Books

Echoes from the Diaspora Poetry of Affirmation, Inspiration, History and Hope: Heard Spoken Lived

Echoes from the Diaspora is a rare find, presenting a collage of poem-stories that underscores the raw, yet poignant beauty of words as they paint pictures of real life as happened and continues to happen, particularly to people of color in the diaspora. The word “diaspora” as used here, speaks to people who live outside of their places of origin, whether Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, North, Central or South America. It also speaks to people who for whatever reason feel dissociated or alienated from their communities based on: age, body image, culture, disability, ethnicity, expectation, gender.
Some stories are told from the poet’s personal experiences and viewpoint, others are based on interactions with colleagues, diverse groups of people, and students. The people most impacted and written of here, are the descendants of those captured, uprooted and forced into slavery as a part of the Triangular Trade and whose location is the Caribbean, Europe - particularly England - and the United States. It is against this backdrop of exclusion, racism and its accompanying trauma that many of the poems were created.
The poems speak of the search for physical, emotional and spiritual belonging. They speak of love, friendship, the struggle to stand firmly in the truth of positive aspirations, and traditional, cultural norms. They speak of internal and external conflict. “Echoes” addresses loss, the search for identity, the movement toward wellness, self-acceptance, and self-determination despite suffering. While creating context for the traditional roles of women, as well as countering the narrative often associated with men in the diaspora, this text places, on canvas, the feelings of inadequacy felt by those who are made to feel ugly because they are different, the shame associated with namelessness, the fear of not being seen or having voice(s) silenced.
Echoes from the Diaspora brings to life details and themes that people consider important, regardless of socially designated labels, often meant to divide, such as “race”, color, and class. Most importantly, it speaks of the shared experiences of all people, our linear, inextricable and eternal links to each other.
Ultimately speaking of hope in the now as well as in the future, Echoes from the Diaspora should not be seen as a niche endeavor, because its reach is so much wider than the reading of a few poems.