June Jordan : her life and letters / Valerie Kinloch.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [191]-196) and index.

"Working in many genres and touching on many themes and issues, June Jordan was a powerful force in American literature. This biography reveals the woman, the writer, the speaker, the poet, the activist, the leader, and the educator in all her complexity." "Jordan was born on July 9, 1936, in Harlem, New York, to Mildred and Granville Jordan, Jamaican natives. During her life, she became one of the most prolific, important, and influential African American writers of her time. Before her death from breast cancer in 2002, Jordan published more than two dozen books. Her work Civil Wars, a collection of letters and essays, addressed such topics as violence, homosexuality, race, and black feminism." "Kinloch offers a life and letters of this prolific writer, delving into both her biography and her contributions as a writer and activist. This approach unveils the power of language in Jordan's poems, essays, speeches, books - and ultimately in her own life - as she challenged political systems of injustice, racism, and sexism. Kinloch examines questions surrounding the pain of writing, the anger of oppression, and the struggle of African American women to assert their voices. Attention is paid to the ways in which Jordan's life informed her writings, her perspectives, and her contributions to the global landscape of class, race and gender issues. The writer's major works are explored in detail, as Kinloch weaves discussions of her life into critical considerations of her writings."--BOOK JACKET.

Soldier: a poet's childhood -- Who look at me -- New days: poems of exile and return -- Moving towards home: political essays -- The voice of the children -- Affirmative acts: political essays -- Kissing God goodbye.