Civil Wars

A meditation on the private and public fault lines which divide American society. In Civil Wars, June Jordan's battleground is the intersection of private and public reality, which she explores through a blending of personal reflection and political analysis. From journal entries on the line between poetry and politics and a discussion of language and power in "White" versus "Black" English, to First Amendment issues, children's rights, Black studies, American violence, and sexuality, Jordan documents the very personal ways in which she meshes with the social issues of modern-day life in this country. One Way Of Beginning This Book -- Part One -- Testimony (1964) -- Letter To Michael (1964) -- Letter To R. Buckminster Fuller (1964) -- The Voice Of The Children (1967) -- On Listening: A Good Way To Hear (1967) -- Black Studies: Bringing Back The Person (1969) -- Part Two -- White English/black English: The Politics Of Translation (1972) -- American Violence And The Holy Loving Spirit (1972) -- Whose Burden? (1974) -- Notes Toward A Black Balancing Of Love And Hatred (1974) -- On The Occasion Of A Clear And Present Danger At Yale (1975) -- Notes Of A Barnard Dropout (1975) -- Angola: A Victory And A Promise (1976) -- Part Three -- Declaration Of An Independence I Would Just As Soon Not Have (1976) -- Thinking About My Poetry (1977) -- Old Stories: New Lives (1978) -- Where Is The Love? (1978) -- Against The Wall (1978) -- In The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death (1978) -- Black History As Myth (1979) -- Beyond Apocalypse Now (1980) -- Civil Wars (1980) -- Permissions. June Jordan. Essays, letters, and speeches consider Black feminism, education, and the nature of poetry, as well as the problems of school systems, police violence, and racial riots