Blood Dazzler – Patricia Smith
This is a huge book, and one of the most important books of poetry of the 21st century. Patricia’s vision manages to be vast without losing any of the detail.
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely – Claudia Rankine
Another huge historical document. There is a relentless truth telling and record keeping in here, both of interiority and the culture at large.
The Feel Trio – Fred Moten
Just gorgeous and difficult. The phrase pure poetry doesn’t mean anything, and the idea of purity itself is evil but, this is poetry-poetry, elemental.
The Feather Room – Anis Mojgani
Anis is a visual artist, as well as a actor and writer, and this is his most impressionistic book. A collection of paintings with words.
Transtrender – manuel arturo abreu
I am not smart enough to read this book, but I do anyway, and am cut by its brilliance, humor, intensity and physicality.
Brian S. Ellis is the author of four volumes of poetry, the most recent of which is Often Go Awry from University of Hell Press.