Poetry

"This book is brutal and brutally honest, but still perversely addictive because Brontez Purnell is a performer in the truest sense. Reading Ten Bridges I've Burnt, I felt tucked-in with him, along for the intimate ride, and paused only once to write...

From National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, a mystical, transcendent poetry collection about Black womanhood in the American South In Thick with Trouble, award-winning poet Amber McBride interrogates if being "trouble"--difficult, unruly, powerful,...

This moving collection of poems from the Booker Prize-winning author finds strength and hope while reflecting on the complex issues that have burdened Africa. First published in 1992, Ben Okri's remarkable debut poetry collection plays with the mystique...

Poetry collection by Gary Copeland Lilley. Lilley's collection addresses flashpoints in African American history including the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898 and Hurricane Katrina. Second edition with new poems.EXCERPT: Colonel Waddell on the Morning of...

A powerful mediation on Blackness, beauty, faith, and the force of law, from the beloved award-winning author of Digest and Air Traffic Elegant, profound, and intoxicating--Spectral Evidence, Gregory Pardlo's first major collection of poetry after...

The sweetest song is one that speaks to the heart of universal human experience.FROM THE AUTHOR OF NAUTILUS AWARD WINNER & BCALA 2022 HONOR POETRY AWARD WINNER I AM THE RAGEExperience the rich tapestry of life through the vibrant poetry of A Sweeter Song...

Bound is a collection of poems that seeks to carve a space for Blackness and queerness in the world that isn't defined by trauma or lack, where Black and queer folks can seriously play, can create and conjure the worlds they want to live and love in...

Gather it from memory. Let it touch the earth. In Touch the Earth, Drew Jackson continues the project he began in God Speaks Through Wombs, reflecting on the Gospel of Luke through poetry. Touch the Earth picks up in chapter nine and continues through...

The Way We Move Through Water marks the brilliant debut of Lino Anunciacion's poetry collection.With scenic verse, gracefully adorned with a pure, haunting beauty, Lino's poems navigate deep pools of relentless griefwater. Serene yet powerful imagery...

In her debut poetry collection, Ordinary Cruelty, Amber Flame spells out rituals in everyday decisions to hold on or let go.While questioning the role of elder, mentor, mother in the face of losing those figures, Flame details the unrelenting nature of...

A fellow poet once described Khary Jackson as a blend of Saul Williams and Pablo Neruda, which may prove fitting given Khary's unique aesthetic as a child of the hip hop generation with penchant for intimate, passionate verse. Jackson's first book...

African poetry is unique in its complexity, both because of its linguistic diversity and the devastating impact of colonialism and slavery. From the traditional oral poets to the vast outpouring of writing generated throughout the Atlantic slave trade,...