The Body Has Memories

In her debut poetry chapbook, THE BODY HAS MEMORIES, Adrienne Danyelle Oliver gives voice to being and becoming the whole self. While memory may in its traditional sense be the discoveries of a single individual, Oliver is very aware that the act of remembering is a much greater collective process. It is the historical dialogues among the ancestors and the living. Memories dwell not just within the mind, but are made up from the struggles and triumphs of one's entire existence. Oliver expects her readers to share at least some of her cultural and historical memories. She is well-versed in Hip Hop and in the rich legacy of her African American heritage. She invites us to enter, to embody and to embrace these poems through three very personal portals "the physical, the mental and the heart." Yet no matter where you are in your exploration of this work, you too become aware of the vulnerability and fragility of the body and of the mind, if left on its own. In her poem ": #forareason____," Oliver encourages readers to respond to their own why "she is a limitless being" and welcomes you to a collective affirmation. Oliver is confident in her craft as a poet. In her poem ": belly," she does not let the constraints of form define how she navigates the visual space of the page. Her freedom to explore form enhances the intensity and tension of the language of the body.