Requiem for Naomi Long Madgett

“Requiem for Naomi Long Madgett” opens with Madgett’s funeral, expressed in poetry in poetic prose. “Requiem” captures prominent moments in the last weeks of one of the most productive and influential literary figures in American culture, as it reflects on her legacy as a poet and a publisher. Madgett met Langston Hughes when she was a student at Lincoln University. He was so impressed with her poetry that he read one of her poems during his poetry reading, and he continued to mentor her literary development. The article considers this impact on Madgett’s career and contains a critical discussion of her most prominent poems as well as the release of her ninth book of poetry a few months before she died. Comments from prominent writers, in particular Detroit’s award-winning playwright and poet Bill Harris, capture the profundity of her work as a parting gift. The article also reiterates her creative production as founding editor of Lotus Press during the Black Arts Movement, a time when publishing opportunities were limited for Black writers. In tandem with Dudley Randall’s Broadside Press, Madgett’s Lotus Press made Detroit the most productive site for Black poetry production during the 1960s and ’70s.