Fetish Bones

by Camae Ayewa

"In her debut book of poetry, Camae Ayewa is speaking about life beyond the gaze. She speaks about the multitudes of survival and resistance when it comes to the expansive lives of those that have come into her space of creation, both physical and spiritual. Her poetry is rooted in a practice she has created called "Anthropology of Consciousness," which invokes an understanding that spiritual energy is not stagnant but continuous in every dimension as spiral and boundless information. Her poetry is ageless, intergenerational, and not outside of, but through the bounds of time. Her poetry recovers that which we have been forced to forget and realigns ancestral meridians that serve as our guides to our inner and outer worlds throughout existence. Fetish Bones shares the same title as her debut album Fetish Bones by Moor Mother released fall 2016 on Don Giovanni Records." (from House of Future Sciences/AFA)

Genres: Poetry

116 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many might know of the author of this poetry collection by her performance name, Moor Mother, and one half of the Black Quantum Futurism collective. Camae's performance style utilizes analog snyths, electronic instruments, free jazz accompaniment with contemporary musicians, and direct address to the audience. It's highly recommended to see her perform because, to be frank in my own words, Camae is a true witch. She changes the energy in the room and and demands presence from her audience. Those in attendance there to try and simply consume art find themselves uncomfortably enduring.

This book shares its name with Moor Mother's debut EP of the same name, on Don Giovanni records. It's recommended to listen to the album or any of her work, because it will give you additional layers with which to perceive her words on the page. Really real shit.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camae Ayewa has bestowed us with an unclassifiable and visceral gut-punch collection of poems. Her lyrical aplomb is part beat, part beatdown, kindred to her musical output under the recording artist moniker Moor Mother. At the heart of this book is her experience as a Black woman from Philly, seeing the violence, both institutional and physical, which shakes the lives of families and and generations and individuals from the top down and sideways. People refer to this type of writing as "urgent," which feels like too tame and adjective to describe the brutal realness that pops off the page. An A+ debut from a just super talented artist.

I can't really listen to music when I read poetry, so I'll refer you to the Moor Mother record of the same name, "Fetish Bones," which features performances of some of the poems in this collection, and also one of my favorite records from 2020, the Moor Mother / Mental Jewelry collaboration "True Opera" which restored my faith in punk rock.

[Loren Cahill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really visceral book of poetry. Felt like music I had to say it aloud to digest it all. Dope read. I recommend!