M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A by A. Van Jordan

M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A, written by A. Van Jordan, is a collection of persona poems that imagine the life of 13-year-old Macnolia Cox, the first African American to reach the final round of the national Akron District Spelling Bee.  After losing the competition because of racially motivated judge tampering, Macnolia settles for the life of a domestic maid in the home of a doctor, rather than pursuing her dream to become a doctor herself.

However, sad truths do not dominate these pages,
instead Jordan chooses to present his audience with a love story between Macnolia and her husband John.  Displayed in a cinematic style of flashbacks, the poems span from 1936, when Macnolia entered the spelling bee to 1976, the year in which she died.  Through flashbacks and memories, we are able to peer into the lives of multiple characters, including Macnolia and John as they expose their most vulnerable thoughts about each other, love, music, and work.


Macnolia's actual obituary opens the book and actual quotes about her death close the book.

Cinematic style

Below are additional ways in which Jordan arranged the poems.

Citation: Jordan, A. Van. M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A: Poems. W.W. Norton & Co., 2005.

Book can be purchased on Amazon for $11.16
https://www.amazon.com/Macnolia-Poems-Van-Jordan/dp/0393327647/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OJKRMEQJ8ATO&keywords=macnolia+a+van+jordan&qid=1568335622&sprefix=macnolia%2Caps%2C328&sr=8-1