2 Poetry Books By Black Authors I Enjoyed Recently

I love a poetry book. I love how easy the reads are, but how I still manage to leave with so much (if the poems are any good/I’m in the right headspace for them that is). I typically pick up two between longer reads. I don’t always looooove the reads. Sometimes, I only love one or two out of the whole collection. However, I always feel good for giving them a try. Here are two I think I outta let you know about. One is from an artist I was aware of before, and the other is from someone I never knew about till I saw the book on someone’s bookcase while over their place for the first time. Here they are:

1. The Magic Border by Arlo Parks

Yes, the musician Arlo Parks released a poetry/photography book in 2023. I picked it up for two reasons: I’m into Arlo Parks’ music, and I loved the color blue used for the cover. Simple. I figured someone who could write such beautiful lyrics such as,

I’d lick the grief right off your lips

and

Charlie melts into his mattress

Watching Twin Peaks on his ones

I mean, the storytelling abilities are right there. Simple, and flowy. I thought poetry would be simple for her.

I was surprised to see the photos because I don’t read about books before I but them. I actually enjoyed the pictures the most. There were raw images. Just people in her life she, presumably, cares for, and named some of the poems after/some of them are about.

Most of the poems are on the “what does this mean,” “hmm, thought provoking,“ side, but when reading them, even if you don’t necessarily get them all or relate to them, you understand the moment she’s sharing and you’re able to step a bit into them even as an outsider.

one of my favorite poems (especially because of the title…so real for that):

After Watching Watermelon Woman in My Childhood Bedroom

There were simple, and relatable moments like crying alone and feeling alone and walking alone while feeling alone and crying alone. There was the talks about love and love loss. And longing. It came at the right time for me.

Decent Easy Read.

2. Black Queer Hoe by Britteney Black Rose Kapri

Cw: sexual content (obviously), fatphobia, racism (obviously), infertility, cursing, homophobia, sh mentions, sa mentioned-poem about having to watch her back pretty much

Published in 2018

The title pretty much tells you how this work goes. It’s hilarious, real, sad in a way you don’t hold onto, you let it all play like a song till you reach the end and go, “damn, that was niiiiceee.”

I actually just finished this this morning. Read it in one sitting because it was that good.

There are poems about: being a hoe, being Black, being a queer Black hoe and how it all goes together like one word QueerBlackHoe, staying with white family members, people looking at her on the train, people judging her body and decision to wear the B-word on different pieces of clothing In public, Black boys, not being afraid to be proud of her body and loving how it makes many men let out sounds they’ll never admit to making, shying away from her body/her condition, sex, and much more.

Yeah, I love this collection.

Some faves:

for Colored boys who considered gangbanging when being Black was too much, of wanting, hidradenitis suppurativa pt.2, harriettes, zaddy etc.

*shouts out to that person who I probably will never see again for recommending an amazing poet to me. You may not have been into poetry in general, but found something you resonated with, but I love poetry and you not liking poetry made me scout it out the very next day. Maybe I’ll let you know I read it one day. *

*Funny, both recs are from members of the alphabet club. Love that for them.*

Anyway, thank you all for reading this. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I did. Peace