Plume reviews editor Adam Tavel just released a new review of Aracelis Girmay's the black maria, calling the collection "ambitious in both form and sweep."

Tavel compares the collection to "the experimental reach of Charles Olson, the syntactic inventiveness of Marianne Moore, and the historical engagement of Robert Hayden," as it "simultaneously mourns the vile legacy of African slavery while celebrating the dignified endurance of the African diaspora."

According to the review, "Girmay proves herself a distinctly original lyric voice . . . the black maria elegizes the dehumanizing effects of colonialism and institutionalized racism, yet champions the documentary power of language to overcome the silences that threaten to swallow trauma. In our age of historical amnesia, Girmay’s potent poems are necessary reading for anyone committed to addressing global questions of race, justice, and equality."

Click here to read the full Plume review.

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