Lorenzo Thomas (1944-2005) was the youngest member of the Society of Umbra, predecessor of the Black Arts Movement. In a career that spanned decades, Thomas constantly experimented with form and subject, while still writing poetry deeply rooted in the traditions of African American aesthetics.
"Lorenzo Thomas's Collected Poems is a thorough retrospective of the work of a poet of the Black Arts Movement in the United States in the 20th century. Often engaged with political and social upheavals, for example the civil rights movement and Vietnam War, Thomas uses formal experimentation and elements of music and pop culture to reflect upon the transforming experience of being an "American.""--
