Electric Arches

by Eve L. Ewing

Electric Arches is an imaginative exploration of Black girlhood and womanhood through poetry, visual art, and narrative prose. Blending stark realism with the surreal and fantastic, Eve L. Ewing’s narrative takes us from the streets of 1990s Chicago to an unspecified future, deftly navigating the boundaries of space, time, and reality. Ewing imagines familiar figures in magical circumstances―blues legend Koko Taylor is a tall-tale hero; LeBron James travels through time and encounters his teenage self. She identifies everyday objects―hair moisturizer, a spiral notebook―as precious icons. Her visual art is spare, playful, and poignant―a cereal box decoder ring that allows the wearer to understand what Black girls are saying; a teacher’s angry, subversive message scrawled on the chalkboard. Electric Arches invites fresh conversations about race, gender, the city, identity, and the joy and pain of growing up. Eve L. Ewing is a writer, scholar, artist, and educator from Chicago. Her work has appeared in Poetry, The New Yorker, New Republic, The Nation, The Atlantic , and many other publications. She is a sociologist at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Race, African American, Feminism, Fantasy, Short Stories

90 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2017

About the author

Dr. Eve Louise Ewing is a writer and a sociologist of education from Chicago. Ewing is a prolific writer across multiple genres. Her 2018 book Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism & School Closings on Chicago's South Side explores the relationship between the closing of public schools and the structural history of race and racism in Chicago's Bronzeville community.

Ewing's first collection of poetry, essays, and visual art, Electric Arches, was published by Haymarket Books in 2017. Her second collection, 1919, tells the story of the race riot that rocked Chicago in the summer of that year. Her first book for elementary readers, Maya and the Robot, is forthcoming in 2020 from Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Her work has been published in many venues, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Washington Post, The New Republic, Poetry Magazine, and the anthology American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, curated by Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate of the United States. With Nate Marshall, she co-wrote the play No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, produced by Manual Cinema and commissioned by the Poetry Foundation. She also currently writes the Champions series for Marvel Comics and previously wrote the acclaimed Ironheart series, as well as other projects.

Reviews

[Roxane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about this book. The poems that were amazing were truly amazing, full of richness and depth about black girlhood and black womanness. The same goes for the amazing prose pieces. There was an interesting strain of afro futurism throughout that I wish was more fully explored. I stumbled with the book’s structure and arrangement because I was looking for more of a connective tissue. But oh, the spirit of this collection soars and Ewing tackles so much across the writing and art offered here. The work in the section “Oil and Water” is by far the strongest and most compelling. In “appletree” she conjures the lyrics of Erykah Badu and the realities of black womanhood in such a moving, eloquent way. I felt so much nostalgia and recognition in “Ode to Luster’s Pink Oil,” and the poetry was so exact and vivid that I could smell the pink oil, feel the texture of it against my fingers. I cannot ask for more from writing. Electric Arches is well worth your time. The writing here will make you think and feel and grow.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were moments of magic, but too few. There was no discernible theme or context/connection from one work to the next.

Ewing's prose is lilting and magnificent. I loved, "What I talk about When I Talk About Black Jesus."

For several poems where the lines were presented in script, they were nigh unto illegible. The font was too small to read, for those poems printed with white font in a black background. The publisher did her no favors by not having a few readers comment specifically on the design/legibility of the ARC, and then fixing it prior to publication.

I would love to hear Ewing read her work in person.

I would buy her next book of poems.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I write this review as an outsider.

Poetry is often intensely personal in ways prose avoids. This is a collection of insights, remembrances, and calls to push forth. It is also an invitation for readers, to bear witness, to reflect.

"What words can you offer us to help us be free black people in a world that does not love us?"

A rating on technique I am not qualified to give, so the rating is strictly subjective. I did enjoy it. I appreciated being invited to step inside a place I'm not allowed and observe. As a non-colored person that is the only role I can have reading this.

Ewing addresses the weight of race, of social injustice, of struggle, but also the strength and beauty inherent.

I am in the universe and it is my hair.
each strand arched electric and perfectly still
before my eyes, dancing, crooked,
arranged just so in the air
like the last humming chord of a song.

-excerpt, 'at the salon'

I grew up in the Caribbean. Many of my friends were black, and I was in awe of the intricate hairstyles they would come to school with, Monday mornings were magic. Revealed were the hours they spent with their sisters and mothers braiding and beading. I think it was envy. To never have your hair slip out of a ponytail during basketball, to not have to brush it all the time, and to have people who would want to spend seven hours doing your hair. Definitely envy.

A man can be may things: a snare drum
or a willow tree with its branches dragging down into the muddy water,
the white rind of a watermelon, or a run in your stockings,
or the moment that you see our name
written on the inside of a desk at school
and it wasn't you who wrote it.

But you can be your own gin
and your best sip too.
You can make him with a nation and still be sovereign,
your own gold coin and your own honest trade.
You can touch his hand
and still be your own snapping fingers
when the snare has gone quiet.

-excerpt, 'appletree'

Magical realism is a genre borne out of oppression. A way to break reality in unrealistic ways in order to create something magical. It is optimistic by its nature because it provides trapped people modes of escape in the ugly of contemporary times. Not all the poems utilize it, but the ones that do have an extraordinary playfulness.

