Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Primitive: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1956
WEBSITE: http://janiceharrington.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
http://www.boaeditions.org/authors/harrington.html; http://www.english.ilstu.edu/ChLA2008/speakers/index.html * http://www.janiceharrington.com/poetry.html * http://therumpus.net/2016/10/the-rumpus-poetry-book-club-chat-with-janice-harrington/ * https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/417031
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1956.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and educator. Champaign Public Library, Champaign IL, former coordinator of youth services; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, instructor. Previously, worked as a professional storyteller and a public librarian.
AWARDS:A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, BOA Editions, and Kate Tufts Discovery Award, both for Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone; fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 2007; Writers’ Award, Rona Jaffe Foundation; Ezra Jack Keats Award, New York Public Library.
WRITINGS
Contributor to literary publications.
SIDELIGHTS
Janice N. Harrington is a writer and educator living in Illinois. She is an instructor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Previously, Harrington has worked as a professional storyteller, caregiver, public librarian, and coordinator of youth services at the Champaign Public Library. She has published children’s books and books of poetry.
Going North and The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
A girl recalls her family’s journey north to Nebraska in Going North. Catherine Threadgill, contributor to School Library Journal, described Going North as “a solid choice.” “The impressionistic, color-rich paintings are as warm and expressive as the lyrical story,” asserted a Kirkus Reviews writer. Gillian Engberg, reviewer in Booklist, called the book a “quiet, powerful portrait of an African American child’s view of family migration.”
In The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, a young girl determines to catch the fast Miss Hen. Writing in School Library Journal, Blair Christolon commented: “This book makes a marvelously delicious read-aloud, accompanied by participatory ‘prucks’ and ‘squawks’ from the audience.” Engberg, the Booklist critic, asserted: “Kids will easily feel the irresistible allure of a subversive game as well as the deep bond with an animal friend.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the book as a “vivacious story.” “Lively chicken chat—much of it presented in collage—makes this a spirited read-aloud,” suggested a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Susan Dove Lempke, writer in the Horn Book Magazine, remarked: “This funny story will have city kids longing for the chance to chase (and/or nurture) some chickens themselves.”
Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone
Even the Hollow My Body Left Is Gone: Poems is Harrington’s debut poetry collection. It finds a black family in Alabama dealing with racism and traveling north. DeLana Dameron, contributor to the Post No Ills website, commented: “These stories are so specific, so detailed that the reader experiences them almost only as listener, because of their orality, of a tale that can never belong to them. This is not to say that the reader is denied access.” Dameron continued: “I believe the oral tradition of these peoples, along with their weaving in and out of music, help make these personal recollections and reclamations open to all audiences for the experience. We experience and react to Harrington’s attempt to catch memory despite knowing the futility of such endeavors, for the memories she allows us to return and return to do not fly away as easily.” A New Yorker writer noted that the book contained “rich, colloquial poems.”
Roberto Walks Home and The Hands of Strangers
Roberto, a character from Ezra Jack Keats’s work, appears in Harrington’s Roberto Walks Home. Referring to Harrington, a contributor to Kirkus Reviews stated: “Her poetic touches, though lovely, unnecessarily decorate the spare text.” However, Andrew Medlar, reviewer in Booklist, asserted: “This is both a successful homage and a good story in its own right.” School Library Journal writer, Joan Kindig, remarked: “This story of two brothers who forgive each other’s flaws is worth adding to most collections.”
Harrington recalls the time she spent as a caregiver in The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home. Mike Walker, critic on the Coal Hill Review website, suggested: “Harrington has done us all a great service in rendering views of the lives of patients and care-givers alike in this slim book; I would wish to suggest for her future efforts that she might do the same for police officers, for surgical teams, for a variety of fields that those outside of them see only in media stereotypes and plain language. The ability of poetry to bring difficult lives into view with empathy is something Harrinton handles with the utmost of skill, and I do hope she will continue to apply for all of our profit.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that the book contained “pellucid, scary, morally resonant poems.”
Busy-Busy Little Chick and Catching a Storyfish
In Busy-Busy Little Chick, Harrington reimagines a traditional African folktale in which Little Chick works quietly to collect building materials for his family’s new home. “Children will applaud the success of Little Chick and his mother’s pride in him,” asserted Heidi Estrin in School Library Journal. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly suggested: “Watching Little Chick succeed where his parent has stumbled will thrill young readers.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor commented: “This well-told and beautifully illustrated offering makes a distinctive addition to folklore collections.” Jesse Karp, critic in Booklist, stated that the book featured “a toasty warmth, as well as a mystical timelessness.”
Keet and her family struggle to fit in after moving north from Alabama in Catching a Storyfish. Rhona Campbell, critic in School Library Journal, remarked: “Keet’s is a … familiar-feeling story, but one that is understated, fully realized, deftly written, and utterly absorbing.” A Kirkus Reviews writer called the volume “a gentle-spirited book.” “The poetry forms are wellchosen, their diverse rhythms and formats sensitively reflecting the fluctuating emotions of Keet’s narration,” asserted a contributor to Publishers Weekly. Booklist reviewer, Kathleen McBroom stated: “This is a wonderful addition to the novel-inverse canon.”
Primitive
With Primitive: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin: Poems, Harrington creates works inspired by the African American painter. In an interview with a contributor to the Rumpus website, Harrington stated: “I think what I’ve learned as a result of studying Horace Pippin’s paintings is the importance of our perceptions. What we see or choose not to.”
Writing on the Plume website, Adam Tavel remarked: “Primitive occasionally buckles under its excessive qualification and robust exposition. While one can appreciate Harrington’s impulse to situate her reader in an older milieu, her inclusion of more than two-dozen epigraphs—the aforementioned West quotation aside—bogs the reading experience.” Tavel concluded: “All things considered, however, Primitive transcends the mere redemption of a painter whose success never matched the breadth of his imagination, and remains an engrossing read despite its length. For those repulsed by our regressive political discourse who are eager to delight in the fullness, intricacy, and brilliance of African-American art past and present, Janice N. Harrington’s Primitive is a great place to start.” “Harrington gracefully honors Pippin’s words and work through her spare lines, strong sense of narrative, and subtle sonic repetitions,” asserted a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 15, 2004, Gillian Engberg, review of Going North, p. 240; January 1, 2005, review of Going North, p. 775; February 1, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, p. 59; November 15, 2008, Andrew Medlar, review of Roberto Walks Home, p. 52; March 1, 2013, Jesse Karp, review of Busy-Busy Little Chick, p. 70; September 1, 2016, Kathleen McBroom, review of Catching a Storyfish, p. 110.
Horn Book, May-June, 2007, Susan Dove Lempke, review of The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, p. 265; January-February, 2008. review of The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, p. 8; March-April, 2013. Susan Dove Lempke, review of Busy-Busy Little Chick, p. 128.
Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2004, review of Going North, p. 742; March 15, 2007, review of The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County; September 1, 2008, review of Roberto Walks Home; January 15, 2013, review of Busy-Busy Little Chick; June 15, 2016, review of Catching a Storyfish.
New Yorker, April 23, 2007, review of Even the Hollow My Body Made is Gone: Poems, p. 83.
Publishers Weekly, April 16, 2007, review of The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, p. 50; October 24, 2011, review of The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home, p. 35; December 17, 2012, review of Busy-Busy Little Chick, p. 57; July 25, 2016, review of Catching a Storyfish, p. 74; September 19, 2016, review of Primitive: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin: Poems, p. 48.
School Library Journal, October, 2004, Catherine Threadgill, review of Going North, p. 115; April, 2007, Blair Christolon, review of The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County, p. 106; December, 2008, Joan Kindig, review of Roberto Walks Home, p. 90; February, 2013, Heidi Estrin, review of Busy-Busy Little Chick, p. 76; June, 2016, Rhona Campbell, review of Catching a Storyfish, p. 94.
ONLINE
BOA Editions Website, https://www.boaeditions.org/ (September 10, 2012), Patricia Caspers, author interview; (October 20, 2017), author profile.
Coal Hill Review, http://www.coalhillreview.com/ (November 17, 2011), Mike Walker, review of The Hands of Strangers.
Janice N. Harrington Website, http://janiceharrington.com/ (October 20, 2017).
Plume, http://plumepoetry.com/ (April 1, 2017), Adam Tavel, review of Primitive.
Post No Ills, http://www.postnoills.com/ (January 17, 2009), DeLana Dameron, review of Even the Hollow my Body Made is Gone.
Reimagining Normal Website, http://english.illinoisstate.edu/ (October 20, 2017), author profile.
Rumpus, http://therumpus.net/ (October 18, 2016), author interview.*
QUOTED: "I think what I’ve learned as a result of studying Horace Pippin’s paintings is the importance of our perceptions. What we see or choose not to."
THE RUMPUS POETRY BOOK CLUB CHAT WITH JANICE N. HARRINGTON
BY THE RUMPUS BOOK CLUB
October 18th, 2016
The Rumpus Poetry Book Club chats with Janice N. Harrington about her new collection Primitive, the challenge of working with a real-life subject’s language, and critiquing the use of “primitive” to describe African American folk art.
This is an edited transcript of the book club discussion. Every month the Rumpus Poetry Book Club hosts an online discussion with the book club members and the author, and we post an edited version online as an interview. To join the Rumpus Poetry Book Club, click here.
This Rumpus Book Club interview was edited by Brian Spears.
***
Camille D: So, Janice, when this book came across my desk, I fell in love with it immediately. For one thing, that cover. And then another, the subject, and then, you know, I’ve long been a fan of your poems.
Janice N. Harrington: Yes, I think what I’ve learned as a result of studying Horace Pippin’s paintings is the importance of our perceptions. What we see or choose not to.
Camille D: I’m always interested in form, and you are clearly interested in Pippin’s form and tools as well. Can you talk a little about your decisions in some of these poems to do things like use a numbering system, or some of your other organizational strategies? “Losing the Way” and “In a Painted Room” are two poems that come to mind as astonishingly inventive and engaging in their form.
And of course,”Why O Why the Doily.” That poem is fascinating.
Janice N. Harrington: Okay, since the computer is not asking me any questions. I have decided to panic. I’ll pretend that the computer just asked: How did you begin this project? I’m so glad you asked, Camille. In the late 1990s, as a children’s librarian, I developed curriculum kits for classroom teachers on African American artist. The work of Horace H. Pippin fascinated. His story stayed in my mind, but especially his commitment to art.
