This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets

by Kwame Alexander

 
A breathtaking new poetry collection on hope, heart, and heritage from the most prominent Black poets and writers of our time, edited by Why Fathers Cry at Night author and #1 New York Times bestseller Kwame Alexander.

In this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology, bestselling author and poet Kwame Alexander curates a collection of anthems for our time, at turns tender and piercing, and deeply inspiring throughout. Featuring work from well-loved poets such as Claudia Rankine, Ross Gay, Jericho Brown, Warsan Shire, Amanda Gorman, Terrance Hayes, and Alice Walker, This is the Honey is a rich and abundant offering of language from the poets giving voice to generations of resilient joy. 

This essential collection contains poems exploring joy, love, origin, resistance, and praise. Jacqueline A.Trimble likens "Black woman joy" with indigo, tassels, foxes, and peacock plumes. Tyree Day, Nate Marshall, and Elizabeth Acevedo reflect on the meaning of "home" through food, from Cuban rice and beans to fried chicken gizzards. Clint Smith, Rachel Long, and Cameron Awkward-Rich enfold us in their intimate musings on love and devotion. From "jewels in the hand" (Patricia Spears Jones) to "butter melting in small pools in the hearts" (Elizabeth Alexander), This is the Honey drips with poignant and delightful imagery, music and raised fists. Marilyn Nelson puts it this way in "How I Discovered " "It was like soul-kissing, the way the words / filled my mouth."  

This is the Honey is definitive, fresh, and deeply moving, a must-have for any lover of language and a gift for our time. 
 

 

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Race, Anthologies, Audiobook, African American, Adult

444 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 30, 2024

About the author

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and New York Times Bestselling author of 21 books, including The Crossover, which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Passaic Poetry Prize. Kwame writes for children of all ages. His other works include Surf's Up, a picture book; Booked, a middle grade novel; and He Said She Said, a YA novel.

Kwame believes that poetry can change the world, and he uses it to inspire and empower young people through his PAGE TO STAGE Writing and Publishing Program released by Scholastic. A regular speaker at colleges and conferences in the U.S., he also travels the world planting seeds of literary love (Singapore, Brazil, Italy, France, Shanghai, etc.). Recently, Alexander led a delegation of 20 writers and activists to Ghana, where they delivered books, built a library, and provided literacy professional development to 300 teachers, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an International literacy program he co-founded.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good poetry anthology is like a good party. There’s something for everyone to have a good time. The guests all mingle in ways that enhances the atmosphere, emphasizing their uniqueness in ways that collaborate towards larger, nuanced conversations that enthrall you through the night, or move together in their own rhythms that bring a collective joy. This is the Honey is such an anthology, edited by the Kwame Alexander and bringing a wide variety of contemporary Black poets together in a space to celebrate the Black experience in all its possibilities. Referencing Langston Hughes in his intro—‘birthing is hard / and dying is mean / so get yourself / a little loving / in between’—Alexander says this is a book to explore that space in between. ‘It’s a gathering space for Black poets to honor and celebrate. To be romantic and provocative. To be unburdened and bodacious.’ Drawing from many amazing poets, with familiar names such as Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Nikki Giovanni, Tracy K. Smith, Kevin Powell, Natasha Trethewey, Ross Gay, Warsan Shire and many others amongst a wealth of poets that might be new to you and perfect for discovering, This is the Honey is an extraordinary anthology that covers a lot of territory and is supremely well edited where every page is another shining light of poetic brilliance.

‘Is it strange to say love is a language
Few practice, but all, or near all speak?’
--Tracy K. Smith

Love is what burns brightest in this collection. A love for life, a love for each other, a love for poetry. Divided into thematic sections, these poems are a celebration of the Black experience moving from joy, through powerful statements of resilience against racism, and into a final section of celebration and praise for figures like Gwendolyn Brooks, Duke Ellington, Chadwick Boseman, Mahalia Jackson, Black women, the working class, Black poets and many others. Alexander writes about how Black authors are ‘expected to write about the woe,’ and he offers this collection to ensure that the world understand that there is much joy to be found. It is a collection that looks hardships in the eye and loves anyways, a collection that celebrates our fleeting moments of life and reminds us of the joy that comes when we love ourselves.

‘sometimes the things we love, will kill us, but weren’t we dying anyways? I forgive you for being something that will eventually die. Perishable goods, fading out slowly, little human, I wouldn’t want to be in a world where you don’t exist.’
--Warsan Shire

This anthology was published at a perfect time to commemorate Black History Month in the US, though it is a collection that should be read all year long and celebrated for all the amazing voices within. It’s one I will certainly be turning to again and again.

