Marcus Bruce Christian (1900-1976)is a poet much overlooked by critics of the Negro Renaissance. Christian, a New Orleans poet, was out of the loop in that the more well-known poets of the 20s and 30s were situated either in Harlem, Chicago, or Washington, D.C. But many of the more famous figures of the period were acquainted with Christian's work, which like theirs had been published in two major national organs, The Crisis and Opportunity Magazine. To publish in such magazines, the poet had to master rhyme, meter, and line and Christian was an excellent technician. But there was more to Christian than technical mastery.

Christian possesed a wealth of material historical and personal: A History of the Negro in Louisiana; diaries; letters from the great and small; newsclippings, manuscripts, etc. All now archived at the University of New Orleans. Most of all he left 2000 poems. Much of which has never been published. Until I AM NEW ORLEANS (Xavier Review Press),Christian never had a book of poems published, other than by himself on his own press. Though coming 23 years after Christian's death, the publication of this volume is a wonderful historic and literary event

The poems in this volume are varied in theme, content, and form. Some are love poems; others are blues poem. There are poems of militant defiance to Jim Crow attitudes and laws and the lynch mob. There also are anti-war poems. And there are poems of growing old, losing one's vitality and ideals for more practical concerns. Some are lyrics; but also there are sonnets, long epic-like poems; work songs, ballads, odes.

I AM NEW ORLEANS posseses also an Introduction by Rudolph Lewis that provides some insights into Christian's life and the personal tragedies that affected his consciousness and his writing. These poems are accessible on the surface. But they expand in depth and breath when looked at closely. Much different from Hughes, Bontemps, and Brown, a read of Christian is a read of the poet's life, of his day-to-day moans and groans, insights and exhilarations. A great read. A book needed in every American library.