QUIET Poems

The Black British poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley narrates her poems with precision and melodic slowness. She explores the concept of quiet while recognizing the unquiet world that exists around her. Her poetry probes language and plays with how words sound on her tongue as she references cultural history. Bulley is not performing but rather reading--not only her own words but also, at times, those of other artists, scholars, and activists like June Jordan, Ntozake Shange, and Alice Walker, to name a few. Her repetition of phrases creates sonic vibrations that emphasize a sort of stern quietness. Words such as "There will be no business as usual if that business is not of love" are indelible and worth repeating to listeners. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]