A breathtaking poetry collection on hope, heart, and heritage from
the most prominent and promising Black poets and writers of our time,
edited by Why Fathers Cry at Night author and #1 New York Times
bestselling author Kwame Alexander.
In
this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology, bestselling author
and poet Kwame Alexander curates a collection of contemporary anthems
at turns tender and piercing and deeply inspiring throughout.
Featuring work from well-loved poets such as Rita Dove, Jericho
Brown, Warsan Shire, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan
Parker, and Nikki Giovanni, This
Is the Honey is a rich
and abundant offering of language from the poets giving voice to
generations of resilient joy, "each incantation," as
Mahogany L. Browne puts it in her titular poem, is "a jubilee of
a people dreaming wildly."
This
essential collection, in the tradition of Dudley Randall's The Black
Poets and E. Ethelbert Miller's In Search of Color Everywhere,
contains poems exploring joy, love, origin, race, resistance, and
praise. Jacqueline A.Trimble likens "Black woman joy" to
indigo, tassels, foxes, and peacock plumes. Tyree Daye, Nate
Marshall, and Elizabeth Acevedo reflect on the meaning of "home"
through food, from Cuban rice and beans to fried chicken gizzards.
Clint Smith and Cameron Awkward-Rich enfold us in their intimate
musings on love and devotion. From a "jewel in the hand"
(Patricia Spears Jones) to "butter melting in small pools"
(Elizabeth Alexander), This
Is the Honey drips with
poignant and delightful imagery, music, and raised fists.
Fresh,
memorable, and deeply moving, this definitive collection a must-have
for any lover of language and a gift for our time.