Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems

by Sonia Sanchez

An extraordinary retrospective covering over thirty years of work,  From a leading writer of the Black Arts Movement and  the American Poetry Society's 2018 Wallace Stevens Award–winner.

Shake Loose My Skin is a stunning testament to the literary, sensual, and political powers of the award-winning Sonia Sanchez.

Genres: Poetry, Feminism, Race, African American, Nonfiction, Womens, Politics

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Sonia Sanchez was born Wilsonia Benita Driver on September 9, 1934, in Birmingham, Alabama. After her mother died in childbirth a year later, Sanchez lived with her paternal grandmother and other relatives for several years. In 1943, she moved to Harlem with her sister to live with their father and his third wife.

She earned a B.A. in political science from Hunter College in 1955. She also did postgraduate work at New York University and studied poetry with Louise Bogan. Sanchez formed a writers' workshop in Greenwich Village, attended by such poets as Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Haki R. Madhubuti (Don L. Lee), and Larry Neal. Along with Madhubuti, Nikki Giovanni, and Etheridge Knight, she formed the "Broadside Quartet" of young poets, introduced and promoted by Dudley Randall.

Reviews

[Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Lord! This woman is amazing, sensual, thoughtful and, well shit, a wonderful poet. My copy is a little dog eared at this point - full of pencil underlines and comments in margines - Can't help but pull it out and re-read sections to qoute or other wise sooth myself. (love it!)

[johnny ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

sonia sanchez, you deserve more credit than you get from these old crusty white men who decide what poetry is good and what poetry is not.

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 5 out of 5]

passionate and empowering. I watched an interview with Sanchez on BookTV for a discussion on Zora Neale Hurston with Alice Walker and Ruby Dee. Her written word is as sincere as her spoken word, and as riveting.

[Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was incredibly eager to read Sonia Sanchez's work as her reputation certainly precedes her! Yet, I wonder if I had built this collection up too much in my mind before reading it, because surprisingly I struggled with this collection. While there are certainly poems and a few prose pieces that I found striking and memorable, I often found myself confused by the structure and purpose of the collection as a whole. It was difficult to understand a clear thematic or narrative thread linking the works together, which left me feeling somewhat unanchored as a reader.

Part of my confusion stemmed from not realizing beforehand that the majority of the poems had been selected from Sanchez's earlier collections. Only one small section contained new material, which, while appreciated, felt disproportionately minor in the context of a full collection. This left me slightly disappointed, not necessarily because the older poems lacked merit—in fact, many were my favorites—but because the collection wasn’t what I had anticipated. In hindsight, this says more about my own expectations than the work itself.

That said, the collection has certainly piqued my interest in Sanchez's broader body of work. Even when I felt unsure of this collection, I could still understand Sanchez's talent. There’s a lyrical depth and a voice worth returning to, even if I didn’t always feel I fully grasped the intention of this particular compilation. I’m open to exploring the original, full-length collections these poems were drawn from, where I imagine the context and flow might be more fully realized.

[Tamara Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read and poetry study of Poet Sonia Sanchez's New and Selected poems. If you have not witnessed the magic that is Sonia Sanchez, you are missing out! Her poetry is inspiration, activism, motivation, and continual faith in the resilience and power of humanity to love and evolve in the most positive ways. Be sure to catch her live if she comes to a venue near you!

[Donnelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first encounter with ms. sanchez. wow. there's a prose piece - "Dear Mama" - in this book that had me - if i may borrow a line from jimi hendrix - "crying tears in my soul." matter of fact i teared up a lot reading this book - tender voice with a lot to say.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have just finished this wonderful set of poems, I will be re-reading and re-reading them. They are my night time "snack" before I go to sleep, providing me with emotions to savor and thoughts to ponder.

[nw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman gives me tingles. I drink up every word she writes.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars for the whole collection. i look forward to reading more of sonia sanchez' writing.

[noosha · Rating 5 out of 5]

some of my favorite poems from my favorite poet. her words make my chest and my throat ache. so lyrical and beautiful and heartbreaking 🤍❤️‍🔥🤍

[✨ Aaron Jeffery ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was waiting at the hairdresser and decided to borrow this from my online library to read while I waited. I wanted an easy fun poetry read, that I could easily fly through and not really think too hard with. This collection was not that.
This collection is exactly how you write poetry. No tender and kind words are exchanged to the reader- each word slaps you in the face, not covering any issues hidden amongst society. It addressed many topics and had many stunning poems in it. Now, obviously with every poetry collection one reads there are going to be some poems that are not liked. I would say I enjoyed 75% of the poems in the collection or at least understood them and what the poet was trying to portray. The other 25% I did not vibe with unfortunately.
Overall a great poetry collection.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't really work for me. There is a lot of rich imagery, sexual and earthy, but it felt like it was written for the sake of the imagery, and if you asked her what the poem meant after she wrote it, she'd have to make it up on the spot, because it didn't mean anything when she wrote it, it just sounded cool. That's just how I felt. I'm not a poet, and I'm sure Sanchez meant plenty, but it didn't speak to me.

