Dive into Memphis magic with our 26th Annual Southern Music Issue!

From Al Green to Elvis, explore iconic photography and fresh takes on legends through stellar writing from Zandria Robinson, Robert Gordon & more.

Become A Member Shop Login

“Blind Tom Crossing the Horace King Bridge,” by Najee Dorsey

General James Bethune and John Bethune Introduce Blind Tom

2016 04 05 Jess poem


Tyehimba Jess reads “General James Bethune and John Bethune Introduce Blind Tom”

Unable to embed Rapid1Pixelout audio player. Please double check that:  1)You have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.  2)This web page does not have any fatal Javascript errors.  3)The audio-player.js file of Rapid1Pixelout has been included.


Read a review of Tyehimba Jess’s Olio, out now from Wave Books

Enjoy this poem? Subscribe to the Oxford American.





Tyehimba Jess

Tyehimba Jess’s first book of poetry, leadbelly, was a winner of the 2004 National Poetry Series. He is the recipient of a literature fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Chicago Sun-Times Poetry Award, and a Whiting Award. His next book, Olio, is forthcoming from Wave Books in April 2016.