Discussion Questions

1. How does form relate to the concerns of the new black? Describe different forms that Shockley uses, and why she might be using them. What poetic traditions would you place her in? Or should it be placed in a tradition at all?

2. What do you make of the title? Discuss the construction of archetypes in the context of the new black.

3. How does Shockley use history in her poems? What effect does this have?