美国国家公共电台 NPR--Kwame Alexander's memoir began as a book of love poems but morphed into so much more

Kwame Alexander's memoir¹ began as a book of love poems but morphed into so much more

Transcript²

Kwame Alexander's latest book pulls at the heartstrings. It's called Why Fathers Cry at Night, and its rawness is so poignant³ that Alexander fretted⁴ over its very publication.

He told NPR that he wrote it with the hope that his two daughters, Nandi and Samayah, would come to grasp the essence of love and experience the emotions he felt when he fell in love with each of their mothers.

Through a blend of poetry and prose, Alexander shares his memories of a dad who could be hard on him and of a mother who always supported him. And he writes of what he came to learn about relationships from watching them interact.

It's a departure from his previous 38 books because this memoir is deeply personal and he acknowledges that this time there's no hiding behind metaphors⁵.

"I've avoided being able to really be as forthcoming and honest and authentic⁶ with who I am as a man, as a Black man," Alexander said in a recent interview with NPR's Michel Martin. "And how do I feel now? I feel like this book has forced me to do that. And that's hard. And, I've woken up with panic attacks and called my editor and said, pull the book. But ultimately, I feel like it was necessary."

When he was 12, he sometimes began associating books with punishment because of his father's habit of quizzing him on what he had learned. Then as he embarked⁷ on his writing career, his father discouraged him by expressing the belief that poetry would never be successful in terms of sales.

His parents inspired his love for words, and Nikki Giovanni inspired him to write.

Initially⁸ seen as a collection of love poems, Alexander's latest book took on a life of its own and evolved into something far more expansive. As he shares the highs and lows of his life, Alexander includes poems, memories and recipes, including some from his grandmothers and some from his mom.

"I realized that I was in sort of a crisis and this was around 2017," he said. "My mother had passed. My marriage was falling apart. My oldest daughter had stopped speaking with us. And at the same time, I'm winning all these awards for my books. But I wasn't happy, and I didn't know what to do about it."

Alexander's writing is a cathartic⁹ experience for anyone who has experienced a personal loss. His words have the power to evoke¹⁰ both tears and laughter, sometimes simultaneously¹¹. That's not surprising considering his popularity with his community crowd-sourced poems, which have been featured on Morning Edition since late 2017.

Here's some of Alexander's crowd-sourced poems composed from the contributions of hundreds of listeners:

A Blanket of Words: A poem about rest, relaxation¹² and the power of a good nap.

Love, Me: A poem composed from letters with everyone writing to a different person.

Dear Captor: You Talk, I Wonder: A poem that celebrates pets and how they think about their owners.

1 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

4 fretted   

焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的

参考例句：

• The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学
• The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

5 metaphors   

隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I can only represent it to you by metaphors. 我只能用隐喻来向你描述它。
• Thus, She's an angel and He's a lion in battle are metaphors. 因此她是天使，他是雄狮都是比喻说法。

6 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

7 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 cathartic   

adj.宣泄情绪的；n.泻剂

参考例句：

• His laughter was cathartic,an animal yelp that brought tears to his eyes.他哈哈大笑以宣泄情绪，声音如野兽般尖厉，眼泪都笑出来了。
• The drug had a cathartic effect.这药有导泻的作用。

10 evoke   

vt.唤起，引起，使人想起

参考例句：

• These images are likely to evoke a strong response in the viewer.这些图像可能会在观众中产生强烈反响。
• Her only resource was the sympathy she could evoke.她以凭借的唯一力量就是她能从人们心底里激起的同情。

11 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

12 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。