Crossfire: A Litany for Survival

by Staceyann Chin, Jacqueline Woodson (Foreword)

“Staceyann Chin’s Crossfire is a remarkable collection from a dynamic and talented writer, whose urgent storytelling and commanding voice feel vital for our times.”
—Edwidge Danticat

Crossfire collects Staceyann Chin's empowering, activist-driven poetry for the first time in a single book. According to The New York Times, Chin "is sassy, rageful and sometimes softly self-mocking." The Advocate wrote her poems, "combine hilarious one-liners with a refusal to conform" and note "Chin is out to confront more than just the straight world."

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Queer, Feminism, Nonfiction, Lesbian, Ebooks

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Poet, actor, and performing artist Staceyann Chin is the author of the new poetry collection Crossfire: A Litany For Survival, the critically acclaimed memoir The Other Side of Paradise, cowriter and original performer in the Tony Award–winning Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, and author of the one-woman shows Hands Afire, Unspeakable Things, Border/Clash, and MotherStruck. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and 60 Minutes, and her poetry been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post. She proudly identifies as Caribbean, Black, Asian, lesbian, a woman, and a resident of New York City, as well as a Jamaican national.

Reviews

[Tea And Chill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really bad ass poems calling out so many issues from homophobia, sexism, racism, xenophobia, rape culture, and imperialism. Also contains emotional and personal poems about Staceyann Chin's personal experience such as heartbreak, her family relations and lust. I really love her style it's blunt, filled with emotion, understandable and powerful af.

[Kiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you're already reaching for your lighter at the author's preface you know you're reading towards power. There's a lot to say on how Chin folds, stretches, tears, and butts words together to hold space for herself and so many of us. For now, I can only suggest you carry everything you love and fear about yourself into this book. Chin is good for it.

4.5 ⭐

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, raw, and vulnerable -a necessary narrative from a queer woman of color.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

edit:

I've been thinking of reclamation of identity in adulthood. For example, transracial adoptees who visit birth parents in adulthood or travel to the country they or their birth parents were originally from. While I'm still wary of certain aspects of the uglier parts of reclamation (see: DNA analysis making people feel bold in their use of slurs) that's not this so I'm retracting that earlier critique.

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slowly but surely I'm forcing myself to read more poetry and this latest collection might be my favorite yet. I really appreciate the way each poem connects to the next chronologically giving the collection a very autobiographical feeling, which does a great job of anchoring me through the poems. The poems are raw, emotional, poignant, hard hitting and of course, beautifully written, and I caught myself more than once rereading specific passages just to feel the way the words rolled into each other again.

[Jukaschar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly raw and angry, sometimes delicate, always highly emotional poetry. I must admit I was a bit surprised and taken aback by the frequent cursing.
In general I liked the poems. I feel like it did open up my horizon, so that's a good thing. Personally, I can at the moment relate most to the theme of motherhood, so I enjoyed everything related to childbearing, birth and being a mother and found the radicalism of Chin's writing to be a breath of fresh air.

[Takako · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force. The passion and the vulnerability. May need to revisit another time.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extensive collection containing a lifetime much bigger than its mere 200 pages. These poems float in many oceans at once and build bridges with language. These brilliant poems make you work for it. These poems full of hurt & anger & fear & love & forgiveness. These poems need to be devoured, savored, remembered.

[Shivanee Ramlochan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's important that we have this, that we acknowledge we've been given something colossal, epic, raw, flawed, and breathing, by Staceyann. It feels valuable to be living in a world where this work is real, uncensored, and in your m-f-face.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over a year later I find I can read the poem that caused me pause with more grace. Dealing with the concept of being mixed race myself instead of just Latine (which is an ethnicity, not a race) has been a learning curve these past few years.

[Megan Gafvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staceyann is a badass lgbtq feminist woc icon, and her poetry reflects that

[Ai Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really gorgeous poetry and some I didn't love, though of course ymmv and it's an important collection nonetheless. I kind of wish it was more chronological--it just sort of threw me to do the whiplash of a poem about the Trump administration and then go back to a poem about the aftermath of 9/11.

Definitely glad to have this collection out there, though, even if it wasn't my thing personally! Some of her poetry about being a lesbian was really really gorgeous, loved that.

[Bookewyfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The publisher (Haymarket Books) always has the most radical writings we need. Themes: feminist rage, pain, racism, domestic violence, immigration, queer love and relationships, death, and more. Her words are 🔥🔥🔥!

[keondra freemyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful collection spanning chin's 20+ year career. it's exciting to see some of my favorite performance poems collected here (crossfire, nails, lesbian chasing straight) plus quite a few new poems. enjoyable collection for old fans and those who are new to her work. i will definitely be gifting these to poetry lovers in my life.

