Posted on November 23, 2021
The Conference on African American and African Diasporic Cultures and Experiences, The African American and African Diaspora Studies Program, and The MFA Writing Program at UNC Greensboro will host a virtual poetry by James Jabar on Tuesday, February 22nd at 7:00 PM. A part of CACE2022, registration is required. Register online at https://aads.uncg.edu/cace.
JAMES JABAR is the author of the poetry chapbook, Whatever Happened to Black Boys? an exploration of black maleness in America through persona and form. Throughout the book, black boys from the past and present get to tell their stories, for better or worse, in a variety of different lyrical structures, as if they are singing their own autobiographical songs. Some of these lyrical structures include traditional forms such as sonnets, ghazals, and ekphrastic poems but others are a little more modern such as the definition poem, the choose your own adventure genre, and a poem that even utilizes Facebook likes. The personas used in this collection of poems range from fiction to real but also from the voices of activists themselves. What makes this collection what it is, is that there isn’t one singular archetype of black male experience, but many different variations and forms, which broadens the image of how black men are seen outside of the stereotypes and sometimes limiting ideas we are fed in media.
Jabar currently teaches at UNC Greensboro.
