Quincy Troupe

Seduction: New Poems, 2013-2018 by Quincy Troupe is the poets latest collection of poetry. Troupe is an award-winning author of ten volumes of poetry, three children’s books, and six non-fiction works.

Troupe offers a unique perspective on African-American life from Jazz to the shootings of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Trayvon Martin. Troupe plays heavily on two themes. The first is the substitution of "eye" for "I." The "eye" is all-seeing whereas "I" is open to interpretation and our own prejudices. The eye is everyone. We see the news. We see the violence. We see the racism. The eye is also the key to seduction. It is what draws us in. We live in an age of visual stimulation and Troupe uses that to draw the reader into his poetry.

The second theme is seduction in its various forms. Troupes connection with jazz and Aretha Franklin offers positive temptations. Seduction, too, offers a current and relevant examination of society. We are seduced into our own world through electronic devices. We are seduced by politicians that do not serve our interests. We are seduced into action movies at theaters, and sometimes become victims of the violence that is being glorified.

The "eye" is all of us which makes this collection, not just an African-American poet speaking but, collectively all of us. We all see the same things. We are seduced by many things from jazz to the "orange face doofus." We must join the eye with the seduction and examine what is really seducing us because there really is a difference in quality and consequences between a singers voice and racist politics.… (altro)

Stevland Judkins Morris Hardaway was ten years old when he signed to a Motown recording contract when his hit made it big time. At thirteen years old he had millions of fans dancing to his number one song. After birth, he lost his sight and he grew up poor but loved in Detroit, Michigan. Stevie Wonder is an instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, musical innovator, and cultural activist. Stevie knew how to play four instruments like the piano, drums, bass, and harmonica. Stevie Wonder has such a unique and pure talent that no one could touch. He inspired his fans through his music. I learned that Stevie Wonder was determined, even though he was blind, that did not stop him from making music and enjoying what he loves. I enjoyed this story about Stevie Wonder because he is so talented and his music is beautiful. Stevie has a special gift from God. Some of his songs can make you cry, dance, be happy, and it's peaceful. I will always love his music because it touches me. This story was well written and organized.… (altro)

I Love how this book portrays Stevie to always be a happy and always capable of doing anything. There was this one line that really stuck with me. It was the line that says " through his ears he sees more clearly than most people do with their eyes." This goes to the fact that for blind people their other senses are said to be more enhanced and it truly is amazing to see how it was never shown that he may have felt about being blind but how he found the good with it and how he found something he was certainly amazing at.… (altro)