Black Against the Wall

Rhymes in Desperate Times

We live in a golden age of information and idea sharing, yet the information communicated by and about Black people is often simply wrong or, at best, fundamentally fl awed. The public, therefore - including Black people - has a distorted view of nearly everything, including most notably: self, family, society, political ideology, love, morality, and God. Frequently, bad information and preposterous ideas about Black people drive the decisions, attitudes and opinions of the information-consuming public, reinforcing negative stereotypes, prejudices and baseless assumptions. Martin Shepherd compiled Black Against The Wall in response to those increasingly inaccurate representations of Black people. This collection of poetry captures his thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable perspective on a variety of topics and themes. His personal observations and experiences blend with the unique breadth of his imagination and poetic talent to present a reading experience that is honest, seductive and entertaining at the same time. The topics and themes he explores in this collection are breathtaking in range; he touches on life and existence, the nuances of love, the complexities of relationships, spirituality, politics and the entropy of world events. Whatever the subject matter- a stranger on a plane, the battles fought by the working class, the plight of tsunami victims, or yearnings for love and pleasure- all of his poetic pieces are animated by unique personality, mood and metaphor. Black Against the Wall is a brilliant collection of masterful poetry. It will inspire you to think differently of yourself and others. Most of all, it will encourage you to get Black off of the wall!