VOYAGE OF THE SABLE VENUS and Other Poems

Robin Coste Lewis offers a breathless and hauntingly alluring narration of her poems about the Black female experience. This literary triptych is one for the listener to sit with repeatedly, imbibing the differing storylines in these lyrical works. Lewis is rhythmic in her narration. Her soft and warm voice conveys a strong, thick, whispering timbre, especially in Part I. There are also moments of faint desperation. In certain poems, like "Modern, Civil, Right," Lewis plays with pitch, changing from low to high and vice versa, offering varying ways to understand the possible meanings of the poem. There is both pleasure and pain in this audiobook experience. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2021]