Public Education and the Imagination-Intellect : I Speak from the Wound in My Mouth

"Public Education and the Imagination-Intellect argues for re-thinking the thinking process and for urban education reform. Weems's work lives in the moment of creation. Her imagination-intellect theory chapters frame this book; she posits that the imagination and intellect are inextricably linked; that like Freire's architect all ideas are first imagined, then intellectually developed in an interconnected process that mirrors the blood's circulation through the body. The two plays and the collection of poems are rich, layered landscapes of African American culture and meanings. They lend themselves to multi-interpretation, co-performance, and co-ownership by each audience member who engages the work.

Mary E. Weems is an educator, a performer, a poet, a dramatist, and a theorist of the imagination-intellect. She currently teaches English composition and creative writing at Cleveland State University