Ishmael Reed's The Complete Muhammad Ali Reviewed at Contra Costa Times

With the publication of his latest book The Complete Muhammad Ali, poet, novelist, and playwright Ishmael Reed continues to prove himself a literary heavyweight. Angela Hill at the Contra Costa Times looks at Reed's accomplishments, both current and those spanning some 6 decades. She writes:

Just out with his heavyweight, 421-page biographical and historical tome, "The Complete Muhammad Ali," the famed Oakland poet, playwright and author of 30-plus books is more than the sum of his two current positions as Poet Laureate at the San Francisco Jazz Center, and as lecturer at the California College of the Arts. He's well known for his biting satire and critical works on political culture and social oppression. During his long and ongoing career, he's written countless boisterous essays, was nominated twice for a National Book Award and was a Pulitzer finalist for a book of poetry titled, "Conjure."

Yet for all his accomplishments and accolades, Reed feels he's often seen as part of the old guard these days, especially in East Coast literary circles. He's revered, to be sure, and held up as a standard for young writers. But having once been the darling of the New York lit scene, he's now a mere mention in articles, and his newer works are rarely reviewed.

"I feel I'm seen as something of a journeyman boxer," he says. "Someone who had a couple of championships in the past, but whose career is on the decline. Somehow, it seems it's OK to still engage in ageism these days."

Hill goes on to write about the Ali tome and to illustrate the very public impact Reed has had on the Bay Area landscape:

Many of Reed's winning words are embedded in the Bay Area for future decades to come. Quite literally. Artist Mildred Howard's work at the Richmond BART station features a Reed poem incised into a 40-foot wall of faceted steel. Another poem, "When I Die I Will Go To Jazz," is installed on the north gate of the San Francisco Jazz Center. And a line of his famed poem, "Let Oakland be a City of Civility," written for Jerry Brown's 1999 Oakland mayoral inauguration, is emblazoned on a mural in Reed's neighborhood. It reads, "Let Oakland be a city of civility. Let each citizen treat other citizens with good will and generosity."

There's more to consider at CCT. To catch up on Reed's verse, head here to read a selection of poems.