16 pages • 32-minute read
The Virus
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“The Tradition“ by Jericho Brown (2015)
This is the title poem of the collection in which “The Virus” also appears. Both poems present the cultivation of flowers as symbolic of any creative and life-affirming activity, in contrast to forces of destruction and death, whether biological (the virus) or social (racism). In “The Tradition,” the names of flowers are gradually replaced by the names of black men killed by the police.
“Bullet Points“ by Jericho Brown (2019)
This poem, also from The Tradition, addresses police violence more directly. The speaker alludes to situations in which black individuals who lose their lives during encounters with police officers or while in police custody are depicted as causing their own deaths. He then asserts that, should he die in a way that involves the police, we could be sure that he did not die by his own hand.
“Duplex“ by Jericho Brown (2019)
This is an example of a poetic form Jericho Brown invented by bringing together characteristics of the sonnet, the ghazal (an Arabic poetic form), and the blues. It consists of seven couplets, comprising fourteen lines (like in a sonnet). Each line is a variation of the preceding line, and the last line is a variation of the first. In an interview for the Bennington Review (see Further Literary Resources), Brown called it a “mutt of a form” that “in my head was black and queer and Southern.” This poem is one of several such poems, all titled “Duplex,” published in The Tradition.
Further Literary Resources
Jericho Brown’s Personal Website
The website contains useful information about Brown’s life and work, as well as links to his poems, works of prose, interviews, and articles about his poetry.
"Jericho Brown’s Interview for the Bennington Review" (2018)
In this conversation with the editor of the Bennington Review, Michael Dumanis, Brown discusses his creative process, the types of poetry that interest him, and several specific poems from his 2019 collection The Tradition.
"Heart to Heart with Jericho Brown about Poetry, Race and HIV" by Trenton Straube (2021.
In this interview for POZ Magazine, Jericho Brown opens up about his experience with HIV and explains how he transformed the disease from a source of shame to a source of creative inspiration and moral responsibility.
"Pulitzer-Winning Poet Jericho Brown on Racism, HIV, and Finding Joy" by Neal Broveman (2020)
This article in Plus magazine reports Brown’s opinion that diseases like HIV and COVID-19 relate to social ills such as racism. Brown explains that he sees certain types of social violence and mindsets as a kind of disease.
"Jericho Brown’s Interview for The Fight and the Fiddle" (2014)
In this nine-minute video interview, Brown talks about the challenges of being a queer black poet and the relationship between line breaks and fear.
Listen to Poem
“The Virus” read by the author
Brown reads a slightly different, earlier version of the poem as it was before he finalized it for The Tradition and changed the title from “I Am a Virus” to “The Virus.”
Jericho Brown’s Interview for Encore! (2020)
In this rich and wide-ranging thirteen-minute video interview for a French public broadcasting show, recorded during the shutdowns caused by COVID-19, Brown reads “The Virus” (minute 2:45) and other poems. He discusses The Tradition and its relevance for contemporary events and problems in American society.
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