God's Trombones

About God’s Trombones

A Harlem Renaissance classic: seven inspirational poems inspired by the powerful rhetorical traditions of African-American sermons and spirituals.

James Weldon Johnson, the co-author of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and author of The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. In God’s Trombones, one of his most celebrated works, the rich tradition of inspirational sermons by Black preachers are reimagined as poetry, reverberating with the musicality and splendid eloquence of the classic spirituals. This collection includes “The Creation,” “The Prodigal Son,” “Go Down Death (A Funeral Sermon),” “Noah Built the Ark,” “The Crucifixion,” “Let My People Go,” and “The Judgment Day,” and includes the remarkable original illustrations by artist Aaron Douglas.