With Every Step I Take (2)

An expanded second edition from award winning poet Avotcja

With drawings by Eliza Land Shefler.

"Introducing herself as storyteller, 'wild woman,' a 'bonafide sound junkie,' nothing slows or dampens Avotcja's passion for the power and wonder of music. Guided by ancient, ancestral wisdom, she refuses to separate poetry and storytelling from song or dance. In 'Blue To the Bone,' her rhapsodic tribute to Oakland's uncrowned poet laureate, Reginald Lockett (1947-2008), musician-poet-broadcaster Avotcja could just as well be describing her own esthetic. 'Reggie was the real deal,' she croons. Melodically keyed to what she calls 'la palabra musical,' Avotcja's rhythmic testament--decades in the making--celebrates the world-changing spirit of human creativity while condemning its cold-blooded, tone-deaf assassins."--Al Young, California's poet laureate emeritus

"Watch out! Whether Avotcja's fronting her take no prisoners band, Modúpue, or standing, sitting or reading alone, her words roll out like thunder, raw, fast and furious in staccato, machine gun ricocheting fashion that will leave you breathless and delirious. This sister is a word demon from the word go. She will intoxicate you with her rhythms and seize you with her passion and zest for life, people and music. You won't know what hit you but you'll know you were there."--Ginny Lim, award-winning San Francisco jazz poet & educator

Poetry. African & African American Studies. Latinx Studies. LGBTQ+ Studies. Women's Studies.