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The Birth of All Things
Marcus Amaker is the Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC. This is his eighth poetry book, and it features handwritten poems and original artwork. The Birth of All Things is a book about Black fatherhood, joy, racism, anxiety, Bjork, Star Wars, and more.
“Once, in 2001, I heard a poet read a poem that turned to music in the air. Two decades later Marcus Amaker’s gorgeous new book is that moment on repeat, with each turned page. A mixtape of presence, The Birth of All Things is a genuine, lyrical offering to our heart’s expansion. To write in celebration while refusing to ignore grief, is a skill few artists have mastered, but it is mastered here. I am so grateful for the bonfire of light this book has brought into my world.”— Andrea Gibson , world-renowned poet and author of Lord of the Butterflies (Button Poetry)
The Birth of All Things is an eclectic mix of poems from Marcus Amaker, the first Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC.
This personal collection delivers poems about a wide range of topics from Charleston, SC's first Poet Laureate.
Amaker is an award-winning graphic designer, musician, and performance poet. The Birth of All Things is the sum of all of his talents.
The book features Amaker’s handwritten poems, and an original illustration from Florida artist Nick Davis.
“Once, in 2001, I heard a poet read a poem that turned to music in the air. Two decades later Marcus Amaker’s gorgeous new book is that moment on repeat, with each turned page. A mixtape of presence, The Birth of All Things is a genuine, lyrical offering to our heart’s expansion. To write in celebration while refusing to ignore grief, is a skill few artists have mastered, but it is mastered here. I am so grateful for the bonfire of light this book has brought into my world.”— Andrea Gibson , world-renowned poet and author of Lord of the Butterflies (Button Poetry)
The Birth of All Things is an eclectic mix of poems from Marcus Amaker, the first Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC.
This personal collection delivers poems about a wide range of topics from Charleston, SC's first Poet Laureate.
Amaker is an award-winning graphic designer, musician, and performance poet. The Birth of All Things is the sum of all of his talents.
The book features Amaker’s handwritten poems, and an original illustration from Florida artist Nick Davis.
104 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2020
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68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 12, 2024
Super thought-provoking.
"The America I know could use a good cry. I met America at a neighborhood bar. He offered me a shot of rum, and I reminded him that Captain Morgan was a slave owner. So the bartender awkwardly slipped another liquid lie down my throat.
America cracked open another beer as a tear ran down his face, he said, ‘I was born in a house not my own. And my fathers demanded that their portraits hang on every wall. White paint covers each brown brick in our backyard as a museum of unmarked graves.’"
"The America I know could use a good cry. I met America at a neighborhood bar. He offered me a shot of rum, and I reminded him that Captain Morgan was a slave owner. So the bartender awkwardly slipped another liquid lie down my throat.
America cracked open another beer as a tear ran down his face, he said, ‘I was born in a house not my own. And my fathers demanded that their portraits hang on every wall. White paint covers each brown brick in our backyard as a museum of unmarked graves.’"
December 10, 2020
a fantastic book of poetry, for both teaching and reading alike.
January 5, 2021
Broken up into four sections, "The Birth of All Things" recalls a double album, those two-disc epics in which a band/artist can really explore/experiment. Each side comes with its favorite song. Side A has "A Doctor Tells Us It's Not a Life or Death Situation" about his daughter's gestation; Side B has "The United States of Anxiety" which may be as patriotic as any of us can get right now; Side C has "20 'Til Infinity" with its wise use of negative space; Side D has "When I'm at Home, I Watch Star Wars. When I Watch Star Wars, I Write Haikus About War, Violence, and Memory" which more than lives up to its playful title. Ask me in a week though and my favorites may have changed.
January 15, 2021
I loved this collection. Fresh, relavent, full of feeling, rhythmic, lyrical.
The way he writes about the love for his daughter is beautiful. Was unsurprised to learn he's a musician; love how he talks about music, it's so deeply felt. you can tell when he listens to music, he's really listening from deep inside the melody, feeling all the nuances.
The way he writes about the love for his daughter is beautiful. Was unsurprised to learn he's a musician; love how he talks about music, it's so deeply felt. you can tell when he listens to music, he's really listening from deep inside the melody, feeling all the nuances.
February 2, 2021
Wow, is this a powerful text and I'm going to need to sit with it for a bit before posting a complete review but have to say that if you're not reading Marcus Amaker, you are doing yourself a huge disservice.
July 9, 2024
Loved this collection
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews