The Tradition

 

The Tradition by Jericho Brown. Washington:Copper Canyon Press, 2019. 75 pages. *****

Poetry is not a genre I usually read, but I always read the One Book, One Philadelphia book choice.  While I may not be able to identify with or understand all of the poems, his prose has a timeless, universal theme. Brown's voice speaks volumes in few words about masculinity, queerness, faith, family, Mothers, survival, and hope.  His words touched me, I am not a crier, however, I found myself weeping. This white, middle-aged (okay, old) woman who couldn't possibly understand Brown's path, felt pain and love. I keep revisiting some of the poems and each time, I read something new. 

The Tradition is the One Book, One Philadelphia choice for 2021. For more information on the program, One Book, One Philadelphia. Youth companion titles The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (grades 5-8) and Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins and Bryan Collier (K-4) were chosen for families. Public reading period lasts from January to April 2021. Join in the discussion on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OneBookOnePhiladelphia

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for The Tradition, Jericho Brown is the recipient of a Whiting Award and of fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the National Endowment for the Arts. His first book, Please (New Issues), won the American Book Award. His second book, The New Testament,won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was named one of the best of the year by Library Journal. Brown is the director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. 

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