THE PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL has been published in trade paperback as of Sept. 16, 2011! The book is available on Amazon.

His book signing in Chicago last October 2011 was a great success. A terrific crowd and 45 books were sold. Dwight would love to be the first self-published, literary fiction writer to sell a million copies of his e-books/softcovers. (Prospect is general fiction with a sci-fi spin. It was named one of the top three books of 5,000 in the Amazon novel contest in 2008, garnering raves from Publishers Weekly in 2008 and 2009.)

Visit the website...dwightland.homestead.com

Born and raised in Chicago, Dwight Okita started his writing life as a poet with Tia Chucha Press publishing his book of poetry Crossing with the Light. He wrote personal essays for WBEZ, the Chicago affiliate of NPR, and read his poetry on Ira Glass' popular radio show "This American Life." He soon found himself reincarnated as a playwright, with produced plays including The Rainy Season, the darkly comic short play Richard Speck, and the collaboratively written The Radiance of A Thousand Suns.

To see a book trailer for his novel PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzRMzye7Qbo

In his third and current incarnation, he finds himself writing novels. Okita continues to live in Chicago where he drinks too much coffee and is grateful for the diverse circle of friends, family, and colleagues that allow him to be part of their lives. You're welcome to visit his website at dwightland.homestead.com for Dwight's latest projects. His second novel-in-progress is called The Hope Store.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important anthologies available, April 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry (Paperback)

If this book is not on your shelves, or better yet, in your bag, you are wrong! Put it right next to your Norton. It's that important...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bloom's Nightmare, December 17, 2000

By 

Guy L. Gonzalez "Malcontent" (Bloomfield, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry (Paperback)

Forget the status quo of the Norton anthologies and the self-importance of the Best of American Poetry series; this is THE anthology that belongs on everyone's shelves. The Gillan's have compiled and arranged an eclectic selection of work from a great combination of poets both well-known and should-be-better-known. Broken into five thematic "chapters," it is laid out like a narrative, with different poets effortlessly flowing into one another and can be read from cover to cover like your favorite historical novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Education, May 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry (Paperback)

One of the most honest and needed collections around. This anthology is wonderfully edited with a great selection of writers and work. It is very comprehensive and is loaded with truths America needs to hear. Hats go off to the editors !