Full Description
The expansion of Marvel and DC Comics' characters such as Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Black Lightning in film and on television has created a proliferation of poetry in this genre—receiving wide literary and popular attention.
This groundbreaking collection highlights work from poets who have written verse within this growing tradition, including Terrance Hayes, Lucille Clifton, Gil Scott-Heron, A. Van Jordan, Glenis Redmond, Tracy K. Smith, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Joshua Bennett, Douglas Kearney, Tara Betts, Frank X Walker, Tyree Daye, and others. In addition, the anthology will also feature the work of artists such as John Jennings and Najee Dorsey, showcasing their interpretations of superheroes, Black comic characters, Afrofuturistic images from the African diaspora.
Contents
Table of Contents
Sheree Reneé Thomas, "The Sun Burnt Up and Other Reasons to Riot"
Introduction from the Editors
MAN OF STEEL
Borelson, Unleashed
Lucille Clifton, "if i should," "further note to clark," "final note to clark," "note passed to superman"
Frank X. Walker, "new note to clark kent"
Turtel Onli, M10
teri elam, "Superman Retires"
Ashley M. Jones, "Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane No. 106"
Cynthia Manick, "Dear Superman"
MORE SUPERHEROES
John Jennings, Afrofuturism
Gary Jackson, "Nightcrawler Buys a Woman a Drink"
Yorli Huff, Superhero Huff
A. Van Jordan, "The Flash Reverses Time"
Keith S. Wilson, "Aubade on Bachelorhood and Never Becoming the Flash"
Tony Medina, "Blue Dick Blue Balls"
Loretta Diane Walker, "Princess Diana of Themyscira, Aka Wonder Woman"
BLACK SUPERHEROES
Yorli Huff, Superhero Huff
Steven Leyva, "Ode to Static"
Derrick Weston Brown, "Bruuuuuh or When Brothers Debate Black Panther in a Safeway parking Lot."
Tara Betts, "Storm Writes to Black Panther," "Oya Invites Storm to Tea"
Sheree Reneé Thomas, "If There Is Darkness,"
Grisel Acosta, "I of the Hurricane"
Amanda Johnston, "Blade Speaks at Career Day"
Borelson, Channeling the Energy
Tim Seibles, "Blade, the Daywalker," "Blade, Historical," "Blade, Unplugged"
Cynthia Manick, "Praise for Luke Cage's Skin and Starshine"
Gary Jackson, "Luke Cage Tells It Like It Is"
BLACK ANTIHEROES
Wolly McNair, Raven
Sheree Reneé Thomas, "Eartha Kitt Reflects On Cat Woman"
Steven Leyva, "Ode to Lando Calrissian"
Len Lawson,
The Amanda Waller Suite
"Episode 1: Amanda Waller Enters the War Room,"
"Episode 2: Amanda Waller Attracts a Bat,"
"Episode 3: Amanda Waller Has a Woman-to-Woman with Harley Quinn,"
"Episode 4: Amanda Waller Assembles a Suicide Squad"
John Jennings, Ajala
Rodney Wilder, "Invocation"
Cortney Lamar Charleston, "Elegy for Kilmonger With My Own Pain Entering Frame"
Frank X. Walker, "New Rules for Crime Fighting"
BLACK POP CULTURE
Najee Dorsey, Southern Futurist over Civil War Soil
Saida Agostini, "the ending where queen and slim live"
Derrick Weston Brown, "So Jon Snow and Colin Kaepernick are in a pub..."
