Sundays and Hot Buttered Rolls: A Granddaughter of Harlem Speaks by Carla M. Cherry

$17.99

 

This is a riveting piece of prose and poetry that can only be compared to Jean Toomer’s Cane. From her daddy’s eyes the reader is taken on a journey through Harlem. The churches, restaurants, schools, the activities, the grace, and style of Harlem residents are all mentioned here. You can taste the food, watch the dancing, appreciate the photographs of the great Van Der Zee. She doesn’t miss a beat. The journey is rich with culture and exciting with reverence to a place the world has come to know as the citadel of Black culture. She goes on to enhance the journey with the accomplishments Blacks have made despite many saying we’ve made none other than the Blues. She provides a potent history lesson of names and inventions that are used today created by Blacks. There is no book of poetry like this out there. I am personally proud of Carla and this brilliant undertaking. Whether you know Harlem or not, this is a must read.

–Abiodun Oyewole, Founding Member of The Last Poets

 

Carla M. Cherry’s chapbook Sundays and Hot Buttered Rolls: A Granddaughter of Harlem Speaks is a stunning celebration of family, beloved memories and is filled with rich Harlem history from start to finish. Cherry’s poems mesmerize and paint a memorable portrait. “Ode to Harlem” opens this collection with a rhythm and beat infused with the music, scenes, and art of Harlem. The author’s use of historic locations, people, politicians, and foods to celebrate, center and document Harlem’s vibrant past is inspiring. Cherry’s ekphrastic poems bring renowned Harlem photographer James Van Der Zee’s portraits to life, at times magically transporting the reader to another era. Ultimately the portraits and interior musings of Van Der Zee, an influential figure in the Harlem Renaissance, anchor this collection. Just as Van Der Zee’s portraits documented Harlem’s vivid and diverse lives, so does this captivating collection.

–J.P. Howard, author of Say, Mirror and Curator of Women Writers in Bloom Poetry Salon, Brooklyn, NY

 

Carla M. Cherry’s Sundays and Hot Buttered Rolls: A Granddaughter Speaks of Harlem, makes one giddy with joy. It is a love letter to a much-admired father and to the “long ago” days of Harlem. This is a litany for dreams and lives lost prematurely and a roll call of revered ancestors. Cherry is an astute cultural historian who weaves the past into this present moment. Be prepared to learn something. This poet writes for the generations.

–Jacqueline Johnson, author of A Woman’s Season

 

 

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Description

Sundays and Hot Buttered Rolls: A Granddaughter of Harlem Speaks

by Carla M. Cherry

Paper

List: $17.99

979-8-88838-567-8

2024

Step into the captivating world of Sundays and Hot Buttered Rolls: A Granddaughter of Harlem Speaks, a poetic journey masterfully crafted by Carla M. Cherry. This chapbook unfolds like a lyrical tapestry, intricately weaving the vibrant threads of Cherry’s heritage.  A celebration of her father, a Harlemite, begins a nuanced exploration of the bustling streets and cultural treasures that have shaped her identity. James Van Der Zee’s photographic brilliance, the hallowed grounds of the Schomburg Center and Harlem School of the Arts, and the rhythmic pulse of Chicago-style stepping reverberate, becoming a metaphor for the intricate steps of the African diaspora’s history in the heart of New York City and beyond. As you traverse this poetic odyssey, anticipate satisfaction akin to the lingering aroma of her paternal grandmother’s homemade biscuits on Sundays—a sensory delight that nourishes the soul.

Carla M. Cherry is a high school English teacher. Her poetry has appeared in Random Sample Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, 433, Raising Mothers and has been nominated for Best of the Net.She authored five books of poetry: Gnat Feathers and Butterfly Wings, Thirty Dollars and a Bowl of Soup, Honeysuckle Me, These Pearls Are Real, and Stardust and Skin (iiPublishing). She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing at the City College of New York.

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