| Contents |
Introduction / Norman Minnick -- Chapter One. Etheridge Knight / Elizabeth Alexander. Etheridge Knight: "can there anything good come out of prison" / Nicole Poletika -- Introduction of Etheridge Knight at the Library of Congress / Gwendolyn Brooks -- Chapter Two. 1966-1979 "ESCAPING INTO DREAMS AND SOFT WORDS." From Profiles in Prison / Bob Schmidt -- Poets Necessary... Even Here / William Healy -- Lend Me Your Ear: To the Man Who Writes Unsigned Hate Letters (September 1968) / Etheridge Knight -- Review of Poems from Prison / Jewel C. Latimore -- From Dynamite Voices I: Black Poets of the 1960s / Don L. Lee -- Broadside Memories: Poets I Have Known: Etheridge Knight / Dudley Randall -- An Interview with Etheridge Knight (Part 1) / Charles H. Rowell -- Selected Letters. To Sonia Sanchez, Nov. 7, 1968 ; To Gwendolyn Brooks, Nov. 17, 1968 ; To Gwendolyn Brooks, Nov. 26, 1968 ; To Gwendolyn Brooks, Dec. 21, 1968 ; To Dudley Randall, Feb. 27, 1970 ; To Mari Evans, March 13, 1970 ; To Mari Evans, March 30, 1970 ; To Dudley Randall, April 5, 1970 ; To Mari Evans, July 20, 1970 ; To Dudley Randall, Aug. 16, 1970 ; To Galway Kinnell, April 11, 1975 ; To Robert Bly, July 26, 1975 ; To Galway Kinnell, Oct. 11, 1975 ; To Robert Bly, Dec. 14, 1975 ; To James Wright, Dec. 26, 1975 ; To Galway Kinnell, Oct. 12, 1976 ; To James Wright, Oct. 26, 1976 ; To "Folks," Aug. 3, 1977 ; To Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon, Nov. 15, 1977 ; To James and Annie Wright, June 23, 1978 ; To Galway Kinnell, Sept. 12, 1978 -- Chapter Three. 1980-1999 "THE WOLF IS HOWLING AT MY DOOR. "Born of a Woman: New and Selected Poems / Patricia Liggins Hill -- An Interview with Etheridge Knight / Lou Camp -- Black Cats: The Essential Etheridge Knight / Raymond R. Patterson -- Learning a Language: Etheridge Knight / Donald Hall -- From Freedom & Confinement: An Interview with Etheridge Knight / Elizabeth Gordon McKim -- Tough Eloquence: Poetry for the Free Peoples / Yusef Komunyakaa -- "How / be / Thee, goode Lady?": Etheridge Knight's Love Songs to Women ; Miriam DeCosta-Willis -- The Creative Influence and Cumulative Effect of Incarceration on the Works of Etheridge "Bushi" Knight / Levi Frazier -- Etheridge Knight: Making Up Poems / Haki R. Madhubuti -- The Poetry of Etheridge Knight: A Reflection of an African Philosophical/Aesthetic Worldview / Joyce Ann Joyce -- Selected Letters. To Elizabeth McKim, Jan. 18, 1981 ; To Elizabeth McKim, July 13, 1981 ; To Elizabeth McKim, July 18, 1983 ; To Amiri Baraka [no date] ; To June Jordan, July 14, 1984 ; To Ossie Davis, Nov. 27, 1984 ; To Robert Bly, April 10, 1985 ; To Elizabeth McKim, Jan. 12, 1986 ; To Walter Bradford, Feb. 6, 1986 ; To Elizabeth McKim, Jan. 2, 1987 ; To Robert Bly, Nov. 21, 1989 -- Chapter Four. 2000-2023 "BRING BREATH, BODY..."Free Singers / Be: On Etheridge Knight / Susan Neville -- Feeling Fucked Up: The Architecture of Anger / Reginald Dwayne Betts" -- God-his uniqueness:" Donald Hall remembers Etheridge Knight / Michael Collins -- In Remembrance of Etheridge Knight: A Valentine / Debra Kang Dean -- The Space Between Everything / Terrance Hayes -- Drop a Notch the Sacred Shield / Christian Wiman. |
| Abstract |
"We Rode the Rhythms as One offers readers an immersive journey into the life and legacy of one of America's most unorthodox and inspiring poets. More than just a literary analysis, this book captures the pulse of Etheridge Knight's life, weaving together interviews, personal essays, letters, and critical pieces to form a vivid and multifaceted portrait. Through the voices of poets, scholars, students, and Knight himself, the book underscores the profound intersections of race, art, politics, and personal survival, revealing how Knight forged poetry from his struggles and shaped a community of voices from diverse backgrounds. Knight's story is one of transformation--an odyssey from hardship and incarceration to artistic prominence--anchored by his unwavering belief in the power of poetry to unite and heal. This comprehensive volume is also a historical and cultural exploration, situating Knight's work amid the Black Arts Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the ongoing fight for social justice. Readers will find themselves drawn to Knight's unfiltered voice, his reflections on Black identity, and his insistence on making poetry accessible to all--whether through intimate letters or reflections on the sociopolitical climate that shaped his art. Suitable for poetry enthusiasts, scholars, and general readers alike, We Rode the Rhythms as One invites us to reconsider Knight's enduring impact and the vital role of poetry in reflecting and reshaping human experience"-- Back cover. |
