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When Angels Speak of Love
The late feminist icon and author of over twenty books, including her classic New York Times bestseller All About Love, bell hooks reminds us of the good and bad moments we spend in love through her inspiring poetry.Written from the heart, When Angels Speak of Love is a book of 50 love poems by the icon of the feminist movement and most famous among public intellectuals. In beautiful, profoundly poetic terms, hooks challenges our views and experiences with love—tracing the link between seduction and surrender, the intensity of desire, and the anguish of death. Whether towards family, friends, or oneself, hooks's creative genius makes love both magical and beautiful.
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About the author
bell hooks
162 books14.2k followersbell hooks (deliberately in lower-case; born Gloria Jean Watkins) was an African-American author, feminist, and social activist. Her writing focused on the interconnectivity of race, class, and gender and their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of oppression and domination. She published over thirty books and numerous scholarly and mainstream articles, appeared in several documentary films and participated in various public lectures. Primarily through a postmodern female perspective, she addressed race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media and feminism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
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January 27, 2024
Bell hooks was an incredible trailblazer on theories of feminism, race, education and more. Having found incredible insights in her essays, I was really excited when I discovered this little volume of her poems on the library shelves. It was…rather different than I expected? Though given the popularity of her All About Love: New Visions, it was nice to see she was exploring themes that seem to matter greatly to her. Unfortunately, I didn’t resonate too much with these, but here’s a few to see if perhaps they are for you.
42.
ever dark prince
yearns with all the
passion of the cross
sanctified satanic wish
to seduce and sacrifice
love's innocence
making it serve flesh
kneeling at the phallic altar
drinking in the seed of
his revenge
So yea. Numbered 1-50, hook’s takes a look at themes of love and while many focus on romantic love she does take a broader scope on the term in several poems. It didn’t really make much of an impact on me, but I still find her to have been quite a visionary and even the greatest of writers can have some misses. Without lesser works how could we have greater works I guess.
13.
my first love
a backwoods man
comes smelling
of wild things
and too long time
apart from the living
armed with gun and game
he brings his lady tender
rabbit possum and coon
all sweet strong meat
aphrodisiacs to stand
against the end of innocence
I didn't care for it but I respect her for putting her heart out there. I had thought this was posthumous as it was a recent publication, though this was actually a reprint from 2007. I will say that the following poem approached some more familiar bell hooks subject matter so theres that
49.
once
only men
could become
angels
offering the promise
of divine love and
eternal bliss
then one by one
they fell from grace
seduced by death's allure
boldly they surrendered
the promise of paradise
claiming pain as their
one true passion
and their only home
the heart forsaken
found in woman
a place to love again
to dream anew
the angelic to herald
the coming of a new world
a new vision
42.
ever dark prince
yearns with all the
passion of the cross
sanctified satanic wish
to seduce and sacrifice
love's innocence
making it serve flesh
kneeling at the phallic altar
drinking in the seed of
his revenge
So yea. Numbered 1-50, hook’s takes a look at themes of love and while many focus on romantic love she does take a broader scope on the term in several poems. It didn’t really make much of an impact on me, but I still find her to have been quite a visionary and even the greatest of writers can have some misses. Without lesser works how could we have greater works I guess.
13.
my first love
a backwoods man
comes smelling
of wild things
and too long time
apart from the living
armed with gun and game
he brings his lady tender
rabbit possum and coon
all sweet strong meat
aphrodisiacs to stand
against the end of innocence
I didn't care for it but I respect her for putting her heart out there. I had thought this was posthumous as it was a recent publication, though this was actually a reprint from 2007. I will say that the following poem approached some more familiar bell hooks subject matter so theres that
49.
once
only men
could become
angels
offering the promise
of divine love and
eternal bliss
then one by one
they fell from grace
seduced by death's allure
boldly they surrendered
the promise of paradise
claiming pain as their
one true passion
and their only home
the heart forsaken
found in woman
a place to love again
to dream anew
the angelic to herald
the coming of a new world
a new vision
June 17, 2015
I didn't really appreciate the way Bell Hooks put together these poems, hence why I didn't give this book a higher rating.
