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An/Other Pastoral
- GenresPoetry
66 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
1 person is currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Tjawangwa Dema
4 books4 followersTjawangwa Dema / TJ Dema is a Botswana-based poet, arts administrator and teaching artist.
Her chapbook Mandible (Slapering Hol Press, 2014) was selected for publication by The African Poetry Book Fund as part of its inaugural New-Generation African Poets Box Set. Her first full-length book The Careless Seamstress (University of Nebraska Press, 2019) won the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and was a Brittle Paper Top 15 Debut Book of 2019. A collection of her selected poems were published in German as Meuterin (Parasitenpress) in 2022. Her collection an/other pastoral (No Bindings, 2022) with illustrations and an accompanying digital archive was a Finalist for the 2022 Luschei Prize and the 2022 African Studies Association Aidoo-Snyder Book Award, long listed for the 2022 UK Poetry Book Awards and named a 100 Notable African Book by Brittle Paper . A translated collection of selected works is forthcoming in Portuguese from Fósforo Editora.
Her chapbook Mandible (Slapering Hol Press, 2014) was selected for publication by The African Poetry Book Fund as part of its inaugural New-Generation African Poets Box Set. Her first full-length book The Careless Seamstress (University of Nebraska Press, 2019) won the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and was a Brittle Paper Top 15 Debut Book of 2019. A collection of her selected poems were published in German as Meuterin (Parasitenpress) in 2022. Her collection an/other pastoral (No Bindings, 2022) with illustrations and an accompanying digital archive was a Finalist for the 2022 Luschei Prize and the 2022 African Studies Association Aidoo-Snyder Book Award, long listed for the 2022 UK Poetry Book Awards and named a 100 Notable African Book by Brittle Paper . A translated collection of selected works is forthcoming in Portuguese from Fósforo Editora.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 27, 2022
One good poem. 'This Is Not a Matter For.' Lots of insanely good lines but most of them swamped.
The reviews and even the introduction fawned over this and I think that was really setting this collection up for a fall. They promise powerful expressions of 'diasporic African ecopoetics'... that we will 'discover the shape of listening'...
A lot of fluff...
It doesn't bridge any distance between cultures but instead seems to re-enforce that distance by hiding the power of its writer's abilities behind a myriad of strange and inaccessible references. Moments that actively de-power the narrative, trip the audience and dilute the message of each piece.
As evidence I offer you the fact that no poem except one ended in one of those 'precise' metaphors. It always ended plainly speaking. But they never recover the momentum lost to those stones in the road.
The writer is really very very talented, but I think they're a little lost in the wrong medium. I knew a lot of poets that purposefully remain in the realm of poetry because it is easy to swipe away criticism and maintain obscure and imprecise because most people who don't understand will still pretend they do because poetry has a mystique about it.
The best thing they could do is write a clear narrative novel with a traditional plot. They'll fail a few times, nail it (because I believe they are absolutely capable) and then understand where they've been struggling. It's a maturity thing. Most people write obscure poetry and don't realise how inaccessible it is because THEY get it. They understand it all, so it is the audience that is the issue.
But honestly... Who wants to be a writer who fails to transmit their message? The whole point is to change the world, right?
And one more piece of evidence. Find one clear review that doesn't focus on everything but the writing. That doesn't speak in themes but actually reviews the work itself. It almost makes me sad to see writers held back by this sort of praise.
I'll keep an eye on their future work, see if they evolve.
The reviews and even the introduction fawned over this and I think that was really setting this collection up for a fall. They promise powerful expressions of 'diasporic African ecopoetics'... that we will 'discover the shape of listening'...
A lot of fluff...
It doesn't bridge any distance between cultures but instead seems to re-enforce that distance by hiding the power of its writer's abilities behind a myriad of strange and inaccessible references. Moments that actively de-power the narrative, trip the audience and dilute the message of each piece.
As evidence I offer you the fact that no poem except one ended in one of those 'precise' metaphors. It always ended plainly speaking. But they never recover the momentum lost to those stones in the road.
The writer is really very very talented, but I think they're a little lost in the wrong medium. I knew a lot of poets that purposefully remain in the realm of poetry because it is easy to swipe away criticism and maintain obscure and imprecise because most people who don't understand will still pretend they do because poetry has a mystique about it.
The best thing they could do is write a clear narrative novel with a traditional plot. They'll fail a few times, nail it (because I believe they are absolutely capable) and then understand where they've been struggling. It's a maturity thing. Most people write obscure poetry and don't realise how inaccessible it is because THEY get it. They understand it all, so it is the audience that is the issue.
But honestly... Who wants to be a writer who fails to transmit their message? The whole point is to change the world, right?
And one more piece of evidence. Find one clear review that doesn't focus on everything but the writing. That doesn't speak in themes but actually reviews the work itself. It almost makes me sad to see writers held back by this sort of praise.
I'll keep an eye on their future work, see if they evolve.
May 3, 2022
A beautiful collection of poems by Tjawangwa Dema that intertwine race, heritage, and belonging with the climate crisis. Complimented by stunning illustrations from Tebogo Cranwell, Dema creates a very powerful diasporic African narrative with climate justice at the forefront.
𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 / 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 / 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘩 / 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 / 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬.
It erases the man-made boundaries between humans and nature, highlights environmental racism, and lays bare the fear and frustrations that come with living through the climate crisis. However, this is not a depressing book. It so lovingly shines a light on the beautiful and peaceful connections we share with nature. In doing so, Dema puts forward an emotionally compelling argument that we live in a planet worth saving.
By centering on Africans, their experiences and perspectives, Dema emphasises how not all humans have contributed to the climate crisis equally, highlighting the often overlooked environmental impacts of colonialism. We are not living in the Anthropocene. We are living in the Plantationocene.
Dema is addressing a very huge problem with not only the lack of representation in climate related narratives today, but also the lack of responsibility the West takes for having caused such catastrophic devastation to the planet and all life on it.
I really could talk about this book forever, but when I say please please please buy this right now and support the fantastic people behind this, do just that!
Since I work in climate change, I usually stay clear of climate related literature because I need to switch that part of my brain off once in a while 😖 However, this was a real treat to read, and I'm so glad I picked it up 💚
𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 / 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 / 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘩 / 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 / 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬.
It erases the man-made boundaries between humans and nature, highlights environmental racism, and lays bare the fear and frustrations that come with living through the climate crisis. However, this is not a depressing book. It so lovingly shines a light on the beautiful and peaceful connections we share with nature. In doing so, Dema puts forward an emotionally compelling argument that we live in a planet worth saving.
By centering on Africans, their experiences and perspectives, Dema emphasises how not all humans have contributed to the climate crisis equally, highlighting the often overlooked environmental impacts of colonialism. We are not living in the Anthropocene. We are living in the Plantationocene.
Dema is addressing a very huge problem with not only the lack of representation in climate related narratives today, but also the lack of responsibility the West takes for having caused such catastrophic devastation to the planet and all life on it.
I really could talk about this book forever, but when I say please please please buy this right now and support the fantastic people behind this, do just that!
Since I work in climate change, I usually stay clear of climate related literature because I need to switch that part of my brain off once in a while 😖 However, this was a real treat to read, and I'm so glad I picked it up 💚
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews