Directed by Desire

<p>“<I>Directed by Desire</I> . . . is a powerful addition to the entire canon of American poetry.”—<I>Booklist</I></p><p>Now in paperback <I>Directed by Desire</I> is the definitive overview of June Jordan's -poetry. Collecting the finest work from Jordan's ten volumes as well as dozens of “last poems” that were never published in Jordan's lifetime these more than six hundred pages overflow with intimate lyricism elegance fury meditative solos and dazzling vernacular riffs.</p><p>As Adrienne Rich writes in her introduction June Jordan “wanted her readers listeners students to feel their own latent power—of the word the deed of their own beauty and intrinsic value.”</p><p> <B>From “These Poems”:</B></p><p> <I>These poems</I><br> <I>they are things that I do</I><br> <I>in the dark</I><br> <I>reaching for you</I><br> <I>whoever you are</I><br> <I>and</I><br> <I>are you ready?</I></p><p>The cloth edition of <I>Directed by Desire</I> was selected as a <I>Library Journal</I> Poetry Book of the Year and received the Lambda Book Award for Lesbian Poetry.</p><p> <B>June Jordan</B> taught at UC Berkeley for many years and founded Poetry for the People. Her twenty-eight books include poetry essays fiction and children's books. She was a regular columnist for <I>The Progressive</I> and a prolific writer whose articles appeared in <I>The Village Voice The New York Times Ms. Magazine</I> and <I>The Nation.</I> After her death in 2002 a school in the San Francisco School District was renamed in her honor.</p>