In this episode, the first of 2019, Grace joins me again to discuss Danez Smith’s Don’t Call Us Dead, a poetry collection that focuses on police brutality and the American experience of black citizens. Grace has her MFA in poetry and so we are treated to our first poetry lesson in a while - for me, since maybe my first-year of college or since high school. Don’t panic! It’s much simpler and less daunting than it seems. Just as you would read a novel, you can read a poetry collection (which I discovered while reading this book). Danez Smith investigates the experiences of young black boys in America and the effects of gun violence, police brutality, and HIV on black lives through a graphic and poignant narrative throughout Don’t Call Us Dead. We hope you enjoy it and take more from it than just pretty words, as they have a lot of important points to make for white people (Grace and me and included) that deserve introspection and action, not just appreciation.

As promised in the episode, here are links to Smith performing their poems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BXRENTIqRg (“Dinosaurs in the Hood”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSp4v294xog (“Dear White America”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j1tO6o6SxA (Smith performing pieces from Don’t Call Us Dead)

NEXT BOOK: Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions by Valeria Luiselli

If you have any discussion points, questions, or commentary you want to add to our next episode, or if you want to suggest a book for us to read, email us at [email protected], comment below, or contact us using our various social media accounts:

Facebook: Book Clubbing with Friends

Instagram: clubbingwithfriends

Twitter: @bookclubwf

Remember to subscribe on iTunes, rate, review, and if you’re super nice - like, follow, and share!!