9 of the Most Anticipated Collections by Black Poets

There is a strong history of Black poetry in American literature, but we can’t celebrate the great works of the past without also looking to the future. To highlight some of the most prominent and exciting contemporary voices of our time, we’ve highlighted nine highly anticipated collections by Black poets in 2021. 

Porsha Faces Lyfe by Porsha L. Williams 

This touching collection tells the story of a woman who seeks to understand her existence. Through a balance of strength and vulnerability, Porsha Faces Lyfe takes readers on a journey of hardship, perseverance, and self-discovery. Available now.

Etcetera: A Conversation About Love by Kaffa Sakho

Love takes center stage in this moving collection. Inspired by unfinished conversations, Etcetera uses silence and absence to help us understand how to love one another. Available now.

My Writes Have Rights by Jerome C. Wise

Thirty-two pages of soulful rhymes take readers on a journey through time in this 90s-inspired collection. Themes of Black art, enslavement, hip hop, and social injustice are woven throughout My Writes Have Rights. Available now.

On Love. On Hope On Heartbreak… by Lanre Animashaun

This debut collection by Lanre Animashuan delivers moving, raw emotion in each line. Animashaun leaves an exact time stamp on each poem, inviting readers to join him for each experience in a deeply personal and urgent manner. Available now.

I am The Rage by Martina McGowan 

I am The Rage is an unflinching exploration of racial injustice in America. Dr. Martina McGowan pulls no punches as she invites readers to feel, reflect and truly face what it means to be a Black American. Available Feb.y 2. 

A More Perfect Union by Teri Ellen Cross Davis

Motherhood, lust, mundanity, grief, and the Black American experience are illustrated with a stunning emotional range in this upcoming collection. Poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis interrogates the status quo with a tender, sensual, and bracing nature. Available Feb. 10. 

A Body of Water: Poems by Chioma Urama

Generational trauma falls under the microscope in this beautiful and lyrical collection. Poet Chioma Urama began this project by examining the oral histories of her ancestors and how these stories inform the consciousness of the present. At once vulnerable and political, A Body of Water is an act of remembering—and defiance of erasure. Available Feb. 15. 

Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans

Spoken word poet Jasmine Mans examines race, feminism, and queer identity in this exciting new collection. Following in the tradition of prolific Black female poets like Gwendolyn Brooks and Sonia Sanchez, Mans brings the joys and pains of growing up as a young, queer, Black woman. Available March 9. 

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

As the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a reading at the presidential inauguration, poet Amanda Gorman has become fixed in history. This special edition of her poem “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country” celebrates the promise of America and reminds us of the power of poetry. Available March 16.