by Frank X Walker
Ohio University Press, 2010
Paper: 978-0-9675424-3-0 | eISBN: 978-1-7352242-2-0

ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The captivating story of a record-setting nineteenth-century black jockey told in poetry. In this creative foray into persona poems, Walker immerses himself in the life of African American jockey Isaac Burns Murphy (1861–1896). The son of a slave, Murphy’s legendary career riveted the attention of the nation and established him as one of the greatest jockeys of all time. Walker’s poetry breathes life into the voices of Murphy and his family, the neglected history of African Americans in thoroughbred racing, and racial tensions in the post-Civil War South. Published in 2010 by Old Cove Press