the space between men

by Mia S. Willis

A poetic ethnography that creates and documents the vocabulary of the Southern Black queer experience, chosen as a National Poetry Series winner by Morgan Parker

"Willis’ poetic voice is brimming with personality and curiosity, as musical as it is philosophical, and the space between men is a formidable debut.” —Morgan Parker, author of Magical Negro and There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé

These piercing, surprising poems look to familial history, rituals of faith, and the natural world to explore how the intersecting cultures of Blackness and queerness relate to each other. As the collection evolves, the reader is challenged and empowered to seek expansiveness in spaces that have not previously been excavated, reckon with the complexities of interpersonal relationships, and explore memory as a catalyst for self-determination. Mia S. Willis weaves together intergenerational knowledge and personal discovery—not only to define themselves but to articulate a communal identity that transcends language.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Audiobook, Queer

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2025

About the author

Mia S. Willis is a poet, popular educator, and cultural historian from Charlotte, North Carolina. They have earned fellowships from Cave Canem Foundation, La Maison Baldwin, The Watering Hole, Lambda Literary, and Chashama’s ChaNorth. Mia is the author of monster house, the 2018 winner of the Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize. Their debut full-length collection, the space between men, was selected by Morgan Parker as a winner of the 2023 National Poetry Series Competition.

Reviews

[Alina]

Let me preface this review by saying that I am not very familiar with poetry. I am reading more poetry in an attempt to understand it better, but I am still a beginner.

I enjoyed listening to this poetry collection! The audiobook (available on Libby) was read by the author, which was a nice touch. Hearing her tone and inflections helped me understand the meaning behind some poems, and I would recommend listening to this collection.

I think Willis did a great job portraying grief, anger, and sadness in her poems. The collection started by reflecting on the author's relationships with men and her anger at them, and it gradually built up to the topic of Willis' sister's death. Starting with anger and then transitioning to grief made sense to me, as I typically process grief by first feeling anger.

I am not familiar with astrology, and I felt lost when listening to the poems that involved astrology. Also, I was not sure why Willis repeated one poem at the end of the collection. I didn't feel that listening to it again, after having listened to more of her poetry, gave me a new understanding of them poem. But maybe other readers feel differently!

[Caroline]

3 stars

This collection started off really strong, but sadly petered out for me. There were still a few standout poems in the later sections ("juneteenth." and "hiraeth (between burgas & varna)." back-to-back packed a big punch), but I connected more to the poems on gender in the first section.

the world is waiting on the other side of your eggshell
do not be afraid to birth yourself beautiful

-"razbliuto (between sozopol & nessebar)." pg. 6

[Andrea (Hammock and Read)]

I can see why this won the National Poetry Series, this is an amazing collection. I of course loved the archeology written poem, but so many great poems that range with their life as a Black Queer human. The author also reads this audiobook and does a wonderful job. I highly recommend this collection/audiobook.

thanks prh audio for the ALC

[DeeSoul]

This collection from Willis asks un to consider what it means to put language to our existence, & where does language fall short. Through formal variety, Willis plays with structure & rhythm, delivering work as strong on the page as any of their incredible readings. It asks us how we go about defining our bodies, those of our loved ones, those of who have passed, and the space in between them.

[Zaynab]

so i could not leave my name if i wanted to
mia is the gift of a feminine body belonging to itself / first / only
it is barbarians gritting their teeth against the settlement
the artifact of mine that will be buried when it is time
or it will not be buried at all

[Amy]

#TheSealeyChallenge

[Rachel Shoe]

FINALLY some good food

[Luke Gorham]

3 1/2

[Jazz]

3.5