OWED

The classic African praise song is thematically related to the classical ode, and award-winning poet Joshua Bennett, here reading his own work, conflates them into a series of "oweds." By birth and education, he has an honest claim to both traditions, and he deploys his considerable skill as a poet to honor objects (ankle weights, "your father's gold chain") and concepts (pedagogy) that shaped him. Not every poem takes that form, but all explore how he became the accomplished multicultural person he is. His readings are clear and evocative, never concealing their deeply personal origins but also never falling into self-pity or mawkishness. Bennett acknowledges his debts, giving and taking credit as appropriate. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2020]