Presenting some of the most noteworthy pieces from a remarkably influential West Indian poet, this anthology sheds light on the lesser-known literary accomplishments of Una Marson. Revealing the work of a woman whose writing pioneered the articulation of gender and racial oppression, brought Jamaican vernacular voices alongside a Wordsworth-inspired passion for nature, and ventured to give subjectivity to marginalized subjects, this collection includes, in addition to her well-known poems, previously unpublished work from the 1930s through the 1950s. Striving to answer the question of how one writes as a modern black woman reaching out to the poor and powerless, this extensive selection embodies an exceptionally significant poetic achievement.

Una Marson was the assistant editor of a Jamaican political journal, Jamaica Critic, and founder of the Cosmopolitan magazine. She is the author of the poetry collections Heights and Depths, Moth and the Star, and Tropic Reveries and the plays At What Price, London Calling, and Pocomania. Her collaboration with the BBC led to the creation of the hugely influential Caribbean Voices program.