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Voodoo Hypothesis
Voodoo Hypothesis is a subversion of the imperial construct of "blackness" and a rejection of the contemporary and historical systems that paint black people as inferior, through constant parallel representations of "evil" and "savagery." Pulling from pop culture, science, pseudo-science and contemporary news stories about race, Lubrin What happens if the systems of belief that give science, religion and culture their importance were actually applied to the contemporary "black experience"? With its irreverence toward colonialism, and the related obsession with post-colonialism and anti-colonialism, and her wide-ranging lines, deftly touched with an intermingling of Caribbean Creole, English patois and baroque language, Lubrin has created a book that holds up a torch to the narratives of the ruling class, and shows us the restorative possibilities that exist in language itself.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
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480 people want to read
About the author
Canisia Lubrin
11 books70 followersCanisia Lubrin is a writer, editor, and teacher. Her books include the acclaimed and awards-nominated Voodoo Hypothesis and The Dyzgraphxst, nominated for ten prizes, finalist for the Trillium and Governor General’s awards for English poetry, and winner of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the Griffin Poetry Prize, and the Derek Walcott Prize. Lubrin was also awarded the 2021 Joseph Stauffer Prize in literature by the Canada Council for the Arts. Poetry editor at McClelland & Stewart, she is the Creative Writing MFA Coordinator in the School of English and Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph. In 2021, she was awarded a Windham-Campbell prize for poetry. Lubrin’s debut work of fiction is Code Noir: Metamorphoses.
Born in St. Lucia, Lubrin lives in Canada.
Born in St. Lucia, Lubrin lives in Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 5, 2018
i'm going to write more on this book soon, but for now...
I have dog-eared every page and starred so many startling and resonant images and lines with my pencil that I have created a galaxy of constellations. No, Canisia has.
The poems move from the allegorical to real history via lamentations and elegies. They are poems of forced exile and migration, of survival and celebration. They are defiant, fuck-you poems, angry poems and joyous poems. They are poems that so effectively caused me to feel empathy, compassion, love and heartbreak for people of colour.
I am awed by the skill in these poems, not just on a poetic level (diction, imagery, lineation, structure, balance) but also by the power of one writer’s willingness and ability to so effectively dismantle and bring to light the ongoing effects of racism while offering in-depth and tangible illustrations of the othered. By making visible those who racists have tried to erase. The Mongrel is “feral with remembrance” (The Mongrel, p. 5). We are told that “our knowledge of the Mongrel is only fragmentary – “ (p. 9).
The othered are members of the African diaspora who have been enslaved, murdered, abused and erased at the hands of Colonialism, and continue to receive brutal and intolerable treatment today. They are the speaker of the poem, ancestors and descendants.
The longer poems in particular evoke the epic structure and style of the Bible, Paradise Lost, The Divine Comedy, the Odyssey and Alice Notley’s the Descent of Alette. The accumulation of imagery is particularly reminiscent of the latter.
I have dog-eared every page and starred so many startling and resonant images and lines with my pencil that I have created a galaxy of constellations. No, Canisia has.
The poems move from the allegorical to real history via lamentations and elegies. They are poems of forced exile and migration, of survival and celebration. They are defiant, fuck-you poems, angry poems and joyous poems. They are poems that so effectively caused me to feel empathy, compassion, love and heartbreak for people of colour.
I am awed by the skill in these poems, not just on a poetic level (diction, imagery, lineation, structure, balance) but also by the power of one writer’s willingness and ability to so effectively dismantle and bring to light the ongoing effects of racism while offering in-depth and tangible illustrations of the othered. By making visible those who racists have tried to erase. The Mongrel is “feral with remembrance” (The Mongrel, p. 5). We are told that “our knowledge of the Mongrel is only fragmentary – “ (p. 9).
The othered are members of the African diaspora who have been enslaved, murdered, abused and erased at the hands of Colonialism, and continue to receive brutal and intolerable treatment today. They are the speaker of the poem, ancestors and descendants.
The longer poems in particular evoke the epic structure and style of the Bible, Paradise Lost, The Divine Comedy, the Odyssey and Alice Notley’s the Descent of Alette. The accumulation of imagery is particularly reminiscent of the latter.