[Lit_Vibrations · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love poetry and this was truly a captivating piece of work filled with so many amazing poets‼️ Kwame Alexander curates a collection of contemporary anthems at turns tender and piercing and deeply inspiring throughout. 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.”

Honey can symbolize many things from pleasure, sweetness, truth and knowledge. The title of this book fits perfectly because each poem was smooth, rich, and flowed like honey. Some poems were sweet, some a little sticky cause they definitely stuck with me, and the others will feed your soul. I was not only moved but I found so much substance within these words even a little humor.

Within this anthology we discover poets from our current time all adding a different flavor into the honey pot. Divided into six sections the collection addresses love, family, friendship, joy, culture, heritage, and so much more. Alexander refers to This Is The Honey as the in-between or a gathering space for Black poets to honor and celebrate.

Overall, loved this anthology highly recommended cause it was a must I purchase a physical copy. Whether you’re just getting into poetry, seeking a comfort read, or looking for new poems or poets This Is The Honey has something to offer everyone. Special thanks to the author & @littlebrown for my gifted copy‼️

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Review ✨ This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets by Kwame Alexander

Alexander kicks off this poetry collection by acknowledging the frequency in which Black writers are "expected to write about the woe," but instead, this collection lives in the "in between." He explains, "it's a gathering space for Black poets to honor and celebrate. To be romantic and provocative. To be unburdened and bodacious. The poetry in this collection is not us looking outward; it's an unbridled selfie. To marvel at. And reflect. It's for us. But also it is for you." He continues, "The poems here are meant to inspirit, uplift, and rejoice. They are unapologetically matter-of-fact Black. Poems full of hope and humor and humanity of a proud people who hold the promise of tomorrow in their hearts."

The collection is organized in several sections: The Language of Joy, That's My Heart Right There, Where I'm From, Devotions, Race Raise Rage: The Blackened Alphabet, and When I See the Stars: Praise Poems. Each section brings with it a core theme and emotion.

The writers collected here range from legends like Alice Walker, Nikki Giovanni and Jacqueline Woodson to more recent favorites like Amanda Gorman, Clint Smith, and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Favorite poems included Reginald Dwayne Betts's "On Voting for Barack Obama with a Nat Turner T-Shirt On," which bursts with joy to Joshua Bennett's "Owed to the Plastic on Your Grandmother's Couch," which made me laugh, and "Stand" by Ruth Forman, which bursts with power.

More favorites included:
"Praise" by Angelo Geter
"My Poems" by Joanna Crowell
"We are Not Responsible" by Harryette Mullen
"Fuck / Time" by Inua Ellams
"The Blue Seuss" by Terrance Hayes
"Easter Prayer, 2020 A.C." by Frank X Walker
"I Could Eat Collard Greens Indefinitely" by Alice Walker
"Southern History" by Natasha Trethewey
"Dear Future Ones" by Jacqueline Woodson
"R&B Facts" by Nicholas Goodly
"Inundated" by Hayes Davis
"Beloved, Or If You Are Murdered Tomorrow" by Elizabeth Acevedo
"A Twice Named Family" by Traci Dant
"Want Could Kill Me" by Xan Forest Phillips
"How We Made You" by Kwame Alexander
"The Talk" by Gayle Danley
"Blood Memory" by Ronda Taylor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: poetry anthology
Pub Date: January 30

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a pretty solid compilation of contemporary black poets.

some subjects discussed: grief, relationships, resilience, and odes to other black poets (e.g. Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde).

[theperksofbeingmarissa ;) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful anthology of Black poetry. I look forward to reading this again. ✨️💜

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! This is an amazing compilation of poems of the African American experience. There were many that I earmarked as resonating with me. And there were some that were foreign to me but still worthwhile to read. I highly recommend this book. In book group, we did a short study of the editor Kwame Alexander. He actually identifies one of his bios as "short" on his website. That is what we read and discussed.
***Thanks to the patron in book group, Barb K., who recommended that I listen to the audio format of this book on Libby. I did and it was magnificent. Most likely the best experience would be to accompany the book in hand with the audio reading the poems aloud!

[mags o'brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an incredible collection! Alexander's selection and foreword cast a beautifully appreciative light across so many of the nooks and crannies that Contemporary Black poets are exploring today.

