Family reunion / Grace C. Ocasio.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ocasio, Grace C., author.

Contributor:

John Louis Haney Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American poetry--African American authors.

Genre:

Poetry.

Physical Description:

133 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Frankfort, KY : Broadstone Books, [2020]

Summary:

Family reunions are special occasions, a time of connections, reflections, of meeting new members, remembering those no longer with us, more than a little gossip (a good reason not to miss one if you don't want to be the one talked about!) and (mostly) good-natured kidding, occasional recriminations and grievances aired or confined to knowing side glances, and perhaps most importantly, the chance to pass on and keep alive the history and lore of the family from one generation to the next. Grace C. Ocasio's FAMILY REUNION is all of these things, and in reading this book we are privileged guests at just such an event, invited to hear the stories of her relatives across multiple generations. Because this is an account of an African-American family, it is necessarily in part a chronicle of racism and injustice and thus a contribution to the poetry of documentary witness. There are moments of tragedy (a child permanently brain damaged by being dropped by a nurse at birth) and indignity (a woman denied a PhD by Harvard because of her race), but also triumphs (one man becomes a celebrated physician, and many in the family graduate from college and go on to successful professional careers--including the author). These poems speak candidly of the experience of being Black in America. But that is not all that they do. What they reveal most of all is how this one family's story manages to be both uniquely their own and simultaneously universal, because we can all recognize ourselves and our own messy histories in these pages, whatever our race or origin. We've all encountered that uncle, that grandmother in our own families; we've heard the lectures (or given them ourselves) on hair and clothing, behavior and expectations, the suitability of suitors, all the friction at generational boundaries. Now, more than ever, we need to be reminded that we are all one family--however dysfunctional. To say that Ocasio does this with grace may be a pun, but it is also the truth. The book ends with a brief prose account of a family reunion that is hilariously chaotic, leaving the author with "hysteria welling in my throat." Well, that's family for you! But what a treat it is to get to know this one.

Contents:

I The Cloris Chronicles

Grandma's Portrait p. 3

After Perusing Grandma Cloris's Scrapbook p. 4

Inside Grandma's Scrapbook p. 5

Finding Grandma Cloris p. 7

Grandma Cloris p. 9

Cousin Irene's Note to Cloris p. 11

Little Girlfriend p. 12

Cloris at St. Augustine's College Altar (Altar Guild Member, 1934) p. 13

Papa Clanton's Letter to Cloris p. 14

Cloris's Love Note to Warren, 1934 p. 15

Cloris's Address to Her Friends, 1934 p. 16

Mama Clanton's Story p. 17

Aubade for Cloris: Warren's Love Note to Cloris, Late Autumn, 1935 p. 20

II Papa's Clan

A Little Boy's Blues p. 25

Address to Great-Grandmother (Mama Allie) p. 26

Granddaddy Watkins p. 27

Grandma Bessie p. 28

Daddy p. 29

Probation Officer Insignia p. 31

Warren III's Story (as Told by Sundry Relatives) p. 32

The Plain Facts (Ronald's Perspective) p. 35

Great-Uncle Willy's Passing p. 38

III Mama's Kin

Us Two p. 43

Photo Album p. 45

The Wedding p. 55

A Fantasy: Tea with Mrs. Roosevelt, Bennett College, May 1954 (Ruthie Mae's Perspective) p. 65

Bennett Sisters React to Rosa Parks's Stance p. 70

Calvin S. Hawkins, Sr. p. 71

Granddaddy and Grandma Graham's Newberry Home, 1974 p. 72

Granddaddy Graham p. 73

Ruthie Mae's Misadventure: Late Spring, 1975 p. 75

Mama's Kitchen p. 76

Christmas with Grandma Graham in Newberry, 1982 p. 79

Uncle Jim p. 80

Great-Aunt Rudy p. 82

Sitting in the Gray Room p. 84

Bruised p. 85

Dirge for Uncle Jim p. 87

IV Solo: Gloria the Child

The Day I Turned Pigeon-Toed p. 91

Hands Sway in Mount Vernon, New York p. 92

My Brother's Love p. 93

A Whisper p. 94

Curbside on Uncle Willy's Street p. 97

Jack Peterson p. 98

Forbidden Ones p. 99

V Solo: Gloria the Adult Black-Eyed Peas p. 103

The Adult Author from Her North Carolina Perch Speaks for Her Six-Year-Old Self p. 104

Cicely p. 106

Origins p. 107

What Stirred in September p. 109

Hieroglyphs p. 110

Fall Festival p. 111

Mama's and Daddy's Womenfolk Convene for Juneteenth p. 113.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John Louis Haney Fund.

ISBN:

9781937968618

1937968618

OCLC:

1144092681

Publisher Number:

99985422760