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Average rating3.3
'A triumph ... A wholly original and creative mind' NEW YORK TIMES'A multi-genre phenomena, it's a triumph of a creative mind' GLAMOUR'Frightens and astonishes ... Combines Maya Angelou's passion and Sylvia Plath's devastating self-inquisition' GUARDIAN'Emezi is a dream of a writer' BOLU BABALOLA________________________A fiercely contemporary collection which renegotiates the contract between poet and reader in the light of this moment in human history, from the bestselling author of The Death of Vivek OjiContent Warning: Everything concerns itself with the fugitive nature of being in the world especially, but not exclusively, within blackness. The poems reshape possibilities for poetry by paying close attention to the author's rhythm of thought, making a series of durable anthems from the noise of the contemporary moment.In this bold debut poetry collection, Akwaeke Emezi - award-winning author of Freshwater, PET, The Death of Vivek Oji and Dear Senthuran - imagines a new depth of belonging. Crafted of both divine and earthly materials, these poems travel from home to homesickness, tracing desire to surrender and abuse to survival, while mapping out a chosen family that includes the son of god, mary auntie, and magdalene with the chestnut eyes. Written from a spiritfirst perspective and celebrating the essence of self that is impossible to drown, kill, or reduce, Content Warning: Everything distills the radiant power and epic grief of a mischievous and wanting young deity, embodied.
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More beautiful writing from Akwaeke Emezi in their first poetry collection, tackling big topics like sexual assault, abuse, and loss, and testing the limits of the precarious balance of sacred and profane. Each poem is resonant with rage and grief and steeped in magic. I really enjoyed this but I definitely prefer their longform writing - their prose benefits from the room for expansion that poetry cannot provide. Regardless, Emezi remains one of my favourite contemporary writers and I look forward to gaining more context for this collection via their memoir.
as waves battered over my head, i held my breathand i did not die, do you hear? i did not diewhat i'm saying is, it doesn't matter which wateri will never know what it's like to drown