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388 ratings | 44 reviews | avg rating:4.08

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Elvis Alves

Goodreads Author

Twitter

eoalves

Genre

Poetry

Member Since

July 2013

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Elvis Alves (www.elvisalves.com) was born in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of Colgate University and Princeton Theological Seminary. His work has appeared in several journals and magazines including Poetry Magazine, Sojourners, Transition, Caribbean Writer Journal, and The Applicant. Elvis is a Pushcart Prize nominated poet. He is the author of Bitter Melon (2013), Ota Benga (2017), I Am No Battlefield But A Forest Of Trees Growing (winner of the Jacopone da Todi Poetry Book Prize) (2018), Black/White: We Are Not Panic (Pandemic) Free (2020), Blackfish (2022), and This Is What I Know (2023). His latest book is Exile Is Home (2025). In 2025, he was a finalist for the Poetic Justice Institute Editor's Prize (Fordham Univ ...more

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Elvis Alves’s books

Average rating: 4.57 · 79 ratings · 23 reviews · 11 distinct works

	Bitter Melon 4.32 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ota Benga 4.82 avg rating — 11 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I Am No Battlefield but a Forest of Trees Growing 4.86 avg rating — 7 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hoot and Hare Review (No. 2) by Scott Michael Craig (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Brian Armstrong (Goodreads Author), Richard Kostelanetz it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blackfish 4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Black/White: We Are Not Panic (Pandemic) Free it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Exile Is Home 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	This Is What I Know 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gods In The Head 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	rainy weather days: Volume 4—Baptized by Fire by D. Aaron Campbell, Elvis Alves (Goodreads Author), Diane Dooley (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Elvis Alves's Blog

Dreams

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1.are made of silver and gold in the belly of a whalemoving to land full speed ahead of the storm that
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Elvis is Currently Reading

Elvis Alves is currently reading

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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May 04, 2026 08:34AM

Elvis Alves is currently reading

Black-Eyed Susans and Midnight Birds: Stories by and about Black Women

by Mary Helen Washington

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Mar 28, 2024 03:07PM

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Elvis’s Recent Updates

Elvis Alves rated a book really liked it Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 17, 2026 09:23PM · like
Elvis Alves wants to read Women of the Harlem Renaissance (Macmillan Collector's Library) by Marissa Constantinou	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 05, 2026 04:44PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Women of the Harlem Renaissance by Marissa Constantinou. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Women of the Harlem Renaissance by Marissa Constantinou <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves wants to read Writing Alone and with Others by Pat Schneider (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 03, 2026 07:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Writing Alone and with Others by Pat Schneider. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Writing Alone and with Others by Pat Schneider <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves rated a book really liked it Paule Marshall: A Writer’s Life (Black Lives) by Mary Helen Washington	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 05, 2026 07:54AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves is on page 200 of 312 of Paule Marshall Paule Marshall: A Writer’s Life (Black Lives) by Mary Helen Washington progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 30, 2026 06:41AM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves wants to read The Trees by Percival Everett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 25, 2026 03:37PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Trees by Percival Everett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Trees by Percival Everett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves rated a book really liked it Searching for God at Ground Zero by James Martin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 24, 2026 01:23PM · like
Elvis Alves wants to read Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 24, 2026 07:54AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves is currently reading Searching for God at Ground Zero by James Martin (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 21, 2026 06:19PM · like
Elvis Alves started reading Paule Marshall: A Writer’s Life (Black Lives) by Mary Helen Washington	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 19, 2026 08:29AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Elvis’s Quotes

“The world is like a Mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place.”
― Chinua Achebe

1260 likes

“You might as well answer the door, my child,
the truth is furiously knocking.”
― Lucille Clifton, Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980

tags: inspirational

1870 likes

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”
― Zora Neale Hurston

2468 likes

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
― Nelson Mandela

tags: change, education

6288 likes

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Elvis’s Groups

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 57903 members — last activity 47 minutes ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

¡ POETRY ! — 22488 members — last activity Oct 07, 2026 06:07PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

GOOD REVIEWS — 8792 members — last activity 13 hours, 56 min ago
This Group is only for authors who are looking for reviews and Reviewers who love to read books and share their reviews.

Support for Indie Authors — 16794 members — last activity Oct 18, 2026 04:03AM
Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le ...more

Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club — 17415 members — last activity 6 hours, 55 min ago
You just found the Official unofficial Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club. We will read the Goodreads Choice Awards winning books throughout the year b ...more

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Elvis’s Friend Comments

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message 2: by Elvis

Dec 13, 2017 04:42PM

For a limited time, read Ota Benga for free on #Kindle, http://amzn.to/2Bjxlk3

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message 1: by Elvis

Oct 27, 2013 09:06AM

Download and read Bitter Melon for free here: http://amzn.to/Hpf9p9 Promotional offer ends 10/28.

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Elvis’s Year In Books

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Elvis Alves

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Elvis Alves’s books

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Elvis Alves's Blog

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Elvis’s Groups

Elvis’s Friend Comments

Elvis Alves’s Followers (73)

Elvis Alves

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Popular Answered Questions

rssElvis’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Women of the Harlem Renaissance by Marissa Constantinou

See a Problem?

Preview — Writing Alone and with Others by Pat Schneider

See a Problem?

Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington

See a Problem?

Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington

See a Problem?

Preview — The Trees by Percival Everett

See a Problem?

Preview — Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

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Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington

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