[Meagan Cahuasqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Propulsive, rhythmic poems that pack a punch and don't hold back. Unabashedly angry and filled with feminist rage. Some of the content could get overwhelming at times but that's just my opinion. It probably works for some people.

UPDATE 7/19/23 full review on The Lesbrary
https://lesbrary.com/crossfire-a-lita...

[Julien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is absolutely stunning. The interplay of the political and the personal is so masterfully done and the poetry itself is perfect. You can feel the rhythm of the poems even through the page, which is sometimes hard for me with prose poetry. Also, the alliteration is awesome. It just flows so well and gorgeously. It truly is a bittersweet collection of poetry about the devastating and beautiful parts of surviving in the world today, especially as someone considered "other." The collection really captures a sense of fullness of experience, even the love poems are tinged with a sort of self-awareness that I found refreshing. All-in-all, it feels like a woman outlining the fullness of her being and contextualizing her existence with all the sense of purpose and doubt therein. It's beautiful -- the calls to action, the quiet moments, the wrestling with self-definition. All of it is stunning.

I highly recommend this book to any poetry lovers, as well as anyone who really wants to really feel what it's like to survive in a world not made with you in mind. It's challenging, and full of righteous fury, sorrow, and love wrapped in fantastic language by a fantastic poet. Read it.

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems about identity, desire, queerness, survival, and family.

from My Jamaica: "the only compass my mothers needle-sharp pain / shooting proud across my back / marked like a crab / Jamaica has always been able to find me / a thorn among the bloody hibiscus blooms / my Jamaica / has always been / the hardest poem to write"

from September in New York: "every year September holds still / the moment / before 9/11/after 9/11 / we gather/at the end of the summer / pray / reflect/remember the day / the New York skyline fractured / and sent the rest of the world / spinning / to piece itself together again"

from Tsunami Rising: "dear weeping white women / even as we cannot find space to show you / where or when or how we were torn open / we are only holding our sorrow / to keep our hearts from imploding / we are unable to process our pain with you / because we are exhausted from centuries / of holding you and your children / we have a hard time trusting you / because you all have never been able to stand by us / we are so tired of explaining ourselves / if you wish to know more about the genesis of our rage / please Google us/or read bell hooks / or Brittany Cooper"

[Lili Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notable lines:

“some people cannot handle a woman on the loose”

“and we know that revolutions take time / and sacrifice and lives to turn this world around”

“the words Hijab/Jihad/Taliban were not yet known . . . we were determined to love our neighbors”

“ . . . I will always believe you / in a world that regularly demonstrates how much it hates you / this is what it means to be assigned the label of Black and girl”

“I wish I could just close my eyes and pretend / that none of this is happening / but if we do not keep our eyes open / the consequences will be catastrophic / every kind of resistance is necessary / when the arm of injustice persists / we have to develop new ways to resist / we have to keep trying/keep changing tactics”

“I am only human / a frail light among other lights / we all flicker / fail each other / forgiveness is the thread that will always link us / lover / mother / stranger / even them that despise me / will only possess me / if I do not find a kernel of letting it go”

[Karen A. Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staceyann Chin is hands down my favourite spoken word poet. I already knew a lot of the poems but finally, a collection!

I remember the first time I watched Staceyann's performance of 'If Only Out of Vanity' on Def Poetry Jam many years ago, and was blown away by her unflinching, unapologetic passion and politics. I replayed it at least 10 times that day, and even more times for the next few weeks. I've been following her work ever since.

Reading her work is great, but the best part of her craft is her performance. She is the queen of intonation, natural rhythm and expressiveness. The structure of the book didn't bring out much of that and sometimes it was a little flat. I think many people would benefit from using the audiobook (read by her) to enhance the experience.

I also wish it had been structured by time periods, or even themes, since it spanned such a long period of her life and work. Would've been interesting to see her growth over the years.

All in all a good read, but I definitely have a preference for her performances.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection spread throughout time, phases, of Staceyann Chinn's life "Crossfire" is a mix of open armed, chest bared declaration of self, protest, and introspection of the people, places, and times that have come together to form her life. It is both hard hitting and yearning. There are moments that are filled with anger, with fear, and absolute indulgence.

While many poetry collections I fade in and out on, the sheer variety of all the intersections of Chinn's life had me hooked. There are a few particular pieces that both call out behavior and are calls for accountability and justice that made my heart ache, my temper flare, and resolve strengthen. There were others about her interpersonal relationships familial and romantic where I truly did feel how deep and complicated they could be. It was like experiencing our own late night pesky thoughts that you roll over and over. Some seemed like they would be cathartic. Some like they would dig the hole a little deeper. And some were just a good snarky grin fun. All of them, passionate.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this collection of poetry after watching Stace Yann Chin perform live at a festival. She was a force on stage. Her words came out powerful, raw and full of emotion. It was impossible to not feel a connection to her words as she gave the audience her soul.

Her poems are her. She loves, yells, cries, shouts, laughs and jumps throughout the pages. Unapologetically expresses who she is and what drives her. These poems are political a call to action but also many are self-reflections.

In reading these I did realize that I prefer spoken word and hearing poems versus reading them but I know that the true reader for these will be captured by Chin’s devotion. Chin is unmistakably a wonderful artist.

[Ashley Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time finishing this book, hence the 4/5 stars. But, I think the message is important and her voice needs to be heard. I just felt like a majority of the book was political, all of which I agreed with, so that wasn’t the problem, I just felt like I didn’t know her or why she felt the way she felt, it wasn’t expressive enough to me personally. I wanted to hear more about the pain and her experience then what needs to happen next, if that makes sense. Poetry is a great way to express feeling, and I felt I was often left with questions. But, I think people should read this book, it’s important.

[Roxanne Wyndham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wounds I’ve tried to reconcile with bleed like they were fresh, like I’ve never tended to their healing. This is my first time reading Stacey-Ann Chin and as a Jamaican lesbian, an activist, I felt seen, too seen. The trauma I’ve endured is within those pages, within her voice. I am so raw, the tears have not stopped flowing and yet I want to read her again. I want to listen to her and heal myself with her voice, with her pain that is also my pain. With her love that is a love I yearn for myself. I want it all so I will read it again until I’ve had my fill, until I am full of love and not pain.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"in the roll call for protection
all Black bodies must be accounted for
straight/queer/transgender
lesbian/feminist/Muslim/man
woman/immigrant/dark-skin/
non-binary/tall/fat/skinny/light-skinned
in the face of any killing
our sorrow must be one/our rage must one
though we speak with many voices

we must rise with one sound

we must call out the names of the dead
Trayvon Martin
Tamir Rice
Yvette Smith
Michael Brown
Kiwi Herring
Sean Bell
Tarika Wilson
Sandra Bland could have been any one of us"

[Chanel Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm technically not finished with this book yet but OMG I'm giving it 5 stars right now because Staceyann is AMAZING. To clarify, I have the audiobook, which I usually recommend when the poet is a performer, to get the full experience of their work. And OH BOY this woman is a performer!
A loud Jamaican lesbian and feminist, who speaks about womanhood, sexuality, family and culture, Staceyann holds nothing back, and it's clear that she had something to prove when she started her career as a poet. I can't believe I'm so late finally indulging in her work. What an icon!

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once saw Chin perform. During her set, she stood up on a chair and suddenly became 20 ft. tall and made me feel the same way. This book of poems stirs the same feeling. It gives voice and validation to those of us with so many and not enough boxes to tick in our identity. It asks questions, peels back uncomfortable layers and, in the end, makes you extremely thankful to have her words during these times.

[Sarah Pascarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Chin's hands, poetry is a bold and blunt weapon to ward off the many forces that come for her and those she loves. It's also a seduction for those she desires, and an invitation to build community and chosen family for those who will embrace her, just as she is. Take it or leave it, each poem dares, and I'll take it: Overall, this collection is triumphant in the act of creation, a testament to not just surviving, but flourishing.

[Joan Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw. Really raw. If you are sensitive, these are not for you. They speak truth to power, about family relationships, friendships, sexuality, sexual orientation, lesbianism, homosexuality, world events, racism, work the full gamut of life. These poems are ‘in your face’. I did find though, that the frequent use of expletives, m-f, f, detracted from the messages of the poems. Appropriate in some places, but I felt overused, and reduced the sensitivity of the works.

[Tallon Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems are fierce, unapologetically political, full of love and heartbreak and beauty. I've been waiting on this collection from Staceyann Chin for awhile, as I fell in love with her memoir when I read it a few years ago, and subsequently fell in love with her. While she has been an acclaimed and well-known poet for literal decades, particularly for her live performances which I've had the good luck of seeing, she never published a book of her poems (for reasons she explains in the preface). But finally, here it is, her collected poems over the last 20 years, and good lord was it worth the wait. Chin's writing is so raw, and she writes so powerfully against rape culture and white supremacy, using her own experiences to levy these wider cultural critiques. There's an especially irreverent poem about Donald Trump in here that's simply fantastic.

A-

[Katarzyna Bartoszynska · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are fierce, beautiful poems. I loved their vulnerability, and their rage, and their sexiness. They are definitely meant to be heard out loud, and I hope I get to hear the poet perform someday...