Holm is a short story and novel author, and a freelance writer. In this essay, Holm looks at Alexander's dreamlike style, strategic placement of words and lines, and allusion to race and color in this poem.

In "The Toni Morrison Dreams," a serial poem with a subtle and edgy quality, Alexander uses language to create allusions to race. Alexander also strategically places words and lines in the poem for maximum impact. The author conveys a strange, dreamlike tone in the words and events that are chosen in this poem.

The four parts of this serial poem revolve around the interaction between the narrator and the African American writer Toni Morrison. There is a workshop and a reading. Two other portions of the poem seem to serve as segues, much like a dream might proceed. The procession of the poem seems oddly spontaneous—giving it a dreamlike, unpredictable...