Shange for the People! – Makeen

Ntozake Shange is for everyone, and her works are very intentional in being as accessible as possible. However, without the proper instruction in reading Shange, one could be easily overwhelmed due to the simple fact that Shange’s work is almost definitely different from anything they might have previously encountered.

For this reason, I would recommend that Barnard staff wishing to be involved with the #ShangeMagic Project first read this excerpt from Nappy Edges, specifically the first 4-5 pages. I recommend that they start on page two which reads: “if i asked: is this james brown or clifford jordan? you wd know.” and read until the top of page 6, stopping after the poem that begins with “the poet sees & hears the world. & there are many different worlds”

I selected this passage from the many others that we read this semester because I truly do believe it incapsulates/explains the many elements that are crucial to understanding Ntozake’s writings. This passage explains what Ntozake believes is the specific value of poetry. It exposes one to Ntozake’s use of language and punctuation (from the slashes to abbreviated words). Additionally, it features poetry alongside Ntozake’s own explanations of such poetry. This piece as a whole, looking specifically at this selected exceprt, serves as a wonderful introduction into Ntozake’s works in that it is almost as though Ntozake herself is telling you about what to expect and why you should listen to her.