4 Awe-Inspiring August 2022 Releases to Order Now
Readers can trust that August’s poetry releases will showcase evocative writing and poignant themes—they’ve garnered praise from writers like Jericho Brown, Melissa Febos, and Craig Santos Perez, as well as won some of the genre’s biggest awards. These collections look both to the past and the future, paying tribute to ancestral roots, contemplating previous heartbreaks, and forging ahead to reconnect with the self. Go on an encompassing and impactful journey with these four titles.
Ask the Brindled
by No’u Revilla
Release date: Aug. 9
Ask the Brindled is No’u Revilla’s debut collection and the winner of the Milkweed Editions’ 2021 National Poetry Series. Revilla writes from a bold and often overshadowed perspective, illuminating the stories of generations of indigenous Hawaiian women. She evokes the sacred traditions, rituals, and bonds of her home and its people, writing against and in the face of both colonization and anti-queerness.
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Super Model Minority
by Chris Tse
Release date: Aug. 11
Chris Tse is an emerging and striking voice in the New Zealand poetry scene, with Super Model Minority marking his third published collection. The book explores the intersections of race and sexuality, unabashedly confronting both racism and homophobia. Described as “the glitter bomb that heralds the apocalypse” by Rose Lu, Super Model Minority embraces fun, spunkiness, and humor even as it strives to make a strong political point. Tse’s confessional poetry has a distinct sense of voice, resisting stereotypes and easy characterizations of queer and Asian-American identity.
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Song of My Softening
by Omotara James
Release date: Aug. 16
“These are daring poems from a poet brave enough to take the kind of risks that lead to beauty,” Jericho Brown says of Omotara James’s debut collection. James is no stranger to risks or the kind of rewards they can bring, having earned fellowships from Lambda Literary and Cave Canem, as well as two Pushcart Prize nominations. As its title suggests, Song of My Softening charts the collection’s speaker finding softness even in the face of generational trauma and oppression. In exploring this journey, James encourages the reader to explore their most sensual and joyful self.
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The Way Back Home
by Courtney Peppernell
Release date: Aug. 23
Courtney Peppernell is best known for her beloved Pillow Thoughts series, which her more than 150,000 Instagram followers praise for its relatability and vulnerability. In The Way Back Home, the Australian poet returns to familiar and timeless themes, with four sections titled “courage, resilience, purpose, and hope.” As Peppernell walks with readers on their way back home, she encourages them to reconnect with their hearts, minds, and souls, and to listen to these forces instead of the outside world.
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Looking for even more recs to heat up your summer reading list? Check out our round-up of poetry collections to escape into this season.
