Parallel Press publishes collection of African poetry

The Parallel Press, an imprint of UW–Madison Libraries, has released a chapbook of African poetry and created an exhibit on African writers.

Kwame Dawes’ “Bruised Totems,” an original poetry chapbook, was released in conjunction with the African Literature Association’s 30th annual conference April 14-18 in Madison.

The work combines images of African artwork with the poet’s interpretation of each object. Totems and masks provide much of the inspiration for Dawes’ poetry, which discusses themes of roots and origins, maternity and femininity, and the preservation of culture and artwork.

Part of the Bareiss Family Collection of African Art, the source for the images in the Dawes book, is on loan at the Elvehjem Museum of Art. The collection has approximately 800 pieces, more than 50 of which will be on display through June 27.

Dawes, a native of Ghana who attended college in Jamaica, is an English professor at the University of South Carolina and heads the master of fine arts program in USC’s English department.

Dawes is a Pushcart Prize winner who has written numerous plays, nonfiction and fiction books, and poetry collections with Caribbean and reggae themes.