The Root talked to the acclaimed poet during the Harlem Book Fair about the future of African-American literature, what she's reading now and more.
Sonia Sanchez on the State of Black Books
by Nicole Moore
Sonia Sanchez is a poet of the highest order. She is consistent in her nonconformist call to arms and to love. The author of more than 14 books -- including Wounded in the House of a Friend, Homegirls and Handgrenades, Shake Loose My Skin and the newly released collection of poetry Morning Haiku, her first in more than a decade -- drenches her words in honey goodness so they sound like the sweetest thang you've ever heard:
"This is not a small voice you hear / this is a large voice coming out of the cities / This is a love colored with iron and lace / This is a love initialed Black Genius / This is not a small voice you hear." ("This Is Not a Small Voice," 1995)
But as sweet as her words sound, they still have the ability to cut deep. The award-winning poet, activist and scholar infuses her writing with the type of historical and cultural significance and power that makes each word sharp as a razor blade and as hard as any Tupac lyric.
It's no wonder that the producers of this year's Harlem Book Fair, which took place July 17, decided to honor Sanchez. "Women in Word and Power" was this year's theme, and appropriately, the fair featured a number of dynamic female authors, including Terry McMillan, Bernice McFadden and Gloria Browne-Marshall, but it seemed as if everyone was there to see the woman whom Maya Angelou has described as "a lion in literature's forest."
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Sanchez on that hazy, hot Saturday afternoon on 135th Street, and she shared her thoughts on the future of black books and street lit and also talked about which books she's reading now.
Read the Full Interview @ The Root
Sonia Sanchez on the State of Black Books
by Nicole Moore
Sonia Sanchez is a poet of the highest order. She is consistent in her nonconformist call to arms and to love. The author of more than 14 books -- including Wounded in the House of a Friend, Homegirls and Handgrenades, Shake Loose My Skin and the newly released collection of poetry Morning Haiku, her first in more than a decade -- drenches her words in honey goodness so they sound like the sweetest thang you've ever heard:
"This is not a small voice you hear / this is a large voice coming out of the cities / This is a love colored with iron and lace / This is a love initialed Black Genius / This is not a small voice you hear." ("This Is Not a Small Voice," 1995)
But as sweet as her words sound, they still have the ability to cut deep. The award-winning poet, activist and scholar infuses her writing with the type of historical and cultural significance and power that makes each word sharp as a razor blade and as hard as any Tupac lyric.
It's no wonder that the producers of this year's Harlem Book Fair, which took place July 17, decided to honor Sanchez. "Women in Word and Power" was this year's theme, and appropriately, the fair featured a number of dynamic female authors, including Terry McMillan, Bernice McFadden and Gloria Browne-Marshall, but it seemed as if everyone was there to see the woman whom Maya Angelou has described as "a lion in literature's forest."
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Sanchez on that hazy, hot Saturday afternoon on 135th Street, and she shared her thoughts on the future of black books and street lit and also talked about which books she's reading now.
Read the Full Interview @ The Root
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