Best african american poetry books according to redditors

We found 24 Reddit comments discussing the best african american poetry books. We ranked the 17 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about African American Poetry:

u/williw5495 · 31 pointsr/FrankOcean

Just had a look around online, you can get it on Amazon here (UK and US). Apparently it's a collection of poems that "riffs on a Frank Ocean song, paying homage to the man but also investigating oceans, The Ocean, and the similarity between heartbreak and break beats by blending Frank Ocean's musical catalogue with personal narrative and social critique."

u/[deleted] · 25 pointsr/pics

There's a very excellent book of poetry about this series of photographs called Bellocq's Ophelia. One even focuses on this picture in particular.

If you're curious what poetry can do in today's world, check this one out for sure.

EDIT: I dug out my copy. Here's the poem in question:

Photograph of a Bawd Drinking Raleigh Rye

--E.J Bellocq, circa 1912

The glass in her hand is the only thing moving-
too fast for the camera-- caught in the blur of motion.

She raises it toasting, perhaps, the viewer you become
taking her in-- your eyes starting low, at her feet,

and following those striped stockings up like roads,
traveling the length of her calves and thighs. Up then,

to the fringed scarf draping her breasts, the heart
locket, her bare shoulder and the patch of dark hair

beneath her arm, the round innocence of her cheeks
and Gibson-girl hair. Then over to the trinkets on the table

beside her: a clock, tiny feather-backed rocking chairs
poised to move with the slightest wind or breath;

the ebony statuette of a woman, her arms stretched above
her head. Even the bottle of rye is a woman's slender torso

and round hips. On the wall behind her, the image again--
women in paintings, in photographs, carved in relief

on an oval plane. And there, on the surface of it all, a thumb-
print--perhaps yours? It's easy to see this is all about desire,

how it recurs--each time you look, it's the same moment,
the hands of the clock still locked at high noon.

by Natasha Trethewey


u/paultheschmoop · 15 pointsr/RBI

So the King Koopa book is the easiest one to do research on from what I can tell, it's written by an "Anthony Koop Goethe III".

Here's an Amazon link to "Journey" https://www.amazon.com/Journey-King-Koopa-RU-Hidding/dp/1974547213

As you can see, on the second photo there there is a very blurry photo of the back cover of the book which seems to have an author bio on it and even a photo of King Koopa himself. My enhancing abilities are minimal so I can't quite make out what it says but I'm sure someone could do it.

Doing some more digging leads me to another piece of the Koopa saga:

https://www.amazon.com/Koop-Brasi-Story-these-story/dp/1720599173

This one is actually available for purchase (with prime lol), and again seems to have an extensive and detailed back cover. Probably isn't too hard to track down this guy and find out what the deal is.

forgot to add, the "Only The Strong" book is listed as being written by a "Jame Goethe", given that I see Anthony Goethe listed as AJ in some places, would not be surprised if it's the same guy.

update: here's his website https://koppa.webs.com/about-koopa

u/GnozL · 5 pointsr/Poetry

You should probably credit the author [Terrance Hayes]

This poem is just one of many with the same title, from a book also with the same title: American Sonnets to My Past and Future Assassin

The project was partially birthed out of an earlier Hayes poem - [American Sonnet for Wanda C.] which directly references American Sonnet 88, by Wanda Coleman

Wanda Coleman's "American Sonnet" poems, of which there are over 100, are actually kind of hard to find in print, especially since they haven't been collected in one place as far as i can tell - [American Sonnet 10, by Wanda C.] -- She explains her process in this [Wanda C. Interview]

The Kenyon Review explains the whole shebang in this [4 Part Series]

With all that immediate context out of the way, to say that it is purely a response to Trump or "politics" would be downplaying it severely. [This is America] [This is America] [This is America] etc - It's difficult to condense our history of racism and violence and classism, especially if you're not american.

The ending of this poem is very similar to Ross Gay's [Within Two Weeks...] - It is the question of what does it mean to be a black American. How you can both be proud of an America full of icons of justice and change and progress, but also aware that America's past is racist, and also its future will continue to be racist. What do you say to this two-faced America?

>It is not enough to love you. It is not enough to want you destroyed.

​

u/admorobo · 3 pointsr/scifi

On the flipside of this argument, check out Tracy K. Smith's Science Fiction-inspired poetry collection, Life On Mars.

u/FloatBox · 3 pointsr/Poetry

I think you would like Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith.

u/silverblaze92 · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Love Poems

Gotta love getting digital. Get it. Because the link is love poems... I'm not a funny man.

u/wickednicex · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

this VERY VERY SAPPY COLLECTION OF POEMS...just in time for Valentine’s lol...I find comfort in poems

u/ewokalypse · 2 pointsr/verse

Happy to share! Do you have a favorite poem you'd like to add to the subreddit? Always good to see more activity here.

Also, if you really like this one, the author published a collection of his work about a year ago: https://www.amazon.com/Crown-Aint-Worth-Much/dp/1943735042.

(I was just thinking recently that I should really include links for people to purchase collections whenever I post works by still-living poets.)

u/Smokeandmirrorshere · 2 pointsr/Somalia

And if you haven't read Warsan Shire's poetry, I highly recommend it. I re-read this recently:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-Mother-Give-Birth-Mouthmark/dp/1905233299/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

u/meowsatyourdoor · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Ah! Right now I'm working on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series and am currently on The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (got maybe 10 pages left) to continue on. I've been getting through them oh-so-slowly because they're on my phone and I read them on my breaks at work.
You ALL still have Zoidberg!

u/CasualPancake · 2 pointsr/FrankOcean

I Think I'm Ready to See Frank Ocean by Shayla Lawson

Here's the amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989979784/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/seatraveler · 2 pointsr/Poetry

Langston Hughes: Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets)

I read through this a few summers ago. I, Too was one that struck me the most; still gives me chills, still (and probably always will be) incredibly relevant.

u/Jetamors · 1 pointr/BlackReaders

Build Yourself a Boat by Camonghne Felix: Haymarket Books, Amazon, B&N (Also Kindle users note, the ebook is not directly available on the Kindle store, but you can get ebook versions from the other platforms.)

u/VexingVendibles · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon
u/shannyjean · 1 pointr/IAmA

Jeff Goldblum,

Were you aware that there is a poem written to you published in a book of poetry? There is!

It's also published here: http://northvillereview.com/?p=1184
In the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Science-Shanny-Jean-Maney/dp/1935904779

I know because I wrote it. Not looking for a plug, just a big fan!

Live long and Goldblum,
SJM

u/theboylilikoi · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Well, this week so far I've just been finishing up graduation celebrating (I graduated high school last friday!) and this week I'm just laying back and doing a lot of reading, which I haven't gotten to do all year due to being really busy with high school. I also am really excited about working in a restaurant, I got an internship with a michelin starred chef from germany just recently. I guess I'm just lucky to like where I work :)

I'd like this if I won! catdog!

u/CrazySpazyCakes · 1 pointr/conspiracy

> Read "the Olio" story about kuk Wiggins.

I would if you give me a link. I found this and this, both of which have no mention of "Kuk" or "Kek" or "Martin von Dort". The problem with these sorts of posts is the lack of source listing which makes the OP sound like a rambling madman.

u/newyne · 1 pointr/Poetry

Right now I'm working on an advance reading copy of Natasha Tretheway's new collection, Monument,and it's excellent. She writes a lot about her family and race and gender, and how the two intertwine. A lot of the poems read like stories, but there're a lot of interesting metaphors and motifs. I guess what I'm saying is that they're accessible, anyone can understand what she's saying, but there's also a lot to analyze in the subtext if you're into that (which I am).