Emmanuel Kane's Growing Flames: Fury and Lavender, is a brilliantly conceived poetic feast. The poet demonstrates a remarkable breadth of knowledge and a stirring imagination full of tropes and metaphors that truly make this a great book. Kane masters the history, literature, and moral ethics that makes his poetry live in the present. Using the military and martial examples he brings truth in words to life.
Molefi Kete Asante, author of Facing South to Africa
With powerful imagery and language, Emanuel Kane takes his readers to places where they may not want to go. No one wants to experience war, suffering and death, but the world can't turn a blind eye to it either. Many of these poems are uncomfortable and hard to read, but poetry doesn't have to be pretty. Kane pulls the reader from the comfort of a chair into a world of uncertainty, where many people live out their daily lives. This is not an uplifting book, but it is a call to action, a call to care for our fellow man.
Jonathan K. Rice, Editor/Publisher, Iodine Poetry Journal
Here are the words of no return. Emanuel Kane writes about war and refugees. Here is the verse of headlines. This collection of poems is troubling. There is blood on many of the pages. It's a reminder that the present is a dangerous place to live. Kane writes about Isis and Miriam Makeba wailing from the grave. He knows the beautiful ones have yet to be born.
E. Ethelbert Miller, Poet/Educator/Literary Activist
In Growing Flames, he captures the disappointments, fury, and melancholy of a young soldier in a very realistic manner. His poems are multi-layered. Most of his poems contain a satirical twist that provides a deeper insight into war, beyond the literal meaning, and that makes readers pause and say, "Ah." These poems will speak to readers today because of the continuing wars and conflicts throughout our world.
Dr. Sylvia A. Holladay, English Professor, University of South Florida
Kane's Growing Flames: Fury and Lavender is a collection of 95 poems divided into four sections. Each section addresses different perspective on war, political corruption, killer disease outbreaks, and depraved indifference. Each poem uniquely touches on personal effects to the human soul. His powerful words challenge us to be aware, to take a stand - to listen and hear, to look and to see. This book reaches your very corps with carefully crafted prose.
Liane Larocque, PhD/editor/author
About the Author: Emmanuel Kane is the pen name for Emmanuel K. Ngwainmbi, former head of the Department of Language, Literature and Communication and at Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina. He currently serves as a senior communication consultant to various United Nations government agencies, including the United Nations' Population Fund and Development Program. In addition, he has served as a commentator on Voice of America; BBC-Africa; West Africa Democracy Radio, and other radio and cable television stations in the U.S., Europe and Africa. He speaks about the challenges of local communities and emerging economies in the process of globalization. Growing Flames: Fury & Lavender is Kane's fifth book of poetry. He also has five published novels: Leap in the Dark, Bo Aku, King of the Forest, The Unpaid Dowry, Dawn in Rage and When in met
