A poet whose angry and extravagant music, so far beyond baroque, has been making itself heard across the divide between West Coast and East, establishment and margins, slams and seminars, across the too-American rift among races and genders (there are more than two of each) for two decades.... But her poems do not require an audible voice or physical presence: ... Read moreThey perform themselves. - From the jury's citation for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize; ""[Coleman] is best known for what has often been termed her 'warrior voice,' her inclination to impatiently peel away small talk's polite veneer, to scissor through to the heart of the matter.... [A] master of telling unvarnished truths - about self, about the world, about personal past and our collective future."" - Los Angeles Times; ""A sly observer, Coleman continues to shoplift language to address a gamut of psycho-social ills.... The inclusive and experimental quality of Coleman's voice characterizes a truly American aesthetic."" - Black Issues Book Review; ""[Mercurochrome is] probably one of the most innovative books of poetry since the end of World War II.... A stunning work of art."" - Isthmus Show Less