Alice Kandolo, Let's Party in Space
Tara Betts, "Before Sasha Lights a Bonfire," "To Lieutenant Nyota Uhura"
Casey Rocheteau, "Sun Ra Speaks to Gucci Mane"
TJ Anderson, "Space is the Place"
Qunicy Scott Jones, "'post-racial' as Samuel L. Jackson"
BLACK HISTORY
Karo Duro, city upon a hill
Joshua Bennett, "Frederick Douglass Is Dead"
Quentin VerCetty, the new Queen's Gates
Yona Harvey, "In Toni Morrison's Head"
Keith S. Wilson, "uncanny emmett till"
Yorli Huff, Agent Huff
Ashley M. Jones, "Soul Power / James Brown Time Loop"
Peter Schmidt, "Octavius V. Catto"
avery r. young, "((( in my marvin gaye voice ))) light year(s) / ahead
friday (2020) - poem"
Moriah S. Webster, "Harlem [3]"
Joshua Bennett, "When Thy King Was a Boy"
VIDEO GAMES & FANTASY
Karo Duro, Woman of sand and stone
Trace DePass, "ode to pokemon trainer Red"
Ashley Harris, "God Usopp," "Majora's Mask," "Ode to Pinky and the Brain"
Wolly McNair, Black Magic Is Only Bad in the Movies
Rico Frederick, "Keep De Hacksaw on Mary Poppin's Throat"
Cortney Lamar Charleston, "Grand Theft Auto III (2001)"
Douglas Kearney, from "Over Deluxe AF," "Maroon AF," "But Black, It Can't—"
NEW ORIGINS
Alex Kandolo, Galaxy Woman
Dexter Booth, "Jim Crow's Dirge"
Glenis Redmond, "How to Become Your Own Supershero"
Joshua Bennett, "The Book of Mycah"
Najee Dorsey, B4-Rosa—Here I Stand
Teri Ellen Cross David, "Origin Story"
Cagen Luse, Generations
Tony Medina, "Five Chanclas of Death," "The Original"
Terrance Hayes, "Shafro," "American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin"
Douglas Kearney, "I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always"
Saida Agostini, "speculative fiction: apocalypse"
Derrick Weston Brown, "Derrick Weston Brown Sonsplains AfroFuturist/Speculative Social Science to his Mother, a therapist who is also a longtime member of The National Association of Black Social Workers"
NEW FAITH CONSTRUCTS
Karo Duro, The oracle
Richard Garcia, "Black Jesus"
Khalif Thompson, Toyin Salau
Rico Frederick, "A Better Savior"
Bianca X, "Creation Myth"
Natalie J. Graham, "The Origin of Moths"
Craig Stevens, "As It Is in Heaven"
BLACK WOMEN NARRATIVES
Nikki Giovanni, "Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)"
Teri Ellen Cross Davis, "The Goddess of Anger"
Ashley M. Jones, "Friendly Skies, or Black Woman Speaks Herself into God"
Kevin Johnson, Looking for Hope
Tim Fab-Eme, "Mitochondrial Eve"
Kevin Johnson, Resolving Sorrow
Terese Mason Pierre, "La Diablesse"
Maurya Kerr, "Sonnet I"
Karo Duro, Arch Angel
Tony Medina, "Well, You Needn't"
Les James, "Why Black Women Write Horror Stories:"
Yona Harvey, "Dark & Lovely after Take-Off (A Future)"
AFROFUTURISM & SPECULATIVE POETRY
Jamal A. Michel, FATE: Fight for Idriss
Saida Agostini, "the moongazer speaks on longing"
Cagen Luse, Afronaut
Tyree Daye, "give them the moon—here"
Tracy K. Smith, "Sci-Fi," "My God, It's Full of Stars," "The Universe: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
A. Van Jordan, "Einstein Defining Special Relativity"
Gil Scott-Herron, "Whitey on the Moon"
Ashley Harris, "Fireworks"
Joshua Bennett, "In Defense of Passing"
John Jennings, Black Kirby
Steven Leyva, "The Silver Screen Asks, 'What's Up Danger?' After We Enter"
John Jennings, Octavia Butler (73rd Birthday)
Tony Medina, "Banner day"
Keith S. Wilson, "Heliocentric"
Quincy Scott Jones, "Untitled"
upfromsumdirt, "SPACESHIP FOR SALE," "Fair Gabbro Travels Time To View The End Of Days"
Rashida James-Saadiya, "One day the sky began to weep and did so for 300 days"
Anastacia Renee, "III.," "apocalypse (400)"
Nikia Chaney, "Untitled," "spinnerman spinnerman"
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, "excerpt from FUGUE: THE SIGHT"
Yvonne McBride, "By the Blood Moon Bridge"
Dexter Booth, "The Coon Show"
Yona Harvey, "Q."
Tim Seibles, "Something Like We Did"
Contributors
Afrofuturism Syllabus Resources
