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386 ratings | 44 reviews | avg rating:4.08

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Elvis Alves

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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: 4.58 · 78 ratings · 23 reviews · 10 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 it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 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
	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
	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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Published on January 10, 2020 13:00

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Elvis is Currently Reading

Elvis Alves is currently reading

Paule Marshall: A Writer’s Life (Black Lives)

by Mary Helen Washington

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Aug 19, 2026 08:29AM

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Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward (Goodreads Author)

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May 04, 2026 08:34AM

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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 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 on page 100 of 112 of Searching for God at Ground Zero Searching for God at Ground Zero by James Martin (Goodreads Author) 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 21, 2026 06:20PM · like · see status
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">
Elvis Alves rated a book really liked it [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on (January, 2001) by Bernice L. McFadden (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 18, 2026 04:09PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on by Bernice L. McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on by Bernice L. McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves is currently reading [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on (January, 2001) by Bernice L. McFadden (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 13, 2026 04:48PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on by Bernice L. McFadden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on by Bernice L. McFadden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves wants to read Roll Deep: Poems by Major Jackson	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 13, 2026 04:47PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Roll Deep by Major Jackson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Roll Deep by Major Jackson <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

1871 likes

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

2467 likes

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

tags: change, education

6285 likes

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Elvis’s Groups

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 57503 members — last activity 1 hour, 23 min 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 ! — 22502 members — last activity Aug 31, 2026 04:34PM
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 — 8751 members — last activity Sep 01, 2026 02:19PM
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 — 16758 members — last activity Aug 25, 2026 01:12AM
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 — 17397 members — last activity 2 hours, 16 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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Preview — [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on by Bernice L. McFadden

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Elvis’s Groups

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Elvis Alves’s Followers (73)

Elvis Alves

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See a Problem?

Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington

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Preview — The Trees by Percival Everett

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Preview — Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

See a Problem?

Preview — Paule Marshall by Mary Helen Washington

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Preview — [(Sugar)] [By (author) Bernice L. McFadden] published on by Bernice L. McFadden

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