Part of a Story that Started Before Me

by George the Poet (editor)

Genres: History, Non-fiction, Poetry
Pages: 272
Rating:

Synopsis:

Part of a Story That Started Before Me is an extraordinary new collection of poems chosen by acclaimed spoken-word performer and social commentator George the Poet.

Taking readers on a thought-provoking poetical journey through Black British history, the anthology brings together some of the most exciting wordsmiths from across the diaspora and fascinating era-by-era notes from historian Dr Christienna Fryar.

From Africans in Roman Britannia to the first Black actor to play Othello on stage, from Malcolm X's visit to the West Midlands to highlighting an organizer of the UK's first Gay Pride, this important collection reveals unsun people and events from our past to recognize the intrinsic impact they've had on Britain today.

Part of a Story that Started Before Me (edited by George the Poet) is a collection of poems about Black British History, reflecting on historical figures and moments in verse, and also providing short introductions to the position of Black people in those periods for almost all of them — there’s just one section without, for some reason.

The majority of the poems are in the most modern sections, despite the premise; there’s just a handful for most historical periods before WWII. The poems themselves aren’t dated, though a few are definitely a touch older (like the Derek Walcott and Grace Nichols ones); I don’t know if any were prompted/commissioned specifically for this volume.

I wasn’t a huge fan of most of the poems, though that’s almost immaterial since here they’re doing their job of reflecting on history. (Plus, gotta note that a couple did stand out, in a couple of cases because they had such a great rhythm and sense of sound that you almost couldn’t help but hear them.) I personally wouldn’t choose it as a poetry collection, but it was worth the read, including for the historical and editorial context provided.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)