First published 2023
Clint Smith examines fatherhood through verse in this poetry collection that maps the emotional landscape of raising children. The poems move between intimate family moments and broader historical forces that shape our lives. Smith watches his children discover the world for the first time and finds his own perspective shifting. He writes about personal family history alongside institutional legacies that continue to influence the present. The collection grapples with parenting during times of social and political upheaval. Smith balances wonder at small discoveries with larger concerns about the world his children will inherit. These narrative poems follow his family through early childhood years while the world around them changes. The book explores how parents carry both joy from private moments and grief from collective experiences. Smith's second poetry collection follows his award winning debut Counting Descent and comes from the bestselling author of How the Word Is Passed.
Genres: family, african-american, social-issues, poetry, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-dynamics, personal-history
Period: 21st Century
128 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company