Danez Smith is our president
Homie
Poems
- “The radiance of Homie arrives like a shock, like found money, like a flower fighting through concrete. . . . This is a book full of the turbulence of thought and desire, piloted by a writer who never loses their way.”—Parul Sehgal, The New York Times
Homie is Danez Smith’s magnificent anthem about the saving grace of friendship. Rooted in the loss of one of Smith’s close friends, this book comes out of the search for joy and intimacy within a nation where both can seem scarce and getting scarcer. In poems of rare power and generosity, Smith acknowledges that in a country overrun by violence, xenophobia, and disparity, and in a body defined by race, queerness, and diagnosis, it can be hard to survive, even harder to remember reasons for living. But then the phone lights up, or a shout comes up to the window, and family—blood and chosen—arrives with just the right food and some redemption. Part friendship diary, part bright elegy, part war cry, Homie is the exuberant new book written for Danez and for Danez’s friends and for you and for yours.
& colin kaepernick is my president, who kneels on the air
bent toward a branch, throwing apples down to the children & vets
& rihanna is my president, walking out of global summitswith wine glass in hand, our taxes returned in goldto dust our faces into coins & my mama is my president, her grace stuntson amazing, brown hands breaking brown bread overmouths of the hungry until there are none unfed & my grandma is my president & her cabinet is her cabinetcause she knows to trust what the pan knowshow the skillet wins the war
—from “my president”
& colin kaepernick is my president, who kneels on the air
bent toward a branch, throwing apples down to the children & vets
& rihanna is my president, walking out of global summitswith wine glass in hand, our taxes returned in goldto dust our faces into coins & my mama is my president, her grace stuntson amazing, brown hands breaking brown bread overmouths of the hungry until there are none unfed & my grandma is my president & her cabinet is her cabinetcause she knows to trust what the pan knowshow the skillet wins the war
—from “my president”
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About the Author
Credit: Tabia Yapp
Upcoming Events
VIRTUAL: "New Poetry from Graywolf Press" with Natalie Diaz (POSTCOLONIAL LOVE POEM), Carmen Giménez Smith (BE RECORDER), Sally Wen Mao (OCULUS), Danez Smith (HOMIE), and Eduardo C. Corral (GUILLOTINE), presented by the AWP Conference
Date:
CST
Location:
AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) in College Park, MDview map
Five extraordinary poets will present and read from their recently published new collections from Graywolf Press, one of the leading independent publishers in the country. In brilliant and distinct voices, these five poets confront many important questions and issues of our time—immigration, consumerism, racism, suicide, sexuality, representation, the natural world—and always with a lasting sense of responsibility, friendship, and love. Moderated by Graywolf Press Executive Editor Jeff Shotts. Click here for more information and to register for the AWP Conference.
Praise
- “[Homie] offers the opportunity to witness ‘the miracle of other people’s lives’ and will challenge you to consider how and why that miracle is dismissed in countless daily acts of racial aggression.”—Star Tribune
- “[Homie] is a collection that confirms Smith’s great talent.”—Buzzfeed
- “Danez Smith is a powerhouse of poetry. . . . Their language is always electric, and Homie is no exception. The ways in which Smith combines syntax, humor, reverence and irreverence are stunning, and this collection of odes is bound to be a widespread poetry favorite.”—Lit Hub
- “An electrifying, unabashedly queer ode to friendship and community. . . . Smith is a visionary polyglot with a fearless voice.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
