1st trade paperback printing. The definitive overview of the poetry of June Jordan, considered one of the most lyrically gifted poets of the late twentieth century. Directed by Desire includes all of the published work from her 10 volumes, in sequence, as well as 70 new, never-before-published poems that she wrote while dying of breast cancer. Foreword by Adrienne Rich who comments that Jordan "believed, and nourished the belief, that genuine, up-from-the-bottom revolution must include art, laughter, sensual pleasure, and the widest possible human referentiality." Winner of the Lambda Literary award for poetry. Index of titles and first lines. A large and heavy book at xxix, 649 pp. Very near fine in glossy illustrated wrappers.

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Bibliographic Details

Title

DIRECTED BY DESIRE: The Collected Poems of June Jordan.

Publisher

Copper Canyon Press, Port Townsend, WA

Publication Date

2007

ISBN 10

1556592345

ISBN 13

9781556592348

Binding

Soft cover

Condition

FINE

Seller catalogs

African American Poetry

About this title

Synopsis

“Directed by Desire . . . is a powerful addition to the entire canon of American poetry.”—Booklist

Now in paperback, Directed by Desire is the definitive overview of June Jordan's -poetry. Collecting the finest work from Jordan's ten volumes, as well as dozens of “last poems” that were never published in Jordan's lifetime, these more than six hundred pages overflow with intimate lyricism, elegance, fury, meditative solos, and dazzling vernacular riffs.

As Adrienne Rich writes in her introduction, June Jordan “wanted her readers, listeners, students, to feel their own latent power—of the word, the deed, of their own beauty and intrinsic value.”

From “These Poems”:

These poems
they are things that I do
in the dark
reaching for you
whoever you are
and
are you ready?

The cloth edition of Directed by Desire was selected as a Library Journal Poetry Book of the Year and received the Lambda Book Award for Lesbian Poetry.

June Jordan taught at UC Berkeley for many years and founded Poetry for the People. Her twenty-eight books include poetry, essays, fiction, and children's books. She was a regular columnist for The Progressive and a prolific writer whose articles appeared in The Village Voice, The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, and The Nation. After her death in 2002, a school in the San Francisco School District was renamed in her honor.

About the Author

June Jordan was born in Harlem. Her twenty-eight books include poetry, essays, and children's books. A beloved teacher and exuberant activist, she founded Poetry For the People, and was a regular columnist for The Progressive and a prolific writer whose articles appeared in The Village Voice, The New York Times, Ms., and Essence. She died of breast cancer in 2002.

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Bookfever.com - the name used by Volk and Iiams, Booksellers- specializes in first editions of twentieth century literature, with an emphasis on women authors, African American, Native American and Latin American authors - plus mystery & detective fiction, science fiction & fantasy, poetry and children's & illustrated books. We try to offer many uncommon books, and have a large selection of first books, and books by authors who are less frequently collected. Of the approximately 60,000 volumes in stock, the majority are hardcover first editions, although we also stock vintage science fiction paperbacks as well as sf digests and pulps. We also have a large selection of books signed by the author and uncorrected proof copies. Only about 50% of our stock is catalogued, so please inquire if you are searching for specific titles. We have been selling books by mail order and on the internet since 1993. We have a large booth dedicated to books (called Books Upstairs) at the Antiques Upstairs Mall, 5 Main Street, Jackson, CA. (open every day from 10-5) The emphasis there is on Western Americana, children�s books and inexpensive reading copies. In 1998 we relocated our main business from Sacramento to the Sierra foothills of Amador County, about 35 miles east of downtown Sacramento and between Ione & Sutter Creek. There, on 10 acres of rolling oak-covered hills, we built a "bookhouse" for our books. Call us at 209-274-6960 or contact us by email heyyou@bookfever.com) Our web page is https://bookfever.com/ Traditional bookseller grading used - fine is our highest grade (an "A"), very good is above average (a "B), good is average (a "C"). All significant flaws are described; dust jackets are protected by archival covers, and books are packed carefully for shipping. We welcome questions by email or phone.

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Bookfever.com is a partnership between Christine Volk and Eugene Iiams, Booksellers. Our mailing address is PO Box 696, Ione CA 95640 USA. Our store - Books Upstairs - is located at 5 Main Street, Jackson, CA 95642 USA. Email: chris@bookfever.com. Phone: 209-274-6960. All dustjackets are in archival mylar covers, and books are packed carefully for shipping. We do not use stock photos. All pictures accompanying our listings are of our books. We accept Mastercard, Visa AMEX, Discover, checks or Pa...

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