GREAT. So great. This should be a text that's distributed to high schools that teach The Odyssey as a companion text. I would definitely market it to teachers.

This spectacular tribute to contemporary American artist, Romare Bearden by black poets of the diaspora commemorates his work meaningfully, using words to create diverse imagery.

Because the galley did not include any of the art, my review is focused only on the idea of it, and my enjoyment of the poetry. When possible, I googled the art so I could appreciate the ways the different art forms illuminated and responded to each other, but it was still a much less satisfying read than it would've been with the art.

This volume of ekphrastic poetry was enjoyable, often soaring and just as often searing. In response to Siren Song, Fred D'Aguilar says, "This is the story of our history if truth be told / That we live and take struggle in our stride / That the color of our lives may pass us by / If we obey forces besides love because want Is our only compass and love our constant loss. I enjoyed lingering with the poems, and many images will stay with me for a very long time. Adrian Matejka's "Heritage" and E. Ethelbert Miller's "Tubman" were special favorites.

I'd love to see the finished book -- I can imagine it will be glorious.

This book was nourishment. Elite black poets responded to the work of Romare Bearden with power and familiarity. This poetry is moving on its own, but considered along with Bearden's art, it is masterful.

On a recent visit with my brother and his girlfriend to the Detroit Institue of Arts, I came across Bearden's mosaic 'Quilting Time.' It's a beautifully made piece, quintessentially Bearden with it's bold, bright colors and distinct texture and shapes. My excitement to share the works of one of my favorite artists with quelled when my brother's girlfriend said, "So who is this guy again?" That is precisely why this collection is necessary. Here, Kwame Dawes and Matthew Shenoda have assembled an outstanding group of poets from Nikki Giovanni to Rita Dove to Tracy K, Smith (amongst many, many others) to remind us of the importance of Bearden's work and legacy. Some of the poems are tributes to the man himself, others are ruminations on the world that birthed him, and a few pose the question "What does Bearden's work tell us about the world as it is now?" The interaction of visual image with written text is a wonderful reminder that Bearden's impressive works have always constituted a source of lyricism themselves.