First published 2024
This anthology brings together voices spanning generations to examine what it means to be Black in America. The collection features thirty-seven poets including Kwame Alexander, Ibi Zoboi, Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Gwendolyn Brooks. These writers explore the full spectrum of Black experience, from transforming hatred into self-love to maintaining dignity against overwhelming odds. Some poems center on kitchen table moments where grandmothers share Anansi spider stories. Others celebrate the joy found in an aunt's famous 7Up cake. The anthology creates dialogue between contemporary voices and literary ancestors, addressing themes of race, faith, heritage, and resilience. Editors Taylor Byas, Erica Martin, and Amber McBride have assembled work that captures both pain and joy within Black traditions. The collection reveals how Black experiences stretch vast and deep, containing multitudes beyond suffering.
Genres: anthologies, african-american, poetry, cultural
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century, 21st-century
160 pages · ebook · Harperteen