Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan

A great big thick volume, lots to discover.

I lost my dog-eared copy and was missing it. These poems are remarkable, profound and beautiful.

nowhere else have i readsuch firecaught inverse(and amazon wants ten (that is, 10) more words.Jeez!

I could read June Jordan all day, and with this complete collection of her poems, I can!

As wonderful a poet as June Jordan was, this text is simply not accessible. I needed this for a poetry class, and while I appreciate her work very much, the amount of poems in this collection is too lengthy to take to a class, much less read in its entirety. Unless you are a Jordan fan, this is not a very good introduction into her work as it is daunting.

wonderful collection, a must for every personal library

William Parker. Bassist, Composer, Song Poet, Peace Warrior, Spirit Warrior, Rhythm Junkie, World-Class Appreciator of those who have come before, and those of the now. William is one of my favorite musicians of all time. It is through him and his great willingness to point towards those who have fanned his fires that I came to find June Jordan for myself. His "Poem for June Jordan" on the great albums,  Corn Meal Dance  and  Sound Unity  are what brought her name to my attention. I could never thank William enough for all the things he's given to me. Now along with  Mayor of Punkville , The All-Star Game , Palm of Soul , Alphaville Suite  and  Raining on the Moon , the work of June Jordan is one of the major things.I checked this out from the library just thinking hey I've never heard of her so I'll give her a shot. I was hoping for the best but if I didn't like it, no harm done. Directed By Desire was on my Christmas List before my first day with it had ended. I stressed it. If I get it, it'll be the big gift. If I don't get it, it'll be what I buy the day after Christmas. As it stands now, I just pour over the library copy everyday. It's way too clean. Way too untouched. She has hit me like a hurricane. Based on the power of what is inside, this library copy should be tear-stained, dirty, battered and bruised. I don't get all the poems inside. As a writer she was beyond me. As a human I'm sure she was beyond me. The ones I don't yet get... the ones I may never fully get... they don't hurt the book. The way Who Look At Me, The End of Kindness, Kissing God Goodbye, Poem Because the 1996 Poet Laureate..., First Poem After Serious Surgery, etc... get to me... man. June was amazing. Alot of what's inside this book has me wiping tears from my eyes and saying again and again, "How is she not everywhere? How is it possible to go through school without a teacher, an older student, someone's parents telling me "hey kid, you might dig this June Jordan woman!"? I'm disappointed in myself for not finding her earlier. I want her to be in your life.So much of this is so personal. I don't mean personal in the oft heard "It's like she/he is saying what I wish I could say" sort of way. I mean there are poems where she's sitting 2 feet away from me, looking me right in the eyes and laying it all out in front of me with love. Or she's calling me out when I'm full of it. Some of you have been reading June's work since before I was born. I'll not pretend I know her the way you know her but for me, this book is huge. Even for you I'd say it's essential. It says the "Last Poems" were previously unpublished. I love many of those so for me, it'd be worth it even if I already owned everything else.This woman was a Goddess among us. It's a shame she had to live in our ugly world, but she didn't run from any of it.(2/9/08 edit - I got it for Christmas! It's even better when it's at your fingertips whenever you want it.)

Wonderful collection from a significant poet. Should be part of your essential 20th century poetry library.

Such a beautiful and robust collection of June Jordan’s revolutionary poetry. It will take you a long time to work through all of it and you’ll enjoy every moment spent with this book. Incredible poet, who inspired other incredible poets of our time – such as aja monet (read her work too). Wow.

This book came on time. I’m so excited to actually read it and the condition it arrived in was excellent. I would actually purchase from this seller again.

Estoy muy decepcionada por cómo ha llegado este libro, los demás están bien, pero la portada de este está doblada y también algunas páginas.