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Selected Poems of Calvin C. Hernton
The definitive guide to a major African American poet
This volume promises to be the definitive guide to Calvin C. Hernton's unparalleled poetic career, re-introducing readers to a major voice in American poetry. Hernton was a cofounder of the Umbra Poets Workshop; a participant in the Black Arts Movement, R. D. Laing's Kingsley Hall, and the Antiuniversity of London; and a teacher at Oberlin College who counted amongst his friends bell hooks, Toni Morrison, and Odetta. As a pioneer in the field of Black Studies, Hernton developed a theoretical and practical pedagogy with lasting impact on generations of students. He may be best known as an anti-sexist sociologist, following in the footsteps of W.E.B. Du Bois, but Hernton viewed himself, above all, as a poet. This volume includes a generous selection of Hernton's previously published poems, from classics like the often anthologized "The Distant Drum" to the visionary epic The Coming of Chronos to the House of Nightsong, reprinted in full for the first time since 1964, alongside uncollected and unpublished material from the Calvin C. Hernton papers at Ohio University, a new critical introduction, and detailed notes, chronology, and bibliography.
[sample poem]
The Distant Drum
I am not a metaphor or symbol.
This you hear is not the wind in the trees.
Nor a cat being maimed in the street.
I am being maimed in the street
It is I who weep, laugh, feel pain or joy.
Speak this because I exist.
This is my voice
These words are my words, my mouth
Speaks them, my hand writes.
I am a poet.
It is my fist you hear beating
Against your ear.
This volume promises to be the definitive guide to Calvin C. Hernton's unparalleled poetic career, re-introducing readers to a major voice in American poetry. Hernton was a cofounder of the Umbra Poets Workshop; a participant in the Black Arts Movement, R. D. Laing's Kingsley Hall, and the Antiuniversity of London; and a teacher at Oberlin College who counted amongst his friends bell hooks, Toni Morrison, and Odetta. As a pioneer in the field of Black Studies, Hernton developed a theoretical and practical pedagogy with lasting impact on generations of students. He may be best known as an anti-sexist sociologist, following in the footsteps of W.E.B. Du Bois, but Hernton viewed himself, above all, as a poet. This volume includes a generous selection of Hernton's previously published poems, from classics like the often anthologized "The Distant Drum" to the visionary epic The Coming of Chronos to the House of Nightsong, reprinted in full for the first time since 1964, alongside uncollected and unpublished material from the Calvin C. Hernton papers at Ohio University, a new critical introduction, and detailed notes, chronology, and bibliography.
[sample poem]
The Distant Drum
I am not a metaphor or symbol.
This you hear is not the wind in the trees.
Nor a cat being maimed in the street.
I am being maimed in the street
It is I who weep, laugh, feel pain or joy.
Speak this because I exist.
This is my voice
These words are my words, my mouth
Speaks them, my hand writes.
I am a poet.
It is my fist you hear beating
Against your ear.
256 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2023
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
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March 2, 2026
Calvin C Herton is a writer who is shamefully forgotten to history. The writer of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry had a lot to offer in terms of commentary and creativity around the experiences of a Black man in the mid to late 20th century. Passing away in 2001 at the age of 69, the limited reputation he garnered during his life dwindled with lack of further commentary and analysis after his passing. Until now.
Published in 2023 by Wesleyan University Press, this collection offers a career overview and sampling of Hernton’s poetry. Spanning decades, readers are exposed to a selection of poems from each of his published poetry collections, as well as a handful of previously unpublished poems. Each section is introduced by Hernton himself offering a bit of context around his life and inspirations at the time of writing these poems.
These section introductions, as well as the book introduction by editors David Grundy and Lauri Scheyer and the foreword by Ishmael Reed, really give you an added bonus in reading this collection. Not only are you given some amazing poetry but you get the context and history of the man who wrote them, something that isn’t easy to find elsewhere.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Hernton has mostly been forgotten by time. There isn’t much in terms of publicly available information on who he was online and this book is a great resource to fill in some of those gaps.
