Remembrances of spring

Naomi Long Madgett, the author of Remembrances of Spring: Collected Early Poems, was the recipient of a 1993 American Book Award. She served as editor and publisher of Lotus Press, Inc. for nearly two decades and became a major force in shaping the development of poetry written by blacks and other minorities in the United States. Remembrances of Spring is intended to commemorate her work and remind us, once again, that she possesses her own, powerful poetic voice: it is also a thought-provoking retrospective examination of the intellect of a woman whose verses touch the deepest parts of our imaginations. Of particular significance is the appearance, once again, of the poetry from Songs to a Phantom Nightingale, a book published in 1941 just after she graduated from high school. In addition, works from the 1956 volume One and the Many are all included. Most of the poems that first appeared in Phantom Nightingale: Juvenilia, published in 1981, also can be found in Remembrances of Spring. While a significant portion of Madgett's early work remains unpublished, uncollected, and housed in the Special Collections Library at Fisk University, Remembrances of Spring contains important pieces that are reflective of her evolving sensibility. In addition, poems included in this volume generally have not been accessible to a wide reading public. Thus, they are arranged not in chronological order, but rather with an intent to keep the integrity of the original volumes intact. As an aid to readers, composition and original publication dates are included after each of the poems. They are unedited, and appear as they did in the original publications