We Are The Young Magicians

Winner, The 1992 Barnard New Women Poets Prize

Editorial Review From Melus

Whether written in the spunky voice of the street, the dynamic voice of the ‘sista,’ or the tempered, meditative tongue of the aged, Ruth Forman commands those voices with a lyrical ease and certitude. Her childhood memories are served up as crisp and clear just as she delineates the surging energies of emerging sensuality. Ruth Forman is a poet of vibrant sensitivity.

— Gloria Oden

Editorial Review From Publishers Weekly

This collection introduces a 24-year-old poet who would appear to be a direct descendant of Nikki Giovanni and Ntozake Shange.

Editorial Review From Women’s Review of Books
Forman’s vision is revolutionary, and poetry is her weapon…Suffused with delight in language…Forman is an heir to Audre Lorde…If the work of Ruth Forman is any indication (and it is more than an indication, it is a presence), we can know that the younger generation coming up is ready to sing out a poetry of soul and struggle that will resonate for years to come.

— Adrian Oktenberg