Stages: Poems

by Tramaine Suubi

Critically acclaimed writer Tramaine Suubi follows up her debut phases, with stages . This powerful meditation, written with the endurance of Lucille Clifton, focuses on choices and changes throughout life, from Yellow Dwarf to Protostar.

In this breathtaking companion poetry collection, inspired by the evolution of our brightest star, Tramaine Suubi offers poems alluding to the history of how it came to be and its effects on each human life. Listeners will discover poems exploring everything from the gimmicks of capitalism to the false promises of tranquility.

This is another brilliant collection that will only reinforce Suubi as a rising star of her generation.

Genres: Poetry

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 27, 2026

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was tremendous. So incredibly vulnerable and still well planned. The book takes us through Tramaine Suubi’s life in stages as categorized by the life cycle of a star. Because of the way the book is organized, there is a clear growth in Suubi as narrator and as a “character” in her life. These poems are a reflection on how the smallest moments can have huge impacts on who we are as people. There is so much growth reflected in these pages and so much emotion. I would highly recommend picking up a hard copy of this or reading it on a Kindle or iPad. The wonderful formatting needs a larger surface to shine, so phones won’t do it justice. It’s truly worth the purchase though!

[Kaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

Stages is made up of beautifully written poems with powerful messages about race, community, our bodies, our surroundings, our senses, and so much more. This book blew me away.

[Ivoree Malcom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stages is a nice, quick read that includes several poems, making it an easy & accessible collection. While the poems each stand on their own, I couldn’t identify a strong overall connection or consistent theme tying them together, which made the book feel somewhat disjointed. With a title like Stages, I expected the poems to transition or progress in a way that reflected different phases of life, growth, or spiritual development, but that sense of progression wasn’t very clear. I guess that's what I get for having expectations, huh?

That said, I absolutely adored the sprinkles of Bible scripture & references throughout the collection. Those moments added a meaningful spiritual layer
& were easily the most memorable & impactful part of the book.

Overall, Stages is a pleasant read with thoughtful elements, but the lack of a clear unifying theme or progression held it back from feeling fully cohesive.

*I received an advance review copy for free & am leaving this review voluntarily.*

#ThankGodForARCs

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

For lovers of language and of culture and themselves, this is a nicely compiled book of poetry. I enjoyed the memories and thoughts it brought back to me as I read. The visions of time and experiences mine and the poets. Very enjoyable.

[Books Amongst Friends · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: Gifted Paperback
Overall Collection: 3.5/5
Favorite Poem: When You Discover
Enjoyment: 3.5/5

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Amistad Publishing for the review copy of Tramaine Suubi's collection "Stages."
Tramaine Suubi is a relatively new poet, and I feel they are going to go places. Suubi writes in freestyle, slipping through language with the grace of a dancer. They play with words, bringing depth to what could have been the ordinary, except..."upon meditating on an unkindness of ravens/ i give in to a murder of crows then slowly fade/ to a shimmer of hummingbirds"
"Body Me Water" aligns our being with the life-giving waters of the world: "river me still/ ocean me deep/ lake me quiet/ sea me through [...] spring me high [...] gulf me whole/ stream me loose..." (This might be my favorite in the collection, actually)
Suubi's poem "Nostalgia" is the story of a life, any life, mine, yours: "release/ all the bull/ & sh!t-making/ the best mistakes/ of this one life, smoked/ screens show it all. such/ decadence in wildly/ heated choices, the joyful/ sorrows of this decade. the stale/ nights, the rotten days/ they all absorb & refract/ the muchness of this roaring/ decade. the yearning/ through us all." In "First Word," they remind us that "knowing only matters/ if you know what you do not/ know," reaffirming that not only do we learn through schooling, but by experience as we stumble across the things we never knew we didn't know. However, in all of this experience, we need to be brave enough to protect ourselves, to be able to say "[...] f*ck it, it feels good to stop pretending to care about caring."
Tramaine Suubi's poetry invites you to pause and reflect, to reread their words to explore the meaning of what it means to exist in the thing we know as life.