In spite of that, I could see there were some really interesting ideas here. I'll leave you with my two favourite poems:
11.
the first taste of death
wets my hunger
I need to live each moment
in that same closing of the eyes
that same ecstasy
let me lie here
in everlasting peace
in love's embrace
let me enter sleep
with dark midnight as my witness
42.
ever dark prince
yearns with all the
passion of the cross
sanctified satanic wish
to seduce and sacrifice
love's innocence
making it serve flesh
kneeling at the phallic altar
drinking in the seed of
his revenge.
August 11, 2020
- quick read, very accessible
- speaks to love in a broad sense, not limited to romantic love
- most didn't resonate with me
- faves from the collection:
- speaks to love in a broad sense, not limited to romantic love
- most didn't resonate with me
- faves from the collection:
6.
amid cornfields
cabbage rows
hot peppers
tall tomato vines
succulent ripe heart wail
all order
neat in nature
living to give sustenance
for wounded spirits
wild asparagus
honeysuckle trails
hanging borders
eden all would abandon
to not be alone
even on paradise
I dream you are
coming love
to resurrect me
to save me from decay
and lead me home
9.
inside dark rooms
no one sees wounds
raw open quiet places
where love leaves
no trace of remembered bliss
and no one hears
my heart calling
do not forsake me
one more time
24.
one cannot love
cowboy boots
red plaid vest
white cotton ruffles
and a holster with no gun
one cannot love these
slow killing things
these blue memories
one cannot love
an image
a dead likeness
it will never give back
the real you
or let you see
the inside heart
May 12, 2021
I'm not a big poetry reader, nor do I know what a good poem is. I just didn't enjoy reading this collection. Didn't feel anything reading these poems, didn't relate or think they were beautiful or brilliantly told. But then again I don't know anything Bout poems.
September 4, 2022
in love there is no need to find a hiding place and when beloved you come again i will know your face and speak your name…
September 3, 2025
Bell Hooks, feministische Ikone und Autorin von über dreißig Büchern, hat mit "When Angels Speak of Love" eine Sammlung von 50 Liebesgedichten vorgelegt, die ich schon länger lesen wollte. Bekannt für ihre tiefgründigen Analysen zu Rassismus, Klassismus und Sexismus, nähert sie sich hier einem Thema, das zugleich universell und zutiefst persönlich ist: der Liebe in all ihren Facetten.
"I feel our nation’s turning away from love…moving into a wilderness of spirit so intense we may never find our way home again. I write of love to bear witness both to the danger in this movement, and to call for a return to love"
Begleitet von einem ausführlichen Vorwort von Cole Arthur Riley, entfalten die Gedichte eine rohe, manchmal schroffe, dann wieder tröstende Wirkung. In dichter, oft beschwörender Sprache lotet Bell Hooks die komplexe Spannung zwischen Sehnsucht, Hingabe und Verlust aus. Ihre Texte sprechen jedoch nicht nur von romantischer Liebe, sondern auch von Freundschaft, Intimität, spiritueller Verbundenheit – und davon, wie eng Liebe mit Schmerz, Begierde und Vergänglichkeit verknüpft ist. Damit changieren Erzählton, Emotionen und Themen der Gedichte sehr stark, was sie zu einer abwechslungsreichen und vielseitigen Leseerfahrung machen.
"ever dark prince yearns with all the passion of the cross sanctified satanic wish to seduce and sacrifice love's innocence making it serve flesh kneeling at the phallic altar drinking in the seed of his revenge"
Damit ist "When Angels Speak of Love" keine leichte Liebeslyrik, sondern eine vielschichtige, manchmal sperrige, oft aber zutiefst berührende Erkundung dessen, was es heißt zu lieben. Während manche Texte sich fast wie ein Gebet lesen, gleichen andere einem wütenden Aufschrei. Nicht jedes der 50 Gedichte erreicht dabei die gleiche Intensität, manches bleibt auch abstrakt oder konnte mich nicht erreichen - vielleicht auch, weil ich an manchen Stellen die kulturellen und spirituellen Referenzen nicht vollständig nachvollziehen konnte. Doch dort, wo Hooks’ Worte ins Herz treffen, tun sie es mit voller Wucht. Ihre Poesie verknüpft persönliche Verletzlichkeit mit analytischem Scharfsinn und macht deutlich, dass Liebe für sie weit mehr ist als ein romantisches Ideal: Sie ist eine radikale, politische und existenziell notwendige Praxis.
"the first taste of death wets my hunger. I need to live each moment in that same closing of the eyes, that same ecstasy. Let me lie here in everlasting peace, in love's embrace. Let me enter sleep with dark midnight as my witness.”
Fazit
"When Angels Speak of Love" ist keine leichte, „schöne“ Liebeslyrik. Die Sammlung fordert heraus, sie sperrt sich manchmal, aber sie berührt auch zutiefst und schafft es, die Liebe in ihrer Komplexität erfahrbar zu machen.
"I feel our nation’s turning away from love…moving into a wilderness of spirit so intense we may never find our way home again. I write of love to bear witness both to the danger in this movement, and to call for a return to love"
Begleitet von einem ausführlichen Vorwort von Cole Arthur Riley, entfalten die Gedichte eine rohe, manchmal schroffe, dann wieder tröstende Wirkung. In dichter, oft beschwörender Sprache lotet Bell Hooks die komplexe Spannung zwischen Sehnsucht, Hingabe und Verlust aus. Ihre Texte sprechen jedoch nicht nur von romantischer Liebe, sondern auch von Freundschaft, Intimität, spiritueller Verbundenheit – und davon, wie eng Liebe mit Schmerz, Begierde und Vergänglichkeit verknüpft ist. Damit changieren Erzählton, Emotionen und Themen der Gedichte sehr stark, was sie zu einer abwechslungsreichen und vielseitigen Leseerfahrung machen.
"ever dark prince yearns with all the passion of the cross sanctified satanic wish to seduce and sacrifice love's innocence making it serve flesh kneeling at the phallic altar drinking in the seed of his revenge"
Damit ist "When Angels Speak of Love" keine leichte Liebeslyrik, sondern eine vielschichtige, manchmal sperrige, oft aber zutiefst berührende Erkundung dessen, was es heißt zu lieben. Während manche Texte sich fast wie ein Gebet lesen, gleichen andere einem wütenden Aufschrei. Nicht jedes der 50 Gedichte erreicht dabei die gleiche Intensität, manches bleibt auch abstrakt oder konnte mich nicht erreichen - vielleicht auch, weil ich an manchen Stellen die kulturellen und spirituellen Referenzen nicht vollständig nachvollziehen konnte. Doch dort, wo Hooks’ Worte ins Herz treffen, tun sie es mit voller Wucht. Ihre Poesie verknüpft persönliche Verletzlichkeit mit analytischem Scharfsinn und macht deutlich, dass Liebe für sie weit mehr ist als ein romantisches Ideal: Sie ist eine radikale, politische und existenziell notwendige Praxis.
"the first taste of death wets my hunger. I need to live each moment in that same closing of the eyes, that same ecstasy. Let me lie here in everlasting peace, in love's embrace. Let me enter sleep with dark midnight as my witness.”
Fazit
"When Angels Speak of Love" ist keine leichte, „schöne“ Liebeslyrik. Die Sammlung fordert heraus, sie sperrt sich manchmal, aber sie berührt auch zutiefst und schafft es, die Liebe in ihrer Komplexität erfahrbar zu machen.
November 13, 2022
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of poetry, which isn’t my normal schtick. I saw this in the library and checked it out. You really can’t go wrong with bell hooks’ critical works, so I was curious about her poetry.
This book is pretty short, and I felt the poems were accessible for a “non-reader” of poetry like me.
This book is pretty short, and I felt the poems were accessible for a “non-reader” of poetry like me.
April 8, 2025
BELL HOOKS DONT LOOK AT THIS REVIEW PLZ USE UR OMNIPOTENT HEAVENLY POWERS TO LOOK AWAYYYY BELL HOOKS I AM SO SORRYYYYY BELL HOOKS I STILL LIKE YOU AS A PERSON
February 15, 2022
An entrancing, gorgeous collection of poems. I read this collection in a few sittings and have not read any commentary about it except that I will be writing my emotional reaction to it.
I found this collection to be one that makes love a mystery to be continuously solved. It's an ever present riddle nagging to be interpreted and defined, except the catch is: it cannot be defined. From my own conclusion of having read "When Angels Speak of Love", its an assortment of aphorisms about love.
Love poem number 2 declares, "in love there are no closed doors" (hooks 3). Number 3 is about the aftermath of sex, and how that intimacy has tied the speaker physically to the one they've made loved with; and the constant dread of abandonment is there, an existential threat that I think if anyone's ever been infatuated has felt. Number 5 is about violent love, "let there be time without memory, all is loss" (hooks 9); Number 8 feels like love is the devil, "if only she will promise never to forget if only she feels the pain" (hooks 15).
A final standout is Poem 12, "love must clean house, choose memories to keep, and memories to let go" (hooks 23). There is an eerie, strange and otherworldly quality to hooks' poems, with both Christlike, religious and sexual imagery that lingers.
I found this collection to be one that makes love a mystery to be continuously solved. It's an ever present riddle nagging to be interpreted and defined, except the catch is: it cannot be defined. From my own conclusion of having read "When Angels Speak of Love", its an assortment of aphorisms about love.
Love poem number 2 declares, "in love there are no closed doors" (hooks 3). Number 3 is about the aftermath of sex, and how that intimacy has tied the speaker physically to the one they've made loved with; and the constant dread of abandonment is there, an existential threat that I think if anyone's ever been infatuated has felt. Number 5 is about violent love, "let there be time without memory, all is loss" (hooks 9); Number 8 feels like love is the devil, "if only she will promise never to forget if only she feels the pain" (hooks 15).
A final standout is Poem 12, "love must clean house, choose memories to keep, and memories to let go" (hooks 23). There is an eerie, strange and otherworldly quality to hooks' poems, with both Christlike, religious and sexual imagery that lingers.
June 2, 2025
“if true love died
before we ever had
a chance to see
what it would be
if we were really free
to make promises
and speak the heart
then we would not need
to be sent grace
in innocent flesh
or given sacrifice
i leave a bit of my heart
on this altar
flesh to take home
naked and young
the way we would have been
i leave a taste of mystery
of love undeclared
let him
eat away grief”
Definitely not bad by any means, but kind of boring. I find that this poetry lacks substance and comes across more as thrown out thoughts than actual prose.
before we ever had
a chance to see
what it would be
if we were really free
to make promises
and speak the heart
then we would not need
to be sent grace
in innocent flesh
or given sacrifice
i leave a bit of my heart
on this altar
flesh to take home
naked and young
the way we would have been
i leave a taste of mystery
of love undeclared
let him
eat away grief”
Definitely not bad by any means, but kind of boring. I find that this poetry lacks substance and comes across more as thrown out thoughts than actual prose.
Read
August 18, 2023Ya I’m being active as hell on this website today. This collection did not blow me away which I’m sad about but also maybe expected. There are some very sweet & complex musings about love in this though, some that I didn’t totally get or I think needed to be more fleshed out - but also some that unfold really sparsely & beautifully! Like poem 38 omg I loooooooove that one
February 16, 2023
I was going to give this collection of poetry two stars... until I read the second last poem:
49.
once
only men
could become
angels
offering the promise
of divine love and
eternal bliss
then one by one
they fell from grace
seduced by death's allure
boldly they surrendered
the promise of paradise
claiming pain as their
one true passion
and their only home
the heart forsaken
found in woman
a place to love again
to dream anew
the angelic to herald
the coming of a new world
a new vision
okay bell hooks, I see you.
49.
once
only men
could become
angels
offering the promise
of divine love and
eternal bliss
then one by one
they fell from grace
seduced by death's allure
boldly they surrendered
the promise of paradise
claiming pain as their
one true passion
and their only home
the heart forsaken
found in woman
a place to love again
to dream anew
the angelic to herald
the coming of a new world
a new vision
okay bell hooks, I see you.
