Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone: Poems

Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize

by Thiahera Nurse, Reginald Gibbons (Foreword)

Thiahera Nurse’s Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone works as ode and requiem to document the precious narratives held inside the body of a black girl. Opening with declarations of self-love, beauty, eulogy, and Lil’ Kim rapping in the rain, the landscape of Nurse’s poetry functions equally as underworld and imagined heaven.

Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone sees Renisha McBride, Sandra Bland, Korrynn Gaines, and others not as ornamental nor does the book attempt to canonize the dead women as saints. The poems see them as they are: play-cousins, home-girls, the mirror. Line to line, there is an obsession with keeping all of the women in the poems safe and perhaps resurrectable. The black girl who is alive here lives to switch her waistline to a reggae beat. She is in the middle of the dance floor with a suicide note in her purse as a means of warding off bad juju. Always, she is chasing joy head-on, at warp speed.

Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone is a celebration that the black girl will always dance, in the church basement, a grandmother’s funeral repast—she dances until she hits the floor, in her joy . . . and her grief.

Genres: Poetry

48 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2019

Reviews

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty, hard to read and thought provoking at times. I can’t exactly say I loved these or they were beautiful due to the nature of most the poems. But they make you think, they move you and that’s what poetry should do.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone is a moving and brutally honest exploration of Ms Nurse's experiences as a black woman but also touches on sexual abuse in a way I could, unfortunately, relate to; as a result, I found myself rather emotional throughout. Nurse pulls no punches and this collection is honest and unflinching with a powerful message of hope and survival even through the most game-changing adversity. She reminds us that racism is still alive and well, connecting that to her experiences in relation to race and the growing sense of white privilege which is becoming ubiquitous the more time goes on.

It's a collection that is moving and gritty, heartfelt and heartbreaking and provides much food for thought. Despite her awful experiences, Nurse does not wallow in self-pity but and this is an often difficult read. If you enjoy harsh, raw and brutally honest poetry that is full of angst and emotion then give this a try. Those who appreciate Roxanne Gay's work will find much to love here. I feel as though the word enjoy belittles this book as a lot of the time it deals with negative life events; in this case, I think it's more accurate to describe myself as having much admiration for Nurse who lays her feelings bare page after page.

Many thanks to Northwestern University Press for an ARC.

[blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Yes, I was torn in two and was told not to scream. The sushing of my name lulling me into deadpan slumber with the bald head of a Barbie corking me until I bled”

This had some peculiar writing. It’s not your typical flowery writing, no it’s an angry frustrated piece. And that’s the point. Nurse writes through the being of a black girl. It’s rough and unapologetic. It’s the truth.

-I received a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review

[Kirsten Tattersall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"we are girls and ready to ride-or-die."

Despite being a 40 page book it took me a long time to read this collection because the poetry was full of hard feelings. It is unapologetic in its stance and I loved everything about it.

[Lilian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so empowering!!

[Gia Anansi-Shakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeous. dangerous. A collection I return to often and with gratitude.

[Chloe Metzger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is full of truth, emotion and intelligence. Nurse refuses to apologise for being a woman, for being black and for being herself. These poems show a raw response to a range of topics - abortion, black women being murdered, violence, love and more.

It has to be noted that, at times, this is not an easy read but it is because of this that it is so important. Poetry isn't always supposed to be fluffy and light, in fact, this collection shows that it's important that pain is shown in other ways. That said, this isn't a pity party, there is undeniable strength in nurse's words and this felt more like a battle cry to others to embrace their lives and their experiences.

A 4* read from me, I'm really interested to see what Nurse does next.

I received a copy for review via Netgalley. Thank you to the publisher and author for this opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley Nunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This selection of poetry from Thiahera Nurse is electric and gritty. She does not hold back her voice or the fire in their words and it is refreshing to read. She is offering her lived experiences being Black and as a white person I can only grasp some of the reality, but the fire with which she delivers her words is enough to leave an impression like a brand upon my mind. A completely unapologetic and harsh look at a life that has been through hellish realities.

(Copy received for an honest review from NetGalley.)

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

"... we are girls and ready to ride-or-die."

Mixed feelings. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary poetry (or maybe I'm just trying to find a collection that works for me), but this is powerful. Nurse has a distinctive voice that does not shy away from depicting the crazy and wild, or the downtrodden and brutal through the body of the black girl -- she lives on, in spite of everything.

(Copy received from NetGalley.)

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

In under 20 poems, Nurse does what most poetry collections cannot do with 100. She creates a complete world, shows us this gritty, crazy world through a very particular lens, refocuses the lens from time to time to pull in for greater -- ofttimes alarming and potty-mouthed -- clarity, and makes sure that lens shines enough to ensure that we'll catch ourselves looking through a faint reflection of ourselves and our own world as we read of hers which is ultimately our world too.

[Nathaniel Darkish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this because on one hand, the subject matter of most of this poetry wasn't for me (it was very sexual in a specific way that is outside of my experience and interest), but on the other it's very well-written. I give it three stars, but will say that if the subject matter is your cup of tea the quality of writing is like 4.75 stars.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly poignant, moving writing. I just finished it and I feel compelled to read it again.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw and powerful, the poems of Some Girls Survive on Their Sorcery Alone is eternally contemporary.

[Annie]

Mesh
slickmouth

[Aerik Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a poem of Nurse's in The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic and immediately looked her name up and reserved this book at the library. Dope chapbook, looking forward to more work!

[Carly Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 Stars ( I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

TW: Sexual Assault, Rape, Racism

Everyone should read this collection especially since all the recent news and protests going on in the world. This collection is a heartbreaking account of the struggles young black women face, yet so engrossing that makes you sit down and read it all in one sitting.

[Kala Godin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really connected with only a few of the poems. I liked that the poems were longer. I'm sure a lot of people are going to love it but I just thought it was okay.

[Moriah Conant]

Thiahera Nurse uses her voice to share about some of the issues that black women face in America today- there is death, assault, and living with the trauma of her ancestors being enslaved. We do not live in a post-racism society and Nurse reminds privileged readers (those who don't experience these issues) of that reality.

Trigger warning: There are quite a few poems that talk explicitly about sex and sexual trauma.

I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

there are not a lot of poems in here and are on the longer size. Overall I did not really like the poems.