First published 2024
McBride structures her poetry collection around reimagined tarot cards, drawing from hoodoo spiritual practices to examine what it means to be labeled "trouble." The poems interrogate whether being difficult, unruly, powerful, and defiant represents weakness or strength. McBride summons supernatural elements to explore death, rebirth, and existence beyond male perspectives. Her verses create a chorus of unapologetic women who laugh, cry, captivate, and command respect from outsiders. The collection examines the force and complexity of Black womanhood in the American South, questioning societal judgments while celebrating feminine power. Through this spiritual and literary framework, McBride crafts poems that reckon with the full spectrum of Black women's experiences and resistance.
Genres: literary-fiction, african-american, contemporary, poetry
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: supernatural-elements, unapologetic-women
Setting: American South
Period: 21st-century
128 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books