Nebraska Poems
In Nebraska, this beautiful and evocative collection of poems, Dawes explores a theme constant in his work—the intersection of memory, home, and artistic invention. The poems, set against the backdrop of Nebraska’s discrete cycle of seasons, are meditative even as they search for a sense of place in a new landscape. While he shovels snow or walks in the bitter cold to his car, he is engulfed with memories of Kingston, yet when he travels, he finds himself longing for the open space of the plains and the first snowfall. With a strong sense of place and haunting memories, Dawes grapples with life in Nebraska as a transplant
Praise:
"he ]Kwame] makes these beautiful temporary homes in the language itself, and he sort of stills the language so that it reminds us that a poem can be a home for us, even temporarily - a home that we make out of breath and carefully crafted syllables." Tess Taylor. All Things Considered, NPR. December 17, 2019
All Things Considered. NPR Washington DC.December 19, 2019
"Before Winter" A Reading by Kwame Dawes
The New Yorker. December 16, 2019
"All About Books". Host Pat Leach speaks with Kwame Dawes about his new collection of poems "Nebraska".
University of Nebraska Press: 2019