[Sarah Krajewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best poetry anthologies I’ve ever read. Edited by Newbery-winning poet/author Kwame Alexander, who also contributed, this collection contains the poetic creations by over 100 living Black poets. You’ll have all the feelings while reading them. This is truly a collection I’ll cherish and share.

[Catie Markesich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of poetry from contemporary black poets. Some of these poems really drew me in and hooked my heart. Some created music as I read. Love this collection. Love the cover- every time I looked at it I wanted to read more.

Warning: if you read the About the Poets section, you’ll be adding dozens of works to your To Read list…

Some of my favorite lines:

“Some turned themselves to dirt so we could walk a path. We crept toward the edges, clawed and crawled to the top of the world and there we clung”.
- Navel, by Robin Coste Lewis

“There is no room on this planet for anything less than a miracle…
Soil creates things
Art births change
This is the honey
& doesn’t it taste like a promise?”
- This is the Honey, by Mahogany L. Browne

“Because when you laugh you kind of cackle, no I mean you really cackle like you take a deep breath in and out comes something unfiltered and unrehearsed and it’s cute but also crazy and isn’t that the perfect description of love?”
- This Is an Incomprehensive List of All the Reasons I Know I Married the Right Person, by Clint Smith

“Regrets are stones along a path everyone travels before they’re enlightened. Yours brought you here to a house in a sunny corner, your wife watering the bushes. You take in the humid air sliced by your daughters’ laughter splitting this life into its splendid bright angles.”
- Refractions, by Alan King

“The grove of willows that arc and cascade, but never weep :: the oaks, maples, and birches encircling the verge. here, i become my best self, i exist at peace with birds and bees, no knowledge is denied me: i eat the apple, speak with the snake, and nothing as obnoxious as an angel could oust me from this soil.”
- Fruitful, by Evie Shockley

“I want Gods who say don’t look up, look around.”
- Tell Them What You Want? By Jabari Asim

Some favorite poems for which snippets would not convey emotion well:

-We Are Not Responsible, by Harryette Mullen
-Don’t Let Me Be Lonely [Mahalia Jackson is a genius.], by Claudia Rankine
-Queen Bess, by Kimberly A. Collins

Yeah, I’ll probably be purchasing this…

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year, the longest book I read was an anthology of African-American poetry from over the centuries of American life, compiled by Kevin Young. There was joy and sorrow, happiness and misery alike in many of the poems, but they all combined to convey a sense of the importance of Black life and Black writing to the American story. So it is with this anthology, compiled and edited by Kwame Alexander.

"This is the Honey" is a collection of contemporary Black poets celebrating the joys of Black life without ignoring the strife that so often undercuts it. There are poets here that I've heard of and read before (many from the K. Young anthology of last year), but just as many new voices to enlighten me as a reader. This is a beautiful collection that I couldn't put down once I really started into it last night. So many of the poems are just a joy to read, and they address the ways in which Black life in America is enhanced by transcendence and happiness while cognizant of the struggles inherent in the American story.

I loved this book, and I'm glad that I picked it up and ended up completing my journey to my reading goal of fifty with this. I plan to read many more books between now and December 31st, of course, but this will be up there for me (and I read it during National Poetry Month). Reading poetry has been an unexpected route for me lately, and this collection joins the Kevin Young-curated anthology as one of the most rewarding reading experiences of my recent memory.

[Madeline W]

I started this anthology during poetry month but only just now managed to finish its 400+ pages. This lengthy reading duration was not due to a lack of quality but rather a desire to savor every single stanza across every page. Even the parts of a collection that might ordinarily be boring - the introduction and the concluding credits - were important to me because every Black voice was highlighted and revered for respective contributions.

Much like any collection, there were certain pieces that might not have resonated with me as much as others. But the benefit of an anthology is that it can afford to pull pieces that are considered the best of the best from a pool of already-talented individuals. In this way, This Is the Honey gave me countless pieces and even new poets generally that I found rereading in the name of deep analysis. It's always incredible when poetry can streak and break my brain in this manner, and I love reading lines that make me smile or think that I wish I'd thought of that metaphor myself.

As Alexander states in his introduction, the purpose of the collection was to become an emerging, generational resource to be held and read again and again. While it's not my place to make claims regarding how well Black people feel represented and seen through his selections, I do think that many contemporary poets will find new fans and that many readers will find voices they connect with. I might have actually preferred this collection be a little shorter to spend more time and energy on individual pieces and poets, but how lovely to have read everything that was presented before me.