I have been aware of Calvin C Hernton for about a year now but this is the first time I’ve read anything from him. I became aware of him through an interview Ishmael Reed was conducting with George S Schuyler in the early 1970s.
As is apparent by the foreword of this book, Ishmael Reed and Calvin C Hernton were close friends. Reed was a big proponent of Hernton’s work, promoting him at any chance he got and buying the deadstock of his low selling debut novel Scarecrow. Hernton was a big admirer of Reed, mentioning him directly by name in many of his poems. These two, both born in Chattanooga in the 1930s, met writing in New York during the 1960s became friends and compatriots in the same wave of African American literature of this time period. I highly recommend this collection and the work of Calvin C Hernton to fans of Ishmeal Reed. Much of what is presented here in this collection has a similar feel to the works of Reed, just in poetic verse. That being said, there is a unique quality to Hernton that I haven’t really seen elsewhere.
The subjects of Hernton’s poems range from the political topics of the day, the gritty beat stylings of mid century NYC living, Hernton’s experiences living in England as well as his eventual time living in Oberlin, OH. All of these subjects are colored by race and the systemic aspects of racism in America and the UK.
Some poems focus on a subject or event that has happened. A poem like “Michael Stewart - Enunciation” comments on police brutality through the 1983 murder of Michael Stewart whereas a poem like “A Canticle for the 1960s” captures the decade as a whole through its new headlines and pop culture icons.
There is a wide variety of dexterity offered here. While these subjects might be deep and thought provoking they are very comprehensive. Hernton does a great job making these poems energetic, alluring, and illuminating. Some of the earlier beat style poems really have a musical feel. Not a unique quality in poetry, I have rarely seen it done as well as here. Many of these poems could easily be translated into song.
The real highlight of this collection is the 30 page poem “The Coming of Chronos to the House of Nightsong”. First published in 1964, this poem is written from the perspective of a one hundred year old southern white woman reckoning with her family’s legacy and the passage of time. Surreal and deeply haunting, this poem has a southern gothic tone that offers a very unrelenting read.
I am not usually one for long poems but the longer poems really are the best in this collection. While lyrical and poetic, these poems often feel more like short stories offering a really detailed look at a subject. Learning that Hernton only published one novel I was a little disappointed to not get much of this creative side of him but these longer poems definitely offer a great insight into his creative storytelling side.
My only issue with this collection is that it does start to lose some steam in the last quarter. This section comprises later poems and previously unreleased work. Typically stuff that isn’t career defining. I found that these poems were just okay, with one or two highlights, as opposed to what I became accustomed to in the first three fourths of this collection.
I received a copy of this collection from my library and I recommend anyone reading this to check and see if they can do the same. Overall, this is the most accessible way to experience the work of Hernton and a great way to do so at that. I was lucky enough to find a cheap copy of his sole novel Scarecrow, which I will be reading soon, but I don’t think many others will be as lucky.
I will be acquiring my own copy of this collection and revisiting it in the future. The poems in here are some of the best I’ve read and truly a creative output that makes for an engaging read above most poetry I’ve read.
Personal Favorites: Migrate (pg. 3), For Ghana, 1957 (pg. 4), Young Negro Poet (pg. 10), 125th St Harlem, USA (pg. 24), Hate Poem (pg. 29), Elements of Grammar (pg. 31), The Coming of Chronos to the House of Nightsong (pg. 45), Ballad (pg. 85), Scarecrow (pg. 98), Jitterbug in the Streets (pg. 106), Game Life, London 1967 (pg. 114), Country (pg. 117), Crossing Brooklyn Bridge at 4 O’Clock in the Morning, August 4th, 1979 (pg. 138), Michael Stewart - Enunciation (pg. 147), Mad Dogs Vietnam (pg.189)
Published in 2023 by Wesleyan University Press, this collection offers a career overview and sampling of Hernton’s poetry. Spanning decades, readers are exposed to a selection of poems from each of his published poetry collections, as well as a handful of previously unpublished poems. Each section is introduced by Hernton himself offering a bit of context around his life and inspirations at the time of writing these poems.