June 7, 2023
love in sweet morning
love in the afternoon
late-night love
in between sheets
terrors and nightmare
love dreaming
a second coming
rescue resurrection
love keeping me safe
every day all day
love in the afternoon
late-night love
in between sheets
terrors and nightmare
love dreaming
a second coming
rescue resurrection
love keeping me safe
every day all day
February 11, 2024
26, 34, 37, 38, 41, 42, 44, 49, and 50 are all some of the best poetry and prose I've read in my life.
May 20, 2023
12.
after slow death
love must clean house
choose memories to keep
and memories to let go
give each lamentation
an ear to hear
a heart to lay rest
let no soul forget
an eternity of desire awaits
25.
one cannot love
cowboy boots
red plaid vest
white cotton ruffles
and a holster with no gun
one cannot love these
slow killing things
these blue memories
one cannot love
an image
a dead likeness
it will never give back
the real you
or let you see
the inside heart
26.
let me be
a witness to love
stand on the outside
and see tenderness
unbidden
kind words
and a lover's sweet touch
let me be
a witness to love
se each sacrifice surrendered
how patient and joined
such open heart
let me see and then believe
37.
love
looked down on
belittled judged
and unable to bear
the heart's weight
can never last
for time will make it
tired and worn
it will grow hard
rage will
overcome desire
and we will forget
what it was like
to know each other
without eyes and testimony
after slow death
love must clean house
choose memories to keep
and memories to let go
give each lamentation
an ear to hear
a heart to lay rest
let no soul forget
an eternity of desire awaits
25.
one cannot love
cowboy boots
red plaid vest
white cotton ruffles
and a holster with no gun
one cannot love these
slow killing things
these blue memories
one cannot love
an image
a dead likeness
it will never give back
the real you
or let you see
the inside heart
26.
let me be
a witness to love
stand on the outside
and see tenderness
unbidden
kind words
and a lover's sweet touch
let me be
a witness to love
se each sacrifice surrendered
how patient and joined
such open heart
let me see and then believe
37.
love
looked down on
belittled judged
and unable to bear
the heart's weight
can never last
for time will make it
tired and worn
it will grow hard
rage will
overcome desire
and we will forget
what it was like
to know each other
without eyes and testimony
February 6, 2022
a breezy collection from the one who taught us so much about love (and just taught me the words pentimento and palimpsest).
a few faves:
17.
don’t let
your loving
take too long
you may come
too late
and i’ll be gone
don’t let
fear
make you stray
don’t wait
on heartbreak
to show the way
37.
love
looked down on
belittled judged
and unable to bear
the heart’s weight
can never last
for time will make it
tired and worn
it will grow hard
rage will
overcome desire
and we will forget
what it was like
to know each other
without eyes and testimony
41.
when angels speak of love
they tell us
all is union and reunion
dying reborn again
there is no separation
no end to paradise
we are always present
the ecstatic moving us
along each current
each wilderness of spirit
a dedicated path
50.
a heady heavy love
speaks my yearning
calls me
to give my all
and seek the place
of no return
to lay bare my heart
for you
to whom i surrender
to you
for whom i wait
a few faves:
17.
don’t let
your loving
take too long
you may come
too late
and i’ll be gone
don’t let
fear
make you stray
don’t wait
on heartbreak
to show the way
37.
love
looked down on
belittled judged
and unable to bear
the heart’s weight
can never last
for time will make it
tired and worn
it will grow hard
rage will
overcome desire
and we will forget
what it was like
to know each other
without eyes and testimony
41.
when angels speak of love
they tell us
all is union and reunion
dying reborn again
there is no separation
no end to paradise
we are always present
the ecstatic moving us
along each current
each wilderness of spirit
a dedicated path
50.
a heady heavy love
speaks my yearning
calls me
to give my all
and seek the place
of no return
to lay bare my heart
for you
to whom i surrender
to you
for whom i wait
August 29, 2025
I read All About Love about 3 years ago and so when I saw this book at the library I had a lot of expectations. Not sure if I can say exactly what the expectations were but I have come to really appreciate Hooks as a writer and thinker. Anyway, didn’t really like this one, and I’m not a very picky person. The poems I read felt too abstract for me. Not that I don’t like abstract but I think it just didn’t work for me this time. I am choosing not to finish it, it’s been difficult for me to want to lift a finger and flip the page. Maybe I’ll give in a try again before returning it to the library in 2 weeks.
December 18, 2021
2.5 ⭐️
bell hooks is phenomenal and truly one of the most important writers period.
When Angels Speak of Love, is a very quick and accessible read focusing on of course, themes of love. All love, not just romantic.
However I simply felt this was too accessible and too simple in comparison to hooks other works. There were not really any lines that stood out to me.
Ultimately not as poignant as her usual writings and I don’t connect with the subject matter so it’s mainly down to personal pref!
bell hooks is phenomenal and truly one of the most important writers period.
When Angels Speak of Love, is a very quick and accessible read focusing on of course, themes of love. All love, not just romantic.
However I simply felt this was too accessible and too simple in comparison to hooks other works. There were not really any lines that stood out to me.
Ultimately not as poignant as her usual writings and I don’t connect with the subject matter so it’s mainly down to personal pref!
June 4, 2025
“Love doesn’t need a hiding place”
I loveeeee bell hooks and love how different this work is from her previous books. I also loved how the foreword acknowledge that despite it being different, the love theme in this book are necessary for bell hooks to discuss her more popular talking points of feminism, empowerment, oppression, etc. It’s discussed in this work in ways such as needing to know what un-love is to understand what love is.
I loveeeee bell hooks and love how different this work is from her previous books. I also loved how the foreword acknowledge that despite it being different, the love theme in this book are necessary for bell hooks to discuss her more popular talking points of feminism, empowerment, oppression, etc. It’s discussed in this work in ways such as needing to know what un-love is to understand what love is.
June 1, 2022
didn't predict that I would be crying out in the sunshine on the ferry this fine Wednesday but that's what happened. I would quote the specific poem that made me snap but the formatting on this site is dicey at best and my android has a mind of its own. anyway, the poem is number 34 and this book is only a hundred pages long so go ahead and read it yourself
January 31, 2022
Picked this up as an intro to Bell Hooks, but don't think that it was my jam! I like her style of poetry, it's the content that I don't think I vibed with. Excited to jump into some of her other works though!
July 31, 2023
Se citește precum ai parcurge, din pură plictiseală, cuvinte dintr-un dicționar. Unele poeme par scrise de niște elevi pentru tema dată de doamna profesoară pe baza poeziei de dragoste. Lipsit de elemente memorabile, volumul este cât se poate de dezamăgitor.
April 12, 2025
a heady heavy love
speaks my yearning
calls me
to give my all
and seek the place
of no return
to lay bare my heart
for you
to whom i surrender
to you
for whom i wait
speaks my yearning
calls me
to give my all
and seek the place
of no return
to lay bare my heart
for you
to whom i surrender
to you
for whom i wait
May 8, 2025
bell hooks is one of the most beautiful poets I've ever come across. She attaches all things to this concept of love and how everything can be fixed by loving one another. She was so beautiful in every poem explaining heartbreak and love.
April 27, 2023
bell. why would you do this to me.
April 6, 2024
Unfortunately nothing in this really caught me.
April 25, 2025
it wasn’t deep to me. didn’t speak to my soul 😕
May 18, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
June 5, 2025
how does one manage repetitive repetition in every single poem?? Like har du brist på ord så du måst återanvänd dem ??
January 6, 2024
i eagerly picked this up after finishing “all about love” by bell hooks, but alas, i didn’t realize it was a poetry book until afterwards. don’t get me wrong, i love poetry and it was a pleasant surprise at first. however, it quickly unraveled from there. personally, i think i prefer her prose over her poetry, and this book didn’t resonate with me as deeply as “all about love” did. not my favorite, probably wouldn’t read again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews