earthquake came to harlem

Earthquake Came to Harlem, published by NYQ Books on 10/01/01, has already received favorable reviews from Pedestal Magazine, Lambda Literary and New Mirage. It was one of SPR’s 5 must-read books in December, and was also reviewed there in March (you have to have a Small Press Review subscription to access their links).

Most recently, Earthquake was a finalist for the Patterson Poetry Prize, which was won by Elizabeth Alexander (aka Obama’s Inaugural Poet) for her book of new and selected poems.

NYQ Books says: Nuanced yet aggressive, Earthquake Came to Harlem is a tour-de-force of NYC poetry. From Harlem to Bensonhurst, from a budget hairdresser to the junkie under the corner scaffold, Sheeler (a lifelong New Yorker) allows the people and places she knows so well to engage with the larger universe. In this collection, God is both a prostitute and a suicide bomber; Star Trek a lifeline to sanity amidst the chaos of family dysfunction; police are variously family, foe and rescuers. Using language as musical as it is precise, Sheeler’s poems animate an unexpected world—one you might not want to step into, but can’t tear your eyes away from once you do.

And it’s quite an honor to have blurbs four distinguished poets as these on the back of the book:

Thomas Lux: These are fearless poems filled with the extremes of terror and tenderness. Any book that contains a line like “Custodian, bring out the homicide mop” has me firmly by the heart/throat. Earthquake Came to Harlem did that to me, from page one! Brilliant!

Patricia Smith: Weeks after I first experienced these unflinching and restless stanzas, I still feel drumming in my chest. It’s no wonder that Jackie Sheeler has once again left me clutching for breath—she’s a master of the lyrical backslap, with a relentless narrative flow that leaves me anxious to surrender.

Ellen Bass: These are strong poems from a woman who has seen a lot and isn’t afraid to tell us about it. Jackie Sheeler has a big heart and wide open eyes. Whether she is showing us life on the streets or her own intimate losses and longings, we believe her. These are vivid, compelling poems.

Wanda Coleman: Jackie Sheeler is an inspired urban word warrior whose most deliciously dangerous weapons consist of lancing narratives, savvy quips, intellectual snipes, heady resolves and sexy winks—these poems are butt-kicking, knee-cracking, heart-bending affirmations, emphasis on womanly love of turf—embrace them, savor them, lick the burn.