{"product_id":"song-of-my-softening-9781948579247","title":"Song of My Softening","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"It's not often that fat women feel such thorough representation of themselves not only in poetry but in any media and not only in the beautiful moments but in the sorrowful ones, ranging throughout life. James does a brilliant job of portraying this and all her themes brilliantly; highly recommended.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Starred review by \u003cem\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Song of My Softening by Omotara James is a fierce tour-de-force by a debut voice who I'm certain will be around to continue to thrill readers with her language, vulnerability and bravado\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Joseph O. Legaspi\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[James's] poems explore the experiences of a Black queer woman whose life and body are routinely dismissed and disparaged. But she persists until she can sing in full-throated celebration, \"Today we are alive \/ in summer. Unencumbered.\" This is an intimate, vulnerable, and ultimately triumphant collection.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Ron Charles, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOmotara James\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer, editor and visual artist. She is the author of the chapbook\u003ci\u003e Daughter Tongue\u003c\/i\u003e, selected by African Poetry Book Fund, in collaboration with Akashic Books, for the 2018 New Generation African Poets Box Set. A two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, she is a recipient of the 2019 92Y Discovery Poetry Prize. She earned her BA from Hofstra University and received her MFA from New York University. Her poems have appeared in \u003ci\u003ePoetry Magazine, The Paris Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Academy of American Poets\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. She is a fellow of Lambda Literary and Cave Canem Foundation. Born in Britain, she is the daughter of Nigerian and Trinidadian immigrants and currently lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Alice James Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50606908834066,"sku":"9781948579247","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_17dc4d87-9b0d-44ee-99b0-58c9c9910ea3.jpg?v=1732301464","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/song-of-my-softening-9781948579247","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}