My Seneca Village
Marilyn Nelson
A collection of poems and connecting prose pieces imagines life in Seneca Village, a predominantly African American New York City community demolished in 1857 for the construction of Central Park. The poems use fictionalized voices whose names draw on people Marilyn Nelson found in census records. Spanning from the community’s 1825 establishment to its final years, the book moves among individuals and families. Opening and closing material adds historical context and discusses the poetic forms used.
This book appears on 3 reading lists across 1 edition from 3 organizations.
