In a Homeland Not Far

Yahya Frederickson dares again and again to step into minefields of misinterpretation where unwitting representatives of the powerful and the subdued are supposed to exchange pleasantries of co-optation in the name of world order and cultural independence. The scenes that ensue are not without humor or confusion, but it is the job of the poet to break such dehumanizing performances of difference to reach for the inviolably mutual between us. Frederickson delivers on his ambitious humanist quest with lyrical verve, narrative mastery and numerous spiritual and psychological insights. The poems of In a Homeland Not Far are songs of "hijrah" and "hopeful hill" that make new inroads into empathy and self-awareness. They are songs from the heart of an open and generous spirit, beautifully sung. -Khaled Mattawa, author of Mahmoud Darwish: The Poet's Art and His Nation