2020 Poetry Preview

Also this week: 'Little Legends' of black history, critics' picks and more [Candle and book]( dedalusj/Flickr Creative Commons Our poetry critic Craig Morgan Teicher is back with his annual look at the poetry books he's most excited for this coming year. Teicher says he's not feeling very optimistic right now. "Things are bad, hatred is rampant, and fear mostly seems to be winning," he writes. "And so I turn to poetry all the more, for what it still can do, what it has always done: Take action in language, speak the complicated, multifaceted truth, oppose silence and silencing. This year, our poets are singing their many identities, lamenting their lost loved ones and flickering hopes, pointing undaunted fingers, building communities with words, signaling that all's not lost." [Here's his list of books to keep the darkness at bay.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History, by Vashti Harrison]( Author and illustrator Vashti Harrison's previous book, Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, came from a very personal pace. "I was thinking about the stories that I needed to see when I was a little kid," she says. But people kept asking her, "'Are you going to write one about black men as well?'" She did, and the result is Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History. She spoke to NPR's David Greene about it -- [check out their conversation here, and see images from the book.]( [The Walking Dead]( Image via AMC We've been telling stories about plagues and pandemics for centuries -- once, they were stories of divine retribution, but now they tend to be rooted in political and cultural concerns. But how can stories like The Walking Dead or the novels of Stephen King help us fight real-world diseases? [NPR's Neda Ulaby put that question to filmmakers, academics and writers]( like Chuck Wendig, who says "Bringing these things into a book is like, you know, an ancient summoning. Summoning a demon into a summoning circle. Because that's how you fight it." [Barnes & Noble "Diverse Editions"]( Image via TBWIA\Chiat\Day Bookseller Barnes & Noble last week announced -- and then abruptly withdrew -- a series of classic novels with redesigned covers featuring characters of color. Think a black Frankenstein, a black Dorothy with ruby sneakers, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sharing a turban. The books were mostly by white authors, featuring characters presumed to be white, and critics like author L.L. McKinney called the project "literary blackface." "Feature black people, that's the beginning and end of it," McKinney tells NPR's Audie Cornish. "If you're wanting to put a spin on classics, feature classics that are by black and brown authors." [You can hear the rest of that conversation here.]( Finally this week -- a cornucopia of book reviews! There were so many, I couldn't choose just three to include. (That's why there are four.) Ilana Masad has a similar problem with Amber Sparks' new collection And I Do Not Forgive You. "It's a terrible thing to pick favorites among so many stories full of vivid language, compelling imagery, sharp wit, and an abiding tenderness, and so I won't,"[she says](. Michael Schaub calls Amy Bonaffons' debut novel The Regrets " [wildly inventive and daring]( Gabino Iglesias says Tola Rotimi Abraham's Black Sunday "[will destroy you]( and you should let it. And Heller McAlpin says Jenny Offill's new Weather perfectly captures [the particular angst of our current moment](. [And I Do Not Forgive You, by Amber Sparks]( [The Regrets, by Amy Bonaffons]( [Black Sunday, by Tola Rotimi Abraham]( [Weather, by Jenny Offill]( — Happy reading! --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](