Inclined to Speak: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Poetry

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Inclined to Speak: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Poetry Pub. Date: 3/28/2008 Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
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Inclined to Speak: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Poetry Pub. Date: 3/28/2008 Publisher: University of Arkansas Press

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Overview

At no other time in American history has our imagination been so engrossed with the Arab experience. An indispensable and historic volume, Inclined to Speak gathers together poems, from the most important contemporary Arab American poets, that shape and alter our understanding of this experience. These poems also challenge us to reconsider what it means to be American. Impressive in its scope, this book provides readers with an astonishing array of poetic sensibilities, touching on every aspect of the human condition. Whether about culture, politics, loss, art, or language itself, the poems here engage these themes with originality, dignity, and an unyielding need not only to speak, but also to be heard.

Here are thirty-nine poets offering up 160 poems. Included in the anthology are Naomi Shihab Nye, Samuel Hazo, D. H. Melhem, Lawrence Joseph, Khaled Mattawa, Mohja Khaf, Matthew Shenoda, Kazim Ali, Nuar Alsadir, Fady Joudah, and Lisa Suhair Majaj. Charara has written a lengthy introduction about the state of Arab American poetry in the country today and short biographies of the poets and provided an extensive list of further readings.

Editorial Reviews

KLIATT

Unity is an especially significant challenge to every anthology and Inclined to Speak is notably successful in this taxing area. It is obviously consistent in genre and the ethnic relationship of its authors, but the thematic cohesion of the content, resulting from gathering minority voices disenfranchised by a specific cause, is unusual. Although the poems are varied, as should be expected, the effects of 9/11 and the Palestinian situation are a recurrent themes broached by a number of these authors. While this collection proves timely in a sociological/political sense, it is the quality of the poetry itself that most recommends this book. As important as the themes of war and diaspora prove to be, perhaps it is the treatment of generations and individuals that is the most dramatically moving. In "Blood," Naomi Shihab Nye says, "I call my father, we talk around the news./It is too much for him,/neither of his two languages can reach it." There is universality to this human tragedy. Much of the work, however, is far less serious or serious in other veins, but equally universal. For example, Eliot Khalil Wilson opens "Wedding Vows" with his promise to … "mind like a dog…wear whatever you like. I will go wingtip. No more white socks. A necktie stitched to my throat, turtlenecks in August…." Inclined to Speak offers consistent quality while including various styles, a problem for any anthology. By presenting the work of 39 authors, it offers a broad enough spectrum in pace and approach to make the collection very readable. Reviewer: Jim Beschta

Library Journal

In this important anthology, editor Charara, the author of two books of poetry (e.g., The Alchemist's Diary), draws a diverse map of Arab American poets. This carnival of voices ranges from expressions of political and social grievance, as in Charara's own "Usage"-"I was born here/ I didn't have to adopt America/but I adapted to it"-to highly experimental efforts in language and imagery, as in Kazim Ali's "Gallery"-"Music is a scar unraveling itself in strings/an army of hungry notes shiver down the four strings' furrow." Here we have two views of poetry, the former seeing its language as informational and a means to something outside the poem and the latter seeing it as suggestive and a means to itself. Yet the dilemma of "I" and "the other," "here" and "there" is examined in most of the poems. It is worth noting that all the poems in the collection are written in English, which makes the term Arab American a categorical indicator rather than a literary one. Readers of this collection will experience the joy of discovery and awareness; recommended for all public and academic libraries.
—Sadiq Alkoriji

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781557288677
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Publication date: 3/28/2008
Pages: 328
Sales rank: 1,242,534
Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Hayan Charara was a visiting professor of poetry writing at the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. Before that he taught in New York City. He is the author of two collections of poetry, The Sadness of Others and The Alchemist's Diary. Born in Detroit, Michigan, to immigrant parents, he currently lives in Texas. He is also a woodworker.

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Inclined to Speak: An Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Poetry

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