Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom

by Camonghne Felix

In this part-memoir, part-manifesto at the intersection of personal grief and political resistance, an acclaimed poet and policy strategist leans on Black radical literary traditions to reimagine freedom through rupture, rhythm, and refusal.

Over the past decade, Camonghne Felix has been at the center of American politics, working in strategy, communications, and as a speechwriter. Throughout it all, she has maintained her unwavering belief in language’s foundational revolutionary potential, outside of its deployment for legislative and political ends. In this groundbreaking work of nonfiction, she argues that Black radical poetic traditions can model a new ethical code and overcome entrenched structures of patriarchy and paternalism, inventing a new form that examines the historical and legislative, and the personal and poetic.

Felix draws on stories from her life in campaigns and the decisions she has had to preparing speeches for candidates, responding to harassment, recruiting staff. She recounts her moving personal history—accompanying her mother, a lawyer, to court, and her father, a participant in the Grenadian revolution of 1983, to protests—as well as her coming-of-age being schooled in a wider tradition of Black radical thinkers, from Gwendolyn Brooks to Audre Lorde.

Let the Poets Govern encourages us to hold ourselves to the standards of our highest ideals and embraces our shared humanity.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Memoir

192 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Camonghne Felix is a poet, political strategist, media junkie, and cultural worker. She received an MA in arts politics from NYU, an MFA from Bard College, and has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Callaloo, and Poets House. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she is the author of the chapbook Yolk and was listed by Black Youth Project as a “Black Girl from the Future You Should Know.”

Reviews

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I love about Felix’s writing is that it is so self-assured. Her word choice and pacing and rhythms leave me feeling well taken care of. At the same time her thinking is never my own. I’m wowed by her analysis and arguments. This is praise. Her mind is so special. I love spending time with it even if I don’t always know where she’s headed. Once she arrives it clicks. The concept here is really interesting and when the book moves away from biographical recounting and into theory or politic it really sings.

[Nuha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available March 2026.

To be in the mind of Camonghne Felix is to be in the mind of a master poet. In Let the Poets Govern, Felix effortlessly dances between personal reflections, US and international history and policy, and the history of different poetic forms and terminology. Felix's thesis is simple: poetry gives us a way to understand political rhetoric. But what I found most compelling is Felix's willingness to be vulnerable with the audience, to discuss her own personal gripe with the Democratic Party following incidents of police brutality and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. She talks openly too about her journey as an organizer, which is also intriguing and tries to end on a note of hope, though it's somewhat tenous (what if the orchard is abalze?).

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I truly enjoy Felix's poetry, and this is the only lens through which I viewed this writer prior to reading this book. Since I am not the wildest fan of overt biographical connections in literature, it's in some ways no surprise that I somehow knew almost nothing about Felix's life outside of poetry. Of course, here, I learned a ton, and I had a great time doing it.

Felix has been active socially and politically in various campaigns and issues that have been at the forefront of society in recent years. As a result, it's riveting to learn the inside track not just of what happened in some of these spaces but of what Felix's personal experience revealed about the culture and systems in which she was forced to operate. Felix calls out specific and broadscale disappointments, and I found myself easily transitioning from a fan of Felix's poetry to a fan of both this AND Felix's ideology and astute insights.

This isn't all doom and gloom, and even the title offers a clear hint about the tone. The material is concerning, but this is a call to mobilize. I love the overarching sentiment of what poets can do with language, and I hope Felix's ideas make some traction before we've gone too far (which I fear every day is already the case).

This is an insightful read when it comes to personal experience, social challenges and opportunities, and innovative uses for art. I enjoyed this read thoroughly and especially appreciate the chance to discover a whole new side to an already revered writer.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and One World for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Cheyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camonghne Felix's poetry is thought-provoking and deep. I loved the way Felix mixed personal reflections with social and political commentary. This work will stay with you and make you consider the moving weight of words in affecting change.

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come...