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suddenly we
Evie Shockley's new poems invite us to dream―and work―toward a more capacious "we"
In her new poetry collection, Evie Shockley mobilizes visual art, sound, and multilayered language to chart routes towards openings for the collective dreaming of a more capacious "we." How do we navigate between the urgency of our own becoming and the imperative insight that whoever we are, we are in relation to each other? Beginning with the visionary art of Black women like Alison Saar and Alma Thomas, Shockley's poems draw and forge a widening constellation of connections that help make visible the interdependence of everyone and everything on Earth.
perched
i am black, comely,
a girl on the cusp of desire.
my dangling toes take the rest
the rest of my body refuses. spine upright,
my pose proposes anticipation. i poise
in copper-colored tension, intent on
manifesting my soul in the discouraging world.
under the rough eyes of others, i stiffen.
if i must be hard, it will be as a tree, alive
with change. inside me, a love of beauty rises
like sap, sprouts from my scalp
and stretches forth. i send out my song, an aria
blue and feathered, and grow toward it,
choirs bare, but soon to bud. i am
black and becoming.
―after Alison Saar's Blue Bird
In her new poetry collection, Evie Shockley mobilizes visual art, sound, and multilayered language to chart routes towards openings for the collective dreaming of a more capacious "we." How do we navigate between the urgency of our own becoming and the imperative insight that whoever we are, we are in relation to each other? Beginning with the visionary art of Black women like Alison Saar and Alma Thomas, Shockley's poems draw and forge a widening constellation of connections that help make visible the interdependence of everyone and everything on Earth.
perched
i am black, comely,
a girl on the cusp of desire.
my dangling toes take the rest
the rest of my body refuses. spine upright,
my pose proposes anticipation. i poise
in copper-colored tension, intent on
manifesting my soul in the discouraging world.
under the rough eyes of others, i stiffen.
if i must be hard, it will be as a tree, alive
with change. inside me, a love of beauty rises
like sap, sprouts from my scalp
and stretches forth. i send out my song, an aria
blue and feathered, and grow toward it,
choirs bare, but soon to bud. i am
black and becoming.
―after Alison Saar's Blue Bird
- GenresPoetryNonfiction
112 pages, Hardcover
Published March 7, 2023
15 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Evie Shockley
30 books50 followersBorn and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, poet Evie Shockley earned a BA at Northwestern University, a JD at the University of Michigan, and a PhD in English literature at Duke University.
(from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/e...)
(from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/e...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 15, 2023
Had to sit down and read this book cover to cover before Nat. Book Awards tonight. In an abundance of transparency I do work at WesPress so maybe I am a bit biased BUT this book to me is the most vibrant of all the books written during/about 2020-2022 (Covid, Black Lives Matter—death abounding, you get the picture.) It’s startlingly new and unpretentious in its depictions of the countless possibilities of collectivity and resistance. Fingers crossed it wins tonight!!!
March 30, 2024
shes done it again. Such a way with words
Read
November 2, 2023“there is no poem unless you/ we can find the courage to hear”
November 16, 2023
Nuanced, complex. How do you convey brutal social messages so beautifully? Apparently Evie has it figured out
December 30, 2023
The second half of this book is better than the first for me. Also continuing to see that I don't really enjoy poems about COVID.
Read
January 30, 2024dive in
the body, bodies, in a pool of bedding, blue,
a sea of sweat, shared ~ we each slip into some-
one more comfortable than loneliness, than
shame, not easy but something to do with our
hands, our mouths, till we can forget, let go ~
yet the body remembers when it was twenty-
something, thirty-something, happy to be
stroking, stroked, swimming, limbs pulling,
thrashing, toward the o of oblivion ~ these
positions still take the body reaching, fluttering,
grasping, gasping, back to that timeless place, all
of it happening in the now, in the mind, a transit
between mind and (__)it, transport, transferring
a rage of pleasure between us ~ the outrageous
sound of this joy, the silence at center, we’re
in over our heads ~ a body can get carried
away in that headiness, i did, and you with me,
swept up in a wave of language and tumbled
the body, bodies, in a pool of bedding, blue,
a sea of sweat, shared ~ we each slip into some-
one more comfortable than loneliness, than
shame, not easy but something to do with our
hands, our mouths, till we can forget, let go ~
yet the body remembers when it was twenty-
something, thirty-something, happy to be
stroking, stroked, swimming, limbs pulling,
thrashing, toward the o of oblivion ~ these
positions still take the body reaching, fluttering,
grasping, gasping, back to that timeless place, all
of it happening in the now, in the mind, a transit
between mind and (__)it, transport, transferring
a rage of pleasure between us ~ the outrageous
sound of this joy, the silence at center, we’re
in over our heads ~ a body can get carried
away in that headiness, i did, and you with me,
swept up in a wave of language and tumbled
September 2, 2025
my favorites of the collection were the author’s etymology and semiotic explorations.
