Voices in the Night

By Woodrow Dixon

What will you learn from reading "Voices In The Night," the first published book of poetry, written by new Black poet Woodrow Dixon?

You will learn valuable knowledge from reading the poems written by this 65 year old author as he educates readers about the trials and tribulations of the Black community.

With the publication of "Voices In The Night," it ends the author's 42 year journey to write and to publish his first book of poetry.

However, it now begins a new ambitious journey for Dixon, who is looking to be recognized as a legitimate Black poet as well as one of the most important and most influential new Black poets in America.

Dixon believes his poetry, will allow him to be an important voice in helping to address the issues that continue to plague the Black community.

He is also looking to use his poetry as a platform to uplift and to energize people living in Black neighborhoods and helping them dispel the negative images and racial stereotypes that a broad population of whites continue to have.

In the poem titled "Your Neighborhood," Dixon stresses the importance of Blacks taking care of and doing positive things in their neighborhoods, otherwise, if they do not, they will see negative impacts to their communities.

"Take care of your neighborhood / Band together and do something good." He adds, "If you don't, it will be gentrified overnight / Then you'll be on the wrong side of Black flight."

He implores Black communities to stand up against Black on Black crimes and to turn in the criminals, or else, Black on Black crimes will continue and their neighborhood's quality of life will continue to deteriorate.

In the poem "The Code of Silence," Dixon criticizes Blacks for their silence and their failure to turn in criminals, who live in their neighborhoods.

He writes, "Black on Black crimes negatively affects a neighborhood / And being silent and not coming clean doesn't do the people in the hood any good."

Why is Dixon the author reader's will learn a great deal of knowledge from by reading his poetry when it comes to issues impacting Black communities?

The answer is simple.

The author has lived more than six decades during the presidencies of 13 different American presidents.

He also lived during the turmoil and the upheaval of the 1960s; the most tumultuous period in his life and for others of his generation.

The 1960s were a time when Blacks were marching and fighting for Civil Rights, fighting for Voting Rights and fighting against segregation that was strongly entrenched in most southern states in American.

Dixon watched Civil Rights marches and demonstrations broadcast on the nightly news, and he watched how peaceful marchers and demonstrators were often beaten, injured, handcuffed by law enforcement and thrown into law enforcement vehicles and carted off to jail.

Some 50-55 years later, the author watched on the nightly news and various digital platforms how law enforcement shot and killed Black male pre-teen, Tamir Rice and adult males Michael Brown and Philando Castile.

But the most disturbing killing he viewed was Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin, kneeling on the neck of George Floyd causing him to die because he could not breathe.

Commenting on Floyd's death in his poem titled "It Is Darkness," the author writes, "George Floyd's death had people taking their anger to the streets / And to social media where they posted pictures and posted Tweets." Finally, Derek Chauvin was found guilty on three charges of murder and sentenced to 22.5 years behind bars / While his three comrades are free until their 2022 trials, but George Floyd's family still lives with the pains and still carries the scars."

Based on these experiences, Dixon has the background to write poetry focusing on what Blacks face every day.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09RFWSC63
• ISBN13: 9798540481151
• Release Date: January 2022
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 11.0"