Name: shrimp
SKU: SHP042018
Availability: InStock

shrimp

APR. 2018

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Author: Jason Vasser-Elong Introduction : Michael Castro Print Edition: ISBN: 978-1-940939-67-4 Product Details: 5 x 8; 174 pp. eBook Edition: ISBN: 978-1-940939-81-0 LCCN: 2017963106 SKU: SHP042018 Category: Poetry Tags: African, African American, culture

Meet The Author

Jason Vasser-Elong

This 2LP author has only one title with 2Leaf Press.

SHRIMP, the debut poetry collection of jason vasser-elong, examines the African diaspora in a post-colonial context using “shrimp” as a metaphor for the “small” things in life. Using the shrimp motif, vasser-elong weaves together his ancestral past and present through nature, the topography of the land, and all creatures “great and small,” simultaneously casting a light on the broader cultural and sociopolitical issues of the day. As the author scavenges for answers about his own ancestry, vasser-elong stumbles onto the small things in life which he finds most meaningful, like the reclamation of self with a renaming that is tied to his roots in Cameroon; or colloquial name-calling reserved for those who are short in an ancestral society where being tall is the standard. The poet’s journey into the past, the duality of his culture fired by eponymous random observations of life and love, leads to discoveries and an appreciation of life’s lost moments. Throughout it all there is hope: something that is not always easy to hold on to when you are going through challenges both inside and outside yourself—but it is definitely necessary if you are going to survive. SHRIMP is the realization of that journey. Cover art and design: De-Jon Graves.

Contributors

Introduction by Michael Castro

MICHAEL CASTRO (1945-2018) was a poet, translator, and the inaugural Poet Laureate of St. Louis. He has published six books of poems, essays and translations, and his work has appeared in over 100 magazines and numerous anthologies. In 1975, Castro cofounded the journal and literary organization River Styx and pioneered the poetry radio shows “River Styx Poets Radio Show,” “Ars Poetica,” and “Poet-ry Beat.” In 2000, he was presented with The Guardian Angel of St. Louis Poetry Award by River Styx and The Warrior Poet Award in 2005 by Word In Motion. With his PhD in American literature, Castro taught for thirty years at Lindenwood University before retiring in 2012. His classes were mostly not on poetry but about basic and creative writing, philosophy and cross-cultural studies. Well-known for his translations of Hungarian poets, including Gabor G. Gyukics, Castro’s latest book was We Need to Talk: Selected Poems 1970-2016 (2017).

Here's What People Are Saying

“In SHRIMP, jason vasser-elong casts past, present, and future into the waters of fitful reckoning. His words emerge from the waves and froth, spelling out the truths behind ancestry and individuality.” ~Ron Austin, professor, author, and 2016 Regional Arts Commission Fellow

“jason vasser-elong’s verse in SHRIMP pulls at the very sinews of our heart muscles. With a surgeon’s eye, he moves from massaging the muscle to life — ‘she looks back over her tomb/ then back into the trees/ trembling to the shore’ — to incisive cutting — ‘beneath my skin are feathers, / what comes out as words are really songs.’ The dexterity with which he moves between subjectivities serves to create an adventurous collection; alternately gripping with suspenseful narrative, and, and at times, drenched in sorrowful, knowing lyricism. shrimp is an astounding debut collection.” ~Treasure Shields-Redmond, poet, speaker, diversity and inclusion coach, and social justice educator

“SHRIMP is a collection of powerful and thought-provoking poems, masterfully written, while on a quest for true identity. During his journey to discover self, jason vasser-elong draws us in with metaphors that are relatable and relevant to the issues of equality and advancement today. This collection of work is inspiring and empowering on many levels.” ~Debora Grandison writer, poet, inspirational speaker, and Poetry Out Loud Regional Coordinator-STL

“Through the inviting poems in SHRIMP, jason vasser-elong includes us on his lyric quest to determine who he is and in what ways he as an individual connects with his family, his multiracial lineage and present day society. With quiet determination, poetic poise and concision, in shrimp he paints for us a powerful portrait of a man unafraid to examine himself and his surroundings, whether he’s in the kitchen cooking dinner or walking down Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis.” ~Sally Van Doren, poet, artist, and author of the poetry collection, Promise: Poems (2017)