December 14, 2020
“to be living fossil, light years old
perhaps, the bougainvillea must think itself
aloof. That its fruitless state by twilight recalls the bloom of suns. Small suns considered
suns because they were remain, vibrant
no matter how barren the winter – how dark..” P.48
perhaps, the bougainvillea must think itself
aloof. That its fruitless state by twilight recalls the bloom of suns. Small suns considered
suns because they were remain, vibrant
no matter how barren the winter – how dark..” P.48
May 28, 2021
If I was mean I would say this collection is completely overwritten. If I am honest I would say these poems completely went over my head. Choose your poison.
In a way I think, Lubrin is too smart for her own good. The vocabulary used is quite intense, the metaphors and images are rather complex, the poems often run longer than is comfortable and with all that these compositions completely overwhelmed me. And I tried. I read this slowly, really taking my time with each single poem incl. reading out loud, but more often than not I just got lost in the words. I could usually catch on to the general themes: race, colonialism, slavery, suppression, oppressive power of white Western values, island traditions. Yet she also likes to throw in math, science and astronomy which means this is a lot. But hey, if you can find proper access to these pieces, more power to you, I am sure this could be quite the experience, it just wasn't for me. And with that I also mean that as a white German I am likely lacking the background to make certain connections here and there, and that is fine. But I also think that these are indeed very heavy and on the more difficult end (so I'd definitely not tell Rupi Kaur readers to come here for the next step...)
The few that I gained something from: Give Back Our Children/ An Empire's Tab/ The Instrument of Laughter
In a way I think, Lubrin is too smart for her own good. The vocabulary used is quite intense, the metaphors and images are rather complex, the poems often run longer than is comfortable and with all that these compositions completely overwhelmed me. And I tried. I read this slowly, really taking my time with each single poem incl. reading out loud, but more often than not I just got lost in the words. I could usually catch on to the general themes: race, colonialism, slavery, suppression, oppressive power of white Western values, island traditions. Yet she also likes to throw in math, science and astronomy which means this is a lot. But hey, if you can find proper access to these pieces, more power to you, I am sure this could be quite the experience, it just wasn't for me. And with that I also mean that as a white German I am likely lacking the background to make certain connections here and there, and that is fine. But I also think that these are indeed very heavy and on the more difficult end (so I'd definitely not tell Rupi Kaur readers to come here for the next step...)
The few that I gained something from: Give Back Our Children/ An Empire's Tab/ The Instrument of Laughter
June 13, 2023
Read for a course: Afrofuturism.
December 26, 2019
Voodoo Hypothesis managed to be everything I wanted and more. Everything from the content of the poems to the style and rhythm Lubrin delivered them with just completely delivered on all levels. My favourites from the collection were probably Voodoo Hypothesis, The Mongrel, Aftershocks, Turn Right At the Darkness, The Frankenstein Universe, Bricolage, Sons of Orion, and At the End of the World. It's honestly hard to narrow it down though. This is what I hope for when I open a book from a new to me poet. Highly recommended.
April 23, 2021
This is a stunning book, which I chose to dive into after reading Lubrin's latest book. I wasn't disappointed. The dense exploration of indentured life and the dispelling of stereotypes through an investigation through Creole and other modalities of misunderstood Caribbean culture (via Canada and the continent) is nothing short of excellent. I cannot wait for Lubrin's next work to take up my mind and bookshelf!
June 7, 2021
Oh wow, so wonderful and still so difficult.
-- back story, I read The Dyzgraphxst and loved it. I wanted to find out how Canisia Lubrin got there, so I picked up Voodoo Hypothesis. I found Dyzgraphxst amazingly difficult, but well worth the effort. In Hypothesis, I could glean little snippets of meaning, although I usually got lost by the middle of the poem; this made me realize even more clearly how little I understood Dyzgraphxst. I hope one day these books are taught in grad school classes so people can discuss them together and share meanings; I would go back to school for that :).
I am glad Lubrin doesn't slow down for us; I love the way she melds together so many different branches of knowledge; I love the way she uses the classic tools of the poet's craft -- that enjambement in particular! -- in a whole new way; I love the way she lifts up and reenvisions other poets. And it's strange to say this because there's no discounting the pain and violence of her subject matter, but I love how my brain feels after reading these.
