Walter Harris Rooks, Jr.
ISBN: 9781432731236
Outskirts Press
Reviewed By Wendy Paulson
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
The Black experience in America has certainly been a widely varied one. For hundreds of years, African Americans have suffered through the lowest of lows, rejoiced in the highest of highs, and encountered every major and minor point in-between. Throughout it all, the details of their ongoing journey have been captured in various forms of expression, including music, artwork, literature, and poetry.
It is through the latter that Walter Harris Rooks, Jr., has chosen to grace the world with his particular perspective regarding the ever-evolving African American experience, and in the pages of his debut poetic collection, Nothing More, the reader can bear personal witness to the largely kaleidoscopic nature of Black culture at-large.
Rooks covers much ground in his collection, touching on many different aspects of African American life. There’s the introspective poignancy of “Beauty An’ Blues,” and the nostalgic reflection of “Eight Track.” And, of course, he pays due homage to the inimitable Black woman, most notably in this passage from “Looking Glass”:
“African Queen.
Smile proud.
How proud
you should be.
For you are
the Mother
of our
African destiny.”
Rooks’ voice is strongest, though, when he tackles the issue of impropriety head-on, specifically the political and economic injustices that have been – and continue to be – inflicted upon the long-suffering African American people. Consider, for example, this passage from “America”:
“The reality of this world
Is worse than it seems,
And day by day
It destroys my hopes and dreams.”
And this striking passage from “Thoughts”:
“Love,
explain it to me.
Hate,
I’ve seen enough.”
The poetic world is overflowing with sexually-charged, lascivious overtones and jilted lovers who perpetually bemoan their wounded hearts. As such, it’s refreshing to see a collection by a modern poet who chooses instead to focus on the greater issues that affect us just as much as – if not more than – the never-ending drama of our personal lives. In Nothing More, Walter Harris Rooks takes the reader on a much-needed journey through the heart of a culture altogether beautiful and haunting, one that is sure to leave him or her graciously enriched.
Official Apex
Reviews Interview: Walter Harris Rooks, Jr. (Nothing More)
Apex Reviews: Walter, thanks for joining us for this interview. We're looking forward to
learning more about your book.
Walter Rooks, Jr.: Thanks for having me!
AR: Nothing More touches on numerous aspects of the overall African American
experience. What inspired you to craft this quite eclectic collection?
WR: Life really is the inspiration, but also the
experience of African Americans in whole.
AR: As our reviewer mentioned, you make quite a few bold statements in the book
regarding the way that Blacks have been treated over the years. Was this
inspired by personal experiences from your past?
WR: Yes, both directly and indirectly. It is more these indirect experiences which
have inspired me most. For me, it is
impossible to exist without having some basic understanding of where I come
from. Therefore, personal experiences
like being called derogatory names or harassed by authority figures may
manifest themselves in poems like Middle Passage. You see there is a connection I could not
ignore if I tried. I am the sum of my
personal experiences, but more, deeper, I am the sum of the African American
experience; I was murdered on that slave ship and survived too.
AR: What is the chief message that you'd like readers to take away from the book?
WR: I’d like to think that I have touched on
enough subjects to express creative diversity and have done so in such a way as
to not be put in a box. So there is no
one major message. Hopefully readers
will see that the African American experience, the book and subjects are
universal and come from a human perspective.
AR: What's the significance of the title?
WR: The title Nothing More represents a deep sigh of completion as it relates to my writing. I have wanted to write a novel for some time now but felt I could not unless I did something complete with respect to my poetry. After putting those poems I thought were worthy into the book, I realized I had nothing more to say about those subjects and poetry for that matter. With nothing more to say as it relates to writing poetry (at least for now), I am free to focus on a novel that has been talking to me for years.
AR: How long have you written poetry?
WR: My
earliest memories start around the fifth-grade.
My mother, still a proficient wordsmith, would help me on various English
assignments. Of course, back then I
wrote little love poems in hopes of attracting the attention of particular
girls.
AR: Who are some of your chief poetic influences?
WR: I was introduced to Langston Hughes and others rather late in life; I
had been writing poetry but it was Langston Hughes who seemed to say to me:
Walter, it is OK to speak about these things and talk like this or dat. Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Claude
McKay, George Moses Horton, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou; there are so many!
AR: What's your opinion on the current state of poetry in the literary world?
WR: From my lonely view, while there is
sufficient evidence that poetry is alive and well, it seems that poetry is
merely some isolated island on the whole literary landscape, small and often
disregarded when taking into account how much emphasis and attention we see
with novels. Poetry is an awkward thing
I think in the minds of most average book readers; it doesn’t have to be, maybe
that can be changed by revisiting with some energy how and what is taught in
our modern-day classrooms.
AR: How has your publishing experience been with your publisher, Outskirts Press?
WR: Self-publishing was a difficult choice for me. My experience with Outskirts Press continues to be very positive. They have been professional in every sense of the word, fulfilling their end of our agreement in a manner consistent with my high standards.
AR: What's next for you?
WR: Other than trying to
obtain more critical reviews for Nothing More and find cost effective ways to
generate a few book sales, I would like to have finished my novel by this time
next year, and be looking for a publisher, and doing another interview with you.
AR: Do you have a website where people can learn more about you and your writing
efforts?
WR: I am working on an official website: walterrooks.com, and currently Nothing More can be purchased through this link: http://outskirtspress.com/NothingMore
AR: How can they contact you directly?
WR: E-mail me at: waltrks@yahoo.com
or call me at: 775-200-2785
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
WR: Yes.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my work. Anyone purchasing my book is essentially
making an investment in me, something I take seriously. Nothing confirms a writer’s work more than
feedback, good or bad. Please, share
your thoughts if you read my work.
AR: Thanks again, Walter, and best of continued success to you in all your
endeavors!
WR: The pleasure is mine! Thank you for being here and providing a crucial service to writers such as myself. Love, peace, prayers.