Desire's Directive by Garfunkle

The first poem of June Jordan's that I came across was Poem About My Rights. I don't remember exactly how I found that poem, but the effect was immediate and it really hit me hard. Not too much later, I picked up a copy of Directed by Desire, a book of June Jordan's collected poetry. That book hasn't left my nightstand and I turn to it very regularly. June Jordan is probably my most-read author because of that.

As powerful as June Jordan's written word is, her spoken poetry is a different thing - not better or worse, but a different way of receiving her words. Listening to her readings, the rhythms in her speech felt very evident.

So.

Here is a collection of six of June Jordan's poems, read by her with music that I have put together around her reading. My hope is that these songs are an alternative way to experience June Jordan's poetry, separate both from reading her written words and from hearing her unaccompanied voice. It's powerful stuff - the experience of spending even more time with these poems as I put these songs together has been fantastic. I hope you enjoy these.

A keyboard player, mc, and producer raised on hip-hop with a love of jazz. Working at it, infatuated with the music and the process since learning how to record to a cassette.

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