I definitely recommend reading this collection and even perhaps buying yourself a copy to annotate. These pieces were worthy of reflection and dialogue, and they are often the kinds of works that yield different things through rereads, so having notes can be helpful.

[Bookish Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivatingly beautiful and exquisitely poignant, This is the Honey by Kwame Alexander has single-handedly reignited my love for poetry. The prose and depth of the poems were both purposeful and gorgeous. Honey has many voices of symbolism in this book of poetry and its presence fits perfectly within each poem. I plan to purchase the hardcover because I need this in my book collection immediately.

[Jonathan Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of poems! I particularly loved the introduction where Kwame explains the rationale behind this anthology. Plus, the section “that’s my heart right there” is formidable! You won’t regret sipping this honey!!

[Jen H]

DNF because it was due back at the library. But I loved loved loved the poems I read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed, though I do not always understand poetry. One of my favorites in the book was "brown eyed girls".

[Gillian Brownlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all poetry collections, there are some poems that resonated with me more than others. But most of the ones in this book were lovely.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I do like poetry 🤔

[Venneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge sucker for anthologies, especially of poetry, because I get to see what the editor likes from poets I already may know, and I get to get introduced to new voices. This is a great anthology of Black poetry that focuses on the joys of being Black, even through pain. Definitely worth your time.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a poetry novice, I found plenty to savor in this collection, and there were many that sparked my interest in learning more about the poets and their poetry. I listened to the audiobook while also reading along with the book which was a great way to experience the art in the language. Definitely worth repeating - This is the Honey.

[Brian Alan S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is honey! With 154 poems by black poets under six themes. 17 of them I really liked. After reading a good poem I would say: now this is the honey! This collection features well-known authors Jason Reynolds, Elizabeth Acevedo, Safia Elhillo, Jacqueline Woodson, Renée Watson, and the editor himself: Kwame Alexander. My favorite poem here is from Jason Reynolds - it’s just so smooth, so sweet like honey.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I am obsessed with this anthology would be an understatement. Such a beautiful collection of poetry, far ranging and full of joy and hope and love. I’ll come back to this again and again and again.

[Tani Garberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t have the words to describe how wonderful this book is. I cannot wait to start it all over again and slowly relish each and every poem. I had to read them all quickly the first time because I wanted to know what’s next. Now I can savor them. Absolutely fabulous.

[Nikki Reads on the Go · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grippingly raw and beautiful—beauty in the pain, resilience, and hoping. This is the most moving collection of poetry I’ve read in a long time. Savor it. Read it again. Savor it some more.

[Becky Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a poetry anthology of that will bring you the major contemporary Black poets, a broad selection of Black poets you might not have read yet but should, and enough timeless poems to keep you enriched for years, this is the book for you. This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, edited by Kwame Alexander, brings poems of praise, poems of political awareness, poems of great historical breadth, poems of the kitchen table, love poems, wildly imaginative poems.

The anthology begins with a section of poems on joy, and moves into poems on identity, on spirituality, on race and rage, and ends with a section of praise poems. This arrangement moves the reader from joy to insight and history and understanding, and finally back to joy and praise. It’s a rewarding read with good challenges, good trouble, along the way.

The very first poem is Nikki Giovanni’s “Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (We’re Going to Mars),” which is the single poem every person in this world needs most. It is a knock-out. The poem beckons NASA to look to Black people for help figuring out what to do when the astronauts “pull away from earth” and can no longer see it, because Black people have had this experience already, and sustained themselves with Billie Holiday, with “a slice or two of meatloaf and if you can manage it / some fried chicken in a shoebox” and of course “a bottle of beer because no one should go that far with- / out a beer and maybe a six-pack so that if there is life on Mars / you can share.” This is a poem of riches, built on an awareness of the cost, the loss, the rage, but focused on the riches.

Many of these poems are alive with the living history of all who have come before. They are not just remembered, they are present. In Reginald Harris’s “Reunion,” his sister “argues politics / with Martin and Coretta in the back yard / over ribs—Romare Bearden’s cooking—/Malcolm puts his two cents in between / bites of peas and rice.” A number of the praise poems bring role models and cultural icons and grandmothers into the present, ever-present, a warm kind of eternity.

