Praise for The Essential June Jordan

"With the publication of her collected poems, one can survey the sheer scope of a woman who merged personal and political levels of expression with unyielding conviction."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Jordan brings to life people, places, things, and books that nourished her mind and character."--Los Angeles Times

"Though best known as a poet, she wore many other hats. All of her identities were rooted in a passion for social justice--accompanied by the belief that the powerless could eventually prevail... In the words of this volume's title, her activities were 'directed by desire'--in defense of truth and justice."--Washington Post

"Skeptical, angry, and sick of unexamined beliefs and hypocrisy, Jordan writes warrior poems: muscled, coiled, and unerringly accurate."--Booklist

"[Jordan's poems are] so immediate and vibrant in their effect that they seem to be happening right there on the page."--Kenyon Review

"The energy and seriousness of these poems are impressive and, like the essays, they are the work of a writer of integrity and will."--New York Times

"She has comforted, explained, described, wrestled with, taught and made us laugh out loud before we wept... I am talking about a span of forty years of tireless activism coupled with and fueled by flawless art."--Toni Morrison

"Indeed, these eighty-two poems . . . all reach directly for the reader, ready or not, challenging us, our convictions, our beliefs, our prejudices. Her tone is blunt, to the point, if at times satirical in exposing the injustices that surround and smother us."--Charles Rammelkamp, The Lake