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31
MONDAY
Groundwork: New and Selected Poems by Haki Madhubuti (né Don L. Lee) traces the evolution of a revolutionary poet. The book jacket shows a picture of “Don” in his Afro-wearing days foregrounded by a photo of the nattily dressed, mature writer and publisher he is today. Spanning the years collapsed in the cover photo, the text is a beautiful, brilliant account of three decades of black art, black life, and black politics. Since the writer has never been one for hopping from one political or aesthetic phase to another, Madhubuti’s work shows a deepening of the ideals he’s always held. Witness “White People Are People Too” from 1994’s Claiming Earth, in which he writes, “It is not in me to love an enemy…[but] it is in me to see that pain is colorless…/It is human to share,/I am not suicidal.” Madhubuti reads and signs tonight at 6 p.m. at Vertigo Books, 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW. FREE. (202) 429-9272; and Tuesday with young local poets and musicians at 7:30 p.m. at Gunston Arts Center Theater II, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. $7. (703) 358-6960. (Holly Bass)