The unabashed glory of celebrating the self rings through many of the poems. In Nicholas Goodly’s “R&B Facts” there is a hard acknowledgment that “If no black boys were murdered we / would have voices that speak in song / and the music we’d make would birth storms” – and then an insistence: “Melanin is a blessing / that is ours like gold / melting in our hands / Melanin is light on every / surface of the day / There is no color on earth / that is not some child’s favorite”.

It's a great anthology, one that I expect will be timeless.

Thanks to #netgalley, and #Little, Brown and Company for the ARC.

[Boni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unburdened and Bodacious. Unapologetic. An unbridled selfie. Black poetry is not always about the woe, but that knowledge of the dark American history adds so much color to this world. I loved this collection. The first selection “Quilting the Black-Eye Pea (We’re Going to Mars)” by Nikki Giovani was amazing! An analogy to the mindset needed on slave ships. It set me on my way to spending the entire day soaking up the subsequent gems. Laughing, smiling (the fox stole with its own unexpected travelers 😂)

A lot of Re-Reading. Admittedly there were so many that I didn’t understand but maybe that’s part of the poetry experience. (I sadly, embarrassingly, admit that I don’t read poetry really.) Should we really need to understand everything in this big wide world? Can we always be empathetic with others’ perspectives? Nawww… important to try though, and maybe, just maybe enjoy it’s flow like a n’Awlins jazz parade.

“Poems are bullshit unless they are teeth or trees or lemons piled on a step… We want poems with fists… Let there be no love poems written until love can exist freely and cleanly… We also know, as Lucille Clifton reminded us, that poems come out of wonder too. That even though yesterday was filled with heartache, we gon’ be alright. Because we are still here. And today is gonna be a good day. That is our testimony. Langston said it best: Folks, I’m telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean so get yourself a little loving in between”

This book allowed me to explore a little on our country’s less-heralded histories… like Nat Turner (… “Voting for Barack Obama With a Nat Turner T-Shirt On”). Learn about culture… Gwendolyn Brooks… Sonny Rollins… Langston Hughes… and all the awesome love poems (especially the one by this books author, Kramer Alexander’s “How We Made You”, recounting past love to his kid in light of the subsequent sad divorce.)

Loved the ending of “The Talk” by Gayle Danley, where a mom answers her child’s “where do babies come from?” After a wonderful explanation, her verifying… “Mama, babies come from peach cobbler?” and I’ll say yes.”

Loved “A Twice Named Family” by Traci Dant, which succinctly conveys Black survival and hope grounded in family’s tricks of the mind, a simple refinement that lifts one above that uneven playing field.

Loved the poem “What Women Ade Made of” by Bianca Lynn Spriggs. ‘nough said there. Loved discovering the music of Nina Simone!

The chapter of poems on racism really touches the soul deeply, with such strong
Imagery and feelings. Hurt is not hidden here. But the whole compendium of poetry reach far beyond the hurt. They exemplify the joy, the unique culture, the Pride. They move the ball.

[Ziv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was by far one of the best anthologies I have ever read. I picked this book up because it was edited by Kwame Alexander and I do often enjoy reading poetry and I am so glad I did. It was such a beautiful book filled with poems of hope, sadness, anger and all other emotions in between. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and especially people who enjoy good poetry. Over all my favorite poems were as listed below.
Quilting the Black-Eyed Peas By Nikki Giovanni Page 3
Garden of the Gods By Ama Codjoe page 11
Black Boys By Tony Medina Page 17
On Voting for Barack Obama with a Nat Turner T-Shirt on By Reginald Dwayne Betts page 29
Blood memory By Ronda Taylor Page 41
The Night flies By Sheree Renee Thomas page 43
This is the Honey By Mahogany L. Browne Page 47
Characteristic Of life By Camille T. Dungy Page 75
The Talk by Gayle Danley Page 79
Love for a Song By J. Drew Lanham Page 111
Distant Lover #1 by Brian Gilmore page 117
On mothers Day By Frank X Walker Page 131
A Twice Named Family by Traci Dant Page 133
Twigi By Gary Jackson Page 138
In my Extremity By Mary Moore Easter Page 167
Ode to Sudanese-Americans By Safia Elhillo Page 169
R&B Facts By Nicholas Goodly Page 175
Dear Future Ones By Jacqueline Woodson Page 179
Stand By Ruth Forman Page 183
Southern History By Natasha Trethewey Page 193
Why I can Dance Down A Soul-Train Line in Public and Still be Muslim By Aisha Sharif Page 255
We Are Not Responsible By Harryette Mullen Page 275
Praise By Angelo Geter page 361

[rather_b_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a free E-arc in exchange for my honest review. This is the Honey is a poetry anthology edited by Kwame Alexander. It is divided into 6 sections: The Language of Joy, That's My Heart Right There, Where I'm From, Devotions, Race Raised Rage: The Blackened Alphabet, and When I See the Stars: Praise Poems.