A Love Poem Written for Sterling Brown


(after reading a New York Times article re
a mummy kept preserved for about 300 years)

I'm gonna get me some mummy tape for your love
preserve it for 3000 years or more
I'm gonna let the world see you
tapping a blue shell dance of love
I'm gonna ride your love bareback
on totem poles
bear your image on mountains
turning in ocean sleep
string your sighs thru the rainbow
of old age.
In the midst of desert people and times
I'm gonna fly your red/eagle/laughter 'cross the sky.




under a soprano sky


1.

once i lived on pillars in a green house
boarded by lilacs that rocked voices into weeds.
i bled an owl's blood
shredding the grass until i
rocked in a choir of worms.
obscene with hands, i wooed the world
with thumbs
while yo-yos hummed.
was it an unborn lacquer i peeled?
the woods, tall as waves, sang in mixed
tongues that loosened the scalp
and my bones wrapped in white dust
returned to echo in my thighs.

i hear a pulse wandering somewhere
on vague embankments.
O are my hands breathing? I cannot smell the nerves.
i saw the sun
ripening green stones for fields.
O have my eyes run down? i cannot taste my birth.

2.

now as i move, mouth quivering with silks
my skin runs soft with eyes.
descending into my legs, i follow obscure birds
purchasing orthopedic wings.
the air is late this summer.

i peel the spine and flood
the earth with adolescence.
O who will pump these breasts? I cannot waltz my tongue.

under a soprano sky, a woman sings,
lovely as chandeliers.

[Tiara Chutkhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first encountered Sonia Sanchez's work when I was in high school, I'd see her poems often on Tumblr. Finally almost eight years later, I got around to buying this book and diving into her poems and short stories. I remembered exactly why I loved her work so much. Her writing style is beautiful, vivid and strong, diving into so many topics like love, sensuality, culture and politics.

You feel her words within you, and they are thought-provoking and powerful. An absolute must have poetry book!

[Luccia Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. Liberating.
From Song No. 2 (p.73)
don't let them kill you with their stare
don't let them closet you with no air
don't let them feed you sex piecemeal
don't let them offer you any old deal

Painful. Beautiful.
From Ballad (P. 35)
forgive me if I smile
young heiress of a naked dream
you are so young
and i too old to learn to love.

Not an easy read, but who said living or reading was easy?

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my. I've been reading this for something like four months and it is so beautiful. It's sensual and emotional, empowering and honest. It's just amazing and graceful.

I didn't understand many of the poems, I'll admit it. And maybe, I should have taken more time to reread the poems until I understood. But the poems I did understand I loved. I felt them echo and reside within me, I can't explain it, the sheer power of her words.

Definitely recommend. Important for each person in this world.

[Shelley Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is an excellent documentary on Sonia Sanchez on PBS American Reframed. Watching that made me want to read her poetry. This collection is a good introduction, showing her variety of styles. Some of it verse, some prose/essay/letter style. I particularly liked the following pieces: Just Don't Never Give up on Love, Dear Mama, and Mrs. Benita Jones Speaks.

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems expose the various emotions and actions that Black women and men endure in their lives. The theme of love and sacrifice is found within each poem and each one is thought-provoking and genuine.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with Ms. Sanchez. So happy I read this! There were some poems I liked more than others, but that's beside the point. Loved the haikus and short story-style poems especially.

[Samantha (AK) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. Vibrant. Unmistakably female. Unapologetically black. I am in awe.

Sonia Sanchez sings simultaneously drawing from urban and rural realities and metaphors from classical education. Her eloquence is nearly unparallelled.

I hate to stop at 'wow,' but I think my brain is still rebooting.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

phenomenal. everyone should read sonia sanchez. she changed the course of my life forever.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

She's incredible!

[Selyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

this beautiful woman defintely changed my view on poetry and monologues. i learned a great deal from her honesty and the struggles that she shared.

[Marilyn]

My skin is loose...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyd very much...........poetry is life.......

[Shila Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. I like Sonia's poetry and I like the way she delivers. If you ever get an opportunity to hear her read live, take it. She has so much flava!

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step Into An Unforgettable World! A Poet Of All Seasons!

[Tylynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Joe T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good starting place for those who want to get into Sanchez's work. Her sense of rhythm is impeccable.

[Literary Lain · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's crazy that I have always heard about Sonia Sanchez but never read her work... I'm in love!

[m. · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank u sea for recommending this to me and also for helping me decipher the inscription! i never would've known my copy was signed by sonia herself w/o ur expertise in handwriting analysis :')