Adrift in a Sea of M&Ms

by Marcel Fable Price

"In Adrift in a Sea of M&M's , Marcel Price often playfully engages difficult narratives revolving around race, mental health, and our place in the world. Topics that are normally difficult and burdensome become lights and far easier to navigate through Price's eyes, and through Price's language. If the mission of this type of work is to shine a light on anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or anyone who has felt like an "other," Marcel Price has succeeded in talking about shared struggles with nuance and patience. Every poem arcs upwards to an ending joy, or a brutal and needed honestly. Whether it is an assessment of America's issues with medication, or a complex look at bubbles, this collection has everything you need to come out clean, looking at the world in new and exciting ways." - Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib Author of The Crown Ain't Worth Much . "Fable the Poet writes poetry that balances being both insightful and accessible. His ability to translate the lives we live into poetry raises awareness, understanding, and appreciation. The structure and rhythm of the poems help to effectively convey each message." - Dasan Ahanu Poet and performance artist, artist in residence at the Hayti Heritage Center, and Nasir Jones Fellow at Harvard University's Hip Hop Archive. "Marcel "Fable" Price captures the complexities of mixed-race issues with grace, humor, and sincerity. It is his ferocious truth and fearless writing that invites the reader on a journey to experience and learn in ways you'd least expect. This book was worth every morsel and is more delicious than even peanut M&M's; and they are my favorite. Enjoy!" - Lacey Roop, a nationally acclaimed and touring spoken word artist who resides in Austin, TX.

Genres: Poetry

Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2016

About the author

Marcel Fable Price
…is a multi-hyphenate, self-directed, intuitive creative whose primary medium resides somewhere between oratory expression and creative writing. Fable is the 2016 recipient of a Community Advocate Award, 2017 40 Under 40 Honoree, was the 2017-2020 Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, MI, a 2020 Grand Rapids area Black Businesses “Black Bottom Community Builder” Award winner, 2021 Michigan Humanities Impact Partner of the Year, 2022 Newsmaker of the Year, and was given the “Imagination Award” by the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology in 2023.
Fable was the youngest, first person without a college degree, and the first person of color to hold the title of Poet Laureate in Grand Rapids, MI. His work is a kaleidoscope of personal experiences, crafted into stained glass examples of transformation intended to connect with readers in a painstakingly beautiful way, regardless of their own lived experience. Fable truly believes that the mortar to our humanity is shared experience, and without intentionally searching for ways to connect, our individual gospels will only remain surface hymns.
His work has previously been used by PBS, The Frey Foundation, Mental Health America, and Habitat for Humanity. He has graced the cover of Grand Rapids Magazine, and his poems have appeared in The Missouri Review, Button Poetry, and Write About Now. He has also been a "Month Main Stage" Storyteller, and his poems have been used for the inauguration of state representatives and even a Senate Majority Leader.
Marcel’s first full-length collection New American Monarch is available NOW. This work promises to be a transformative experience, blending poetry, prose, and stories in a way that reflects his unique creative vision.

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up as it was blurbed by Hanif Abdurraqib, one of my favourite writers/poets. Did I need any more reason? No, I clearly didn’t, but it did made me realise once again how much I love poetry and what a great way it is to connect to different experiences and that is so valuable to me.

These poems pack an oddly gentle, but precise punch. They express frustration about many things, but also express a sadness at the state of the present. The pharmaceutical culture in America, racial identity, mental health. There is also a poem about grief that got me close to a tear! The subjects were heavy. but oddly the poems themselves did not feel that heavy to me. They felt honest and raw and questioned a lot of aspects of (specifically) American society that SHOULD be questioned.

I did have difficulty finding the rhythms in the words sometimes, but YouTube came up trumps and I found some of the poems in spoken word and that really helped me find the rhythm as well as a bit more connection to the poet himself.

I would definitely recommend this one.

[Nico St. John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough to describe Adrift in a Sea of M&Ms in a manner that would do this book justice. I am a multiracial man of Black ancestry, who’s also Autistic and dealing with mental health challenges (PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression). I’ve struggled with the message that people of color are given: “don’t talk about mental illness. Don’t acknowledge it.” I can’t even begin to take apart the reasons behind those messages, but in this book, Fable deals with these issues solidly and with engaging poetry that makes go you back, read, and reread. His voice, both in written and spoken form, is incredibly dynamic and riveting. This is one 2016 poetry release you MUST add to your bookshelf.