These section introductions, as well as the book introduction by editors David Grundy and Lauri Scheyer and the foreword by Ishmael Reed, really give you an added bonus in reading this collection. Not only are you given some amazing poetry but you get the context and history of the man who wrote them, something that isn’t easy to find elsewhere.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Hernton has mostly been forgotten by time. There isn’t much in terms of publicly available information on who he was online and this book is a great resource to fill in some of those gaps.
I have been aware of Calvin C Hernton for about a year now but this is the first time I’ve read anything from him. I became aware of him through an interview Ishmael Reed was conducting with George S Schuyler in the early 1970s.
As is apparent by the foreword of this book, Ishmael Reed and Calvin C Hernton were close friends. Reed was a big proponent of Hernton’s work, promoting him at any chance he got and buying the deadstock of his low selling debut novel Scarecrow. Hernton was a big admirer of Reed, mentioning him directly by name in many of his poems. These two, both born in Chattanooga in the 1930s, met writing in New York during the 1960s became friends and compatriots in the same wave of African American literature of this time period. I highly recommend this collection and the work of Calvin C Hernton to fans of Ishmeal Reed. Much of what is presented here in this collection has a similar feel to the works of Reed, just in poetic verse. That being said, there is a unique quality to Hernton that I haven’t really seen elsewhere.
The subjects of Hernton’s poems range from the political topics of the day, the gritty beat stylings of mid century NYC living, Hernton’s experiences living in England as well as his eventual time living in Oberlin, OH. All of these subjects are colored by race and the systemic aspects of racism in America and the UK.
Some poems focus on a subject or event that has happened. A poem like “Michael Stewart - Enunciation” comments on police brutality through the 1983 murder of Michael Stewart whereas a poem like “A Canticle for the 1960s” captures the decade as a whole through its new headlines and pop culture icons.
There is a wide variety of dexterity offered here. While these subjects might be deep and thought provoking they are very comprehensive. Hernton does a great job making these poems energetic, alluring, and illuminating. Some of the earlier beat style poems really have a musical feel. Not a unique quality in poetry, I have rarely seen it done as well as here. Many of these poems could easily be translated into song.
The real highlight of this collection is the 30 page poem “The Coming of Chronos to the House of Nightsong”. First published in 1964, this poem is written from the perspective of a one hundred year old southern white woman reckoning with her family’s legacy and the passage of time. Surreal and deeply haunting, this poem has a southern gothic tone that offers a very unrelenting read.
I am not usually one for long poems but the longer poems really are the best in this collection. While lyrical and poetic, these poems often feel more like short stories offering a really detailed look at a subject. Learning that Hernton only published one novel I was a little disappointed to not get much of this creative side of him but these longer poems definitely offer a great insight into his creative storytelling side.
My only issue with this collection is that it does start to lose some steam in the last quarter. This section comprises later poems and previously unreleased work. Typically stuff that isn’t career defining. I found that these poems were just okay, with one or two highlights, as opposed to what I became accustomed to in the first three fourths of this collection.
I received a copy of this collection from my library and I recommend anyone reading this to check and see if they can do the same. Overall, this is the most accessible way to experience the work of Hernton and a great way to do so at that. I was lucky enough to find a cheap copy of his sole novel Scarecrow, which I will be reading soon, but I don’t think many others will be as lucky.
I will be acquiring my own copy of this collection and revisiting it in the future. The poems in here are some of the best I’ve read and truly a creative output that makes for an engaging read above most poetry I’ve read.
Personal Favorites: Migrate (pg. 3), For Ghana, 1957 (pg. 4), Young Negro Poet (pg. 10), 125th St Harlem, USA (pg. 24), Hate Poem (pg. 29), Elements of Grammar (pg. 31), The Coming of Chronos to the House of Nightsong (pg. 45), Ballad (pg. 85), Scarecrow (pg. 98), Jitterbug in the Streets (pg. 106), Game Life, London 1967 (pg. 114), Country (pg. 117), Crossing Brooklyn Bridge at 4 O’Clock in the Morning, August 4th, 1979 (pg. 138), Michael Stewart - Enunciation (pg. 147), Mad Dogs Vietnam (pg.189)
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