Aracelis Girmay's new collection the black maria just received a new starred review from Publishers Weekly, which calls the book a "collection of lyrical, image-thick poems that balance on the knife edge separating vulnerability and unapologetic strength."

Deep, connecting, and sharp in its analysis, the review continues: "The lives of Eritrean refugees and immigrants serve as the collection’s thematic foundation, though Girmay also thoughtfully dissects and examines blights of America’s current sociopolitical climate, particularly police brutality and the murders of such young black women and men as Renisha McBride and Jonathan Ferrell. . . . Girmay effortlessly slips between collective history and personal memory, tackling the subject of black pain without victimizing herself or exploiting the voices of the marginalized."

Click here to read the entire starred review from Publishers Weekly.

the black maria is available now for preorder from the BOA Bookstore.