January 8, 2024
One of the most ambitious - and successfully so - poetry collections I’ve ever read - with exacting and entrancing pieces on politics, history, our world. You wouldn’t imagine it could get stronger, and then a coda about Palestine - hard to know exactly when it was written but as a late 2023 publication it seems responding to the current war - provides the iridescent sealing wax on this perfect parchment.
August 28, 2024
5⭐
I don't know if words can describe this book...
To say Evie Shockley is a merely a poet is like saying an opera diva is a singer. This book was a piece of art. So many of these poems resonate on such deep levels. Even though these predominantly focus on the experiences of being a Black woman in modern society (and, at the time, during COVID-19), these poems relate on a human level, making one question how they interact in their society and how you contribute to change. Some poems pack a punch through oral recitation, others are visual works of art; but none of these are unimportant and all of them deserve praise and attention. Brava, Evie Shockley.
I don't know if words can describe this book...
To say Evie Shockley is a merely a poet is like saying an opera diva is a singer. This book was a piece of art. So many of these poems resonate on such deep levels. Even though these predominantly focus on the experiences of being a Black woman in modern society (and, at the time, during COVID-19), these poems relate on a human level, making one question how they interact in their society and how you contribute to change. Some poems pack a punch through oral recitation, others are visual works of art; but none of these are unimportant and all of them deserve praise and attention. Brava, Evie Shockley.
February 26, 2024
Author of five other poetry collections and critical essays, Evie Shockley, draws most of her influence from poets like Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, and Harryette Mullen to comment on society and encourage critical thinking and curiosity in relation to societal norms. Shockley has dedicated most of her career as a poet, essayist, and editor to advocating for and giving a voice to African Americans and feminists in the world of literary arts.
While reading Suddenly We, I found a few overarching themes, such as Black culture, Black culture in America, the passage of time, and movement. Using these themes, Shockley crafts emotionally raw, dynamic poetry that acts as political commentary and protest poetry. What makes Evie Shockley’s protest poetry unique is the sense of empathy she adds to each of her poems. Through powerful imagery, color, and clever wordplay, specifically with double meanings, Shockley draws her audience in to engage with her work on a purely human level. By pointing to what may seem like mundane objects, such as ironing boards, Shockley conveys feelings and elements of the specifics of Black culture; by picking a regular household object, she translates these feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and feeling stuck to be universally human.
I think that all of the poetry in this collection was particularly strong and engaging. From the beginning, Shockley sets up a powerful narrative as she moves through history to tell the story of the various intersections of Black culture and identity in America. Even though Shockley’s shorter poems at the very beginning of the book were among some of my favorites in the collection, I didn’t see the connection between these poems and the rest of the themes present throughout the collection. While I agree that it was important to begin the collection with a source of movement to set the tone of travel, migration, and unsettlement, I think this message could have been conveyed in ways that were more relevant to the themes of Black culture and identity.
I have always read selected poetry, but this was my first time reading a poetry collection cover to cover. I rather enjoyed being able to see the progression and journeys these poems took over the course of the collection, as well as observe the conversation each poem had in relation to the others. I feel like this conversational element added to the overall dynamic feelings of the collection as each poem had some nuanced perspective or commentary to add to the overall conversation.
While reading Suddenly We, I found a few overarching themes, such as Black culture, Black culture in America, the passage of time, and movement. Using these themes, Shockley crafts emotionally raw, dynamic poetry that acts as political commentary and protest poetry. What makes Evie Shockley’s protest poetry unique is the sense of empathy she adds to each of her poems. Through powerful imagery, color, and clever wordplay, specifically with double meanings, Shockley draws her audience in to engage with her work on a purely human level. By pointing to what may seem like mundane objects, such as ironing boards, Shockley conveys feelings and elements of the specifics of Black culture; by picking a regular household object, she translates these feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and feeling stuck to be universally human.
