The evocative title of this collection, ‘Unseen Scars, ‘ addresses wounds as well as feelings. Often there are no winners, both narrator and subject clash with feelings that are unresolved. It is not intended to be a ‘happy, good feeling, ‘ book, but there are happy times in it; Martin’ sister’s ‘Old Words, ‘ make him feel warm whenever those words are near. They are offset by the hopelessness found in Dead Men Walking, where ‘Black mothers give birth to stillborn sons destined for the Walking Dead.’ Yes, there is humor also, when a Southern Black father tells his young son, ‘Don’t drink coffee it will make you Black, ‘ the son counters with, ‘I’ve drunk plenty of milk and it hasn’t made me white.’ Unseen Scars rides the waves of truth and falsehood to portray through wounds and jests a portrait of urban prejudice and why it has sat so comfortably alongside us for so long.
Giới thiệu về tác giả
Martin Terrell is the author of ‘You Are Only Innocent Once and Once Is Not Enough’, a story of his finding unparalled success after being unjustly stripped of his freedom and imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. His first book, a memoir, ‘Without A Compass, ‘ is a Gold Non-Fiction Award Winner. After being awarded a graduate journalism scholarship while still a prisoner, Martin earned a Master of Science degree in Journalism at Ohio University after his release.Martin worked for over twenty years as a Campaign fundraiser for universities and non-profits, ending his career at the United Negro College Fund in Manhattan. He and his wife, Jeanette, live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where they spend their time ‘travelling within the U.S.’ says Jeanette. ‘Writing and meeting regularly with a group of friends to solve the problems of the world, ‘ says, Martin.’Unseen Scars, ‘ Martin’s latest work, is a collection of poems that reflect his growth from a child to a black man in urban America.