M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A: Poems

M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A: Poems

<p><strong>"Jordan is a wizard at capturing vernacular in both conventional forms and his own invention." --<em>Black Issues Book Review</em></strong></p> In 1936, teenager MacNolia Cox became the first African American finalist in the National Spelling Bee Competition. Supposedly prevented from winning, the precocious child who dreamed of becoming a doctor was changed irrevocably. Her story, told in a poignant nonlinear narrative, illustrates the power of a pivotal moment in a life.