~ PRAISE ~
"One of the most multitalented poets in the country, Amaker turns his eye and ear to the body in his new collection, 'Hold What Makes You Whole'. Combining poems, photography, and illustration, Amaker asks big questions of the vessels that carry us through life."
- P. Scott Cunningham (he/him), founder/director, O, Miami Poetry Festival
In 'Hold What Makes You Whole', Marcus Amaker harnesses the slick and psychic echoes that our living creates. His handling of this mastery turns up an awareness of how choral and connected a self can be - across spaces, across times, across realities. And that whelming possibility is at the core of this poet's grace. Bless this book.
- Geffrey Davis (he/him), author of "Night Angler"******(BOA Editions)
"Hold What Makes You Whole is a gratifying meditative collection of poems accompanied by kaleidoscopic visual imagery that pulls you in, settles your mind, and makes way for one's own reflections."
- Lisa Willis (she/her), executive director of Cave Canem Foundation
~ THE BOOK ~
Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker's (he/him) tenth book, Hold What Makes You Whole, is a pocket-sized full-color collection of new and selected works from an award-winning opera librettist, musician, and graphic designer.
Hold What Makes You Whole is a 200-page compilation of jazz, Blackness, self care, fatherhood, Star Wars, social justice, music, and memory. Along with the audiobook and e-book, the Hold project also features short films, two full-length albums, and an interactive website.
On the cover of the book is Amaker's great-great aunt Ruth Robinson, a poet and community leader who published her first book at the age of 65. Robinson passed in 2020 when she was 94 years old.
"Aunt Ruth and I had regular conversations right up until her passing. I feel happy to honor her this way, and it's an honor to introduce you to her Spirit," Amaker said.
~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Marcus Amaker is a husband, a dad, a son, a music nerd, and a Star Wars obsessive. He served as the first Poet Laureate of Charleston, South Carolina, from 2016o22. In 2021, he became an Academy of American Poets fellow.
His work has been recognized by The Washington Post, The Kennedy Center, American Poets Magazine, Chicago Opera Theater, The Portland Opera, Button Poetry, NPR, The Chicago Tribune, Edutopia, Town & Country, PBS NewsHour, South Carolina Public Radio, Charleston Magazine, Charleston City Paper, Post and Courier, and more.
He's also a prolific performer, the award-winning graphic designer of a roots music journal (No Depression), a musician, an opera librettist, the creator of a poetry festival, a teaching artist, and an advocate for youth poets. His poetry was used by the Washington National Opera for its Presidential Inauguration Day Concert in 2021, and has been studied in classrooms around the country.
In addition to more than 40 electronic music albums, Marcus has recorded three albums with Grammy Award-winning drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter. His poem "The Rain" is on two Grammy-nominated albums.
He lives in North Charleston, SC, with his wife, their daughter, and a cat named after Wu-Tang Clan.