-- back story, I read The Dyzgraphxst and loved it. I wanted to find out how Canisia Lubrin got there, so I picked up Voodoo Hypothesis. I found Dyzgraphxst amazingly difficult, but well worth the effort. In Hypothesis, I could glean little snippets of meaning, although I usually got lost by the middle of the poem; this made me realize even more clearly how little I understood Dyzgraphxst. I hope one day these books are taught in grad school classes so people can discuss them together and share meanings; I would go back to school for that :).
I am glad Lubrin doesn't slow down for us; I love the way she melds together so many different branches of knowledge; I love the way she uses the classic tools of the poet's craft -- that enjambement in particular! -- in a whole new way; I love the way she lifts up and reenvisions other poets. And it's strange to say this because there's no discounting the pain and violence of her subject matter, but I love how my brain feels after reading these.
February 1, 2024
I personally prefered the second half of the book.
It was interesting, and well-written, but there was certain parts I didn't comprehend well (either by lack of vocabulary or some references I didn't get).
Still very pretty, but I did find something missing, like I wasn't fully drawn into the poems (but I'm pretty sure that's due to a lack of vocabulary from my part).
It was interesting, and well-written, but there was certain parts I didn't comprehend well (either by lack of vocabulary or some references I didn't get).
Still very pretty, but I did find something missing, like I wasn't fully drawn into the poems (but I'm pretty sure that's due to a lack of vocabulary from my part).
February 11, 2019
to be honest, a little over my head
August 25, 2022
Not for me. Too wordy, too much interpretation. Didn't like the sound/rhythm of the words
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2024
An imperative read. There is much to learn from Canisia Lubrin's brilliance.
August 28, 2025
As you can probably tell from my (failed) attempt at a brief summary above, this one is a very hard one to review. I actually finished it and immediately went online to read in-depth reviews from those who perhaps understood it better than me. I found it very dense, very difficult, and at times, if I’m honest, quite frustrating. But on reading other people’s thoughts, I think my own have clarified. This is a difficult read, because it has to be. It’s exploring a brutal, bloody segment of global history, and it’s looking directly at a darkness that we’re used to approaching slant.
(Full review at The Global Women's Library.)
(Full review at The Global Women's Library.)
March 6, 2020
It's challenging to read a structure of Creole syntax. Lubrin explores racial oppression using her memory from childhood of storytelling, creating change from Black prejudices in the contemporary world.
'The children of slaves should must sear their memory with a torch.' Epigraph of Walcott who became a big influence in Lubrin's work.
To bring this light, the author creates knowledge and understanding to readers on how Black diaspora has their own location and names before and even after colonialism that constructed on how we function today.
'The children of slaves should must sear their memory with a torch.' Epigraph of Walcott who became a big influence in Lubrin's work.
To bring this light, the author creates knowledge and understanding to readers on how Black diaspora has their own location and names before and even after colonialism that constructed on how we function today.
June 13, 2018
Canisia Lubrin's Voodoo Hypothesis is a stunning, beautiful book of poetry, calling up memory of this-moment sensation, of the reach of politics and of the bite and sweetness of Creole. It moves across the Atlantic, across outer space, across philosophical divide, across your arms. Lubrin's Voodoo Hypothesis delivers the kind of layered, rich experience that makes this the kind of book you keep near, in your purse or pocket for weeks, fresh perspectives each time you crack it open.
June 12, 2019
This is an exquisite collection of poetry that uses science and landscape to paint for us the generational trauma of colonialism. The language used is lush and complex and beautiful and heartbreaking. It flows well and has a certain continuity which only makes the message feel truer. Gem of a collection, if not a little bit difficult to read. Worth every second of invested time.
March 25, 2018
Voodoo Hypothesis contains some of the most beautiful, cutting language I have ever read. This volume reads like acid one breath and silk in another. It's a stunning exploration of blackness and migration and so many things. Absolutely some of the best poetry I have ever read.
June 11, 2018
unique and moving, made me re-read many passages both to understand and to enjoy. there are helpful contextual notes at the back which, unfortunately, since not clearly referenced in the poems themselves (...understandable), i only noticed later.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews