Second Nature

by Chaun Ballard

Genres: Poetry

126 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy winner of the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, the poems in this collection are astonishingly innovative. In fact, the titles are marvels in themselves. Ballard draws on the horrors and injustices of African-American history to craft art out of the gore and lore of his ancestors. Take note, America, what happens when laws break down and the oppressed rise up, especially from their graves.


Favorite Poems:
“My Father Falls in Love for a Third Time and My Bill is Five Hundred Dollars”
“The Ghost of My Grandmother Looks Out over a Baseball Diamond and Tells Her Daughter about a Man Coming Home”
“My Father and I Drive to St. Louis for His Mother’s Funeral and the Wildflowers”
“The Ghost of Frederick Douglass and W. E. B. Du Bois Collaborate to Write in Defense of Juxtaposition”
“[John] Adams’ Argument for the Defense: 3 - 4 December 1770 | The Ghost of Crispus Attucks Stands Outside the Old State House and Speaks for Himself”
“Using the Laws of Motion to Explain Ferguson”
“Squire—The Outlaw! 19 July 1837 | The Legend of Bras-Coupe Speaks on the Creation of Frankenstein or, the Modern Prometheus”
“the key: Johnnie Taylor’s Ghost Writer Speaks”

[lellysbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really drawn in by how he takes these ‘simple’ moments & connects them to other situations in his life. You kind of start off with ‘where is he going with this?’ then by the end, you’re like ‘wow, that was profoundly sentimental & vulnerable’. I also enjoyed how conversational & musical his pieces were. I felt like he’s the type of poet to write the way he speaks & it gave the collection a strong sense of voice. He was always setting a scene. I really enjoyed this read the more that I sat with each poem. All the pieces are interconnected in ways that have to be read together.

[Tia Credle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great wonderful collection debut! It was such a pleasure meeting Chaun at AWP and I have to say I am now a big fan of his work. This collections does a beautiful job intertwining historical events, blackness, childhood,
family linage, and how it articulates life for a person.

[Lisa Stice · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems speak to the self, to family, to historical figures of the past, to the present. This is an amazing and important first full-length collection from one of my favorite poets.

[Angry.Sad.Motivated · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous experimentation with form.