Not Your Mama's Melting Pot (The Backwaters Prize in Poetry)

Poetry. Native American Studies. From jump there was such sonic emotional and intellectual drive to these poems that I couldnt resist--why would I want to--the pull of Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsleys vision and sensibility. Verve and elan are words I might use but they lack sufficient verve and elan. And if I wrote His future is bright Id be wrong--his future is here and this book is as much fire as I can ask for.--Bob Hicok 2017 Backwaters Prize Judge