First published 2021
This experimental tête-bêche volume presents two distinct poetic investigations of imperial power. Quenton Baker constructs "we pilot the blood" from Senate documents recording the 1841 slave revolt on the brig Creole, exploring how blackness persists within slavery's continuing aftermath. Paul Hlava Ceballos assembles "Banana [ ]" from declassified CIA materials, corporate files, botanical research, and personal testimonies to create a visceral examination of corporate exploitation across borders. Christina Sharpe provides a reflective bridge between these works, collaborating with Torkwase Dyson's visual "Hypershapes" to create a contemplative center. The book's head-to-toe format mirrors its dual focus, with each poet approaching empire from different historical moments yet revealing shared patterns of violence and resistance. Together, these lyrical investigations trace how institutional power operates across centuries and continents.
Genres: african-american, poetry, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: dual-narrative, historical-investigation, institutional-critique
Setting: United States
Period: 1841, 20th-century, 21st-century
80 pages · Paperback · The 3rd Thing
Content warnings: colonialism, racism, slavery