Making Callaloo: 25 Years of Black Literature

Rating:
Summary: Making a Mark on Literature
Review: On the dinner table, Callaloo is a stew rich in spices that is made from the leaves of the African dasheen plant. On the bookshelf, Callaloo is a literary journal that has highlighted work from the African Diaspora for the past 25 years. Edited by Charles Henry Rowell, it has provided the literary community with the profound authorship of its contributers. Making Callaloo, a compilation, celebrates these 25 years by showcasing some of the best pieces of prose and poetry that have appeared in the journal during this time.

Included in the compilation are works by talented authors such as Ralph Ellison, Helen Elaine Lee, Percival Everett, Leon Forrest, and Terry McMillan. One of the works of short fiction that I thought was particulary compelling is Octavia Butler's "The Morning and the Evening and the Night." In this short story Butler tells the tale of a diseased group of people, known as "the DGD's". The existence of the DGD's is heartwrenching, and the story lingers long after the last word has been digested.

The poetic voices of Alice Walker, Cyrus Cassells, Rita Dove, and Sonia Sanchez are heard loud and clear in Making Callaloo. Cassells' piece "Sally Hemmings to Thomas Jefferson" paints a vivid picture of the taboo love the two struggled with. Cassels' verse is deep and rhythmic, digging a virtual trench, penetrating the readers' very being.

Just like the Caribbean stew callaloo satiates the body's hunger, Making Callaloo is a collection of work and authors that enriches the mind and spirit. This is art. This is literature. This is Callaloo.

Reviewed by Candace K