Lift Every Voice

by Phillip B. Williams

From award-winning poet and novelist Phillip B. Williams, an astonishing new collection that revels in the possibility of creating one's own light

Captivating for both its grandeur and intimacy, Lift Every Voice explores the capacity for the past to be both a source of dread and empowerment, an unshakable reminder of violence and an indelible testament to the endurance of love. In virtuosic poems that are wise, musical, richly layered, and saturated with vivid imagery, Williams honors a mother “who knew seven ways to say bitch under her breath,” a grandma whose smile “reflects the world,” and wonders at “the impossible lift” of forgiveness. Lift Every Voice is a staggering tribute to personal and collective evolutions, a vital chorus that answers only to God, community, and the empowered self.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2026

Reviews

[2raccoonsinacoat]

This was stunning, frenetic, and beautiful.

I’m new to Williams but will definitely read more. This is an ambitious collection. It challenged me often to slow down and reread but his technical skills are truly impressive. Most of the poems were somewhat somber, visceral, and many were presented with a clenched-jaw awareness that came through beautifully. Williams’ imagery is truly stunning, even when it’s somewhat grotesque.

“Death has made lonely deaths a legacy, a feast by which we fork and knife our sobbing down.”

Much of this was in free verse which made distinguishing the themes kind of difficult, I think readers who are comfortable letting their own bodies do the interpreting will find much to like here.

Thank you to Viking Penguin and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ally Ang]

Thanks to Penguin Random House & NetGalley for the ARC. As a big fan of Williams' novel and previous poetry collections, I had high expectations for this book, and it did not disappoint. This is an incredibly ambitious collection on a formal and technical level--the final golden shovel was breathtaking--and it's also a deeply moving love letter to the chorus of voices (poetic, musical, ancestral, political) that have shaped Williams. The poem "Paradise [If I remove myself from this world...]" will stay with me for a long time. It's so hard to write about the current horrors of the world from a Western perspective that implicates oneself without veering into self-flagellation or nihilism. "Don't look away. Don't look away in the now or ever. / It is the fear of death that has made us dead," writes Williams. This is a writer whose every critique and celebration is born of deep attention to and compassion for the world he inhabits, as flawed and violent as it is.

[DeeSoul]

Is there such a thing as hope that is not/ eventually weaponized? What is silence/ if not blood, but over there?
- pg 60, "Paradise [If I remove myself from this world maybe]"

Williams' newest collection is truly a chorus of influences, from Toni Morrison & Sade to John Milton & Luther Vandross. Part elegy, part requiem, this collection is, as one might expect, rich with music. Throughout the poems, Williams plays with form & sound, sculpting a landscape as sonically compelling as it is vivid. They grapple with addiction & loss & inheritances of grief. It ends with a stunning golden shovel derived from James Weldon Johnson's famous anthem. Every part of this work gleams with song.

[CallMe.Tippy]

I love me a good poetry book, but unfortunately I don't think this is my particular type of poetry.

I enjoy more concrete, real images, "rooted in things I can picture", type of poetry. This poetry is very flowery, and has abstract concepts and emotions.

That's not really my thing.
So even though I know it's written well and with intention, I didn't enjoy it the way I wanted to.

Would recommend to people that like more abstract type of poetry.

I love that cover though!!

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Penguin | Penguin Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Tiffany Ahmad]

Lift Every Voice by Phillip B. Williams is a collection of poems that explores identity, history, and the complexities of the Black experience. While some poems resonated with me more than others, many were well received and offered powerful imagery and thoughtful reflections. Poetry can be deeply personal, and readers will likely find different pieces that speak to them in unique ways. Overall, it’s a collection worth exploring for those who enjoy contemporary poetry and layered themes. 📚✨

[Khepre]

Deeply reflective. Williams' pen feels like needles as he writes with precision that can only be described as pleadingly necessary. Deeply introspective yet retrospective at once.