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Elvis’s Year In Books

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Elvis Alves’s Followers (73)

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Ayala,

520 books | 81 friends

Abby

574 books | 68 friends

Ariele Dashow

783 books | 22 friends

Catherine

138 books | 21 friends

Jonathan

97 books | 497 friends

Justin Kwong

481 books | 123 friends

Todd Noren-Hentz

1,478 books | 125 friends

J.P. Howard

60 books | 905 friends

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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 · 77 ratings · 23 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	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 — 1 rating	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
catches and de Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 10, 2020 13:00

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Elvis is Currently Reading

Elvis Alves is currently reading

Brown Girl, Brownstones

by Paule Marshall

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Mar 10, 2026 07:41AM

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 it was amazing Quicksand by Nella Larsen	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
One of the best books I have read in a long time.
Mar 10, 2026 07:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Quicksand by Nella Larsen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Quicksand by Nella Larsen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves is currently reading Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall	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
Mar 10, 2026 07:41AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves rated a book it was amazing Quicksand by Nella Larsen	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
One of the best books I have read in a long time.
Mar 10, 2026 07:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Quicksand by Nella Larsen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Quicksand by Nella Larsen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves is on page 100 of 192 of Quicksand Quicksand by Nella Larsen 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
Mar 06, 2026 08:01PM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Quicksand by Nella Larsen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Quicksand by Nella Larsen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves wants to read An Introduction to Error by Deirdre Lockwood	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
Mar 06, 2026 07:28PM · like
Elvis Alves wants to read The Portable Charles W. Chesnutt (Penguin Classics) by Charles W. Chesnutt	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
Feb 27, 2026 06:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Portable Charles W. Chesnutt by Charles W. Chesnutt. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Portable Charles W. Chesnutt by Charles W. Chesnutt <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves wants to read Iola Leroy by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper	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
Feb 27, 2026 06:39PM · like
Elvis Alves wants to read God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse by James Weldon Johnson	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
Feb 27, 2026 06:38PM · like
Elvis Alves started reading Quicksand by Nella Larsen	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
Feb 27, 2026 06:08PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Quicksand by Nella Larsen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Quicksand by Nella Larsen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elvis Alves rated a book it was amazing Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes	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 book cemented my admiration of Hughes as a gifted writer and storyteller.
Feb 27, 2026 04:20PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes <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

1264 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

2462 likes

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

tags: change, education

6287 likes

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Elvis’s Groups

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 56201 members — last activity 4 hours, 58 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 ! — 22550 members — last activity Mar 04, 2026 01:17PM
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 — 8645 members — last activity Mar 09, 2026 07:05AM
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 — 16638 members — last activity Mar 07, 2026 04:19AM
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 — 17317 members — last activity Mar 08, 2026 08:04AM
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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