Alexander prefaces the collection by saying: "This book is the in between. It's a gathering space for Black poets to honor and celebrate. To be romantic and provocative. To be unburdened and bodacious. The poetry in this collection is not us looking outward; it's an unbridled selfie. To marvel at. And reflect. It's for us. But also it is for you. The poems here are meant to inspirit, uplift, and rejoice. They are unapologetically matter-of-fact Black. Poems full of hope and humor and humanity of a proud people who hold the promise of tomorrow in their hearts."

And that is exactly what it does. It celebrates, explores, mourns, and captures the experience of life.

My favorite poems were:
- The Talk - Gayle Danley
- Love Letter to Self - Warsan Shire
- Figurative Language - A$iahMae
- The Blue Dress - Saeed Jones
- A Twice Named Family - Traci Dant
- Beloved, Or If You Are Murdered Tomorrow - Elizabeth Acevedo
- Where I'm From - Nikki Grimes
- Inundated - Hayes Davis
- Dear Future Ones - Jacqueline Woodson

I give the collection as a whole 5⭐ because I think there is something for everyone.

[K.C. Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy five stars. What a fantastic collection. I've noted so many poets I want to track down in other collections, whose works appear alongside plenty of well-known names. If I made a list of every poem I liked, it would pretty closely resemble the table of contents. These poems cover so many topics and perspectives, from joy to sorrow to praise to humor to historical reflection. 10/10 highly recommend. I would say that the vast majority of these poems would be enjoyable even for people who don't regularly read poetry. I got this from the library but it's the rare book I might buy AFTER having read it, because there were so many stellar pieces in here.

My five favorites, in no meaningful order:

Easter Prayer, 2020 A.C. by Frank X Walker
-A Covid prayer that was both heartful and subtly funny.

Refractions by Alan King
- I love poem that's solid until the end and then the last line lands like a thunderclap, so you have to go back and reread it just to savor the language. This is one such poem.

Butter by Elizabeth Alexander
- This was so unexpected and so joyful. One hundred megawatts of butter indeed.

[love letter to self] by Warsan Shire
- Oof. This got me right in the feelings.

The Talk by Gayle Danley
- A poem about "where babies come from" that places personal narrative over cold biological fact.

Truly, this is a collection that begs to be read and reread.

[Richard Propes · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those familiar with some of this generation's greatest Black poets, "This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets" is practically a must-read experience.

Edited by Kwame Alexander, "This is the Honey" is a remarkable collection of poetry that practically demands repeated visits with a breathtaking and vibrant journey that ranges from angry to tender, inspiring to challenging and so much more.

"This is the Honey" features work from such poets as Alexander himself along with Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Ross Gay, Morgan Parker, Amanda Gorman, Warsan Shire, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, and Nikki Giovanni among many others.

At times, "This is the Honey" feels like a rally. Other times, it feels like a worship service. Still other times, "This is the Honey" feels like we're surrounded by family. The language is extraordinary here, immersive and abundant and remarkable in tone and atmosphere.

There's so much to love here and those who love language, cultural experience, and full-on immersion will be enthralled from beginning to end. At times, I found myself having to stop reading simply to let it all soak in.

Immensely moving and yet beautifully organized by Alexander, "This is the Honey" starts off 2024 with what is easily one of the first must-have poetry anthologies for the year.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divided into six different sections, this edited poetry anthology from contemporary Black poets presents more than 150 poems, offering a little something for everyone. Featuring familiar poets whose voices have informed, enlightened, and amused generations of readers and listeners as well as budding writers whose voices are just starting to develop, several of the verses go down ever so smoothly, celebrating family, home, faith, and those who have led the way. Some are love songs while others are filled with descriptions about beloved foods, places, music, and writing. There are poems with clever word play and tributes to other poets and movers and shakers. The variety and subject matter on offer here are astounding, allowing readers to dip in at will and ponder the power of a well-placed word or two in prompting reflection and encouraging change. While some will speak more clearly to readers than others, all of them are meaningful, perhaps intended to chart a way forward during these troubling times.