Again, a spectacular and gorgeous cover. The full image is even more amazing.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this was everything I needed in life, but didn't know. Every word was chosen carefully, and the combination of real life and magic is sincerely beautiful. Multiple times I cried and the poem about Fullerton Ave was amazing. And to the notebook kid, which I've read before to my students, is still SO GOOD.

If you love chicago, if you love being black, if you love magical realism, if you think you like poetry but aren't sure, this book is for you.
So basically, for everyone who loves good things.

I don't what else to say, man, it's just SO GOOD.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Speak this to yourself
until you know it is true."

this book is magic

[The Black Geek · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first heard about Electric Arches, I looked forward to reading Ewing's book. I had been impressed by Ewing's scholarly research and academic biography. With this said, I was a bit disappointed in this book for the following reasons:

1) The haphazard organization of the poems made this book difficult to read.

2) The structure of the poems included awkward and abrupt line breaks .

3) The collection included "filler" poems that did not connect to the theme of Black girlhood or Black womanhood (as advertised).

4) The abstract images did not connect with the poems or theme; the images lacked context.

5) The poems read like a series of separate journal entries; there was not a coherent narration.


Overall, I wanted more from this work; I expected more. Although there will always be space for experimental poetry and prose, there still must be consideration for more focused artistry and craft.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting mix of poetry, prose, and art. Powerful meditations on growing up as a black female in Chicago. Ewing's poems are both extremely specific yet bloom beyond that, filled with memories of the past and the future.

[Janani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here for the Chicago nostalgia alone.

[Leah Rachel von Essen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing is absolutely stunning. With a dash of the tale of an alien invasion, Ewing takes us through black girlhood and womanhood, in a variety of prose, poetic, and artistic styles, all of which are gorgeous.

Ewing’s book is divided into three sections: ‘true stories,’ ‘oil and water,’ and ‘letters from the flatlands.’ Her poems, stories, and works took my breath away. Her words flow easily from page to page, casting visual shadows and best read, like so much poetry, aloud. Her works include a long-form poem about (and titled), “why you cannot touch my hair” that includes so many devastating lines describing the narrator’s hair that I couldn’t choose just one to list here. It includes a sick science fiction short story in verse, telling of the day the moon people came, “smashing the fare boxes at the train stations into wind chimes / and bowing low to the passengers as they entered,” singing Aretha Franklin, Missy Elliott, and others—“the moon people had been listening all this time”—the story a masterpiece a story about aliens and blackness and strangeness. The poem about biking down the street, creating adventures and worlds, is both full of time and timeless, a microcosm of childhood. Ewing’s voice is strong and complex, and her poetry is all the storytelling of genius—there wasn’t a poem or story in this text that made me feel, deeply, or that at some point make me suck my breath in through my teeth because the words were so good.

I received a copy of this book from Haymarket Books in exchange for an honest review. Find Ewing on Twitter as wikipedia brown, and pick up this incredible work of poetry, prose, and more on September 5. It’s a must-read of this year for anyone who reads poetry—or those who don’t.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am in the universe and it is my hair
each strand arched electric and perfectly still
before my eyes, dancing, crooked
arranged just so in the air
like the last humming chord of a song."
.
At the Salon
Eve L. Ewing, Electric Arches
.
Poetry, short prose, and artwork, gathered in this electric debut collection by Ewing.The first half of the book took awhile to warm up. 'The Device' with its scifi/fantasy bent was particularly intriguing and encouraged me to continue. The second half coalesced into something special. In a larger set piece entitled "Letters from the Flatlands", Ewing combines shorter pieces of poetry, prose shorts, and art about her childhood growing up in Chicago. This section made the whole book shine all the brighter.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure the last time I read a book that left me feeling so...human. "Electric Arches" reminded me that being Black is to be human in a way that is deeply rooted in the community, the Earth, and the cosmos. I cried multiple times while reading this, mostly because Ewing's writing style is effortlessly moving, but also because the things she talks about are real, and important. I needed this book as much as I can honestly say you, and everyone else, need this book.

[O'Phylia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blending verse with magical realism and a dash of speculative fiction, Ewing's words flow beautifully in a time where ugliness abounds. Electric Arches is what every black girl needs in her arsenal to face a world that hates her virulently. If you read this book, you will feel invincible.

[Jherane Patmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Electric Arches is a great combo of poetry and Afrofuturism. A lot of the poems went over my head, probably because I’m not American, but I loved the ones I liked.
Would recommend for fans of Janelle Monae, Morgan Parker, and Willow Smith.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some more haunting poetry from Ewing.

[Glauber Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! Except for the part where it made me cry in a crowded cafeteria. That was not cool. It should come with a warning.

OK, it wasn't crowded. But it was a cafeteria. And i did cry when i read What I Talk About When I Talk About Black Jesus. And there's a lot more deadly stuff in there.

Honestly, buy this book. Give it to your friends and enemies. Then maybe she'll write more.

