I always tell my students not to begin their essays defining terms, but since I am willing to wager that most people are unfamiliar with the term Anagnorisis and because knowing its definition offers a deeper appreciation for the collection I will first define the term. According to Aristotle, it is "a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune."

This is a poetry collection that delves into racism in the United States. The titular anagnorisis is not about what the poet is saying, it is about the result he expects: a change in the white reader's mindset, or at least an awareness of what their privilege and microaggressions look like. The poems are also a mirror for those who thought that electing Barack Obama to the presidency meant that society had evolved and magically become more accepting.

Although it is mostly about being African American in a country where white privilege is the law of the land, the collection will resonate with Latinxs and other communities who have been on the receiving end of the actions, comments, and attitudes depicted in these pages.

3.5 stars.

I found this poetry collection a bit uneven -- there are some powerful verses there and some not so powerful. The collection begins with a cycle of poems entitled "Dark Humor", a word play on 'black', which can be used as an adjective to describe 'people' ('black people') or 'humor' ('black humor'). Dargan brings the two together with his epigram from Richard Pryor:

'You all know how black humor started? it started in the slave ships, you know? Cat was on his way over here, rowing. Another dude said, "What are you laughing about?" He said, "Yesterday, I was a king".'

This bringing together of words and concepts, of the humorous and the sad, of rage and laughter, stamps the poems in this book. Dargan's poems are very political; themes include the Zimmerman acquittal, Barack Obama's presidency, racial relationships in America, growing up, being a beauty queen in a disaster zone (Miss Iraq). The verses are permeated by sadness and a keen sense of bereavement punctuated by a staccato rhythm. Consider this, for example, from 'Poem Resisting Arrest':

'This poem will be guilty. It assumed it retained
the right to ask its question after the page

came up flashing against its face. The purpose
this poem serves is obvious, even to this poem,

and that cannot stop the pen or the fist
choking it. How the page tastes at times -- unsalted

powerlessness in this poem's mouth, a blend
of that and what news the poem has swallowed. it spits

blood --inking. it is its own doing and undoing.
This poem is trying to compose itself. [...]'

which reminded me of the rhythm in 'The revolution will not be televised'.

There is a cycle of poems on China. I was moved by 'Economy Class' and the verse:

'To be born human is to be tendered
this challenge to live larger than your woe.'

There is also some prose poetry, which I'm not very keen on, but I appreciate others may enjoy. Overall, a fine collection including some poignant themes.

An incredible collection of poetry that gripped me from the start, though I felt that I began to lose interest as it went on, hence the four star rating. That being said, the power of Kyle Dargan's words cannot be understated. I've been going through a tough time recently, so perhaps I will pick this collection up again in the near future and find myself hooked throughout. Truly though, a wonderful collection!

3.5 stars if I could, and here’s why. The beginning sequence of poems was compelling in its language and flow of raw, yet lyrically refined frustration and rage. The poems felt close, like hearing someone speak, and the rhythms felt natural.

The prose poems about Michael Brown towards the middle didn’t grab me the way the preceding poems had and I was glad to move on to the China Cycle.

But for me the China Cycle wasn’t much different. It did overflow with the awkwardness of a foreigner in a foreign land, but I was ok with that since I sensed this was part of a larger narrative. This felt a bit too much like excerpts from a diary or a memoir (see the Kanji lesson in part XI).

As a collection overall, I wasn’t blown away. The energy of the first half seemed to fade and I was left, however guiltily, to grind my way to the end. I will be looking forward to exploring his earlier books because the good poems were compelling enough to make me want more.

Anagnorisis: Poems by Kyle Dargan is a collection of poetry, in part, focusing on being African-American in today's America. Dargan is the editor and founder of POST NO ILLS magazine and an associate professor of literature and creative writing at American University. He earned his BA from the University of Virginia and MFA from Indiana University, where he was a Yusef Komunyakaa fellow and poetry editor of the Indiana Review.

A powerful and moving collection of poetry that begins with a focus of being black in America. From the opening Richard Pryor line of the first Africans in America to what change can be expected when you put a black man in the White House, Dargan focuses on race in America and legacy. The opening salvo is from a poem titled "Failed Sonnet After the Verdict" reflecting on the Zimmerman verdict and immediately follows up with the Obama presidency with "Avenger":

Behind 1600’s gates, the President sits bound
to the presidency like a superhero sidekick,
his mouth gagged by what “originalists” believe
the constitution says. Live streams, meanwhile,
pump night-­green footage from Ferguson’s
punctured lung into our timelines. Flash
grenades gush like stars spangling from a flag
drawn and quartered.
....

Somewhere is the negro’s imagined America,
where we have Iron Man on our side,
though it does not matter if the hero is “black”
so long as the body inside is. But super suits
and costumes don’t function like the Oval
Office. Vote a “black” man into a white house.
It’s still the White House—symbol of everything
we’ve been escaping—not a beacon, never rescue

Voice against the system or perhaps more commonly called the Resist movement is a common theme. Dargan joins the poets and artists resisting with words and art in his commanding couplet poem, "Poem Resisting Arrest" :

This poem will be guilty. It assumed it retained
the right to ask its question after the page

came up flush against its face.

The power of the early poems is followed up by a prose poem "Lost One" relaying personal experiences with what has been making the news. Dargan's next section of poetry centers on working in China, the difference in the peoples perspective, and his attempt to fit in. The pollution, the language barriers, and the people offer a different setting, yet there is no racism in a society that he is clearly an outsider. The collection closes with a section entitled "Dear Echo" which is much more reflective than the previous sections. Although starting with a poem about guns he quickly moves into nature, rain and dragonflies, and finally settles with the natural future of Earth.

Powerful, contrasting, current, assertive, and reflective this collection speaks volumes on America and man.  Anagnorisis is a collection that lives up to its name. 



Available September 15, 2018

A collection of poetry exploring race and racism in America that was powerfully written while also being thoughtful and confused at the same time. I felt that it was wonderful-- each poem was very elegantly written by a clearly skilled poet. I loved that there was a lot of complexity in what it addressed, showing anger toward things like police brutality toward blacks while also wondering what it meant to cross the street out of concern for being mugged, or the fact that so much of the racism and violence was taking place in America with a black man as president.