Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat

by Khalisa Rae

What happens when a midwestern girl migrates to a haunted Southern town, whose river is a graveyard, whose streets bear the names of southern slave owners? How can she build a home where Confederate symbols strategically stand in the center of town? Can she sage the chilling truths of her ancestors? What will she do to cope with the traumatizing ghostliness of the present-day South?

Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat is a heart-wrenching reconciliation and confrontation of the living, breathing ghosts that awaken black women each day. This collection summons multiple hauntings--ghosts of matriarchs that came before, those that were slain, and those that continue to speak to us, but also those horrors women of color strive to put to rest. Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat examines the haunting feeling of facing past demons while grappling with sexism, racism, and bigotry. They are all present: ancestral ghosts, societal ghosts, and spiritual, internal hauntings. This book calls out for women to speak their truth in hopes of settling the ghosts or at least being at peace with them.

Genres: Poetry, African American, Contemporary, LGBT

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2021

About the author

Khalisa Rae is a femme poet, activist, and journalist in Durham, NC, and author of Real Girls Have Real Problems chapbook. Her poetry can be seen in Occulum, Rust and Moth, Frontier, Crab Fat, Damaged Goods, Hellebore, Terse, Sundog Lit, PANK Tishman Review, the Obsidian, among others. She is the winner of the Bright Wings Poetry contest, the Furious Flower Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize, the White Stag Publishing Contest, among others. Currently, founder of Think in ink and WOC Speak Series. She also serves as the Writing Center Director at Shaw University. Her debut collection, Ghost in a Black Girls Throat is forthcoming from Red Hen Press in 2021, and Unlearning Eden from White Stag Publishing.

Reviews

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I read this book. A standout in my #sealeychallenge2025 reading.
Thank you Khalisa Rae. A great book of poetry you gave us—Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat.
So many great poems. (Some poems are not right in the ebook-better to get the print edition)
From “Buzzwords and Banned Books”
“…What I know is there are still/ children who haven’t heard Maya’s name. Haven’t viewed/God through the eyes of Zora, haven’t heard her bitter/ twisted refrain. Haven’t wailed on the mount with Baldwin/ or spoke of divergent dreams with Lorraine…”

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

High 3 stars!

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐ CW: racism, slavery, sexual assault


Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat by Khalisa Rae is a short poetry collection. Khalisa reached out to me via Instagram DMs and asked if I'd be interested in reading her book. Friends, I'm glad I said yes.

This collection was powerful and evocative. Khalisa writes themes on the struggles Black women have on a day to day basis from the smallest microaggressions to the constant reminder that this country was founded on slavery. She explores generational/historical trauma, how Black women are commoditfied and sexualized. Khalisa eloquently points out the hypocrisy of the assimilation of African peoples while simultaneously appropriating Black culture.

I loved how she captured the feeling of making yourself small or less to accommodate white people. The imagery was vivid and the metaphors on point. Some poems were especially haunting. Her poem "Mermaids and Ghost Ships" reminded me Rivers Solomon's novella, The Deep.

If you're looking for some insight on what it's like to carry the burden of being a Black woman in American, pick up this book. Favorite quotes below:

"When they call you hero, when they hand you the cape anyway, ask, 'Haven't I carried enough?'"

"Maybe she been waiting to be swept off her feet by a wild, uncontrollable thing."

"I learned that my body is only alive when it is free to choose."

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful collection of poems that uplifts Black women and all their joys, sorrows, and frustrations. Written with vivid imagery, Rae confronts US history and society (particularly the South) and the ways they haunt Black women, past and present. In addition to unique lyricism, I really appreciated the versatility of form and style throughout this collection.

I will admit that the second section felt a little “random” compared to the first and last sections, but it didn’t seem totally out-of-place either. It certainly didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of this collection.

Some of my favorite poems were: “Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat,” “Southern Foreclosures,” “Van Gogh Paints a Hymn,” “Making Counterfeit Again,” “Heirloom,” “Mind of Missing Parts,” and “Emergence”

I was particularly taken to “Making Counterfeit Again,” only because I’ve been thinking a lot about the appropriation of Black culture and language.

[Eric Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost in a Black Girls Throat is hands down on of the best books of 2021. Not only does it educate about the history of 1898 Wilmington Massacre and other historical Southern events of racism and genocide, it is a breathtaking truth telling of what it's like to live as a Black woman in America. Khalisa's poetic talent is unmatched. From her usage of form to her ability to change style, meter, rhythm, and tone. Lastly, Ghost has time and time again taught me how to be a better ally and advocate for Black queer women. It should be taught at every school. 5 stars all around.

[Dee Dee (Dee Reads for Food) · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: discussion about rape, physical abuse (African enslavement and otherwise). There are more but these are the two that stood out most to me.

I wish I had the audio of this being performed the way it was intended. The writing is beautiful but reading it with my eyes could never do it justice. It deserves an audience and attentive ears. That being said...what?

[Cristi Smith-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

O. 👏🏼 M. 👏🏼 G. 👏🏼

I had chills reading the first (and titular) poem in this collection. I had to go back, read it again, then read it out loud to my husband.

I consumed this book slowly, fully savoring and digesting each poem.

This collection is powerful. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Miss Syreena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended. Warning: Reading these poems may have a physical impact, symptoms may include. Ut are not limited to: a knot in your stomach, tightness in the chest, a lump in your throat, cognitive dissonance, mourning for what could have been.

[Teaha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! Words can not describe the journey I went through reading this.

[Jess]

SO much to unpack. This one is going to require a couple re-reads. But I get to hear Khalisa Rae’s livestream in 10 minutes!! :)

[Lynne Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khalisa continues to impress and astound!

[Christina Xiong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection made me start writing again after a very long drought. I love Rae's voice and her poetry is beautiful, visceral, and so well wrought. This is the type of poetry that makes you excited about what poetry can do.

[Crystal Staley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful poetry collection with themes of feminism, race, ancestry, history, familial ties/roots, the body. Very impactful!

[Daina (Dai2DaiReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 3.75 stars. This debut collection of poems surround what Black women encounter via various types of "ghosts." But, it also speaks to the healing that is possible.  I feel like the author laid her truth bare and I found it refreshing how unapologetic she is on the page.  My favorite poem is titled Heirloom.  Here is just a piece of it:

“We inherit this loneliness… No one knows the ingredients that made this delicious mess, but we ingest it... We never mention the thoughts that keep sleep so distant, the sadness that gnaws at our sanity… God forbid we ask for help, too much to be colored and crazy… So we suffer in silence, tuck our secrets back in, and save them for a rainy day.”

There are many lines in this collection that caused me to go back and read them again.  Thank you Khalisa for sending me a copy of your book!

[Sterndiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving.

[Michelle from Pagecation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go off Khalisa Rae! Your poetry collection, “Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat” blew me away.

Through her writing, Rae shows the reconciliation and confrontation of the living, breathing ghosts that awaken Black women each day. She does through by summoning multiple hauntings—ghosts of matriarchs that came before, those that were slain, and those that continue to speak to us, but also those horrors women of color strive to put to rest. The poems exhibit the haunting feeling of facing past demons while grappling with sexism, racism, and bigotry. They are all present: ancestral ghosts, societal ghosts, and spiritual, internal hauntings. This book calls out for women to speak their truth in hopes of settling the ghosts or at least being at peace with them.

What a gorgeous journey this book was. The poems bear testimony to beauty, pain, healing, and haunting. A celebration of Black womanhood and an unearthing of family history as rebirth and renewal. Rae deserves all the flowers for this brilliant book.

[Brittany Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems is truly the best of Khalisa Rae's work. The writing is so raw, vulnerable and thought provoking. These are the sort of poems that reach into your gut and shift the way you feel about the world. It is a must read. Read it out loud and cherish it as our generation's classic in the making.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. The formatting of the e-book was a nightmare but the poetry itself was very good. I love Rae's style and the topics she covered in this were handled really well. I definitely would've liked for this to be longer though as the ideas were great and I just wanted more but for such a short read it is really fantastic.

[Carla Sofia Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gorgeous journey, poems that bear testimony to beauty, pain, healing, and haunting. A celebration of Black womanhood and an unearthing of family history as rebirth and renewal. Grateful to learn from these poems, too, in style and form, and how to meaningfully put together wide-ranging poems into a cohesive full-length collection. Rae deserves her flowers for this brilliant book.

[Christiana McClain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It got me through a reading slump. The poems are vast even though they are short. I understand the reviewers saying the text read like performance and while that’s true there are some poems that demand to be on the page & they are stunning. Two of my faves were Southern Louisiana Libretto II & Mackerel. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really read poetry; I have to admit I picked this up from the library because the title caught my eye. I read it like prose, so I admit that I might be missing out on some of the depth. I still really liked it. The imagery is evocative; the emotion, the structure, the atmosphere are compelling and beautiful. Like many other reviewers I would love to see it read live.

[Fabi_all_things_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m slowly getting into reading poetry, this book is beautifully written, raw and honest. It’s unapologetic in its themes of Black agency, selfhood, and disturbing meditations on inhumanity. These collection of poems are timely and timeless in examining the ghosts of Americas past and present.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, yet accessible, this debut collection was phenomenal. I loved the rhythm of the poems here, and Rae's ability to capture the imagery and history of the South in such a short space is remarkable. Highly recommend!

[Andrew Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khalisa Rae’s GHOST IN A BLACK GIRL’S THROAT is one of my favorite poetry collections. Rae is absolutely fearless and vulnerable talking about slavery, race, sexuality, SA, etc. She uses beautiful language throughout snd there is a haunting, dream like affect that is magical for the reader.

[Ciara (Lost at Midnight)]

This is going to be a poetry collection I recommend to everyone.

[Letisha Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most phenomenal collections of poetry I've ever read!

[Brandon Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intelligent, passionate, crafted, specific, spiritual, full filling, and embracing. So grateful to have read this. Unashamed Visibility of the Black Woman and her history. Well done.

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving, heartbreaking, raw, and beautiful. This is an exquisite collection. I can't wait to read more from Khalisa Rae, she's brilliant and so talented

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems move from a deeply perceptive, simmering anger to a joyful sensuality and then, by some magic, they wrap up with how time and space bind us and how much we will never know.

[Chris L. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely phenomenal debut. Khalisa Rae is here to stay.