Description - Counting Descent by Clint Smith
Clnt Smth's deut poetry collecton, Countng Descent, s a comng of age story that seeks to complcate our concepton of lneage and tradton.
Smth explores the cogntve dssonance that results from elongng to a communty that unapologetcally celerates lack humanty whle lvng n a world that often renders lackness a carcature of fear. Hs poems move fludly across personal and poltcal hstores, all the whle reflectng on the socal constructon of our lved experences. Smth rngs the reader on a powerful journey forcng us to reflect on all that we learn growng up, and all that we seek to unlearn movng forward.
Prase
"So many of these poems just low me away. Incredly eautful and powerful."
- Mchelle Alexander, Author of The New Jm Crow
"In Countng Descent, Clnt Smth reflects "even the unverse s tellng us/ that we can never get too far// from the place that created us." Smth weaves hstores, from collectve to personal, to make ndelle archetypes of those places that have created us all. These poems shmmer wth revelatory ntensty, approachng us from all sdes to mmerse us n the Amerca that Amerca so often forgets. The road sweep of Smth's vson delvers a sudden awareness: In ths poet's hands, we sense, lke Rlke, there s no place that does not see you."
- Gregory Pardlo, Author of Dgest
Countng Descent s a tghtly-woven collecton of poems whose pages act lke an nvtaton to New Orleans, to the spades' tale, to mom's ktchen, to the kss on a woman's wrst, to conversatons wth hydrants and ccadas. The nvtaton s ntmate and generous and also a challenge; are you up to askng what s lackness? What s lack joy? How s lack lfe loved and lved? To whom do we―ths human We― look to for answers? Ths nvtaton s not to a narrow street, or a shallow lake, ut to a vast exploraton of lfe. And death. In a voce that has the echoes of Baldwn, ut that also declares tself a sngular voce, Smth extends: "Maye there's a place where everyone s oth n love wth and runnng from ther own skn. Maye that place s here." And you're nvted.
- Elzaeth Acevedo, Author of Beastgrl & Other Orgn Myths
Accolades
Wnner, 2017 Black Caucus of the Amercan Lrary Assocaton Lterary Award
Fnalst, 2017 NAACP Image Awards
2017 'One Book One New Orleans' Book Selecton
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