[Bri Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a dynamic and vivid collection. These poems are deeply rooted in place and sometimes people, which makes them simultaneously relatable and excitingly new. Faves include “Ode to Luster’s Pink Oil,” “Montage in a Car,” “What I talk about when I talk about Black Jesus” and “Thursday Morning, Newbury Street.”

[Chantal Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Masterful. Find a copy to keep forever. To teach your daughters and sons and so forth. This book will and should live forever.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been in a big mood for poetry recently, and this is the first book since that mood struck that didn't disappoint me in some way. That's not to say I loved every single piece in this collection, and I did find some of the transitions rather abrupt, but I did find the poems that were truly good to have a depth, rhythm, and in certain places a playfulness with language that has been missing from much of the poems I've read recently. So for that it was extremely refreshing.

I may have to pick up a physical copy of this for re-reading purposes because the formatting of the images within the E-book didn't do those parts any justice.

[Violetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The work of the poet is not unlike the work of being black.
Some days it is not work at all: only ease, cascading victory,
the plenitude of joy and questions and delights and curiosities.
Other days, you wonder if exile would be too lonely
and figure it can't be worse than thinking you won't make it home,
the fear of your own teeth skidding across the ice."
-Sestina with Matthew Henson's Fur suit, Eve L. Ewing

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Electric Arches is a sweet love letter to black girlhood and the Chicago of Ewing's youth. The Chicago that Ewing describes is in many ways foreign to me, but her writing was often so evocative I felt like I could see, touch, and hear her Logan Square at night, her bus ride down Fullerton Avenue, or her Saturday afternoon at the salon. In addition, many of the pieces about her family members really shined, and I would love to read more essays from her.

My main criticism is that some of the pieces really did not connect to the themes, and those were the points when the collection was weakest. But there were so many gems, it is easy to overlook the faults. If you ever have the opportunity to see Ewing read her poetry live, don't miss it. She is fabulous in person.

[chantel nouseforaname · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eve L. Ewing manages to jump right into your psyche and merge the realistic with the fantastic. Then she coats it in layers of Chicago-saturated truths that are reflective of so many cities where black and brown girls and boys live, grow and learn on their blocks about what makes them, their families and their circumstances unique.

This book of poetry, prose and art was illuminating and beautiful. When she talked about Luster's Pink, I died and was reborn.

Thanks for this beautiful work Ms. Ewing!

[art of storytelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection of poems in an era of poems with random line breaks and shallow meaning. I loved the sci-fi elements and some of the turns of phrase made me gasp with how clever they were, literally changing how I view certain concepts. I enjoyed the celebration of blackness and black womanhood, only I wish that perhaps the poems fit together more coherently.

[k-os · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Afro-futurist first poem about Black revolutionaries dropping from the moon. Loved (and will teach!) the re-tellings poems with hand-written magical endings. Really liked this collection — very accessible and powerful and beautiful.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Bobbieshiann · Rating 3 out of 5]

...... still processing. not what i expected.

[Aisha (thatothernigeriangirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a poetry collection that uses magical themes and so I’m grateful that this book does that.
However, there were very few poems that really tug at my heart; majority of them were just words, beautifully strung together, no doubt, but making little or no impact on me.
The black struggle, of course, is well written into the poems; so themes like hair, oppression, police brutality, harassment, etc.
I especially love the poem “What I talk about when I talk about black Jesus”

[Harper Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sifting through some of these ratings, and it’s clear to me a lot of these accounts belong to bots. Holy spamming, Batman! Not cool.

I follow Eve Ewing on Twitter and I also adore her publisher, Haymarket Books. I was thrilled to finally read her poetry so, I purchased a copy of Electric Arches. It took me a minute to figure out why this collection didn’t work for me. It felt disjointed and I felt no connection to the words on the page. I had very high hopes for this book, but I wanted so much more. There’s an ode to Prince, and even that didn’t get a rise out of me. That’s a big deal. Here’s to hoping Ewing’s next collection hits me with emotion. I’m willing and able to take the ride.

[Chantel DaCosta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I selected this poetry collection because of the cover. The collection is divided in three parts: true stories, oil and water, and letters from the flatlands.

I preferred the poems in oil and water, and my favourite poems from this segment were:
Shea Butter Manifesto
why you cannot touch my hair
Thursday morning, Newsbury street.

It was an interesting reading experience and for a small book it packs in a lot but ultimately the poems were too personal to the writer's lived experiences for me to understand them. Furthermore, I am reading an ebook copy and the mixed media and art included were too hard to decipher.

[Bogi Takács]

I thought this was absolutely wonderful.

No review for now, because I had to take it back to the library in a rush (I have been really unwell and several books became overdue) and I want to quote extensively from it for my review. I want to buy it, because this is definitely a book to have and treasure. Also to gift to people ;)

Disclosures: Source of the book - Lawrence Public Library / I don't know the author at all

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I thought her writing was magical. I kept thinking "this one is my favorite" until I turned the next page and discovered another one that spoke to me or expressed something just so. I loved the last poem addressed to youth in prison. I'm gonna donate copies of this collection to the prisons in Wisconsin. Not all, but some, of my clients are readers. I'd like them to read that last poem, regardless of their age. What a way with words she has.