Clint Smith’s latest collection of poems is so good. I love how he intersperses poems about his first child with poems about the state of America as a whole. His voice is soft and sharp at the same time, and works so well in both settings.
Above Ground by Clint Smith, (List Price: 27, Little, Brown and Company, 9780316543033, March 2023)
Reviewed by Daniel Jordan, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas
April 2023 Why Poetry? 
This month’s special edition of The Southern Bookseller Review celebrates our impulse to write poetry, the form of storytelling closest to a heartbeat. “Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” -Plato |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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World by Ana Luísa Amaral Adult Fiction, European, Poetry, Spanish & Portuguese For poetry on joy, wonder, and passion found through the observation of nature, look no further than World, a posthumous work by Portuguese poet Ana Luisa Amaral. Filled with odes and paens to spiders, magpies, and centipedes, World reads like a cheerful wave goodbye to a beautiful planet. Each translated poem sits alongside the original Portuguese, and through both we enter a unique vision of the tiny garden growing in Amaral’s heart. Grand and affirming, Amaral returns to the spring of life with the clarity of winter. Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Above Ground by Clint Smith
Most of these poems were written as the things were happening, because for me, poetry is the act of paying attention. It is both the creation of art and the mechanism through which I do my best thinking. For me, the poems are time capsules, little archives that allow me to capture a moment or a feeling. And excavating the granularity of those moments makes me more appreciative of those moments as a whole, so the next time a version of that happens, I’m able to more fully be there with it. The period of time during which your kids are both physically able and emotionally willing to have a dance party with you in the kitchen is pretty brief. I think writing poetry helps me hold onto those moments in the same way that a photograph does." ―Clint Smith, Interview, Esquire What booksellers are saying about Above Ground 
About Clint Smith Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021. He is also the author of the poetry collection Counting Descent, which won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. His writing has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review. and elsewhere. Clint received his B.A. in English from Davidson College and a Ph.D. in Education from Harvard University. |
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The Wonder Paradox by Jennifer Michael Hecht Adult Nonfiction, Poetry, Religion, Spirituality In this warm and wise invitation to a poetry-enriched life, atheist poet and historian Jennifer Michael Hecht shows us how to gather our own collection of poems for daily practices, holidays, celebrations, and even emergencies, all through exploring how world religions, art, and science address the subject of each chapter, introducing a relevant poem, and offering a poetry lesson—from alliteration to Japanese list poems to Romanticism and beyond. Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
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Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco by K. Iver Adult Nonfiction, LGBTQ, Poetry This is a collection about grief, a persistent grief so steady, so patient, that it grows dear. Iver’s words are cinematic, their poems traceable stories by themselves that resonate and interact with each poem that follows it. I think A Medium Performs Your Visit and Who Is This Grief For? are the highlights of the collection. "My acupuncturist says/ you enjoy this, don’t you./ She’s talking about my grief. I say who else will." Reviewed by Sam Edge, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Couplets by Maggie Millner Adult Nonfiction, LGBTQ, Poetry Couplets is a fresh and modern poetry collection that delves into polyamory, identity, and queerness amongst other themes. A love story written in stanzas, but reads like a novel or a short story, I truly cannot get enough of this. We follow one woman’s coming out and the love she yearns and searches for. A fantastic meditation not just on queerness, but also relationships as a whole, I cant recommend it enough. Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Animals in Pants by Suzy Levinson Children, Juvenile Fiction, Poetry Practically Perfect for Poetry month, this pants filled picture book will tickle the funny bone of preschoolers and parents alike! Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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Parting Thought “A poet’s work … to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep.” |
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Most of these poems were written as the things were happening, because for me, poetry is the act of paying attention. It is both the creation of art and the mechanism through which I do my best thinking. For me, the poems are time capsules, little archives that allow me to capture a moment or a feeling. And excavating the granularity of those moments makes me more appreciative of those moments as a whole, so the next time a version of that happens, I’m able to more fully be there with it. The period of time during which your kids are both physically able and emotionally willing to have a dance party with you in the kitchen is pretty brief. I think writing poetry helps me hold onto those moments in the same way that a photograph does.” ―Clint Smith, Interview, Esquire
What booksellers are saying about Above Ground
About Clint Smith
Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021. He is also the author of the poetry collection Counting Descent, which won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. His writing has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review. and elsewhere. Clint received his B.A. in English from Davidson College and a Ph.D. in Education from Harvard University.
Couplets is a fresh and modern poetry collection that delves into polyamory, identity, and queerness amongst other themes. A love story written in stanzas, but reads like a novel or a short story, I truly cannot get enough of this. We follow one woman’s coming out and the love she yearns and searches for. A fantastic meditation not just on queerness, but also relationships as a whole, I cant recommend it enough.
Couplets by Maggie Millner, (List Price: 25, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374607951, February 2023)
Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
For poetry on joy, wonder, and passion found through the observation of nature, look no further than World, a posthumous work by Portuguese poet Ana Luisa Amaral. Filled with odes and paens to spiders, magpies, and centipedes, World reads like a cheerful wave goodbye to a beautiful planet. Each translated poem sits alongside the original Portuguese, and through both we enter a unique vision of the tiny garden growing in Amaral’s heart. Grand and affirming, Amaral returns to the spring of life with the clarity of winter.
World by Ana Luísa Amaral, (List Price: 16.95, New Directions, 9780811234832, April 2023)
Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
Those who spent a lot of time on the spoken word poetry side of Youtube in the 2010s will recognize Savannah Brown, who’s been bearing her soul for the internet for almost a decade. I was happy to find with this collection, that Brown’s poems have matured while maintaining the same vulnerability, humor, and unabashed desire for attention. Written in free verse and unconventional format, Brown delivers intimacy for the digital age, capturing the feelings of (among other things) being loved and in-love, jealousy and guilt. Skillfully, sensually written and easily digestible!
Closer Baby Closer by Savannah Brown, (List Price: 18.95, Not a Cult, 9781739618100, February 2023)
Reviewed by Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
While I love poetry, I will admit to being a beginning reader still finding my way and what I like in the genre. Some of my favorite contemporary poets (and pretty much all of the dead ones) are so depressing though. Beautiful and powerful, but depressing. The Path To Kindness was an unexpected discovery! This anthology explores the themes of connection and joy. Uplifting and accessible from diverse voices, I turn to it often and have given many copies to friends.
The Path to Kindness by James Crews, (List Price: 14.95, Storey Publishing, LLC, 9781635865332, April 2023)
Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
This is a collection about grief, a persistent grief so steady, so patient, that it grows dear. Iver’s words are cinematic, their poems traceable stories by themselves that resonate and interact with each poem that follows it. I think A Medium Performs Your Visit and Who Is This Grief For? are the highlights of the collection. "My acupuncturist says/ you enjoy this, don’t you./ She’s talking about my grief. I say who else will."
Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco by K. Iver, (List Price: 16, Milkweed Editions, 9781639550609, January 2023)
Reviewed by Sam Edge, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Practically Perfect for Poetry month, this pants filled picture book will tickle the funny bone of preschoolers and parents alike!
Animals in Pants by Suzy Levinson, (List Price: 17.99, Cameron Kids, 9781951836627, April 2023)
Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
In this warm and wise invitation to a poetry-enriched life, atheist poet and historian Jennifer Michael Hecht shows us how to gather our own collection of poems for daily practices, holidays, celebrations, and even emergencies, all through exploring how world religions, art, and science address the subject of each chapter, introducing a relevant poem, and offering a poetry lesson—from alliteration to Japanese list poems to Romanticism and beyond.
The Wonder Paradox by Jennifer Michael Hecht, (List Price: 30, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374292744, March 2023)
Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia
An April 2023 Read This Next! Title
Above Ground is a poetry collection that is a heartfelt ode to fatherhood. These poems are imbued with the love, joy, wonder, and uncertainties that accompany being a parent. They also delve into family and ancestry, history and race, turmoil, and above all, hope. This is an important collection that I will highly recommend.
Above Ground by Clint Smith, (List Price: $27, Little, Brown and Company, 9780316543033, April 2023)
Reviewed by Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
This will inspire sobbing and a phone call to your mama. Deeply accessible, beautiful work.
Grocery Shopping with My Mother by Kevin Powell (List Price: $24, Soft Skull, 9781593767433, December 2022)
Reviewed by Aimee Keeble, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
Brrrrfect poetry for the winter months. The poems contained in Ice! will warm the hearts of young readers with funny frozen antics of penguins, caribou, narwhals and more cold climate critters.
Ice! Poems About Polar Life by Douglas Florian (List Price: $8.99, Holiday House, 9780823452439, December 2022)
Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
I love that the concept of this book seems so simple, but author and creator Annette Dauphin Simon turned it into something complex and spectacular. What fun it is to have these facts and quotes accompany the poems, especially with the beautifully composed photos. Spine Poems is funny, delightful, informative, and even touching at times. I can’t wait to put this book into the hands of every book lover I know!
Spine Poems by Annette Dauphin Simon (List Price: $27.99, Harper Design, 9780063208223, September 2022)
Reviewed by Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina
Multiplying mice, sugary shapes, and family fractions star in this charming collection that practically shouts : Math is FUN!
Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems by Betsy Franco, (List Price: $18.99, Candlewick, 9781536201161, October 2022)
Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
