“Song of My Softening” – An Invitation to Poetry and a Celebration of Survival

“It’s an exciting time for poetry,” says poet Omotara James, “Black poetry, queer poetry. So exciting that certain powers want to shut it down completely.”

Song of My Softening, which is James’ debut poetry collection, was released in early February of this year. It is a triumphant, luxurious text that goes as deep as it does wide in its subject matter. “I think there’s something there for anyone who loves words, poetry and art,” says James. “Many of the poems were written in response to different works of art, including photos, a Janet Jackson music video, collage.”

The collection also reflects James herself, delving into her life as a queer black woman, daughter of Nigerian and Trinidadian immigrants and an immigrant herself. Although she has lived most of her life in the United States, she was born in Britain and lived in both England and Scotland.

“The book responds to the prompts of life that are all around us,” says James. “Poetry is literally everywhere we look and this book speaks to that. I hope that anyone who reads this book takes it as an invitation not only to poetry, but as an invitation to celebrate everything that you’ve survived in this life.”

Song of My Softening is James’ debut full length poetry collection with Alice James Books. “This book exists in the tradition of celebration and revolution,” explains James. “Celebration of the self, the body, community. These poems explore the intimacies of relationships while also gesturing toward the abundance of the universe and nature: their songs a revolt against oppression and hegemony.”

Song of My Softening proves the truism that specificity is the pathway to the universal. James vividly describes moments from her own childhood, teenage years, and young adult life. Readers will find themselves immersed in fresh stories with resonant, familiar cores. James utilizes her unique perspective to illuminate universal experiences.

This is not by accident. “What I love about this book is that even though the experiences are very specific to the speaker, the journey that she takes is super relatable and universal,” James explains. “It’s a coming-of-age story told by a speaker who might be considered a late bloomer, which means this book is for anyone who’s ever taken the long road to finding their way home.”

There is solace to be found in these pages. “Anyone who has been dealt a trauma,” says James. “Who has had a second, third or fourth chance, who has felt that the world has moved on without them, who has had to contend with presumptions and prejudices from birth, will find themselves in this book.”

James is aware of the power wielded through poetry. “They want to divide the young poet, the young reader, the young woman from her personhood, from discovering her own power and the knowledge that radical love is more fulfilling than capitalist empire,” says James.

This work speaks to modern political and social struggles in addition to personal ones.  “Our society would be radically different if everyone was encouraged to hold fast to their personal agency and that’s why I write,” James explains. “These are the stakes of being a Black scholar and poet.”

At the time of this writing, Song of My Softening has just been released. “The book has only been out for a week…and I have been blown away by the response,” says James. “I’ve received many messages and the emails and tags on social media from people who embrace the language and the story of the book.”

Song of My Softening is heavily informed by the turmoil of our time and yet James’ optimism and joy sparkle on the page. “The work of this book is to transform the isolating annihilation of the self that we face on a daily basis, living under capitalism, and to reclaim our human connections through our own tenderness and communities,” says James. “The poems bear witness to the violence of erasure, while the language, breath and music of the poems allow all the tenderness of the world.”

“I believe it’s the responsibility of art to hold us, see us, give us a safe place to grieve and fall apart, a place to be known and realise we are not alone. This is what I experience when reading my favourite poems by Patricia Smith, Wo Chan, Airea D. Matthews, Zefyr Lisowski, Tiana Clark, Karisma Price, etc. This is what makes the work of poetry today increasingly urgent, during a time in which so many of us women, queer and trans folx are fighting for autonomy over our bodies.”

If you find yourself wanting more after you finish Song of My Softening James also released Daughter Tongue in 2018. This book was selected by African Poetry Book Fund, (Akashic Books, 2018), for the New Generation African Poets Box Set. Her work also appears in print and digital journals, including the Poetry Foundation, The Nation, BOMB Magazine, the Paris Review, Literary Hub, Guernica, Poetry Society of America and elsewhere. Her poetry has been featured in the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day series.

You can keep up with Omotara and her work on her website and via social media, which are both listed below.

“Love is a map. Beneath the lyrical music of this book is a treasure map for anyone who longs to find their own music.”

www.omotarajames.com
@omotarajames