A Beat Beyond: Selected Prose of Major Jackson

Poets on Poetry

by Major Jackson, Amor Kohli (Editor)

In this collection of essays, talks, and reviews, Major Jackson revels in the work of poetry not only to limn and assess the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of poets, but to amplify the controversies and inner conflicts that define our political unrest, climate crises, the fallout from bewildering traumas, and the social function of the art of poetry itself. Accessible and critically minded, Jackson returns to the poem as an unparalleled source of linguistic pleasure that structures a multilayered “lyric self.” In his interviews, Jackson illustrates poetry’s distinct ability to mediate the inexplicable while foregrounding the possibilities of human song.

Collected over several decades, these essays find Jackson praising mythmaking in Frank Bidart and Ai’s poetry, expressing bafflement at the silence of white-identified poets in the cause of social and racial justice, unearthing the politics behind Gwendolyn Brooks’s Pulitzer Prize, and marveling at the “hallucinatory speed of thought” in a diverse range of poets including Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Brenda Hillman, Afaa Michael Weaver, Forrest Gander, and Terrance Hayes. This collection passionately surveys the radical shifts of the art and notes poetry as a necessity for a modern sensibility.

Genres: Poetry, Essays

184 pages, Paperback

Published August 2, 2022

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

For the poet, see: Major Jackson

Reviews

[Tauwan Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredibly generous, thoughtful, and impactful set of essays and words this here book is. Whether he’s reviewing books of prose or providing liner notes for the roots or offering up a talk/speech, Major’s selected prose shines like the sun, inspiring you to think deeply, be gracious, and appreciate the art of the written + spoken word that much more. It’ll also enhance your reading list as he introduces you to/shines a light on (great) works and other poets, too!

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Amor Kohli ’91
Editor

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved these essays by Major Jackson. They spurred a good conversation between me and some poets I know. It was richer and more enjoyable than I expected. And I learned a lot too!