I think that all of the poetry in this collection was particularly strong and engaging. From the beginning, Shockley sets up a powerful narrative as she moves through history to tell the story of the various intersections of Black culture and identity in America. Even though Shockley’s shorter poems at the very beginning of the book were among some of my favorites in the collection, I didn’t see the connection between these poems and the rest of the themes present throughout the collection. While I agree that it was important to begin the collection with a source of movement to set the tone of travel, migration, and unsettlement, I think this message could have been conveyed in ways that were more relevant to the themes of Black culture and identity.
I have always read selected poetry, but this was my first time reading a poetry collection cover to cover. I rather enjoyed being able to see the progression and journeys these poems took over the course of the collection, as well as observe the conversation each poem had in relation to the others. I feel like this conversational element added to the overall dynamic feelings of the collection as each poem had some nuanced perspective or commentary to add to the overall conversation.
July 4, 2023
the blessings (p15)
the things that i give birth to matter.
the things that i give birth to give birth to other things.
—nikky finney
i gave mine away—
not all, but the greater portion,
some would say. i gave
away the ready claim
to goodness, to purpose. i gave
away mary, sarai,
and isis. i gave away
necessity and invention.
i gave away a whole
holiday, but i kept billie.
i gave away the chance to try
and fail to have it all. i gave
away the one thing
that makes some men
pay. i gave away the pedestal,
the bouquet. i gave away
nel wright, but i kept sula
peace. i gave away
the fine-tooth comb, but
kept the oyster knife. i gave
away the first word
the new mouth forms, the easiest
to parlay across so many
languages. escaping
the maw, i gave away
the power to hold—and be held
in—sway, but i kept
cho, parton, finney, chapman,
and tomei. i gave away the eve
who left the garden
that day, but kept the cool,
green, shady, fruitless,
fruitful stay, the evening
that did not fall
away.
***
from 'the beauties: third dimension' (p20)
you're the map of being pulled
in two directions at once. your
third dimension is living through
***
nature studies (p40)
first, it was a short piece of lupine,
passed around the group, for us
to smell its intoxicating wine. then,
the toxic corn lily, from which he
peeled leaf after leaf until nothing
remained, to reveal the illusion
of stalk. next, a still-berry less sprig
of mistletoe, plucked from the jolly
parasitic kiss it had given a baby
jeffrey pine's twiggy trunk. &. &.
my heart snapped with each stem,
every time he stepped off the trail
to return with a mystery in hand,
a present conjugated into past tense.
the things that i give birth to matter.
the things that i give birth to give birth to other things.
—nikky finney
i gave mine away—
not all, but the greater portion,
some would say. i gave
away the ready claim
to goodness, to purpose. i gave
away mary, sarai,
and isis. i gave away
necessity and invention.
i gave away a whole
holiday, but i kept billie.
i gave away the chance to try
and fail to have it all. i gave
away the one thing
that makes some men
pay. i gave away the pedestal,
the bouquet. i gave away
nel wright, but i kept sula
peace. i gave away
the fine-tooth comb, but
kept the oyster knife. i gave
away the first word
the new mouth forms, the easiest
to parlay across so many
languages. escaping
the maw, i gave away
the power to hold—and be held
in—sway, but i kept
cho, parton, finney, chapman,
and tomei. i gave away the eve
who left the garden
that day, but kept the cool,
green, shady, fruitless,
fruitful stay, the evening
that did not fall
away.
***
from 'the beauties: third dimension' (p20)
you're the map of being pulled
in two directions at once. your
third dimension is living through
***
nature studies (p40)
first, it was a short piece of lupine,
passed around the group, for us
to smell its intoxicating wine. then,
the toxic corn lily, from which he
peeled leaf after leaf until nothing
remained, to reveal the illusion
of stalk. next, a still-berry less sprig
of mistletoe, plucked from the jolly
parasitic kiss it had given a baby
jeffrey pine's twiggy trunk. &. &.
my heart snapped with each stem,
every time he stepped off the trail
to return with a mystery in hand,
a present conjugated into past tense.
