Books like Plot by Claudia Rankine

A lyrical, multimodal exploration of everyday racism, blending poetry, prose, and visual elements to reveal how ordinary slights and systemic injustices shape what it means to be a citizen in America.

Natasha Trethewey’s Poetic Reflection on Family and Race in America

Gwendolyn Brooks’ "Selected Poems (P.S.)" gathers key verses from her earlier collections – "A Street in Bronzeville," "Annie Allen," and "The Bean Eaters" – alongside new selections, showcasing her acclaimed African‑American poetic voice.

A life‑study of Maya Angelou, the African‑American poet, writer, performer and teacher, paired with a curated selection of her compelling poems.

"Claudia Rankine, well known for her experimental multi-genre writing, fuses the lyric, the essay, and the visual in this politically and morally fierce examination of solitude in the rapacious and media-driven assault on selfhood that is contemporary America. Rankine strives toward clarity - of thought, and imagination - while always arguing that recognition of others is the only salvation for ourselves, our art, and our government." "Don t Let Me Be Lonely is an important new confrontation with our culture, with a voice at its heart bewildered by its inadequacy in the face of race riots, terrorist attacks, medicated depression, and the antagonism of the television that won't leave us alone."--Jacket.

Elizabeth Alexander’s anthology weaves poetry that spans American cities, eras, and the worlds of dreamscapes, addressing themes of race, gender, politics, motherhood, and civil rights.

Evie Shockley’s *The New Black* blends formal verse with thoughtful reflections on African American identity, history, and the evolving experience of racism in contemporary America.

Black Swan is a poetry collection by Lyrae Van Clief‑Stefanon that blends vernacular diction with classical mythology and biblical themes, giving voice to silenced women across time and space.

"Camille Rankine's debut collection is a series of provocations and explorations. Rankine's short, lyric poems are sharp, agonized, and exquisite, exploring themes of race, doubt, and identity. The collection's sense of continuity and coherence comes through recurring poem types, including "still lifes," "instructions," and "symptoms."From "Symptoms of Aftermath":...When I am saved, a slim nurse leans out of the white light. I need to hear your voice, sweetheart. I see my escape. I walk into the water. The sky is blue like the ocean, which is blue like the sky.Camille Rankine is the author of the chapbook Slow Dance with Trip Wire, selected by Cornelius Eady for the Poetry Society of America's Chapbook Fellowship. The recipient of a 2010 "Discovery" / Boston Review Poetry Prize and a MacDowell fellowship, her poetry appears in Boston Review, Denver Quarterly, Tin House, and other publications. Currently, she is assistant director of the MFA program in creative writing at Manhattanville College and lives in Harlem"--

Lucille Clifton’s "Quilting" weaves a lyrical tapestry of birth, death, children, community, history, sexuality, and spirituality, delivering sharp rhythms, striking syntax, and an intimate, passionate voice.

A poetic tribute celebrating the extraordinary spirit of ordinary African‑American women, written by Maya Angelou and illustrated by a celebrated collaborator.

Anjail Rashida Ahmad's powerful exploration of African American women's heritage and pride in language and tradition.