The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours: The Poetry of Jill Scott    by Jill Scott Order:  USA  Can Griffin, 2008 (2005) Hardcover, Softcover     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Though Jill Scott is a singer and performer, this book of her poetry is my first exposure to her art. The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours reads rather like lyrical biographical excerpts, tell-it-like-it-is honest and vulnerable. I enjoyed the author's introduction (dedicated to the eighth-grade teacher who inspired her) almost as much as her verses. I particularly liked her articulation of her passion for poetry and the community of poets: 'We were Poets. Igniting minds, shaping pictures, calling out, sometimes begging, praising, and admonishing.' Scott divides her poems into five sections: All the Evil and All the Love; Haiku; I Be Thinking; Us Sistahs Sometimes; and Poetry 4 Poets and Folks Who Would Like to Be. Here's one from the first section where Scott talks about a friend's downfall after meeting 'Handome brotha / Brown, tall, regal / Sexy brotha / Smelling good like hot sex on Sunday after church / Soooo wrong but soooo right'. I smiled at Radio Blues which begins, 'Do me / Screw me / Tease me / Please me', and concludes, 'Oh God, where are the love songs?' In My Life, Scott tells us: 'I am an artist. I cannot help it. I do not read music. Don't know how. I just wait for the music to move me, adjust my thinking, shape my voice. I sing my life. I live in music.' But pick your own favorites from The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours, Jill Scott's sensual celebration of life, love, art and passion. Her Haiku #I reads like a succinct bio: 'It was a loud cry / When I was brought to this world / Been loud ever since'. I hope she continues to express herself loudly enough to be heard by a large audience. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews