Black Moods

Frank Marshall Davis (1905–87) was an editor, reporter, columnist, and critic. His poetry collections include Black Man's Verse (1935), I Am the American Negro (1937), and 47th Street: Poems (1948). John Edgar Tidwell is an associate professor of English at the University of Kansas.

"What makes reading Davis' poetry worthwhile is his vivid use of imagery, which operates as the engine behind his writing. . . . Tidwell rightfully proclaims that Frank Marshall Davis is a powerful voice that should not be forgotten."--Michael V. Williams, Black Issues Book Review "Davis is unforgettable when he is fierce. . . . The blues of Frank Marshall Davis weren't the blues of self-pity or mourning . . . but of tempered strength."--Roger Martin, The Topeka Capital-Journal "With the publication of Black Moods, Tidwell calls not only for the inclusion of Frank Marshall Davis in the still-emerging canon of African American literature, but also for more searching analysis of the ongoing debates about art and politics that continue to shape our understanding of African American literary history. In this regard the publication of Black Moods is a cause for celebration; it adds another important building block to the ongoing project of retrieving a central legacy in twentieth-century African American writing."--African American Review