The Whiskey of Our Discontent

Gwendolyn Brooks as Conscious and Change Agent

By: Quraysh Ali Lansana - editor, Georgia A. Popoff - editor, Sonia Sanchez - introduction

Narrated by: Je Nie Fleming

Poet, educator, and social activist Gwendolyn Brooks was a singular force in American culture.

The first Black woman to be named United States poet laureate, Brooks' poetry, fiction, and social commentary shed light on the beauty of humanity, the distinct qualities of Black life and community, and the destructive effects of racism, sexism, and class inequality.

A collection of 30 essays combining critical analysis and personal reflection, The Whiskey of Our Discontent presents essential elements of Brooks' oeuvre - on race, gender, class, community, and poetic craft, while also examining her life as poet, reporter, mentor, sage, activist, and educator.

Quraysh Ali Lansana has written and edited more than a dozen books to include BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip Hop. He teaches writing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Georgia A. Popoff is a poet, educator, and editor, whose third collection is Psalter: The Agnostic’s Book of Common Curiosities. She coauthored Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy, and Social Justice in Classroom and Community with Quraysh Ali Lansana.

©2017 Quraysh Ali Lansana and Georgia A. Popoff (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Well Blended

If you are a fan of Gwendolyn Brooks's poetry, these essays will deepen your appreciation. If you are curious about her, this audiobook will guide you to her.

With Brooks's mainstream success (well, as mainstream as poetry ever gets), she can be dismissed as inspirational, or pretty. What this collection shows is Brooks's grit, strength, activism, and devotion to her neighborhood and Black American culture.

Compliments to Je Nie Fleming's narration which is varied and whiskey-smooth.