Bottom Rail on Top

by D.M. Bradford

A rolling call and response between antebellum Black history and the present that mediates it. Somewhere in the cut between Harriet Jacobs and surveillance, Southampton and sneaker game, Lake Providence and the supply chain, Bottom Rail on Top sets off a mediation between the complications of legacy and selfhood. In a kind of archives-powered unmooring of the linear progress story, award-winning poet D.M. Bradford fragments and recomposes American histories of antebellum Black life and emancipation, and stages the action in tandem with the matter of his own life. Amidst echoes and complicities, roots and flights, lineage and mastery, it's a story of stories told in knots and asides, held together with paper trails, curiosities, and hooks - a study that doesn't end.

Genres: Poetry

144 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2023

Reviews

[Pierre-Luc Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking powerful. And dense. And heartbreaking. I’ll have to read it over and over again. It’s a truly humbling experience to read such an important book, as a white person living in North America—a transformative read.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, moving, thoughtful.

Check out ROOM's interview with Bradford in its "Seedpod" issue where they talk about this book, and more. :)

[Rebecca]

Definitely think I needed more context to understand and appreciate this. The last pages of each chapter helped a bit though.

[Kathryn Mockler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read an excerpt from this brilliant collection on Send My Love to Anyone: https://sendmylovetoanyone.substack.c...