Lexington Books Trauma in 20th Century Multicultural American Poetry: Unmuted Verse (Reading Trauma and Memory)

In Trauma in 20th Century Multicultural American Poetry, Jamie D. Barker argues that by using literary trauma theory in conjunction with a reader response approach, readers can gain a better understanding of how poetry can work towards building community and encouraging empowerment over oppression by establishing collectives of people who may share similar stories and experiences connected to trauma. Rather than demonstrating how the poetry may fail or trying to establish what traumatic events the speaker (or poet, in some studies) may have encountered and the significance thereof, this study focuses on how the reader may find community with the ideas represented within the poem. The poetry of various ethnicities are examined, including African American poets Amiri Baraka and Lucille Clifton, Native American poets Robin Coffee, Linda Hogan, and Peter Blue Cloud, as well as Japanese American poets Mitsuye Yamada, Keiho Soga, and Lawson Fusao Inada. Although many of these poets have had their poems examined in the past, none have been explored through this type of approach. Furthermore, very few studies have expanded upon the ideas of literary trauma theory by using reader response, and no writings have examined the idea of ambivalence in poetry as this study does. Review By turns mellifluous and dolorous, Jamie Barker's voice conveys that post-traumatic stress and ambivalence are never fully separated, nor should they be. Barker's study demonstrates that community is the solution, both for the healers and the healing. Barker's critical approach to the study of poetry is refreshingly that of a trauma counselor instead of a trauma surgeon. This is a book that is truly interdisciplinary, mirroring both the individual, familial generations, and society.--Ulf Kirchdorfer, Albany State University A necessary investigation into the complex relationship between trauma, community, and poetry, Barker's Unmuted Verse examines how poetry unites communities haunted by traumas and also provides a safe space to confront those traumas. Through culturally-sensitive readings, Barker deftly ties together detailed poetry analyses and trauma theory, illustrating how poetry can be simultaneously a site of resistance and healing. Unmuted Verse is an ideal resource for any scholar of trauma theory and/or multi-cultural literature.--Carrie Louise Sheffield, University of Tennessee, Knoxville About the Author Jamie D. Barker is a senior lecturer at Texas Woman’s University.