Poetry

Red, White, and Whole (Hardcover)

By Rajani LaRocca

$16.99

ISBN: 9780063047426

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Quill Tree Books - February 2nd, 2021

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This long awaited novel in verse illustrating the struggles of balancing two cultural identities felt like I was looking into a mirror in which I could see myself, my mother, my grandmother, my aunts, and every Indian woman in my life who had to assimilate into American culture. It is beautifully written and is semi-autobiographical. If you like Rajani's work, check out her other middle grade novels and picture books. She is incredible!

Janaea

She's Strong, but She's Tired (What She Felt #3) (Paperback)

By r.h. Sin

$16.99

ISBN: 9781524858285

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Andrews McMeel Publishing - September 22nd, 2020

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This collection is full of beautiful words and phrases that I often turn to on days I crave to feel seen. These poems have become such a great tool for me in the dark days of social distancing so I highly recommend this selection if you too are craving the seemingly long lost feeling of human solidarity.

Hannah

Beowulf: A New Translation (Paperback)

By Maria Dahvana Headley

$15.00

ISBN: 9780374110031

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: MCD x FSG Originals - August 25th, 2020

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This new translation of Beowulf is everything the version you (perhaps begrudgingly) read in high school was not. The language is fresh and florid, brimming with alliteration and bravado and modern slang. Headley translates the characters of this age-old poem into people we can recognize, instead of the granite giants of legend. It is, in a word, readable, and delightfully so. Her introduction is also its own work of art; it would be worth the purchase for that alone. 

 

Meaghan

What Kind of Woman: Poems (Paperback)

By Kate Baer

$17.00

ISBN: 9780063008427

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Harper Perennial - November 10th, 2020

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I started following Kate Baer on instagram this spring and eagerly awaited this book. It didn't disappoint! This is poetry for a generation of women who have been told to be anything but themselves. Kate Baer sets you free. Embrace it and share it.

Heather

I Would Leave Me If I Could.: A Collection of Poetry (Hardcover)

By Halsey

$24.99

ISBN: 9781982135607

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Published: Simon & Schuster - November 10th, 2020

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This collection blew my already high expectations out of the water. Halsey is an extremely talented singer songwriter who is gifted in her ability to express herself in the most breathtaking ways. This collection is booming with raw and deep emotion, strung together in the loveliest, most immersing fashion. I couldn't put it down.

 

Hannah

The Lost Spells (Hardcover)

By Robert MacFarlane, Jackie Morris (Illustrator)

$26.00

ISBN: 9781487007799

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Anansi International - October 27th, 2020

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Phenomenal. I didn't think this pair of creators could outdo their previous book Lost Words, but they have. The illustrations are so beautiful; it feels like you could fall into the scenes. The poetry is fun, and haunting, and lyrical. Definitely the type of poetry that rumbles around in your head, so much so that you'll find yourself thinking of it time and time again. Unlike its predecessor, in a very travel-handy format!

Stacey

Beowulf: A New Translation (Paperback)

By Maria Dahvana Headley

$15.00

ISBN: 9780374110031

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: MCD x FSG Originals - August 25th, 2020

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This new translation of Beowulf is everything the version you (perhaps begrudgingly) read in high school was not. The language is fresh and florid, brimming with alliteration and bravado and modern slang. Headley translates the characters of this age-old poem into people we can recognize, instead of the granite giants of legend. It is, in a word, readable, and delightfully so. Her introduction is also its own work of art; it would be worth the purchase for that alone. 

Meaghan

Negotiations (Paperback)

By Destiny O. Birdsong

$16.95

ISBN: 9781951142131

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Tin House Books - October 13th, 2020

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Reading Negotiations is like grabbing a piece of metal so cold it feels like fire in your palm. Birdsong leverages both the eye-contact of direct confessional poetry and the ambiguity and complexity of more fluid poetic forms and expressions to create a collection that is equal parts pain and power. A challenging, exciting, even startling debut.

 Josh

A History of Kindness (Paperback)

By Linda Hogan

$15.95

ISBN: 9781948814256

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Published: Torrey House Press - June 2nd, 2020

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Linda Hogan, the current Chickasaw Nation Writer in Residence, is (in addition to being an incredible writer) an environmentalist, historian, and activist. These facets all shine through her newest poetry collection. A History of Kindness examines the violence that has been done to the American landscape and its peoples, and responds to it with beauty, compassion, and hope. If you enjoy Mary Oliver or Braiding Sweetgrass, or if you just need a book to feed your spirit and anchor you to the natural world right now, pick this one up.

 

Kate

The Tradition (Paperback)

By Jericho Brown

$17.00

ISBN: 9781556594861

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Copper Canyon Press - April 2nd, 2019

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Jericho Brown came highly recommended. Between a Pulitzer prize and the rave reviews of a friend with excellent taste (Cafe Zing's very own Nicky!) I went into this collection with major expectations, and they were all exceeded. Jericho's words have burrowed into my brain, and I'm happy to have them.

 

Caleb