Ascension is a collection of poems rooted in the Africana folkways, lore, and history of Louisiana. Palpable images pull the reader into the turbulent waters and horrors of the Atlantic slave trade, into homes battered by relentless rain and a flooding river, and finally to moments of contemplation and reverence for the land. With a measured, lean, and luminous style, the poet shares her intimate experience of place?home, familiar rituals, sites of historic resonance, and consciousness of the power and beauty of the natural world.