African American poetry

A journey through identity

Transit by Cameron Awkward-Rich

October 25, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Transit by Cameron Awkward-Rich is a quick but not an easy read. I read it in basically one sitting, and frankly, I am not truly sure what I read. Or I should say, I do not think I understand most of it. The text is obvious, you know the words, but some poems can be slightly abstract to some readers. There are themes that are repeated to expand on the growth of poet. There are poems about being black, being transgender, the people and the […]

It’s not the bad people who are brave I fear, it’s the good people who are afraid

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes

September 11, 2019 by Leedock Leave a Comment

CBR11BINGO: Not My Wheelhouse (BINGO! I Love This! corner to Award Winner corner) I read across a lot of genres, but I haven’t read poetry since I was in college a million years ago. Taking “Not My Wheelhouse” to mean something that I’m curious about but don’t tend to pick up, I landed on a poetry. I also landed on a poet who is not my wheelhouse. BlackRaven reviewed this a while back and said it best, I think: “I am sorry to say, I […]

Black Girl Magic: A Poem

April 18, 2018 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Black Girl Magic: A Poem is Browne’s way of responding to the way black girls “should” look and act. Change this to: white girls, fat girls, skinny girls…. any female. The theme is not exclusive to the population Browne speaks of. We “should” act a certain way or else society shames you: “Be Different as long as it’s Different like Me” screamed off the page for me. “Society: Be Yourself. NO, not that way…” also is loud and clear. Browne challenges this “should” mentality. […]

American Sonnets

April 13, 2018 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

What is not to love about a title called: American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin? It screams out “I am different” and “Please read me.” I was excited to dive into the seventy different poems. April is poetry month, so this was the perfect time to start. I then realized that every one of the poems all have the same title (American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin). Different, but not impossible, I figured. Ah… I am sorry to say, I am […]

beereadsbooks
on The Curse of Obedience
I've re-read Ella Enchanted a few times and adore it. I've only seen the movie once, when I had much...
Dome'Loki
on Y’all… a delightful break from the stress of life
This sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for the review.
Dome'Loki
on Life, love, and sex are better when you reject the idea of cringe and embrace wonder
I like this concept! Thanks for the review.
Tracy
on Y’all… a delightful break from the stress of life
I'm not generally into shifter romances, but the title really is awesome.
Tracy
on I don’t know if finding the perfect man is worth all of this
That is definitely NOT what I am looking for in a romance.

Help Our Mission