{"product_id":"songs-my-mother-taught-me","title":"Songs My Mother Taught Me \/\/ Why the Artist Must Take Sides (Pre-Order, Sep 8 2026)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAward-winning poet and performer Saul Williams explores how artists today must respond to systemic violence and injustice--in the words of Paul Robeson, by choosing sides.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSongs My Mother Taught Me\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is Williams' clear-eyed exploration of the role of the artist in these times by answering the question: what radicalized you? He answers by examining how his role models--writers and artists, from Amiri Baraka to local musicians in Brazilian bars to Palestinian hip-hop heads--have responded to imperialist violence, oppression, and genocide. Riffing on Paul Robeson's famous declaration, Williams builds a provocative case for why today's artists cannot remain neutral in the face of injustice. \"We need songs that crumble empires,\" he writes, \"films that teach, remind, and inspire, poems that would make a despot revoke your citizenship.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe radical artists of the\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eVanguard Series\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eoffer new poetry and prose to answer the question, What does poetry have to do with politics?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Call To Arms\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e1. In Terms of Culture—Shit, We Were Rich\u003cbr\u003e2. The Artist Must Choose Sides\u003cbr\u003e3. Freedom Ain’t Free\u003cbr\u003e4. Violently Anti-Fascist\u003cbr\u003e5. Race \u0026amp; Class Revelation to the Beat of the Drums\u003cbr\u003e8. Zombification: Losing the Propaganda War\u003cbr\u003e9. Where Poetry Led Me to Protest\u003cbr\u003e10. The Pledge to Resist \u0026amp; The End of Empire\u003cbr\u003e11. Boosting the Call\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaul Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis an American filmmaker, musician, poet, writer, and actor. Author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003esaid the shotgun to the head\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ethe dead emcee scrolls,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eWilliams is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop, and for his lead roles in the independent film\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSlam\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand the jukebox musical\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHoller If Ya Hear Me\u003c\/em\u003e. Saul starred as preacher Jedidiah Moore in Ryan Coogler's\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSinners\u003c\/em\u003e. Recently, he was nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaul has toured in more than forty countries and lectured in hundreds of universities. He holds a BA in Theater and Philosophy from Morehouse College and MFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in Los Angeles, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Saul represents, for so many of us, the boundless potential of a radical imagination unencumbered by the confines of the medium.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e―Vic Mensa\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Exquisite and essential reading for the revolution from one of our greatest minds.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e―Warsan Shire\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"When Saul Williams articulates the bedrock belief that 'a deep-seated love of humanity lies in the heart of every revolutionary, ' you know you can believe him.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e―\u003c\/em\u003ePearl Cleage\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSongs My Mother Taught Me\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003erecharges your political battery! This book is for anyone in search of a new now, anyone who knows art is a form of weaponry, anyone looking to sharpen their practice into a tool that sculpts new worlds.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e―Def Sound\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Who must we be in a world premised on individualism and evisceration? In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSongs My Mother Taught Me\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, griot Saul Williams reminds us that rebellion is a choice within reach. Beyond announcing who Saul is, this book asks who the fuck you are.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e―\u003c\/em\u003eShana L. Redmond\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublisher: Haymarket Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublish Date: September 8, 2026\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePages: 204\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLanguage: English\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEAN\/UPC: 9798888905845\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: N\/A\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBISAC Categories: Biography \u0026amp; Memoir, Literary Fiction, Biography \u0026amp; Memoir, Poetry, Politics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Saul Williams","offers":[{"title":"(Pre-Order, Sep 8 2026) Paperback","offer_id":49046440870123,"sku":"9798888905845","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/4014\/9820\/files\/9798888905845_5c2391d6-647f-4550-ac5b-498bc395523b.jpg?v=1783963290","url":"https:\/\/rep.club\/products\/songs-my-mother-taught-me","provider":"Reparations Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}