Poetry

Drawing inspiration from the life of Harriet Tubman, Cynthia Parker-Ohene's poetic narratives follow a historical arc of consciousness of Black folks: mislaid in potters' fields and catalogued with other misbegotten souls, now unsettled as the unknown...

"Grape is the sweetest betrayal. There is no removing the stain Of it say moms everywhere & Even if kids choose it last; They choose it, as loyal To its sugar as any...."When authorities converged on the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, known as...

Marcus Garvey was many things race leader, journalist, orator and ideologist. He was also a poet, and his poetical works are collected here for the first time. From a purely literary standpoint, he inspired better poetry than he himself produced. Even...

"I'm Always so Serious is brilliant." --Terrance Hayes, winner of the National Book Award for Lighthead Karisma Price's stunning debut collection is an extendedmeditation on Blackness, on family, on loss. Anchored in New Orleans and NewYork City, these...

"The truth holds no lies. Lies are what ties you down and tapes your mouth shut. We can run away from all the things we fear. We can hide our troubles with beauty, but a lie will always catch you. The truth is the only thing that will set you free. I...

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was a revered African American civil rights leader, diplomat, lawyer, novelist, poet, and songwriter in the Harlem Renaissance. He also coauthored the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem...

The hue of our skin was created from the black soil of Mother Africa and the essence of our humanity was formed with the nutrient richness of her earthly elements; we dare not forsake the blessing of our natural beauty nor deny the significance of our...

Exquisitely produced with a traditional Chinese binding, this edition of The Prophet will be cherished by all fans of Gibran's spiritual and wise guide to life. Love, marriage, children, work, joy, sorrow, friendship, freedom, pain, passion: those are...

An award-winning author presents a portrait of Black America in the nineteenth century Unshuttered: Poems is the vessel for poetic personae and a selection of antique photographs of Black Americans, which Patricia Smith has collected over the course of...

In his debut full length collection, Junious 'Jay' Ward dives deep into the formation of self. Composition interrogates the historical perceptions of Blackness and biracial identity as documented through a Southern Lens. Utilizing a variety of poetic...

A new collection of poems from one of America's most essential, celebrated, and enduring poets, Carl Phillips's Then the War I'm a song, changing. I'm a light rain falling through a vast darkness toward a different darkness. Carl Phillips has aptly...

From the author of paper girl and the knives that made her comes unfold, a poetic, aching, and hopeful retelling of realizations made while on the journey to healing from both loss of love and loss of self. Through poetry and short essays, unfold shows...

Kim Braxton (AKA) Kacee Kemiah is an American poet and Spoken Word Artist. As an empowered African-American woman, she seeks to share her life experiences with others with the aim of fostering understanding and tolerance. Her poems and book reflect...

Cynthia Manick's poetry collection personifies love of self and culture through fresh observations and bitter truths voiced with breathtaking lyricism.No Sweet Without Brine is both a soulful and celebratory collection that summons sticky sweet memories...