Camille D: I’m happy to follow up on the thread you started in panic. (But I also hope that the question about form and tools has since revealed itself.)
One of the tricks of this platform we use for the chat is that there is always this delay while people are typing, where it looks like nothing is happening. I think we can make this into a question. You say you started thinking about Pippin in a dedicated way in the 1990s. How long would you say you were actually in the process of writing this book? By which I mean, what was the delay between your curriculum kit and these poems going to BOA?
Janice N. Harrington: Form? Yes, one of the challenges of working on Primitive was how to work with the language taken from Pippin’s war notebooks. I think trying to integrate his voice with my voice pushed me to consider the visual form of my poetry. With “Why O Why the Doily,” I thought about the openness of doilies. I wanted to make leaps and challenge space as I feel doilies do.
Camille D: Wow. That’s very cool to think of the poem as a doily. The laciness of both your poem and a doily. And since you bring in the Bishop poem, that sense of the delicate appearing in space that is perceived a muscular and dirty.
primitiveJanice N. Harrington: Primitive was a long, complicated project that has taken years to complete. You mentioned “Losing the Way.” As I studied Pippin’s paintings, I thought not only about the painting itself, but what was happening historically at the time the painting was made. Pippin has a series of paintings that are known as the Holy Mountain series. He paints images that comment on historical events in the background. So, his paintings made me think about the foreground (now) but the background as well (history).
Camille D: Is this part of why you didn’t want to “channel” Pippin? That you wanted to make clear the divide between his time and yours? His perspective and yours? There is so much (often quite good) poetry written in the voice of major figures. But I also understand the hesitancy to appropriate a voice that wasn’t yours. Can you define some of the sources of your resistance to direct autobiography and particularly to adopted voice that might not be related directly in the poems?
Janice N. Harrington: I absolutely didn’t want to “channel” Pippin. I think Primitive is actually a hybrid: biography, art history, and autobiography. I wanted to respond to Horace’s life and paintings. I wanted to look for the connections and seams between his life and mine. I also knew that I couldn’t tell the entire story of his life. I performed archival research, visited his hometown, his home, found his grave, and I read the major works about his life. I recommend Judith Stein’s I Tell My Heart especially.
Camille D: Do you think of this book as a kind of docupoetic text? I loved that long list of further reading you include in the book. It provides such an invitation for a continued conversation.
Janice N. Harrington: Docupoetic? I think it may not quite fit that category either in intention. I tried so hard to hold to the historical record and to respect Horace Pippin. But even with the most scrupulous intention there’s always distortion—or maybe uncertainties. The book is a doily-poetic.
Camille D: I’m also interested in the way that the inclusion of that five-page notes section seems to serve both to cast you as an authority on the subject of Pippin but not the final word. This seems important to me. I am always wrestling with what it means to cast oneself as the final, individual talent. What does that mean especially for women and for people of color (for black people in particular) to be allowed to say that they aren’t going to have the final and last or only say on a subject. It seems important NOT to claim to have the final and last and only say on a subject when the subject is one that has been too frequently erased or diminished.
Janice N. Harrington: I’m glad that you enjoyed the list of readings. I want readers to want to know more about Pippin. If readers respond by searching for more about Pippin’s life or googling his art, I’ve accomplished what I wanted.
Camille D: Doily-poetic! Once again I have fallen in love with Janice Harrington’s use of the language. You’re a librarian, and a poet, and a professor. I see all of that in play in this book. A care for the archive and the primary texts, and also an ability to transcribe those materials into something newly creative, and ALSO, a way to engage while you instruct. That’s not a question, really.
Janice N. Harrington: I would never say the I’m an authority on Horace H. Pippin’s life. I would say that I’m a student and an observer. The sources are there because I wanted to know more, and I wanted to present an accurate response to Pippin’s life. Unlike a historian or a biographer, I searched for details, stories, images that would trigger poetry, an imaginative response.
Camille D: Here’s a way to cast that as a question. Can you talk about what decisions went behind choosing all the quoted material you use before each section of the book? That seems to me to be an example of this synthesis of librarian/archivist, poet, and professor.
I think you may have been answering my question even as I typed it 🙂
Janice N. Harrington: I wanted the book to give a full picture of Pippin’s life. I want readers to hear what his contemporaries said about him, what scholars say, what the journalist said. Re-reading the book, I’m pleased with the quotations because they expand and enrich the reader’s understanding of Pippin. It also gave me another way to bring in Pippin’s voice and use his actual words.
Camille D: To follow another path set in this book: love. The poem “Commitment” tears me up (both pronunciations) every time I read it. I love how you describe this love. And the pain that must come with it.
Another poem I keep returning to is “Surface, Decoration.” Again, I am interested in the form of this poem and the way that certain aspects of the language are highlighted as a result of the form. How long did it take you to discover the form/shape of this poem?
Janice N. Harrington: It seems that Pippin and Jennie Ora had challenges in their marriage. The record is riddled with gossip and misconceptions. But regretfully his wife was committed to an asylum. In fact, she would die there. When I look at Pippin’s paintings, I believe that I also see Jennie’s art: her doilies, her cut flowers, her order. I have to resist commenting on their relationship too much because I can’t rely on accurate records. But I found a newspaper clipping which describes the two of them dancing on their wedding anniversary. It’s not more than fifty or so words, but it breaks my heart. There is a heartbreaking letter from Pippin about his loneliness and difficulty after his wife is committed.
Camille D: That line: “Now I know how you feel alone” in the poem after “Commitment.” Is that from that letter? Wow.
And even the play of the title “Commitment” to commit his wife to the asylum, but also to remain committed to here. The doubleness of so much of the experience you portray in this book.
I meant committed to “her” not committed to “here.” But I think here works too in this case.
Janice N. Harrington: Yes, I like “Surface, Decoration” as well. I might still tweak it a bit, but I’m a poet. I found this really cool graphic layout, which I cite. I saw how the visual form permitted me to draw attention to Pippin’s words and created an energy in the lines. Also, I liked what the form suggested about Pippin and his art. Self-taught artists are often obsessed with texture and detail. Pippin invented. He created pyrographs, and I wanted to express that inventiveness.
Yes, Pippin writes “Now I know how you feel alone.” There are three poems that address their relationship, and I tried to be respectful to both. I also tried to write Jennie into Pippin’s story. She has received an unsympathetic reading in some accounts, and I suspect it should be questioned.
Camille D: Hmm. I’m thinking about this idea of inventiveness, and its dangers as well as its rewards. The ways we must question what it means to be inventive. In “The Subtlety of Blue” you do such an interesting job of pushing against the criticism that he has not created worthy art. (As defined in that poem’s cutting epigraph.) The risks (and, yes,) rewards of using what you find/create. There is so much you question in this book about the readings we give/have given to Pippin and his life and art.
You say you might still tinker with a poem. Do you feel like you have said what you want/need to say about Pippin? If so, what’s next?
Janice N. Harrington: This is an odd way to answer your question, but somehow this addresses the concern for me. I respond to Pippin because he had every reason not to make art. He wasn’t wealthy. He had a handicap. He didn’t have an art’s degree. He lived during a time of vicious racism. Yet despite all of the challenges—he made art. I wanted to critique the label of Pippin—and of many African American folk artist—as primitive. Clearly, Pippin’s paintings show his perceptiveness and his resistance to demeaning images of African Americans.
Camille D: That is a fantastic way of answering that question! I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with you about this book, Janice. Thank you for writing it, and thank you for sharing the hour with us.
Janice N. Harrington: No, I didn’t say everything I wanted to say about Pippin. There are many poems that I didn’t include in the book. But I also feel that I want readers to search for Pippin on their own. What next? More poetry… better poetry… more writing and re-writing.
Camille D: We’re at the close of the hour (spilled over a little because I wanted to squeeze out the last drops), so I’ll let you get back to your life, your poems. Thanks so much, as I say, for this book! I am ever grateful to have come to know your work.
Janice N. Harrington, "Chasing After Stories," 11 a.m., Thursday, June 12
Photo of Janice Harrington
Janice N. Harrington is an award-winning children’s author and poet. Her latest children’s picture book, The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) appeared in March 2007. Her previous picture book, Going North (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004), won the Ezra Jack Keats Award from the New York Public Library as well as many other awards and citations. Her first book of poetry, Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone (2007), is the winner of the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize from BOA Editions, a leading publisher of American poetry. She is also the winner of a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for Poetry. For many years, she worked as a professional storyteller, telling stories at festivals around the country, including the National Storytelling Festival. Formerly the Coordinator of Youth Services at the Champaign Public Library in Champaign, Illinois, she teaches creative writing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She will be reading selections from her own work.
BIOGRAPHY
Janice N. Harrington writes poetry and children’s books. She grew up in Alabama and Nebraska, and both those settings, especially rural Alabama, figure largely in her writing. Her first book of poetry, Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone (2007), won the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize from BOA Editions and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Her second book of poetry, The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home, came out in 2011, and her third book, Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin, is scheduled to appear in October 2016. She is also the winner of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for Poetry and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award for emerging women writers. Her children’s books, The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County (2007) and Going North (2004), both from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, have won many awards and citations, including a listing among TIME Magazine’s top 10 children’s books and the Ezra Jack Keats Award from the New York Public Library. Harrington’s poetry appears regularly in American literary magazines. She has worked as a public librarian and now teaches in the creative writing program at the University of Illinois.
From reviews of The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home:
“The book is brimming with poems that are aching to latch onto the reader’s neck like an elder patient in a nursing home, pleading with the reader to listen to them and remember their stories.” —Christopher Elthun
“Harrington’s charm, and also her greatest strength, is that she never peaches, never tries to shame us, but instead brings us to feel awe-struck wonder.” —Mike Walker
Of Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone, winner of the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, Elizabeth Spires writes that Harrington’s “poems are no less than lyric, spiritual documents, sung stories that soar above the weight and repetition of daily life, transforming that dailiness into something rich and precious.”
Janice N. Harrington
Janice N. Harrington
Department of English, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61820 | (217) 333-2391
Janice N. Harrington
Janice N. Harrington writes poetry and children's books. Her first book of poetry, Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone (BOA Editions, 2007), won the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry prize and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. She is also the author of The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home (BOA Editions, 2011), and Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin (BOA Editions, 2016). Harrington has worked as a public librarian and as a professional storyteller. She teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more information about Janice N. Harrington, visit www.janiceharrington.com.
