Poetry

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Chlorine Sky: A Novel by Mahogany L. Browne (hardcover)
Chlorine Sky: A Novel by Mahogany L. Browne (hardcover)

From the first ever poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center comes a bold coming-of-age story told in verse about a young woman who loses a best friend, but finds herself in the process. The joys of basketball, the tumult of high school, and the bonds of family are lyrically woven together in this must-read novel.


With Lay Li I don’t have to think too hard
I’m the friend of the star
& I don’t mind, not at all
It gives me time to think about my dreams & the WNBA
But when I call Lay Li & she don’t pick up
A pit in my stomach grows like a redwood tree


 
Sky is used to standing in the shadow of her best friend. Lay Li is the sun everyone orbits around. But since high school started, Lay Li has begun attracting the attention of boys, and Sky is left out in the cold. The only place Sky can find her footing is on the basketball court. With each dribble of the ball, Sky begins to find her own rhythm. Lay Li may always be the sun, but that doesn’t mean Sky can’t shine on her own.
 


With gritty and heartbreaking honesty, a critically acclaimed poet, delivers her first novel in verse about broken promises, fast rumors, and learning to generate your own light.


 
“A story about heart and backbone, and one only Mahogany L. Browne could bring forth.” –Jason Reynolds, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down

 Original price was: $18.00.Current price is: $5.00.
Inheritance: A Visual Poem by Elizabeth Acevedo (hardcover)
Inheritance: A Visual Poem by Elizabeth Acevedo (hardcover)

They tell me to “fix” my hair.

And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten;

but how do you fix this shipwrecked

history of hair? 

In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance. 

Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne’s Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds’s For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age. 

 Original price was: $17.00.Current price is: $5.00.
Let: A Poem About Wonder and Possibility by Kei Miller (library binding)
Let: A Poem About Wonder and Possibility by Kei Miller (library binding)

A powerful poetry picture book about the wonder and possibility contained in a single word: let.

Suppose there was a book full only of the word let . . .


Adapted from a poem called “Book of Genesis” by the award-winning poet Kei Miller and beautifully imagined and illustrated by Diana Ejaita, this provocative and hopeful picture book is an ode to the power of words and of books—of seeing oneself and being seen—and to a world of wonder and possibility.

Appropriate for ages 4 to 7.

$17.00
The Hair Book by LaTonya Yvette and Amanda Jane Jones (hardcover)
The Hair Book by LaTonya Yvette and Amanda Jane Jones (hardcover)

With bold, colorful graphics and poetic rhyme, this is a stunning tribute to every kind of hair, perfect for fans of Hair Love.

Covered hair,
Bun Hair,
Party Hair…
No matter your hair—YOU are welcome anywhere!

Author and lifestyle blogger, LaTonya Yvette makes her children’s book debut with a must-have gift purchase for any occasion alongside art from award-winning illustrator Amanda Jane Jones.

$14.99
There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me by Alice Walker (hardcover)
There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me by Alice Walker (hardcover)

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and activist Alice Walker invites readers young and old to see the world—and our place in it—through new eyes in this new edition featuring art from Queenbe Monyei.

With beautifully poetic text and joyous illustrations to guide readers through their read, There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me is an ode to the natural world and our place in it. Celebrating the connections and interconnections between self, nature, and creativity, this gently provocative text opens up the world to a reader, and a reader to our world.

From the celebrated author of The Color Purple and other classics comes a beautiful, lyrical picture book for fans of her work of all ages.

Appropriate for ages 4 to 7.

$18.00
Why Wear White: Journey to Me by Jennifer Hope Williams (paperback)
Why Wear White: Journey to Me by Jennifer Hope Williams (paperback)

This book is a personal journey of learning to love one’s self, accepting flaws and all through poetry and memoirs. It shows the author’s path to healing and wholeness through storytelling. It’s a simple and relatable read that discuss topics of self worth, love, relationships, spirituality, empowerment, trauma and more.

$15.00
You So Black by Theresa the S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. (hardcover)
You So Black by Theresa the S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. (hardcover)


Based on Theresa Wilson’s (a.k.a. Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.’s) beautiful, viral spoken word poem of the same name, You So Black is a picture book celebration of the richness, the nuance, and the joy of Blackness.


Black is everywhere, and in everything, and in everyone—in the night sky and the fertile soil below. It’s in familial connections and invention, in hands lifted in praise and voices lifted in protest, and in hearts wide open and filled with love. Black is good. 


Accompanied by powerful yet tender illustrations by award-winning illustrator London Ladd, Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. has adapted her poem, full of gorgeous lyricism and imagery, to show readers the love, joy, resilience, and universality in the beauty of Blackness.

Appropriate for ages 5 to 8.

$19.00