Poetry

The Tradition

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The Tradition By Jericho Brown Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781556594861
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Copper Canyon Press - April 1st, 2019

 

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


Eek, You Reek!

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Eek, You Reek!: Poems about Animals That Stink, Stank, Stunk By Heidi E. y. Stemple, Jane Yolen, Eugenia Nobati (Illustrator) Cover Image
$19.99
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ISBN: 9781512482010
Published: Millbrook Press (Tm) - October 1st, 2019

This fun, dynamic collection of poems highlights animals that stink! Stellar illustrations featuring expressive animal characters and detailed backgrounds accompany each poem. With actual facts in the poems and strong back matter, this book will appeal to everyone from goofy kids to teachers.

Marika


Wicked Enchantment

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Wicked Enchantment: Selected Poems By Wanda Coleman, Terrance Hayes (Editor) Cover Image
$25.95
ISBN: 9781574232370
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Black Sparrow Press - April 7th, 2020

Wanda Coleman, a poet laureate of anger and honesty, lived resistance and shouted rebellion, has always been the poet America needed, though sometimes it seemed like she was the only one who knew that. With this new book of poems selected and introduced by Terrance Hayes, perhaps America will finally know it too. 

Josh


Postcolonial Love Poem

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Postcolonial Love Poem: Poems By Natalie Diaz Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9781644450147
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Graywolf Press - March 3rd, 2020

 

You'll want to eat these poems in heaping spoonfuls so they fill your mouth and also nibble at them in delicate bits so they last as long as possible. A gasping collection. A sighing collection. A singing collection. Diaz should clear space on her mantle for the awards she is sure to win.

Josh


HoodWitch

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HoodWitch By Faylita Hicks Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9781946724243
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Acre Books - October 15th, 2019

 

I'm finding my words insufficient for describing what Hicks has achieved with this book of poetry, so I'm going to quote Tyrese Coleman: “These poems explore Black femme power and the reclaiming of those harmed bodies...and embracing the nonbinary femme body through a miasma of language and imagery that conjures Christian, Afrofuturist, and Voodoo mysticism; it’s all beautifully visceral and real.”

Stacey


Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers

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Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers: Poems (National Poetry) By Jake Skeets Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9781571315205
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Milkweed Editions - September 10th, 2019

 

Jake Skeets’s poems sometimes sound like gears grinding in an old pickup truck you’ve barely kept going for years, sometimes like a heavy pint glass being slammed down on a sticky bar moments before someone says something they’ll always regret, and sometimes like a tender, consoling whisper. This collection will take your breath away and give it back with something added.


Josh


Dunce

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Dunce By Mary Ruefle Cover Image
$25.00
ISBN: 9781940696850
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Wave Books - September 10th, 2019

 

Another gem from a criminally under-read poet. Ruefle has a way of tilting the world so ideas and images you thought you understood, start to slide off the table. Dunce is full of the wit, wisdom, and weirdness that makes Ruefle such an important poetic voice. 

Josh


Life of the Party

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Life of the Party: Poems By Olivia Gatwood Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781984801906
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Dial Press Trade Paperback - August 20th, 2019

 

Gatwood beautifully describes the tragedy that comes with female adolescence and sexuality in the most raw and immersing fashion. Incredible poet, incredible woman- an all time favorite. Each word spoke to me on a level that I didn’t even know words were capable of reaching. Life of the Party is a page-turner for sure and is something I will forever hold close to my heart. 

Hannah


A Fortune for your Disaster

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A Fortune for Your Disaster By Hanif Abdurraqib Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781947793439
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Tin House Books - September 3rd, 2019

Not everything is Sisyphean. No one ever wants to imagine themselves as the boulder.” Hanif’s words have stuck with me since I first heard them, and they keep summoning me back. They convict and inspire as they weave magic and music and messy relationships into something that feels like life but is also more. If you’re not reading Hanif you are missing out.

Caleb


Citizen Illegal

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Citizen Illegal By José Olivarez Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9781608469543
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Haymarket Books - September 4th, 2018

 

National Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off in September! Celebrate it by picking up this devastating, thought-provoking, brimming-with-love collection by Mexican-American poet José Olivarez. Pick it up right now & read any poem at random for a taste (I recommend pg 59 but they're all wonderful).

Kate


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