On 'The Hands of Strangers': Interview with Janice N. Harrington
SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
Janice-N.-Harrington-111x150 Janice N. Harrington, author of Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone and The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home, shares her influences for The Hands of Strangers in a Ploughshares interview with Patricia Caspers. Caspers prefaces the interview with a description of the first spellbinding reading of the book she heard Harrington give: "I was struck by her ability to write about her subject - the lives of the elderly and those who tend to them - with frank graces." Caspers comments on Harrington's unique and masterful delivery and the way she asks for audience participation during her readings. While working at a nursing home, Harrington never considered herself a writer trying to capture lonely experiences of the elderly; instead, the job was her way of making it financially through college. She admits that her experiences as a nurse's aide actually influenced the book's poems decades later. Harrington's writing was also shaped by research. "To write poetry that goes beyond my personal knowledge, I'm always reading (history, literature)," says Harrington. "And in that sense I'm always using research. For The Hands of Strangers, I read books about professional nursing, aging, the history of nursing homes, essays on suffering, investigative reports on nursing home abuse, the treatment of the elderly through time. I followed my curiosity from folktales, through the Middle Ages, to Simone de Beauvoir's The Coming of Age. Ultimately, however, I drew most on the memory, stories, recollections of my own work as a nurse's aide and the work of my mother and sister." Harrington, in addition to her poetry, has experience as a professional storyteller of traditional folktales which she says significantly enhances the way she presents her work to an audience during a reading. She aims to engage her audience and make the role of the reader (or listener) more interactive rather than passive. Harrington explains this strategy to Caspers: "Through call and response, they take on the role of co-readers. Can I read the poem without involving the audience? Absolutely, and I have read... that way. Both ways seem to work but I believe that reading a poem aloud and writing a poem are distinct arts. Something different should happen when you stand to read before an audience." Harrington possesses a deep understanding for how an audience experiences a poem. She delivers her poetry, both on the page and through performance, in a way that brings the reader (or listener) as close as possible to the poem itself. Read the whole interview in Ploughshares Literary Magazine.
QUOTED: "Harrington gracefully honors Pippin's words and work through her
spare lines, strong sense of narrative, and subtle sonic repetitions."
Primitive: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Publishers Weekly.
263.38 (Sept. 19, 2016): p48.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Primitive: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
Janice N. Harrington. BOA (Consortium, dist.), $16 trade paper (104p) ISBN 978-1-942683-20-9
Poet and children's author Harrington (The Hands of Strangers) pays tribute to African-American painter Horace Pippin
(1888-1946), presenting ekphrastic poems about the painter's work alongside historical insights into his aesthetic
choices and his journals. Pippin, a WWI veteran, began painting to work through trauma, depression, and a wounded
right arm? Harrington highlights the war's impact on Pippin's work, particularly in the poems "Horace Pippin's Red" and
"Tell My Heart": "Watch closely: A wounded vet, Negro doughboy,/ coddles a hog-bristle brush dipped in leftover
house paint." Several poems, including "A Canel" (meaning candle) and "Finding the Words," borrow lines and brief
passages from Pippin's journals. "You called it teribell grond of sarro," Harrington writes, "spelled/ so that we hear the
voices ringing with terror." The artist's own words lend poignancy to the poems and underscore the sense of dread that
haunts his images. This collection not only recalls specific paintings by Pippin but returns to the ideas of satisfaction
emerging in the process of painting, and painting exactly what he saw. These two recurring ideas lend weight to his
experiences as a veteran during the Jim Crow era. Harrington gracefully honors Pippin's words and work through her
spare lines, strong sense of narrative, and subtle sonic repetitions. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Primitive: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin." Publishers Weekly, 19 Sept. 2016, p. 48. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA464352707&it=r&asid=983c0a3c6055d0e006f914f64237879e.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A464352707
QUOTED: "This is a wonderful addition to the novel-inverse canon."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 2/26
Catching a Storyfish
Kathleen McBroom
Booklist.
113.1 (Sept. 1, 2016): p110.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Catching a Storyfish. By Janice N. Harrington. Sept. 2016. 224p. Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $17.95 (9781629794297). Gr.
3-6.
This lyrical novel in verse effortlessly weaves together multiple poetry forms to introduce readers to Katharen, called
Keet, a young girl who loves to talk and spin stories. When her Alabaman family moves up north, she becomes the new
kid who talks funny. Her stories go away, Keet hardly speaks any more, and the only time she is really happy is when
she is fishing with her beloved grandpa. As the school year progresses, Keet develops a friendship with quiet next-door
neighbor Allegra (Allegra's reticence is due to a broken front tooth), and Allegra offers support when Grandpa has a
stroke. As Grandpa recovers, Keet also rediscovers her voice and starts writing and sharing her stories again. The poems
effectively convey conflicting emotions, and the different styles (haiku, concrete, blues, etc.) express moods and
nuances without being distracting. (A glossary defines poetic forms and identifies examples from the book.) This is a
wonderful addition to the novel-inverse canon, whether enjoyed individually, shared as a read-aloud, or used as a class
text. --Kathleen McBroom
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
McBroom, Kathleen. "Catching a Storyfish." Booklist, 1 Sept. 2016, p. 110+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA463755266&it=r&asid=a879ff470524c87f500d2911af3d8f93.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A463755266
QUOTED: "The poetry forms are wellchosen, their diverse rhythms and formats sensitively reflecting the fluctuating emotions of Keet's narration."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 3/26
Catching a Storyfish
Publishers Weekly.
263.30 (July 25, 2016): p74.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Catching a Storyfish
Janice H. Harrington. Wordsong, $17.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-62979-429-7
In this affecting novel in verse, Keet has always had a lot to say, but since moving from Alabama to Illinois, her voice
feels stifled. With a conspicuous accent and no friends, Keet finds happiness in her weekend fishing trips with her
grandfather. In the poem "Why?," Keet questions the motivation for her family's relocation: "Better job,/ better pay,/
better school,/ away, away./ For Grandpa's sake. He's all alone./ For all the reasons parents drone,/ for all the reasons
parents say,/ for bigger dreams, for better dreams,/ we moved away." Keet feels even more adrift after Grandpa has a
stroke and retreats into depression. With the help of a new friend and her own passion for storytelling, Keet reconnects
with her grandfather and finds her voice. Harrington (Busy-Busy Little Chick) makes thoughtful use of several types of
poetry to tell Keet's story, including blues, catalog, concrete, narrative, contrapuntal, and prose poems (all discussed in a
glossary). The poetry forms are wellchosen, their diverse rhythms and formats sensitively reflecting the fluctuating
emotions of Keet's narration. Ages 8-12. Agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (Sept.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Catching a Storyfish." Publishers Weekly, 25 July 2016, p. 74+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA460285585&it=r&asid=ce555c4b67f43f8e41a4f71d0bf5f8b4.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A460285585
QUOTED: "a gentle-spirited book."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 4/26
Harrington, Janice N.: CATCHING A
STORYFISH
Kirkus Reviews.
(June 15, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Harrington, Janice N. CATCHING A STORYFISH Wordsong/Boyds Mills (Children's Fiction) $17.95 9, 13 ISBN:
978-1-62979-429-7
Poet and storyteller Harrington offers a verse novel about a girl named Katharen, nicknamed Keet for the parakeetlike
chattiness that her family loves, particularly her grandpa, an avid fisherman. When Keet's family moves from Alabama
and the "brown arms" and "brown legs" of her friends to Illinois and the classmates with "faces like sour grapefruits"
and "eyes like measuring tape" who tell her that she "sounds funny," she silences her storytelling voice. She slowly
befriends Allegra, a Spanish-speaking girl who lives in the neighborhood, with whom she bonds after telling Allegra
where her cockatoo escaped. Through this emerging friendship, her grandfather's encouraging love and life lessons
imparted while they wait to catch Ol' Muddy Joe the legendary Fish, and an Appalachian storyteller who visits her
school, Keet finds her voice again--and with heartwarmingly victorious results. Harrington announces Keet's race as
subtly as she develops her characters and in details such as the simple, almost-missable mention of the number of braids
Allegra draws in her rendering of Keet. A poetry glossary concludes the book, explaining the various forms used,
including blues poems, contrapuntal poems, and pantoums. A gentle-spirited book about a black girl who almost gives
up her gift but for love and friendship. (Verse novel. 8-12)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Harrington, Janice N.: CATCHING A STORYFISH." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2016. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA455212575&it=r&asid=fb31cb9bed3a02219f2c6aab53ce6c63.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A455212575
QUOTED: "a toasty warmth, as well as a mystical timelessness."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 5/26
Busy-Busy Little Chick
Jesse Karp
Booklist.
109.13 (Mar. 1, 2013): p70.
COPYRIGHT 2013 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Busy-Busy Little Chick. By Janice N. Harrington. Illus. by Brian Pinkney. 2013. 32p. Farrar, $15.99 (9780374347468).
PreS-Gr. 1.
In this retelling of a central African folktale, Mama Nsoso's baby chicks complain that they are cold and damp in their
nest every night. Mama assures them that they'll get to work building a more sturdy ilombe, but when the new day
dawns, the whole family is distracted by the wandering meals of worms and crickets. The whole family, that is, except
Little Chick, who collects crucial materials and eventually provides the distractible family with the building blocks they
need to build a warm home. The repetitive narrative will appeal to younger children, who like to see what's coming and
will appreciate that the youngest character is the hero. Pinkney provides impressionistic swirls of color that bleed out of
the figures of Mama Nsoso and her baby chicks, washing into backgrounds and giving a toasty warmth, as well as a
mystical timelessness, to the story that will invite kids to browse through it independently. Mellifluous African words
(defined in a short glossary) further perk up the telling, and an author's note fills in source information.--Jesse Karp
Karp, Jesse
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Karp, Jesse. "Busy-Busy Little Chick." Booklist, 1 Mar. 2013, p. 70. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA322479560&it=r&asid=e7e298a501083cfd0ec5aafeb6893814.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A322479560
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 6/26
Busy-Busy Little Chick
Susan Dove Lempke
The Horn Book Magazine.
89.2 (March-April 2013): p128.
COPYRIGHT 2013 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Full Text:
Busy-Busy Little Chick
by Janice N. Harrington; illus. by Brian Pinkney
Preschool Farrar 32 pp.
2/13 978-0-374-34746-8 $15.99 g
Unlike the industrious Little Red Hen, the hen in this story (from the Nkundo people of Central Africa) is the one who
keeps putting off doing any work. When Mama Nsoso's chicks are shivering in their nest at night, she promises they
will build a new "ilombe" (house), but each day something yummy begs to be eaten instead: "crunchy-munchy, /
sweety-meaty, / big fat worms!" It's "busy-busy" Little Chick who gets to work, ignoring the tempting worms and
crickets and corn to gather materials and build. Former children's librarian Harrington knows how to tell a story, and she
uses repetitive elements and refrains to keep children engaged and participating. Pinkney here moves away from his
usual structured scratchboard illustrations to create free and energetic watercolors in bright yellow, orange, and red,
capturing a feeling of motion with his loose black lines. Both Harrington and Pinkney steer clear of any overt
moralizing--the mama hen is warm and loving, the chicks entertainingly cute, and in the end all are delighted to find
their beautiful new house. An appended glossary and a comprehensive author's note explain the roots of the tale and the
Nkundo words used.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Lempke, Susan Dove
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 7/26
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Lempke, Susan Dove. "Busy-Busy Little Chick." The Horn Book Magazine, Mar.-Apr. 2013, p. 128+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA321578643&it=r&asid=2fae85776fc8adf5400a414bc84261cc.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A321578643
QUOTED: "This well-told and beautifully illustrated offering makes a distinctive addition to folklore collections."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 8/26
Harrington, Janice N.: BUSY-BUSY LITTLE
CHICK
Kirkus Reviews.
(Jan. 15, 2013):
COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Harrington, Janice N. BUSY-BUSY LITTLE CHICK Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Children's Picture Books) $15.99 2, 19
ISBN: 978-0-374-34746-8
Based on a fable of the Nkundo people of Central Africa, this compelling tale brings home the message that if you want
something done right--or at all--sometimes you have to do it yourself. Mama Nsoso's shivering chicks are in desperate
need of a new home. Though Mama promises to build them a cozy one that will keep the wind, rain and cold at bay,
each day she is distracted by something delicious to eat, and each night the disappointed chicks cry with cold. Except,
that is, for the persistent, industrious Little Chick, who, exhausted from working alone and in secret on a new nest for
the family, falls right asleep. When the nest is ready, Little Chick invites his brothers and sisters in for a good night's
rest. The tale incorporates non-English words and sounds without any context or framing device, and readers must
locate the author's note and glossary on the final page to discover that these words are from the language of the Nkundo
people, who are the original tellers of this tale. To further complicate matters, while Pinkney's vibrant, energetically
loose illustrations lovingly and skillfully render Mama and her chicks, they give almost no indication of setting.
Potential confusion aside, this well-told and beautifully illustrated offering makes a distinctive addition to folklore
collections. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book/folktale. 4-8)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Harrington, Janice N.: BUSY-BUSY LITTLE CHICK." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2013. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA314620734&it=r&asid=bd92828b6fc45104dae28c2d98a8a6af.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A314620734
QUOTED: "Watching Little Chick succeed where his parent has stumbled will thrill young readers."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 9/26
Busy-Busy Little Chick
Publishers Weekly.
259.51 (Dec. 17, 2012): p57.
COPYRIGHT 2012 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Busy-Busy Little Chick
Janice N. Harrington, illus, by Brian Pinkney.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $15.99 (32p) ISBN
978-0-374-34746-8
In a Central African tale that turns the story of the Little Red Hen upside down, an affectionate chicken mother fails to
build her children a better house, and one of her chicks must do it instead. "Peo-peo," the chicks cry. "We're chillycold."
Mama Nsoso promises to build them a new house, an ilombe, but is waylaid by "crunchy-munchy, sweety-meaty,
big fat worms" and a succession of other treats. Meanwhile, Little Chick gathers grass and twigs "tee-tee-tee" (the
glossary explains that this term describes "action that goes on and on"), making a house that delights the chicks and
makes Mama Nsoso proud. Pinkney (Sit-In) concentrates on the chunky chickens rather than the African landscape.
Using brushes loaded with color, he paints them broadly, drawing Mama Nsoso and her chicks with fat, black ink lines
and swashing them with intense reds, oranges, and yellows. Harrington's (Roberto Walks Home) storytelling
background and careful investigation of African sources can be seen in the multitude of sound words and Lonkundo
vocabulary she includes. Watching Little Chick succeed where his parent has stumbled will thrill young readers. Ages
3-6. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Feb.)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Busy-Busy Little Chick." Publishers Weekly, 17 Dec. 2012, p. 57. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA312724702&it=r&asid=c644795eff41637d8d24192dbab84e65.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A312724702
QUOTED: "pellucid, scary, morally resonant poems."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 10/26
The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing
Home
Publishers Weekly.
258.43 (Oct. 24, 2011): p35.
COPYRIGHT 2011 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home
Janice N. Harrington. BOA (Consortium, dist.), $16 trade paper (80p) ISBN 978-1-934414-54-5
Most of us do not think much of the frail elderly, the people who require constant care to get to the end of the day, near
the end of their lives; still less do most of us think about their caregivers, the paraprofessionals and aides who perform,
in nursing homes and outside them, an endless string of repetitive duties. Harrington's arresting book-length sequence of
short clear poems takes long looks at these scenes, and at the people in them. Some are sweet ("an old married couple,
admitted together") and some are monuments to goodness, in patients and in their attendants: "Never carefully enough,
never slowly/enough are old women lifted and lowered/into their rolling chairs." At least as often, though, we see the
difficulties, and indeed the disgust: there is a rape (in a poem called "Gently"), and another poem about "Pressure
Wounds,'--"pus pit, grave pinch,/ mattress canker." Harrington (Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone) stands out
with an elegy for the otherwise completely forgotten May Engles, who died in 1977; everything else she depicts,
though, could take place today. Both attendants and patients emerge as human, as people with tough tasks and inner
lives, in these pellucid, scary, morally resonant poems. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home." Publishers Weekly, 24 Oct. 2011, p. 35. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA271050674&it=r&asid=3805d8865679101f2cd6d6fdb034a70e.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A271050674
QUOTED: "This is both a successful homage and a good story in its own right."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 11/26
Roberto Walks Home
Andrew Medlar
Booklist.
105.6 (Nov. 15, 2008): p52.
COPYRIGHT 2008 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Roberto Walks Home.
By Janice N. Harrington. Illus. by Jody Wheeler.
2008. 40p.Viking, $15.99 (9780670063161). K-Gr. 2.
Ezra Jack Keats' recurring character Roberto, whose biggest star turn came in Dreams (1974), waits one afternoon for
his big brother, who had promised to play basketball with him after school. Finally giving up, Roberto passes the park
only to see Miguel having fun with his own friends. Hurt, Roberto wears himself out expressing anger and dreaming of
revenge. Following the older sibling's subsequent and heartfelt peace offering, though, the two make up and play
together contentedly. Harrington captures much of the cadence of the late master's writing in this original story, while
adding layers of metaphors and Spanish words. Wheeler's composite art is likewise distinctly inspired by Keats.
Together, the words and pictures depict sympathetic characters who express authentic feelings of betrayal, contrition,
and reconciliation in a gritty urban setting. Approved by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, this is both a successful
homage and a good story in its own right, particularly for inspiring empathy when there are similar emotions brewing at
home.--Andrew Medlar
Medlar, Andrew
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Medlar, Andrew. "Roberto Walks Home." Booklist, 15 Nov. 2008, p. 52. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA190051797&it=r&asid=0d06e76a19c72b5da6b8b57aa0d248b9.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A190051797
QUOTED: "Her poetic touches, though lovely, unnecessarily decorate the spare text."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 12/26
Harrington, Janice N.: ROBERTO WALKS
HOME
Kirkus Reviews.
(Sept. 1, 2008):
COPYRIGHT 2008 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Harrington, Janice N. ROBERTO WALKS HOME Viking (Children's) $$15.99 Oct. 1, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-670-06316-1
"Based on characters created by Ezra Jack Keats"--whose name is the only one on the front cover and spine--this
homage pairs a new urban tale with illustrations that draw on Keats's palette and collage style to create a similar look.
Having waited in vain for big brother Miguel to collect him after school for a promised game of hoops, Roberto scuffs
his way home for some angry drawing and dreaming. Wheeler creates a familiar setting for figures that look a little
more rounded than their originals but are instantly recognizable, and Roberto's emotional tempest receives an
authentically low-key depiction. Unlike Keats, however, Harrington's not content to let the pictures do the talking. Her
poetic touches, though lovely, unnecessarily decorate the spare text and render his timeless inner-city neighborhood
explicitly a fearsome place ("He walked past the long dark alley soured with grease and garbage"). The brotherly
reconciliation at the end aptly caps this more-or-less respectful return to Keats's timeless characters. (Picture book. 6-8)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Harrington, Janice N.: ROBERTO WALKS HOME." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2008. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA184141809&it=r&asid=bb28442e58ba28e98ebb734e9ef91e3c.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A184141809
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 13/26
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
The Horn Book Magazine.
84.1 (January-February 2008): p8.
COPYRIGHT 2008 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Full Text:
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County written by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson;
Kroupa/Farrar (Primary)
"Big Mama says, 'Baby, behave yourself. Leave those chickens alone!'" But this self-proclaimed "Chicken-Chasing
Queen" can't help herself, especially when it comes to one particularly elusive hen. The energetic text and collage
illustrations reflect the African American narrator's spirited exuberance; lots of chicken-chasing sound effects ("pahquawkkkkk!';
"squawkkkk!) will have kids flocking to story hour. Review 5/07.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County." The Horn Book Magazine, Jan.-Feb. 2008, p. 8. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA174282450&it=r&asid=b17dc447647df397b1f68a601529b5c6.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A174282450
QUOTED: "This funny story will have city kids longing for the chance to chase (and/or nurture) some chickens themselves."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 14/26
Janice N. Harrington: The Chicken-Chasing
Queen of Lamar County
Susan Dove Lempke
The Horn Book Magazine.
83.3 (May-June 2007): p265.
COPYRIGHT 2007 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Full Text:
* Janice N. Harrington The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County; illus. by Shelley Jackson
32 pp. Kroupa/Farrar 4/07 ISBN 978-0-374-31251-0 $16.00 (Primary)
A young African American girl takes great pride in her chicken-chasing skills, but swift and smart as she is, one
chicken continues to elude her: Miss Hen, with feathers as "shiny as a rained-on roof." The self-proclaimed "chickenchasing
Queen" tries a number of different strategies, but Miss Hen is a worthy opponent, and with a "pah-quawkkkkk!"
she gets away every time, feathers flying. The little girl's exuberant pursuit comes to a halt, though, when she discovers
Miss Hen's secret nest of just-hatched chicks and mends her ways--temporarily. It's unusual (and refreshing) to see a
picture book with a female main character so gleefully and unrepentantly naughty, but Harrington never lets the game
cross the line into cruelty. Jackson's collage illustrations match the text and sound effects perfectly, sharing the same
zest and energy. She blends pieces of printed papers and fabrics as well as photographs and other items into paintings
that bleed expansively out to the edges. Her warm portrayal of the little girl conveys a powerful personality matched
only by that of Miss Hen herself, seen on the back cover bragging, "Pruck! Pruck! She'll never catch me!" This funny
story will have city kids longing for the chance to chase (and/or nurture) some chickens themselves. S.D.L.
* indicates a book that the editors believe to be an outstanding example of its genre, of books of this particular
publishing season, or of the author's body of work. S.D.L.
Lempke, Susan Dove
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Lempke, Susan Dove. "Janice N. Harrington: The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County." The Horn Book
Magazine, May-June 2007, p. 265+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA165235756&it=r&asid=76ecee202025a55f5f295bc5a7ede535.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A165235756
QUOTED: "rich, colloquial poems."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 15/26
Even the Hollow My Body Made is Gone
The New Yorker.
83.9 (Apr. 23, 2007): p83.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Conde Nast Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of The Conde Nast
Publications, Inc.
http://www.newyorker.com/
Full Text:
Harrington, an award-winning author of children's books, sets her first poetry collection mainly in Alabama during the
civil-rights era. Her rich, colloquial poems, drawing on both folklore and science, are paeans to a weary but tenacious
black family and their journey north through "a night as wide as the River Jordan." Certain family members reappear
throughout the book--"Webster tall / and flaming with red hair like the burning / bush"--as do symbols. "Cast iron"
invokes both the comforting hearth and the shattering memories of slavery: "Their beds were cast / iron and so too the
thighs wrapped round / his hips." When the poems them-selves seem less pioneering than the spirit they evoke, their
scope and empathy largely compensate: "we forgive / our fathers their broken flights: sometimes."
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Even the Hollow My Body Made is Gone." The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2007, p. 83. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA164214571&it=r&asid=43d8c21087a9e85ef25c3e7a1c412c1a.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A164214571
QUOTED: "Lively chicken chat—much of it presented in collage—makes this a spirited read-aloud."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 16/26
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
Publishers Weekly.
253.16 (Apr. 16, 2007): p50.
COPYRIGHT 2007 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County JANICE N. HARRINGTON, ILLUS. BY SHELLEY JACKSON.
FSG/Kroupa, $16 (40p) ISBN 978-0- 374-31251-0
Harrington's (Going North) chipper narrator loves chasing the chickens on her farm, even though Big Mama warns her,
"If you make those girls crazy, they won't lay eggs." In lyrical, creatively visual language, the pigtailed girl describes
Miss Hen, her favorite prey: "Her feathers are shiny as a rained-on roof. She has high yellow stockings and longfingered
feet, and when she talks--'Pruck! Pruck! Pruck!'--it sounds like pennies falling on a dinner plate." But this hen
is too speedy for the child to catch. When Miss Hen disappears, the youngster checks possible hiding places and finally
finds her in tall grass, sitting on a nest of eggs with three newly hatched chicks by her side. Protecting her brood, the
still hen is hers for the snatching, but the wise girl tells her not to worry: "I know you're a mama now. You're doing what
you need to do. I won't trouble your babies." Now, instead of chasing the chickens, the child diligently feeds Miss Hen
and her 12 chicks, vowing that, when those babies grow up, she will teach them "to run so fast that no one will ever
catch them--not even a chicken chaser like me!" Jackson's (The Old Woman and the Wave) sunny, mixed-media collage
art inventively combines variegated patterns, textures and photos (the especially dashing Miss Hen is a brightly hued
patchwork bird) and conveys the young heroine's boundless energy. Lively chicken chat--much of it presented in
collage--makes this a spirited read-aloud. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County." Publishers Weekly, 16 Apr. 2007, p. 50. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA162362149&it=r&asid=bba536ccb1ef6ac0774bdc4a0f1118eb.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A162362149
QUOTED: "vivacious story."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 17/26
Harrington, Janice N.: THE CHICKENCHASING
QUEEN OF LAMAR COUNTY
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 15, 2007):
COPYRIGHT 2007 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Harrington, Janice N. THE CHICKEN-CHASING QUEEN OF LAMAR COUNTY Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus &
Giroux (Children's) $16 Apr. 5, 2007 ISBN: 0-374-31251-6
Never has the expression, "feathers will fly" been as aptly illustrated as in this vivacious story of an African-American
farm girl who loves nothing more than chasing chickens. Every morning, the self-appointed queen tells tales to grayhaired
Big Mama and heads outside to pursue her prey. The story details the joy--and strategy--of the chase in playfully
poetic prose: "Then I sneaky-hide behind Big Mama's wheelbarrow and make myself small, small, small." The girl's
favorite victim, the elusive Miss Hen, gets a break when her tormentor discovers she's now a nesting mother with fuzzy
chicks, a heartwarming development that reforms the once-insatiable chicken-chaser . . . at least temporarily.
Harrington's soothingly rhythmic first-person storytelling is just right for reading aloud. Jackson's delightful collages,
patched with photos of colorful fabric and other everyday objects, capture the kinetic frenzy of chickens from a variety
of unusual perspectives. Cut-out letters and spelling variations on "squawk" add occasional Vladimir Radunsky-style
flair, though there's nothing cartoonish about the realistic, wonderfully expressive faces of Big Mama and her charge.
Contented clucks all around. (Picture book. 4-8)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Harrington, Janice N.: THE CHICKEN-CHASING QUEEN OF LAMAR COUNTY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2007.
General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA169083835&it=r&asid=710b174060064b1418e1bc4c803573e3.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A169083835
QUOTED: "Kids will easily feel the irresistible allure of a subversive game as well as the deep bond with an animal friend."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 18/26
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
Gillian Engberg
Booklist.
103.11 (Feb. 1, 2007): p59.
COPYRIGHT 2007 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Harrington, Janice N. The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County. Illus. by Shelley Jackson. Apr. 2007. 32p.
Farrar/Melanie Kroupa, $16 (9780374312510). PreS--Gr. 2.
Harrington, whose Going North (2004) was named a BooklistTop of the List--Picture Book, offers another winning,
book. "I'm the Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County," announces a young African American girl. Gray-haired Big
Mama warns her to leave the birds alone, but the girl can't restrain herself: the chase is too much fun, and the elusive
Miss Hen is her ultimate prize. When the girl finally manages to sneak up on Miss Hen in the grass, she discovers her
prize surrounded by chicks, and the girl instantly reforms: "l know you're a mama now.... I won't trouble your babies"
Both words and pictures elevate a simple story about a girl's sly barnyard game into a rollicking, well-told delight. The
words are both colloquial and poetic, and Harrington perfectly balances' the tense strategizing and stalking ("I sneakyhide
behind Big Mama's wheelbarrow and make myself small, small, small") as well as the gentle caring that follows.
Jackson's exceptional collages of cut paper, fabric, and paint magnify both the feather-flying action and the characters'
emotions, including the loving bond between the girl and Big Mama. Kids will easily feel the irresistible allure of a
subversive game as well as the deep bond with an animal friend. A first-rate read-aloud.--Gillian Engberg
Engberg, Gillian
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Engberg, Gillian. "The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County." Booklist, 1 Feb. 2007, p. 59. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA159182122&it=r&asid=f679361669b74fdcd9cf6fbe4bde7f89.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A159182122
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 19/26
Harrington, Janice N. Going North
Booklist.
101.9-10 (Jan. 1, 2005): p775.
COPYRIGHT 2005 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Harrington, Janice N. Going North. Illus. by Jerome Lagarrigue. Farrar/ Melanie Kroupa, $16 (0-374-32681-9).
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Subtle, musical poetry written from a young girl's viewpoint tells the story of a
family's migration from the segregated South to Nebraska. Lagarrigue's luminous, soft-edged paintings heighten the
emotions in the beautiful words: the nostalgia, the worry, and the bittersweet hope about a promising future. (Top of the
List winner--Youth Picture Book.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Harrington, Janice N. Going North." Booklist, 1 Jan. 2005, p. 775. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA128167264&it=r&asid=b3691aea5161e2c57415fbfd51374d84.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A128167264
QUOTED: "quiet, powerful portrait of an African American child's view of family migration."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 20/26
Harrington, Janice N. Going North
Gillian Engberg
Booklist.
101.2 (Sept. 15, 2004): p240.
COPYRIGHT 2004 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Harrington, Janice N. Going North. Illus. by Jerome Lagarrigue. Sept. 2004. 40p. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa, $16 (0-374-
32681-9).
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. It's 1964 in Alabama, and Jessie's African American family prepares to leave the
South for better jobs and schools. Jessie knows that the best opportunities lie further north, but she doesn't want to leave
her beloved grandparents and familiar home: "I wish my toes were roots. / I'd grow into a pin oak and never go away."
Then moving day arrives, and the family piles into the station wagon for a long drive to Nebraska. In subtle, cadenced
poetry, Harrington brings close the stark realities blacks faced in the segregated South ("Can't stop anywhere. / Only the
Negro stations, / only the Negro stores") as well as Jessie's growing excitement as she considers what's ahead: "listening
to the tires / make a road-drum, a road-beat: / good luck / good luck / good luck." Lagarrigue's paintings beautifully
capture the family scenes in the car and the endless, shifting landscape from the window in soft-edged, thickly brushed
strokes that heighten the emotions in Jesse's words--the nostalgia, the worry, and the bittersweet hope about a promising
new place. Pair this with Jacqueline Woodson's Coming on Home Soon [BKL Ag 04], another quiet, powerful portrait
of an African American child's view of family migration.
Engberg, Gillian
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Engberg, Gillian. "Harrington, Janice N. Going North." Booklist, 15 Sept. 2004, p. 240+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA122702827&it=r&asid=ac4209b2a65b53b761ee01da72c864e2.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A122702827
QUOTED: "The impressionistic, color-rich paintings are as warm and expressive as the lyrical story."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 21/26
Harrington, Janice N.: Going North
Kirkus Reviews.
72.15 (Aug. 1, 2004): p742.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Harrington, Janice N. GOING NORTH Illus. by Jerome Lagarrigue Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus & Giroux (40 pp.)
$16.00 Sep. 8, 2004 ISBN: 0-374-32681-9
Any child who has ever faced the upheaval of a cross-country move will relate to this gorgeous, autobiographical
picture-book poem about an African-American family that moves north from Alabama to Nebraska in 1964. The girl
protagonist doesn't want to go--she wants to stay with Big Mama and peel sweet potatoes: "But Going-North Day
hurries to our door/like it's tired of our slowpokey ways." As the yellow station wagon heads north (a journey mapped
on the endpapers), the girl watches the world go by, thoughts echoing the rhythms of the road: "good / bye / good / bye /
good / bye." The family almost runs out of gas because the segregated stations won't serve them, but the AfricanAmerican--owned
Joe's Gas pulls through, and the girl thinks maybe the North will be better "may / be / may / be / may
/ be." The impressionistic, color-rich paintings are as warm and expressive as the lyrical story, a nighttime view of the
car's headlights and taillights cutting the midnight-blue darkness is as stunning as the full-bleed, double-page spread of
big sky and cotton fields. (Picture book. 3-6)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Harrington, Janice N.: Going North." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2004, p. 742. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA120352652&it=r&asid=6c5cd0a539fa2af89721a2d41fa9ea3b.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A120352652
QUOTED: "Keet's is a ... familiar-feeling story, but one that is understated, fully realized, deftly written, and utterly absorbing."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 22/26
Harrington, Janice N.: Catching a Storyfish
Rhona Campbell
School Library Journal.
62.6 (June 2016): p94.
COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* HARRINGTON, Janice N. Catching a Storyfish. 224p. Wordsong. Sept. 2016. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9781629794297.
Gr 4-7--Keet, a girl from Alabama, loves language and storytelling, but her family's move to Illinois makes her feel
silenced. Comfort comes through a budding friendship with Allegra, her Latina classmate and neighbor, and through
fishing with her beloved grandfather. "To catch a fish," he tells her, "You've got to sit quiet and hold still/You've got to
listen, really listen/with your inside ears." Like Nikki Grimes does in Words with Wings, Harrington perfectly captures
her character's growth by using all the tools poetry provides: artfully chosen words, thought-provoking metaphors,
appropriate rhythm and pacing, and changing points of view. Some poems give voice to other characters. Harrington
also includes various poetic forms and a postscript offering additional information about each of them: an unusual
addition for a title of this format. There is very little to identify the social or racial context of Keet's family, but close
reading reveals Keet as brown skinned with "flippy-floppy braids." VERDICT Keet's is a simple and familiar-feeling
story, but one that is understated, fully realized, deftly written, and utterly absorbing.--Rhona Campbell, Georgetown
Day School, Washington, DC
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Campbell, Rhona. "Harrington, Janice N.: Catching a Storyfish." School Library Journal, June 2016, p. 94+. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA453920174&it=r&asid=232325a663f9bb7b8a4e766b5e7765cc.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A453920174
QUOTED: "Children will applaud the success of Little Chick and his mother's pride in him."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 23/26
Harrington, Janice N.: Busy-Busy Little Chick
Heidi Estrin
School Library Journal.
59.2 (Feb. 2013): p76.
COPYRIGHT 2013 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
HARRINGTON, Janice N. Busy-Busy Little Chick. 32p. glossary. Farrar. Feb. 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-
37434746-8. LC 2012004871.
PreS-Gr 2--This story is adapted from a fable told by the Nkundo people of Central Africa, and it evokes a storytelling
style through vocabulary and rhythm. Mama Nsoso's chicks complain of the cold each night, and the hen promises to
build a new ilombe, a sturdy house. Each morning, however, she gets distracted by tasty treats. Undeterred, Little Chick
gathers twigs, leaves, grass, and mud and constructs the ilombe himself. Mama clucks with pride, and the chick finally
gets a snack. Bright paintings are loose and full of movement. A curly font highlights the text when the chickens find
food. The informal pictures work well with the intimate feel of the text. Children will applaud the success of Little
Chick and his mother's pride in him. A good addition to units on fables, farm animals, or African culture, and an
enjoyable story in general.--Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
Estrin, Heidi
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Estrin, Heidi. "Harrington, Janice N.: Busy-Busy Little Chick." School Library Journal, Feb. 2013, p. 76. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA317902550&it=r&asid=9006c4a92a0cb7eccd3af71f3b6d8735.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A317902550
QUOTED: "This story of two brothers who forgive each other's flaws is worth adding to most collections."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 24/26
Harrington, Janice N. Roberto Walks Home
Joan Kindig
School Library Journal.
54.12 (Dec. 2008): p90.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
HARRINGTON, Janice N. Roberto Walks Home. illus, by Jody Wheeler. unpaged. CIP. Viking. 2008. RTE $15.99.
ISBN 978-0-670-06316-1. LC 2008011058.
K-Gr 3--Harrington follows Roberto, a character who appears a number of times in Ezra Jack Keats's picture books, on
his way home from school. His older brother was supposed to have picked him up, and they were going to play
basketball, but Miguel never shows up and Roberto is forced to walk the streets alone. When he passes the courts and
sees Miguel playing a game of hoops with the bigger kids, Roberto is understandably furious. Back in their room, he
slams and stomps until he wears himself out and falls fast asleep. After a wonderful dream in which he flies over the
courts and snatches the ball away, Roberto is awakened by an apologetic Miguel, who takes him out to play. Keats was
one of the first to feature children of color in picture books, and this homage is a reminder of what we owe to his artistic
vision. Despite being derivative, the illustrations hold their own and evocatively emulate Keats's bright, colorful work.
This story of two brothers who forgive each other's flaws is worth adding to most collections.--Joan Kindig, James
Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Kindig, Joan
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Kindig, Joan. "Harrington, Janice N. Roberto Walks Home." School Library Journal, Dec. 2008, p. 90. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA191349233&it=r&asid=ee8c5b572cdb2c8501f781987b8eecd5.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A191349233
QUOTED: "This book makes a marvelously delicious read-aloud, accompanied
by participatory 'prucks' and 'squawks' from the audience."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 25/26
Harrington, Janice N. The Chicken-Chasing
Queen of Lamar County
Blair Christolon
School Library Journal.
53.4 (Apr. 2007): p106.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
HARRINGTON, Janice N. The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County. illus. by Shelley Jackson. unpaged, photos.
CIP. Farrar/Melanie Kroupa Bks. Apr. 2007. Tr $16. ISBN 978-0-374-31251-0. LC 2005052768.
K-Gr 2-In this delightful story about life on a farm, an African-American youngster is determined to become the best
chicken chaser ever, although Big Mama repeatedly asks her to leave the animals alone. Despite the girl's best efforts,
her favorite chicken, Miss Hen, always manages to escape. As the summer days wear on, she finally finds Miss Hen's
hiding spot in the tall green grass. She is sitting on a nest with "fuzzy chicks cuddling tight beneath her wing," and
although it would be easy to grab her, the child makes a more mature decision and resists the temptation. Harrington
uses exceptionally colorful and descriptive language throughout the tale. Miss Hen has feathers as "shiny as a rained-on
roof" and is as "plump as a Sunday purse." Her calls sound "like pennies falling on a dinner plate." Jackson's intriguing
collages, combining printed cloth with painterly brashstrokes, will have readers lingering over the pages. The birds'
feathers are fashioned out of different materials, including fabric, marker pen on loose-leaf paper, newsprint, and lace.
Shifting perspectives capture the thrill of the chase as well as the calm of quieter moments. The youngster's face clearly
expresses determination, understanding, and pride. This book makes a marvelously delicious read-aloud, accompanied
by participatory "prucks" and "squawks" from the audience.--Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System,
Manassas, VA
Christolon, Blair
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Christolon, Blair. "Harrington, Janice N. The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County." School Library Journal, Apr.
2007, p. 106+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA162619239&it=r&asid=557fb31b0bb4b41abd0a041cbda66443.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A162619239
QUOTED: "a solid choice."
10/8/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1507490820263 26/26
Harrington, Janice N. Going North
Catherine Threadgill
School Library Journal.
50.10 (Oct. 2004): p115.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* HARRINGTON, Janice N. Going North. illus. by Jerome Lagarrigue. unpaged. map. CIR Farrar/Melanie Kroupa
Bks. 2004. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-32681-9. LC 2002032207.
Gr 3-5--This autobiographical story follows an African-American family on their difficult move from Alabama to
Nebraska in the 1960s. The journey presents special complications for the young narrator, her siblings, and her parents;
they can only buy fuel at "Negro stations" and shop in "Negro stores." Jessie has reservations about leaving all the good
things she knows in the South but grows increasingly optimistic about improved prospects elsewhere as she gets farther
from home. After several anxious clays of driving, the travelers finally arrive in Lincoln, their new frontier. Lagarrigue's
paintings are subdued but powerful and well-suited to Harrington's somber, poetic narrative voice. Contrasting shades
and changing textures are used to evoke the characters' emotions and to highlight the passing landscape. On the
endpapers, an outline map showing the family's journey is painted on a road map, setting the tone for the book. A brief
author's note is appended. A solid choice for readers who aren't quite ready for Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons
Go to Birmingham--1963 (Dell, 1995).--Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
Threadgill, Catherine
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Threadgill, Catherine. "Harrington, Janice N. Going North." School Library Journal, Oct. 2004, p. 115. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA123573900&it=r&asid=55c074581d6242e426597fb17a51d66f.
Accessed 8 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A123573900
QUOTED: "Primitive occasionally buckles under its excessive qualification and robust exposition. While one can appreciate Harrington’s impulse to situate her reader in an older milieu, her inclusion of more than two-dozen epigraphs—the aforementioned West quotation aside—bogs the reading experience."
"All things considered, however, Primitive transcends the mere redemption of a painter whose success never matched the breadth of his imagination, and remains an engrossing read despite its length. For those repulsed by our regressive political discourse who are eager to delight in the fullness, intricacy, and brilliance of African-American art past and present, Janice N. Harrington’s Primitive is a great place to start."
Review: Janice N. Harrington
In this month’s installment, reviews editor Adam Tavel examines a collection of biographical poems honoring an underappreciated painter.
Screen Shot 2017-03-26 at 9.26.04 AM
Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin by Janice N. Harrington
BOA Editions
$16, 104 pages
published October 2016
Two epigraphs from the esteemed Cornel West introduce the seventh section of Primitive: The Art and Life of Horace H. Pippin, and the latter seems particularly resonant for its melancholy poignancy. “Can the reception of the work of a black artist,” West asks, “transcend mere documentary, social pleading or exotic appeal?” Poet Janice N. Harrington’s third poetry collection traces the arc of this very question in its examination of Horace H. Pippin, a World War I hero and intuitive artist who began painting in middle-age to express his lifelong creative yearning, cope with the trauma of battle, and celebrate the richness of African-American culture. Harrington’s project realizes several ambitious goals simultaneously, as her poems probe Pippin’s private struggles, rejuvenate his fascinating oeuvre, meditate on the oppressiveness of segregation during the interwar years, and interrogate the infinite ways in which black talent is compartmentalized or minimized. Primitive achieves all of this and more, demonstrating Pippin’s boldness in life as well as his originality on the canvas through Harrington’s imagery-rich poems enlivened by their formal variety and historical sweep.
Primitive offers a complex portrait of Horace H. Pippin that expresses his integrity and virtue as a soldier, painter, and family man, who was fated to be among that last generation of African-Americans to endure a pre-Civil Rights society. The earliest poems in the book, such as the jazzily staccato “Like This, Like That” and hauntingly lyrical “Night March, 369th Infantry” depict thirty-year-old Pippin’s traumatic war experiences in the trenches of France, where he and others slept “quick and deep and near to death.” One of the collection’s most evocative poems is the sequence “Horace Pippin’s Red,” which tethers the painter’s near-fatal wounding in battle to the striking immediacy of his later compositions. (Pippin’s dominant right arm never fully recovered from a sniper’s bullet, so for the entirety of his painting career, he would support one hand with the other in order to command a brush.) The poem’s third and final section, “Red Is the Color That Asks for a Body,” provides a potent finish while self-referentially magnifying the book’s larger themes of creativity and race:
How does the eye read color? Are you sure
about the hue of your skin? Does the light
deceive—inconstant light that never stays?
Deceived, we think we are dust, but we are
articulations of light. We are flames.
Our tongues are brands. They burn
and incinerate words. To paint wounds,
dip a boar-bristled brush or tip a finger
into cadmium selenide or cadmium sulfide.
When the Hebrews painted red on their lintels, death
passed over. Red is the color that asks
for a body, even this body you failed to save.
Later, the more subdued poems of domestic life such as “Domino Players, 1943” and “Victorian Interior, 1945” employ a longer legato line that renders Pippin’s family and community with cinematic precision. By the end of the book, the doily emerges as a tantalizingly elusive symbol for Pippin and Harrington alike, since it embodies geometric order, totemic gentility, and the impossible dream of artistic escapism all at once. Though Pippin’s wife Jennie remains a passing figure, his love for her crescendos in “Commitment,” one of the book’s final poems, which dramatically conjures the day she was relegated to a mental hospital in March 1946, likely due to a pill addiction. The poem’s surreal reenactment elegizes Jennie’s sanity, the Pippins’s marriage, and ultimately, the lovers themselves, as both of them would die four months later in July of that year.
Harrington’s ekphrastic poems, marked by their keen imagery, blaze Pippin’s best paintings back to life and reveal his artistic complexity and vision. In “White Flesh,” Harrington investigates a crucified Christ more macabre than redemptive:
How said this Christ, how mournful
his salt-gray flesh, the gray nipple
on his bare chest, small flesh circle
exposed as if to suckle.
White flesh, colorless, ash, ash,
remnant of terrible flames, a body
more wick than flesh, more
winding sheet or wordless page.
Liturgical in its catalog of suffering, a hissing sibilance heightens the poem’s coldness, leading us to discover that this body is not merely battered, but lacking limbs. Ultimately, Harrington depicts Pippin’s Jesus as a “cruel theatre” whose whiteness symbolizes empty violence, which in turn facilitates the endless projections viewers ache to see in the savior’s body “scraped against the canvas.” Sensual, vivid, and metaphorically inventive, “Lilies, 1941” endures as the strongest short poem in the book, heightening the suggestiveness already evident in Pippin’s floral study:
Could they, because of their folding
or unfolding, be any more erotic, or,
because the eye can almost
enter their white flutes, more conflicted?
Little nuns in strict wimples, buds
thrust up from carnal soil.
See—at the center—
amidst the tubular scrolls: darkness, void,
and fear daunted by calla lilies rising
from a porcelain bowl above a white doily.
Crude paint and yet discernment: the eye’s lechery,
The mind’s flowering roots, flesh as cornucopia,
throats lifted in song, the trumpets of Torricelli.
Four calla lilies thrust from painted earth.
Throughout, the inventive integration of primary sources—such as Pippin’s letters, journals, and paintings—express the sincerity and authenticity of Harrington’s charge. Indeed, the sheer range of forms on display in Primitive impresses, as the reader encounters lists, blues refrains, an almost-sonnet, short imagistic marvels, and polyphonic sequences. Playful and moving, “A Canel” riffs on a war diary’s misspelling of the word ‘candle,’ while “Losing the Way, 1930” juxtaposes a slender prose-poem with a column of dramatic headlines from that year. Comprised entirely of found texts in Pippin’s notebooks, “Forms and Shapes” heightens the terse intensity of the painter’s private reflections. “Definitions,” a diptych that lays bare the daily tasks of Jennie and Horace Pippin alike, captures the tenacious work ethic and commitment to one another that made them “two knots nothing will undo.”
Despite this abundance, Primitive occasionally buckles under its excessive qualification and robust exposition. While one can appreciate Harrington’s impulse to situate her reader in an older milieu, her inclusion of more than two-dozen epigraphs—the aforementioned West quotation aside—bogs the reading experience. Moreover, some of the collection’s weaker poems, such as “A Primitive Portrait” and “Topoanalysis,” lack concision and strain prosaically to ensure no aspect of Pippin’s life lingers unexamined; in the case of the former, we explore biographical details that are better rendered elsewhere. All things considered, however, Primitive transcends the mere redemption of a painter whose success never matched the breadth of his imagination, and remains an engrossing read despite its length. For those repulsed by our regressive political discourse who are eager to delight in the fullness, intricacy, and brilliance of African-American art past and present, Janice N. Harrington’s Primitive is a great place to start.
You can reach reviews editor Adam Tavel at atavel@worwic.edu. Plume’s review policy can be found here.
BOOK REVIEW ISSUE #69 APRIL 2017
QUOTED: "Harrington has done us all a great service in rendering views of the lives of patients and care-givers alike in this slim book; I would wish to suggest for her future efforts that she might do the same for police officers, for surgical teams, for a variety of fields that those outside of them see only in media stereotypes and plain language. The ability of poetry to bring difficult lives into view with empathy is something Harrinton handles with the utmost of skill, and I do hope she will continue to apply for all of our profit."
Book Review: The Hands of Strangers
November 17, 2011 by admin ·
The Hands of Strangers:
Poems from the Nursing Home
Janice N. Harrington
Rochester: BOA Editions, 2011
ISBN: 9781934414545
reviewed by Mike Walker
Janice Harrington, an accomplished poet and author of children’s books, takes on a difficult, deep, yet rewarding topic in this collection of poems regarding life in a nursing home. It would be all too easy to approach this topic with an overly-heavy application of pity and pathos, but Harrington, an adept wordsmith and even more adept student of human character, avoid such trite pitfalls. To write of the elderly and their frail condition, to write of the loss of abilities—and sometimes even loss of memory—that these people who have seen so much, done so much, now grapple with, is no easy undertaking but one Harrington masters in poems such as “Pietà”:
His blue-milk skin, blue-veined
and blue-bruised, eases against her chest.
His brow leans into her shoulder. His lips
press her uniform’s rough pleats and leave
damp wings traced in spittle above her breast,
though she does not notice and, straining,
bears the weight as the years have taught
The focus and intention of her words are clear here, but the impressive aspect isn’t in the empathy for both the elderly patient and the patient nurse that Harrington conveys but the nuanced, careful, way with words she applies in her approach to description. Harrinton’s biographical information included with the book itself mentions that her upbringing in rural Alabama greatly influenced her manner in story-telling, but there is also an astute aspect of formalism in this poem fitting of its namesake. Harrington is not always original in her foci in these poems—there’s a lot of expected scenes and issues that you’d not be surprised to find in any collection around the theme at hand—but she is always sagacious in her descriptions. If you are going to entitle a poem “Old Photos” in a book dedicated to life in the nursing home, you’d better be a true master with words and also able to conjure a tale alive in very fast time. Harrington rises to this challenge time and again in these poems, performing a task difficult for any poet dealing with any topical matter, which is to provide the reader not only with a pithy description of the subject at hand but to allow his mind to wander outside of the immediate and into the related. As I had recently been reading about the history of mental illness and its treatment in South Carolina, many of Harrinton’s poems transported me back to that topic as well as the specifcs she concerns herself with in her poems. To me, this is most necessary because good poetry can open up the full gamut of the issues it regards in a way that even the most deft of prose often cannot.
One of the most outstanding poems in this collection is one entitled “May Engles” after a character—more than a character, a person, for we are not dealing in the remote world of fiction here—who passes away, neglected, unknown, without fanfare. In turn, Harrington takes it upon herself via measures both normal and supernatural to memorialize May Engles, to project her name and image far out into the world as we do for movie stars who die young or political leaders we actually profess to love. Again, it’s not the concept but the word-craft here that makes the poem stellar: we can imagine a woman dying in the nursing home, alone, without the attention to her basic humanity we all would hope for—that part is easy enough. Reba McEntire even had a song on an album in the early 1990s about a nursing home resident who did not die but never was visited by her family. It’s not a very original problem, the plight of the unfortunate elderly and how much of that plight is predicated on memory and lack of community with those who should matter most. However, in Harrington’s hands it becomes a poem of magical realism, of history, of tall tale. Harrington’s charm, and also her greatest strength, is that she never preaches, never tries to shame us, but instead brings us to feel awe-struck wonder where instead we only expect at best to feel sympathy. Another reviewer of this book claimed Harrington illustrates the “terrible” of her topic—the horror, I think he meant, of nursing home life—but I think she demonstrates the acute abjection and also the scant places of sublime beauty in such life.
Most of the time when we are invited to visit a nursing home or volunteer at one, to become involved in the lives of our elders who are to some extent confined, restricted, in their abilities, we are implored via a joint calling of duty (to our elders) and emotional profit (the stories we’ll hear! the things of history we’ll learn!). The public relations ploy of the nursing home as an institution nearly always brushes the disturbing or difficult aspects of nursing home realities under the rug or else simply claims such is best ignored in favor of the goodness—the vitality of humanity—encountered there if we dare. All this is noble, and all is fair, but what Harrinton accomplishes via her poems is something else, a discernment of worthy detail in even the most difficult, most harrowing, most distressing parts of life in an institution of chronic care.
In another poem, “Walking Roba”, Harrinton addresses the everyday, quick yet long-felt issue of lingering racism: a resident, an elderly Black man, needs to use the restroom and is not close enough to his own bedroom so an aide walking with him steers him into another patient’s room only to have that resident scream at them to “get that nigger out of here!”. Both men come from an era where racism was not as hidden as it is today and both came, we would hope, to witness change for the better, but perhaps not. Or perhaps the white man who yelled at Roba and the aide thought he was back in the 1950s—it’s hard to tell. What matters is that Roba probably was unsurprised, even if he’d not encountered his co-resident’s wrath before, he had without doubt encountered someone like him. He was beyond being insulted: the insults happened long ago and to a younger man. This old one was not so fragile even if he needed the help of an aide to make his way down the hall. Harrington, who is Black herself, addresses race in numerous places but she never makes of it a sermon or lesson; she never makes the book about racial injustice or even a single poem seem to be about such. She gains my greatest respect as a writer in her ability to accomplish this delicate task. Harrington is able to do such because she is able to write a poem such as “Ward of Sleep”, a poem about death that is both obvious in its sublimity but also has the structural feel of prose, almost of instruction. It reminds me of reading a naval medicine text once and encountering the instructions for preparing the dead for burial at sea: the washing, the care for the body. She is an astute eulogist here, and her ministry is both to the dead and those who remain of the living. Death, of course, is the most intractable malady anyone will face, and this is a place were many traumas and pathogens are greeted daily.
My favorite poem in this book though has to be “Reality Orientation Therapy”, a poem that owes a high debt to Ezra Pound—a poet who is, oddly enough, not mined nearly as often as you would hope by contemporary poets who need means of addressing the psyche in full. Harrington tells us that, “No, starlings have no songs. They cough like old men”. The birds, the choice of bird, the application of metaphor and most of all the boxy yet still not too long structure of the entire poem is consummate. It takes no time to read, and it’s done with so fast, but it contains enough information to last an hour. An hour of terror. The five minutes the nurse dreads of waking a patient who will not know even where they are when they awake, or perhaps even who they are. And yet there is never a sense of pity: we feel for the nurse as much as for the patient; we feel her understandable frustration.
The final section (of four) of this book is devoted to poems focusing not on patients or care-givers as have the other poems, but the mundane devices of technology that enable nursing home care—the complex medical history in the chart, even the lowly bedpan. The details of day to day life in the nursing home are made explicit by such poems—often hauntingly, awkwardly, haltingly explicit. The poems in this section are perhaps as a group the most powerful of all simply because they follow that favorite old rule of fiction writing—to show instead of to tell—a rule apt for poetry, it also turns out. Here, we are reminded also what “technology” really is: not just fancy electronics but anything tangible that enables technique. The willing, glad, and oftentimes greatly-hampered goal of both the nurses and the technology they use is to keep patients alive and functional despite the rigors of age and disease. Harrington’s book is painful and difficult because it makes the challenges faced in the more extreme aspects of elder-care very apparent and the reader may feel he cannot escape the imperfect, the frustrating, the tough chores of washing, feeding, trying to make someone remember her own name. However, you cannot help but walk away from this book impressed, not only with Harrington’s fine craft as a poet but with the tasks that nurses, aides, and others take on every day. You will not look at someone in scrubs who you know is not a doctor the same again when you see them in the grocery store at some odd hour, tired as all, buying something for dinner at midnight.
Harrington has done us all a great service in rendering views of the lives of patients and care-givers alike in this slim book; I would wish to suggest for her future efforts that she might do the same for police officers, for surgical teams, for a variety of fields that those outside of them see only in media stereotypes and plain language. The ability of poetry to bring difficult lives into view with empathy is something Harrinton handles with the utmost of skill, and I do hope she will continue to apply for all of our profit.
_____
QUOTED: "These stories are so specific, so detailed that the reader experiences them almost only as listener, because of their orality, of a tale that can never belong to them. This is not to say that the reader is denied access."
"I believe the oral tradition of these peoples, along with their weaving in and out of music, help make these personal recollections and reclamations open to all audiences for the experience. We experience and react to Harrington’s attempt to catch memory despite knowing the futility of such endeavors, for the memories she allows us to return and return to do not fly away as easily."
DeLana Dameron Reviews Janice Harrington’s EVEN THE HOLLOW MY BODY MADE IS GONEPublished in January 17th, 2009 Posted by editor in Literature Reviews, Poetry
Harrington, Janice N. Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone. Rochester: BOA Editions, 2007. 85 pp. $15.50 (paper).
[View title on Goodreads.com]
In Janice N. Harrington’s Even the Hollow My Body Made Is Gone, memory is fleeting, constantly trying to fly away. How to pin it down, to gather it into a graspable reach, is then the challenge. What If we do not own or have access to that which we seek to remember: like family history or the stories of our long-ago loves that brought us here? Maybe there is something to be said in our inability to reach those stories through memory, that perhaps this seeming lack—or emptiness—offers us a chance to create, to recreate, to praise what is then created. With this collection, winner of the A Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize and the Kate Tuft’s Discovery Award, Harrington creates a praise song to her past.
Couched within the book’s five sections, Harrington explores the rural South as it is specific to the African-American experience. It is, as she muses, oppressive, fraught with want and emptiness. It is a hollow gourd she fills with stories, lessons, songs and textured images of landscapes she remembers and those she doesn’t yet seems to know enough about it in order to preserve it in her own way. What we know by the book’s end is that everything—even what tries to escape her—is hers.
Early in the manuscript, Harrington introduces her readers to the constructed world we are to inhabit. She proclaims in the last line of the first poem, “I build a house for us. Rejoice.” And what follows is her brilliant foundation, and many reasons for praise.
Throughout the eighty-five pages, Harrington reveals to the reader all of the things in her life that were once-empty, and this refrain harkens back to the title of her book: her dead mother’s clothes she keeps and washes yearly, her grandmother’s snuff tin, her hungry belly as a child. In “Killed in Childbirth,” the need for these once-empty things to be full or brimming is evident. At times, Harrington portrays the objects as seeking their own definition beyond the present emptiness. Of pulling out her dead mother’s clothes in order to launder, she writes:
Heirlooms washed and folded over a garden fence,
left for the sun to dry and the heat
to billow full again, as clothes will always
seek dimension (21)
Harrington’s debut collection becomes a place where either the empty objects seek, as the clothes must, to be full again, or a place where the owner wishes to find ways to fill voids. Sometimes the object is the body itself. Sometimes this effort to fill is futile, as for the speaker in “Burning the Rainforest”:
Webster taught me not to not
to waste . . . .
_________________________This hard
lesson: one I wouldn’t learn, wanting
it all and everything in copious amounts. (31)
This sentiment of wanting is seen later in the poem “Possum,” when “a colored child is given a possum patty” and
she holds greasy fingers
up to her grandmother. Meat, Big Mama,
Meat! and is given another. (67)
And the grandmother, responsible for filling the hollow center, fills it to spilling and the “possum patty” is then, “large enough to fill both her hands.”
This constant return to emptiness and similar images sounds something like the blues. However, unlike the blues, the constant returning to the exact same images (cast iron, the colors red and yellow, corn husks) does not offer for the reader a chance to witness the image—or the meaning of the image—transform, but rather locks what Harrington might be trying to convey into a cycle of seeming redundancy. And it is not for lack or need of an original image—this collection is full of fresh, striking images—but perhaps the recurring cycles stand as the nature of this project: using memory and stories told over and over for preservation. In “Before a Screen Door”, Harrington says memory
has a fly’s dumb enthusiasm, rubbing its antennae
in blessing or ablution, dropping its sticky eggs
into waste, circling back fiercely, fiercely
trying to forget the touch of so many small deaths. (29)
It is a tricky conceit. Immediately she has given memory actions. Its instincts are those of a fly. Is memory quick in being fleeting? Or perhaps, it is in memory’s ability to escape before being captured that allows this to work. But like some of the images, the reader has to work against instinct to see, to truly internalize, that in this above instance, memory—and, again, maybe this project, this written collective memory—keeps circling back, circling back, “trying to forget the touch of so many small deaths.”
Throughout this collection, Harrington pays homage to her African-American rural Southern roots by infusing the literary techniques such as call and response and repetition. This idea of call and response exists in many forms, most notably in the speakers’ voices which change from third person omniscient to first but never seems to be any other “I” than an older version of the child or girl in the majority of the narratives. I am resisting saying the “I” is the writer Harrington herself as I think of Sterling Brown’s “every I is a collective I” statement—but the distance Brown tries to create for the writer and the speaker of the poems does not seem to exist for Harrington. These stories are so specific, so detailed that the reader experiences them almost only as listener, because of their orality, of a tale that can never belong to them. This is not to say that the reader is denied access. I believe the oral tradition of these peoples, along with their weaving in and out of music, help make these personal recollections and reclamations open to all audiences for the experience. We experience and react to Harrington’s attempt to catch memory despite knowing the futility of such endeavors, for the memories she allows us to return and return to do not fly away as easily.
________________________________
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, DÉLANA R.A. DAMERON is the author of How God Ends Us, a collection of poems chosen by Elizabeth Alexander for the 2008 South Carolina Poetry Book Prize (University of South Carolina Press, 2009). Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, PoemMemoirStory, 42opus, African American Review, Pembroke Magazine, Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review among others. She is the recipient of fellowships from Cave Canem and Soul Mountain, and is a member of the Carolina African American Writer’s Collective. A longtime lover of the intersections of history and literature, she holds a B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dameron currently resides in New York City.