Inauguration

by Idris Goodwin, Nico Wilkinson

Inspired by inaugural poets of the past, Inauguration is a collection of poems crafted in response to the commencement of a new administration. Writing out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, one of the most divided cities in the country, Goodwin and Wilkinson trade ruminations of survival in a hostile political climate. Yet Inauguration transcends partisan rhetoric. It is a rallying call to reflect back as we collectively forge our way forward.

Genres: Poetry, Politics, Nonfiction

23 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 11, 2017

About the author

Idris Goodwin is an multi award-winning writer and storyteller whose work spans stage, screen, audio, and page. From his widely produced breakbeat plays and historical dramas such as How We Got On, Hype Man: A Break Beat Play, This is Modern Art and Bars and Measures to books for young readers including Your House is Not Just a House (Harper/Clarion) and King of the Neuro Verse (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum) Goodwin’s been commissioned and or produced by The Kennedy Center, The Eugene O'Neill Conference, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Arena Stage. A United States Artist Fellow and seasoned educator, he has created content for HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, and NPR. Idris is an Associate Professor of Dramatic Writing at Arizona State University.

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

National Poetry Month, day 2.

Inauguration by Idris Goodwin and Nico Wilkinson came out from Haymarket not long after Trump’s inauguration. The poems focus on blackness and queerness and illness in Trump's America, from two poets/spoken word performers who live in Colorado Springs, which is probably a Trump center considering groups like Focus on the Family reside there.

Favorites include

fireworks
"i don’t remember pledging allegiance to a lesser evil."

how many times must I mourn this year

Benediction for the black motorist
"...When stopped
May the black motorist be humble enough to take one more
Just one more, deep breath
Even though inside a volcano exhales
Ancestors and the un-avenged"

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timely poetry in a post-Trump world. Goodwin and Wilkinson manage to explain what it's like to be black and queer in America these days. These poems are uncomfortable by necessity and especially poignant considering each poet's base is in ultra-conservative Colorado Springs. I can imagine reading these in early 2017 would have been 10x more powerful, but as it stands Inauguration is a tour de force anyway.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"my anger is often mistaken as hate.
when my anger is closer to love.
angry is the most patriotic thing
we can be."
(from "fireworks")

Brief, fierce, needful. Standouts: "November 9 2016," "mental illness testifies," and "fireworks."

[Lorna Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly HIGHLY recommend this collection!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

No notes. Should be required reading for every single American in 2025. Will be coming back to this again and again for sure.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

from mental illness testifies

your honor.
i need to set the record straight.
i have taken the blame for a lot
of bloodshed
but this –
i don’t think i did this, i mean
i can’t be sure but this
doesn’t sound like me, i mean

here i am on the stand, again
always the target. i’m starting
to wonder if this is illness
or if i am being gaslit.

I should have read this book two years ago when I got it from Haymarket Books. I guess I just couldn’t face anything else that reminded me of our president. So instead I waited until just before the mid-term elections. This was a good reminder of why I continue to vote Democratic. The Democrats are not perfect, but they often are more interested in social justice than the Republicans.

If you are a poetry reader or a politics junkie, you might want to read this very short book of excellent poetry.

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally like poetry but this short collection was incredibly powerful. Not all of the poems are in response to the election, but they all speak to themes of acceptance and diversity and bigotry and otherness. Really really good. And it is currently free from Haymarket Books.

[michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

at times a little too on the nose for my tastes but with a title like inauguration what else should i have expected

mixed feelings on the poem abt speaking to your white family abt racism but like it’s whatever

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry focused on the recent socio-political events. Quite a powerful and quick read.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the book was well written. It does confuse me when writers don’t capitalise them letter i though.