November 30, 2025
I read this over a few weeks, reading two to three poems a day, usually sitting by the sea aloud to the birds that happen to be near. These poems nourished my soul in a time of immense grief, of losses real and those imagined, or seemingly imminent.
Shockley, in addition to an astonishing poet, is also an astonishing scholar of poetics. Any of us would be lucky to be one, but in her poems is such a demonstration of what poems 'do' that the technique is invisible until you begin to run your fingers over the words, the negative space, the shifts to lighter fonts, and understand that every poem is a garment made to endure and sustain. Every poem is both effective armor to move through life and lightest linen to feel its every aspect.
I make it a practice to write down the poems I am most moved by from a collection. With this one, I had more success writing down those that didn't move me like tectonics, but still moved me like a glass moved onto a coaster to extend the life of the latest coat of varnish.
I am excited to read these for others, for friends, for all the loves of my life, for myself, and yes, for the birds.
Shockley, in addition to an astonishing poet, is also an astonishing scholar of poetics. Any of us would be lucky to be one, but in her poems is such a demonstration of what poems 'do' that the technique is invisible until you begin to run your fingers over the words, the negative space, the shifts to lighter fonts, and understand that every poem is a garment made to endure and sustain. Every poem is both effective armor to move through life and lightest linen to feel its every aspect.
I make it a practice to write down the poems I am most moved by from a collection. With this one, I had more success writing down those that didn't move me like tectonics, but still moved me like a glass moved onto a coaster to extend the life of the latest coat of varnish.
I am excited to read these for others, for friends, for all the loves of my life, for myself, and yes, for the birds.
February 27, 2025
The poems got better the more you read.
I liked a few poems in the first section, and I thought the book would be like a 3.5 star. I almost put it down and didn't finish it. I thought, "This is the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University?"
But in the second section, I was locked in. I enjoyed it. And I didn't put the book down until I finished it (except when my best friend called and I had to go on desk at work).
I don't usually enjoy COVID pandemic poems, but I liked these! Evie Shockley's poems on feminism and minorities' experiences in America feel important to me.
The first poem I really liked was "the lost track of time." Others I liked after that include: "brava gente," "direct to your table," "anti-immigration," "les milles," and "women's voting rights at one hundred (but who's counting?)."
I would recommend this book, but I would preface it by saying it gets better.
I liked a few poems in the first section, and I thought the book would be like a 3.5 star. I almost put it down and didn't finish it. I thought, "This is the Zora Neale Hurston Distinguished Professor of English at Rutgers University?"
But in the second section, I was locked in. I enjoyed it. And I didn't put the book down until I finished it (except when my best friend called and I had to go on desk at work).
I don't usually enjoy COVID pandemic poems, but I liked these! Evie Shockley's poems on feminism and minorities' experiences in America feel important to me.
The first poem I really liked was "the lost track of time." Others I liked after that include: "brava gente," "direct to your table," "anti-immigration," "les milles," and "women's voting rights at one hundred (but who's counting?)."
I would recommend this book, but I would preface it by saying it gets better.
August 29, 2024
A collection of poems about identity, the realities of a Black life in America.
from no car for colored [+] ladies (or, miss wells goes off [on] the rails): "she wasn't born a hero, you know. once she / was twenty: four years an orphan, eighteen years // free. with a passion for brontë & a weakness for / fashion, she might drop a month of her schoolteacher's / salary on clothing at menken's palatial emporium, // to dress as befits a lady."
from dive in: "the body, bodies, in a pool of bedding, blue / a sea of sweat, shared - we each slip into some- // one more comfortable than loneliness, than / shame, not easy but something to do with our // hands, our mouths, till we can forget, let go - / yet the body remembers"
from no car for colored [+] ladies (or, miss wells goes off [on] the rails): "she wasn't born a hero, you know. once she / was twenty: four years an orphan, eighteen years // free. with a passion for brontë & a weakness for / fashion, she might drop a month of her schoolteacher's / salary on clothing at menken's palatial emporium, // to dress as befits a lady."
from dive in: "the body, bodies, in a pool of bedding, blue / a sea of sweat, shared - we each slip into some- // one more comfortable than loneliness, than / shame, not easy but something to do with our // hands, our mouths, till we can forget, let go - / yet the body remembers"
December 1, 2025
My personal definition of a piece of art can be encompassed by any or all of the following:
1. It can evoke emotions from somewhere deep and true within me.
2. It leads to questions. Whether they are deep and profound question of humanity, who are we, why do we do the things we do, what is purpose, etc. or they are questions I ask of the work. Interrogating the piece for its truth and what it means to me.
