On Spec

by Tyrone Williams

Tyrone Williams reveals that every act of communication is a speculation, and that the spectacles we must use to see and assess it―those of our own particular condition and conditioning―are never without qualifying contour and coloration. Williams is a keen observer of the distortions of such lenses, as the titles of the two sections of this collection suggest―first is an “Eshuneutics” (interpretation purportedly infused with an Eshu’s sensibility). But the trickster’s eye can turn to mock even its own powers of analysis, as Williams deftly demonstrates by calling the second section “Pseudo-eshuneutics.” While the issues that Williams confronts come directly from an attempt say what it might mean to understand aspects of the African American condition of diaspora in the United States, these poems also implicate and illuminate the speculative enterprise that we each venture into whenever we attempt to articulate what we see and what we believe about it. At once immediately readable, intensely meditative, and brilliantly braced with philosophical reference, these tours through our human need to speak, and to understand, travel beyond the boundaries that constrain most poetry collections. Poems, plays, plays upon the making of such genre distinctions, are only some of the locations one will visit in these pages.

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lana Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books to which you come back, discover new meanings, connect on different levels. It took me 'Halfway to the stars'.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough one to rate--the best pages (and there are many) are amazing, definitely five-star stuff...but ultimately the book was a little too inconsistent in achievement for me to quite feel comfortable giving it the highest rating as a whole. Still, highly recommended.

Addendum, January 2010: Even better the second time around.

[Jonterri · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, these poems were the kind that are received mostly through intellect. They were less about inspiring emotion. Which doesn't mean that they weren't brilliant. These poems are really smart and thought-provoking. Seems like a book you have to read more than once because you'll figure something else out each time.

[Queer · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems flash across the page and the mind. The plays, the legislators/laws and the homophonics leave the reader grappling with history, the body/self and the sweet tricks our own minds can play on ourselves. On Spec is not for everyone. If you enjoy Omnidawn's other publications you will likely enjoy this one.