poems – Equal Opportunity Reader

[REVIEW] The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, by Nikki Giovanni

The Kindle cover of The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, depicting a black and white line drawing of a book, rests on a squishy yellow cushion

(This should be on your bookshelf if it isn’t already. Find it here.) we all start/as a speck/nobody notices us/but some may hope/we’re there When I was small, I stumbled upon a poem that made me feel like I was 10 feet tall. It gave me pride in my African ancestors, pride in being BlackContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, by Nikki Giovanni”

Last Year In Books: Words I Adored In 2023

A collage of the 5 books I adored this year

(Purchase these and other books I read this year here.) 2024 is only fourteen days away. In a total departure from the near-panic of previous years, I think I’m totally ready for it. I do hear that there’s this thing called Christmas sometime in between now and the new year that I’m not at allContinue reading “Last Year In Books: Words I Adored In 2023”

[REVIEW] Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear, by Mosab Abu Toha

The Kindle cover of Things You May Find HIdden In My Ear, depicting a home viewed through a shrapnel hole blown in another home's wall, held up in front of trees at sunrise.

(Buy this book here.) On November 19th, 2023, the Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha was detained by IDF forces while attempting to evacuate Gaza with his wife and children. 200 others were also taken. Two days later, after extensive news coverage and outcry in the international literary community, Abu Toha was released and immediately hospitalizedContinue reading “[REVIEW] Things You May Find Hidden In My Ear, by Mosab Abu Toha”

Last Week In Books: Support Black Writers, Asian Bookstores and Palestinian Libraries

A photo of a hijabi in a bookstore, standing in front of a shelf reading a paperback.

Fellow readers! Welcome to this week’s round up of diverse bookish news across genres. Info about diverse writers is becoming even more thin on the ground, which has increased my resolve to keep up with these posts as often as I can. Then again, it is the Blah time before winter solstice and for someContinue reading “Last Week In Books: Support Black Writers, Asian Bookstores and Palestinian Libraries”

[REVIEW]The Rose That Grew From Concrete, by Tupac Shakur

(Buy this book here.) So, the poems in this book are absolutely terrible and we need to talk about that. Put away your pitchforks and torches. I said what I said. This book of posthumously published poetry by one of hip-hop’s most lauded voices is…pretty bad. The rhymes are trite, the metaphors banal (when they’reContinue reading “[REVIEW]The Rose That Grew From Concrete, by Tupac Shakur”

[REVIEW] PostColonial Love Poem, Natalie Diaz

(Buy it HERE.) You know the face that jazz and blues musicians make when someone’s playing real good? That stank face, that disbelieving, how is this real, umph-umph–UMPH this is so good it almost hurts face folks get when the art is hitting every bit of your spirit right? You know that face? ⠀⠀ ThatContinue reading “[REVIEW] PostColonial Love Poem, Natalie Diaz”