3. It is inspirational. Making me want to express my truth as well. Whatever that means.
This collection starts rather mechanically but evolves and deepens as it continues. It is about women. It is about African American Women. It is about African Americans. It is about America. It is about humanity as a whole. It is a work of art.
1. It can evoke emotions from somewhere deep and true within me.
2. It leads to questions. Whether they are deep and profound question of humanity, who are we, why do we do the things we do, what is purpose, etc. or they are questions I ask of the work. Interrogating the piece for its truth and what it means to me.
3. It is inspirational. Making me want to express my truth as well. Whatever that means.
This collection starts rather mechanically but evolves and deepens as it continues. It is about women. It is about African American Women. It is about African Americans. It is about America. It is about humanity as a whole. It is a work of art.
February 9, 2024
Phenomenal book by a phenomenal poet (even if it didn’t win the national book award😪)! Thanks @oliver for the special copy💜
Some of my fav poems from the book:
what does it mean to be human?
holla
the center of a tension
facing south
sonnet for the long second act
Overall fire, would recommend. She does it all— language poetry, ekphrastic, political—but like all at once?? Subgenres are lowkey irrelevant idk she’s just a POET. I love what Evie Shockley does with words✨✨
Some of my fav poems from the book:
what does it mean to be human?
holla
the center of a tension
facing south
sonnet for the long second act
Overall fire, would recommend. She does it all— language poetry, ekphrastic, political—but like all at once?? Subgenres are lowkey irrelevant idk she’s just a POET. I love what Evie Shockley does with words✨✨
January 19, 2024
I love these poems. They are brilliant, trippingly tangling along the tongue, funny, harsh, and wise. These poems are so wise making connections, inviting us into deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. This is artistry, and beauty, and pain and healing (in some cases unresolved).
July 19, 2023
Evie Shockley - one of the great poets of my soul - did it, does it, and will keep on doing it. For anyone asking “how can poetry speak to the way I feel about the world and the planet and the politics and the media and the pain and the violence?”, just know, Shockley is where I will keep turning.
November 19, 2023
I haven’t yet managed to read all the shortlisted poetry titles for NBA, including the winner åmot, however so far this collection is the clear winner for me. I’m not sure if I just read it at the right time but it hit every note.
December 31, 2023
Almost DNF'd this after the first (brief) section; the conceptual and visual integrations are just annoying to me, and far from my preferred style of poetry. But the rest is undeniably excellent, so good job me for continuing on. I'll accept applause.
June 3, 2024
“the question is: who was i when we last hugged so close our bones met?”
beautiful collection. evie’s interlocking of imagery and voice and past and present and we and i. yes
special mentions to:
the lost track of time
perched
what does it mean to be human?
les milles
beautiful collection. evie’s interlocking of imagery and voice and past and present and we and i. yes
special mentions to:
the lost track of time
perched
what does it mean to be human?
les milles
June 6, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up. I really liked the poems about black history in this collection and it made up for the fact that I really didn't enjoy the first collection of poems that were included. Many of these poems were very moving and overall this was a very strong collection.
February 18, 2025
** 5 stars **
I loved this latest collection from Evie Shockley. It is a great combination of experimental, personal, and political. Would recommend for readers of contemporary poetry, especially if you like stuff that's experimental and/or political.
I loved this latest collection from Evie Shockley. It is a great combination of experimental, personal, and political. Would recommend for readers of contemporary poetry, especially if you like stuff that's experimental and/or political.
November 1, 2023
Most likely the most creatively accurate and most compelling book of poetry this year.
November 29, 2023
Exquisite and raw. Some great stuff about COVID & BLM that will still feel perfect when all this is well behind us.
January 6, 2024
Some lovely poetry!
January 11, 2024
Didn't finish!
January 21, 2024
Brilliant, complex inquiry. To be read along with Harrow, by Cecily Nicholson!
“I cast my dreams
into a future the shape of
my body”
“I cast my dreams
into a future the shape of
my body”
March 23, 2024
Painfully powerful! A must read!
March 26, 2024
just wow!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews