First published 2024
This debut poetry collection follows a Black girl's journey as she grows into a woman who refuses to be silenced. The poems move through four distinct phases of life and awareness. In "girlhood," the speaker discovers her voice and hunger for the world. "Neighborhood" explores the community that shapes her, while "falsehood" confronts the lies society tells about her identity and worth. Finally, "womanhood" arrives as defiant strength. Throughout, the speaker searches for home in a landscape of loss and longing. She unearths buried histories while imagining futures that seem impossible in a world always threatening collapse. The poems demand reparations and restitution while celebrating desire and survival. Raw and rhythmic verses capture both personal revelation and political awakening. This collection establishes a distinctive voice that belongs fully to itself, marking the emergence of a poet who refuses to whisper when the moment calls for proclamation.
Genres: african-american, poetry, 21st-century, activism
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, personal-journey
Setting: United States
Period: 21st-century
128 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: racism, sexism