Furious Flower II: Regenerating the Black Poetic Tradition 2005
Distributed by California Newsreel, Order Dept., PO Box 2284, South Burlington, VT 05407; 877-811-7495 (toll free)
Produced by Judith McCray; Executive Producer Joanne Gabbin; Associate Producer Elizabeth Haworth
Director n/a
VHS, color, 60 min.
Sr. High - Adult
African American Studies, Poetry
Date Entered: 08/09/2005
Reviewed by Beth Traylor, University of Wisconsin Libraries, MilwaukeeFurious Flower II is a celebration of Black culture and its influences both from and on a variety of talented poets. The poets featured include Velma Pollard, Kwame Dawes, Brenda Mane Osbey, Haki Madhubuti, Elizabeth Alexander and Yusef Komunyakaa. Each section provides brief background information on each author and features interviews conducted by other poets and scholars. The authors are interviewed about their creative process, the influences and background of their work and their views on contemporary Black poetry. Intercut with these interviews are excerpts of the authors reading their own work. These interviews also reveal the variety of experiences the authors have had growing up and in their careers, including the prejudices they endured as African American writers trying to voice the collective history. They briefly discuss their hopes for the future of African American literature.
I would really have liked to see a full reading of works by each individual author, rather than just excerpts. The intended feeling and emotion in their poetry is expressed so well through the author’s own voice - the impact is limited in excerpts. This videotape is the second in a series of programs on African American poetry. The first series, Furious Flower I, consists of four programs focusing on different authors.
Furious Flower II would be a good addition to any public or academic library collection. Highly Recommended.