nappy edges

Many of Shange's poems are about poetry itself—what it means to write it and what it means to read it. In takin a solo/ a poetic possibility/ a poetic imperative, she implores black writers to cultivate the kinds of distinctive and original voices that we appreciate and expect from black musicians.[2] Her fear is that black voices will fade into indistinction, and eventually their voices won't be recognizable at all.[3]

In inquiry, Shange explains the importance that poems elicit a visceral reaction out of the reader in the same way that a kiss or cold water would.[4] Following this expectation, Shange focusses some of her poems on the responsibility of the poet to the reader. Generally speaking, the poet is expected to speak on behalf of communities, and to transport the reader to places they've never even been, but Shange emphasizes the necessity of the poet showing you what they know personally.[3] By placing importance on the personal rather than the universal, Shange is able to explore the interiority of her personas' minds.

Shange also looks at what it means to be a black woman poet when the world of poetry is dominated by white men. Particularly during this historical moment in the late 1970s, not long after the Black Arts Movement which was a very male-dominated and patriarchal movement, Shange's position as a black woman poet is groundbreaking. She challenges the idea that words and poetry belong to men, and points to how unfair it is that when a woman does something, an 'ess' is added to the title (as in poetess).[5]

Stories of love and relationships can be found in each section of nappy edges. Shange explores how traditional gender dynamics can mistreat women. From manipulative men who take advantage of women sexually, to women who stand up for themselves,[6] each poem tells a different story. Shange explores love and relationships as spaces where women should be able to seek their own pleasure, sexual or otherwise.[7] By showing how sex and love can either torment or uplift women, Shange is able to

Although the women in Shange's poems are self-sufficient, there is still an overarching theme of loneliness throughout nappy edges. Rather than dwelling on this loneliness, Shange focusses on the theme of self-care as a woman and as a poet. It is clear from these poems that being a woman and being a poet in a patriarchal society is not easy, but Shange relies on herself and her creativity for survival.[8] This self-care takes different forms, from talking to herself to writing poetry, but she insists that black women in particular take care of themselves, and claims that this is both a personal and political struggle.[9]

Shange uses her poems to push back against the way in which black women have been allowed a single, monolithic voice and experience.[2] She claims that there is such a profound ignorance about the lives of black women, that they themselves struggle to fully understand themselves, thus creating identity confusion. In the same way that she calls for linguistic specificity from black poets, she fights to carve out a space for subjectivity from black women—a space where they can at least try to articulate themselves more clearly and authentically. Shange returns to the idea of self-care consistently throughout her work, and often stresses its importance for black women in particular. In nappy edges, self-care is a remedy for personal struggles, but it is also a necessary reality of being the kind of black woman that she writes about struggling with abusive men, sexism, racism, and the ways that they all overlap.

Shange, Ntozake (1978). nappy edges. New York: St. Mark's Griffin. ISBN 0 312 06424 1.