This month for Poetry 365 we’re featuring Kevin Young’s impressive selected volume Blue Laws. Perfect for those new to his work, this extensive collection includes a hefty helping of unpublished poems along with picks from his nine books including his 1995 debut Most Way Home and his 2012 American Book Award winner Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels. Whether giving voice to historical figures like Jack Johnson or exploring Southern food, family, and the blues, Young’s poems – as described by Time Out New York – are “alive to their very bones, sexy and sad and true… Like any great blues, Young’s is universal.” So plan to spend some time with this riveting collection, sample a poem below, and make sure to stop back next month for Poetry 365.
Poetry 365: Kevin Young
March 21, 2016