Throughout American history, Black people have written poetry reflecting on their lives, their struggles and their aspirations. But many of these works had been lost to time, or never widely read. Over six years of research, Kevin Young uncovered the writing of many lesser-known poets deserving of a place in the canon, alongside more famous figures. In his thousand-plus-page anthology of poems by Black writers from colonialism on, Young profiles and features the words of an enslaved potter, of Langston Hughes and fellow artists of the Harlem Renaissance, of activists and experimentalists. Young, himself an acclaimed author of poetry and prose, has created a document both breathtaking and inspiring, historical and personal.
Buy Now: African American Poetry on Bookshop
- Essay: The Tyre Nichols Videos Demand Solemnity, Not Sensationalism
- For People With Disabilities, Losing Abortion Access Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
- Inside the Stealth Efforts to Smuggle Starlink Internet Into Iran
- Natasha Lyonne on Poker Face and Creating Characters Who Subvert Leading-Lady Tropes
- How to Help the Victims and Community After the Monterey Park Shooting
- Why Grocery Staples Are So Expensive Right Now
- Quantum Computers Could Solve Countless Problems—and Create a Lot of New Ones
- Where to Watch All of the 2023 Oscar Nominees
- How to Be Mindful if You Hate Meditating
