Directed by Desire // The Collected Poems of June Jordan

Now in paperback,Directed by Desireis the definitive overview of June Jordan’s poetry. Collecting the finest work from Jordan’s ten volumes, as well as dozens of “last poems” that were never published in Jordan’s lifetime, these more than six hundred pages overflow with intimate lyricism, elegance, fury, meditative solos, and dazzling vernacular riffs.

As Adrienne Rich writes in her introduction, June Jordan “wanted her readers, listeners, students, to feel their own latent power–of the word, the deed, of their own beauty and intrinsic value.”

From “These Poems”

These poems
they are things that I do
in the dark
reaching for you
whoever you are
and
are you ready?

The cloth edition ofDirected by Desirewas selected as aLibrary JournalPoetry Book of the Year and received the Lambda Book Award for Lesbian Poetry.

June Jordantaught at UC Berkeley for many years and founded Poetry for the People. Her twenty-eight books include poetry, essays, fiction, and children’s books. She was a regular columnist forThe Progressiveand a prolific writer whose articles appeared inThe Village Voice, The New York Times, Ms. Magazine,andThe Nation.After her death in 2002, a school in the San Francisco School District was renamed in her honor.

• Publisher: Copper Canyon Press; Reprint (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 640 pages
• ISBN-10: 1556592345
• ISBN-13: 9781556592348
• Item Weight: 2.44 pounds
• Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.7 x 8.8 inches