Le Cake-Walk: & Other Subtleties | E-Book
In this gripping chapbook, Jada Renée Allen explores the intersections of Blackness, gender, & memory, spanning continents & centuries. From the colonial gaze of 19th-century France to modern bisexual intimacies, the poems illuminate Black trans experiences with lyrical precision. Drawing on historical figures, personal mythologies, & the politics of sugar — both literal & metaphorical — Le Cake-Walk reimagines ancestral narratives & forges new possibilities by glimpsing the past. With references to Kara Walker, Nina Simone, Hortense Spillers, Psappfo, & others, Allen crafts a revelatory & disruptive lexicon that challenges & redefines archives of history & desire. These “subtleties” — like the ornate sugar sculptures they’re named after — offer complex scenes of sweetness. A remarkable debut that announces an essential voice in contemporary poetry.
In this gripping chapbook, Jada Renée Allen explores the intersections of Blackness, gender, & memory, spanning continents & centuries. From the colonial gaze of 19th-century France to modern bisexual intimacies, the poems illuminate Black trans experiences with lyrical precision. Drawing on historical figures, personal mythologies, & the politics of sugar — both literal & metaphorical — Le Cake-Walk reimagines ancestral narratives & forges new possibilities by glimpsing the past. With references to Kara Walker, Nina Simone, Hortense Spillers, Psappfo, & others, Allen crafts a revelatory & disruptive lexicon that challenges & redefines archives of history & desire. These “subtleties” — like the ornate sugar sculptures they’re named after — offer complex scenes of sweetness. A remarkable debut that announces an essential voice in contemporary poetry.
In this gripping chapbook, Jada Renée Allen explores the intersections of Blackness, gender, & memory, spanning continents & centuries. From the colonial gaze of 19th-century France to modern bisexual intimacies, the poems illuminate Black trans experiences with lyrical precision. Drawing on historical figures, personal mythologies, & the politics of sugar — both literal & metaphorical — Le Cake-Walk reimagines ancestral narratives & forges new possibilities by glimpsing the past. With references to Kara Walker, Nina Simone, Hortense Spillers, Psappfo, & others, Allen crafts a revelatory & disruptive lexicon that challenges & redefines archives of history & desire. These “subtleties” — like the ornate sugar sculptures they’re named after — offer complex scenes of sweetness. A remarkable debut that announces an essential voice in contemporary poetry.