New Voices – serie

The collection presents snapshots of the Korean American experience through poems ranging from the hardships of first generation Korean immigrants, their blue-collar work (though many had professional degrees), and arduous immigration to the United States to the rise of the second and even third generation, of culturally Americanized youth attempting to reconcile their bi-cultural heritage.

"A poet whose voice and message we trust. . .a singular and significant voice. You will not forget this neighborhood, or this poet." from the foreword by Toi DerricotteFrom the twilight towns of the Rust Belt to the vivid inlets of New York City, Neighborhood Register is a ledger of the people, scenes, and sectors from which hidden music and meaning unearth. The collection evokes the beauties and difficulties within multi-racial families, the value of vernacular, and the unexpected resonances of common objects."In his fine first collection, Jackson lyrically knits together time, memory, human desires and obligations and invites the kind reader to dance along to his bright measures, which sometimes resemble the life of a young poet, deeply enmeshed in the world, and sometimes reflect like a mirror." - Cornelius Eady