{"title":"Start Here","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"counting-descent","title":"Counting Descent by Clint Smith (Paperback)","description":"\n\u003cdiv style=\"border: 1px solid #DCDCDC; border-radius: 12px; padding: 15px; display: flex; width:300px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex: 45%; padding-right: 15px;\"\u003e\n        \u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/image-hub-cloud.lightningsource.com\/2011-04-01\/Images\/front_cover\/x200\/sku\/1938912659.jpg?viewkey=ca2f9a17589cde55c9522fe3b4b035bd979bce61115425044e61d82aff1ca873\" style=\"width: 96px; height: auto; align-self: flex-start;\"\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003cdiv style=\"flex: 55%;\"\u003e\n        \u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left; font: normal normal bold 16px\/22px Open Sans; padding: 5px;\"\u003e\n            Counting Descent\n        \u003c\/div\u003e\n        \u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left; font: italic normal normal 13px\/18px Open Sans; padding: 5px;\"\u003e\n             Smith, Clint\n         \u003c\/div\u003e\n         \u003cdiv\u003e\n            \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/shop.ingramspark.com\/b\/084?params=brSm0SCxCYnQ0VazAYNY4DRDZhYnxrNogIlxByZWpKU\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background: #FEBE10 0% 0% no-repeat padding-box; border-radius:8px; color:black; text-decoration:none; width: 163px; height: 34px; display: table-cell; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; font: normal normal bold 16px\/22px Open Sans;\"\u003eBuy Now\u003c\/a\u003e\n         \u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n \n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWithin the pages of \u003cem\u003eCounting Descent \u003c\/em\u003ea captivating coming-of-age narrative unfolds – that challenges, complicates, and ultimately enriches our understanding of lineage, tradition, and the multifaceted nature of identity.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the intricate tapestry of \"Counting Descent,\" Clint Smith expertly navigates the nuances of belonging and dissonance. Through his poetic lens, he guides us through the labyrinthine experience of being part of a community that fiercely and unapologetically celebrates the richness of black humanity. Yet, this celebration exists in juxtaposition with the world outside, a world that often distorts blackness into a distorted and unwarranted caricature of fear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSmith's poems move fluidly across personal and political histories, all the while reflecting on the social construction of our lived experiences. Smith brings the reader on a powerful journey forcing us to reflect on all that we learn growing up, and all that we seek to unlearn moving forward.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"So many of these poems just blow me away. Incredibly beautiful and powerful.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003eMichelle Alexander, \u003c\/b\u003eauthor of \u003cem\u003eThe New Jim Crow\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn Counting Descent, Clint Smith reflects “even the universe is telling us\/ that we can never get too far\/\/ from the place that created us.” Smith weaves histories, from collective to personal, to make indelible archetypes of those places that have created us all. These poems shimmer with revelatory intensity, approaching us from all sides to immerse us in the America that America so often forgets. The broad sweep of Smith’s vision delivers a sudden awareness: In this poet's hands, we sense, like Rilke, there is no place that does not see you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eGregory Pardlo\u003c\/b\u003e, author of\u003cem\u003e Digest\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWinner, 2017 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFinalist, 2017 NAACP Image Awards\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne Book One New Orleans 2017 Book Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003c!-- BUTTON TEMPLATE - Copy this entire code block --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Just replace the three URLs (between the quotation marks after href=) with your specific book links --\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin: 25px 0; padding: 15px; border-top: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-bottom: 1px solid #e8e8e8;\"\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eAlso available at:\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \n  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Counting-Descent-Clint-Smith\/dp\/1938912659\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39IEKKVXAPY3A\u0026amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HMgCvaVARFEKdxNsB-soIVkkkLfsVru1mqR_0i1NOJ0.k34FKOa3TC_i2JVRvMIrwXAoz6aZhDnRg7ZoW19YLZc\u0026amp;dib_tag=se\u0026amp;keywords=Counting+Descent+by+Clint+Smith+%28Paperback%29\u0026amp;qid=1744069694\u0026amp;sprefix=counting+descent+by+clint+smith+paperback+%2Caps%2C134\u0026amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #232F3E; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Amazon\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \n  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/counting-descent-clint-smith\/1123586655?ean=9781938912658\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #295135; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Barnes \u0026amp; Noble\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \n  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/counting-descent-clint-smith\/17656950?ean=9781938912658\u0026amp;next=t\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #D74B2A; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Bookshop.org\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Write Bloody Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":10982855344243,"sku":"","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0014\/0535\/4099\/products\/Counting_Descent.jpg?v=1529698347"},{"product_id":"the-madness-vase","title":"The Madness Vase by Andrea Gibson (Paperback)","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"border: 1px solid #DCDCDC; border-radius: 12px; padding: 15px; display: flex; width:300px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cdiv style=\"display: flex; flex: 45%; padding-right: 15px;\"\u003e\n        \u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/image-hub-cloud.lightningsource.com\/2011-04-01\/Images\/front_cover\/x200\/sku\/193590437X.jpg?viewkey=f4b80e297ec6fd2b23729ffb659f6aa3ea90a1fe0daf0e162cd57d1d23641c05\" style=\"width: 96px; height: auto; align-self: flex-start;\"\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003cdiv style=\"flex: 55%;\"\u003e\n        \u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left; font: normal normal bold 16px\/22px Open Sans; padding: 5px;\"\u003e\n            The Madness Vase: By Andrea Gibson\n        \u003c\/div\u003e\n        \u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left; font: italic normal normal 13px\/18px Open Sans; padding: 5px;\"\u003e\n             Gibson, Andrea\n         \u003c\/div\u003e\n         \u003cdiv\u003e\n            \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/shop.ingramspark.com\/b\/084?params=JyrBhsUxXMpWK2OcxG4mE4RfS1Z4aWPItTXzkIOvQYs\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background: #FEBE10 0% 0% no-repeat padding-box; border-radius:8px; color:black; text-decoration:none; width: 163px; height: 34px; display: table-cell; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; font: normal normal bold 16px\/22px Open Sans;\"\u003eBuy Now\u003c\/a\u003e\n         \u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex-shrink-0 flex flex-col relative items-end\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"w-[30px]\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndrea Gibson's second poetry collection, \u003cem\u003eThe Madness Vase\u003c\/em\u003e, beautifully extends their tender and honest work.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003eWhile their first book, \u003cem\u003ePole Dancing to Gospel Hymns\u003c\/em\u003e, unveiled Gibson's unapologetic voice, \u003cem\u003eThe Madness Vase\u003c\/em\u003e delves even deeper into themes like family, war, spirituality, gender, grief, and hope.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003eCovering subjects from hate crimes to love and loneliness to global conflicts, Gibson's verses pull us into their darkest moments, only to release us into words that radiate light.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"relative p-1 rounded-sm h-[30px] w-[30px] text-white flex items-center justify-center\"\u003eTheir luminous imagery acts as a buoy, guiding us to new possibilities. Throughout their career, Gibson's poetry has called for social justice, and this collection pushes past mere awareness.  After reading \"The Madness Vase,\" you too will believe, \"Folks like us\/ We've got shoulder blades that rust in the rain\/But they are still G-sharp\/Whenever our spinal chords are tuned to the key of redemption\/So go ahead world\/Pick us\/To make things better.\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- BUTTON TEMPLATE - Copy this entire code block --\u003e\n\u003c!-- Just replace the three URLs (between the quotation marks after href=) with your specific book links --\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin: 25px 0; padding: 15px; border-top: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-bottom: 1px solid #e8e8e8;\"\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eAlso available at:\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \n  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Madness-Vase-Andrea-Gibson\/dp\/193590437X\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ETGH5NWU4Z7J\u0026amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3RWwN2WB9lVWgCgiAy5k04QrxUxUWe7ao4NiklYDnQlXBaxDEIajSZmVJTrqhDbtNWb0O7Cmg1HpIrhQEFHIq78WzlLJu2RqtiGSo083AuX-TIbEfVc4wFBp5a7yuF1FHFxqptbGqa0Pe3T0Gwb0VUiZ3PAu4sNqxVZ8CRHy0wterLqPYD4Qu9hokj-MGN7CFQx4NZ_HacEw40DcZ8fd-IQOo7ZASdU9KN8zasLslPENPsFVaTDNYh0lIKHccvMk8mbgoHjq5gsOD95FbgwzwYGtskMUCvJKvehlwdUkBok.Sh-r8TqkmiE5Y3ZX0ZEm8xo4K7-TNdv8y9jXMh9cvL8\u0026amp;dib_tag=se\u0026amp;keywords=the+madness+vase\u0026amp;qid=1744063470\u0026amp;sprefix=the+madness+vase%2Caps%2C183\u0026amp;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #232F3E; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Amazon\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \n  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-madness-vase-andrea-gibson\/1102047567?ean=9781935904397\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #295135; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Barnes \u0026amp; Noble\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \n  \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-madness-vase-andrea-gibson\/17670823?ean=9781935904373\u0026amp;next=t\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #D74B2A; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Bookshop.org\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Write Bloody Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":10991629598835,"sku":"","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0014\/0535\/4099\/files\/18.00-40.jpg?v=1696969653"},{"product_id":"a-little-grief-break-by-derrick-c-brown","title":"A Little Grief Break by Derrick C. Brown","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe new book is here. 30 years, new chapter of poems too.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- BUTTON TEMPLATE - Copy this entire code block --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- Just replace the three URLs (between the quotation marks after href=) with your specific book links --\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin: 25px 0; padding: 15px; border-top: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-bottom: 1px solid #e8e8e8;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eavailable at:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/LITTLE-GRIEF-BREAK-Collected-Poems\/dp\/1949342883\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P3CRC95ZSJD1\u0026amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CvPPKLrjoHkgvWfo3hv87DSuLsJvUQeVnl3uPSRLAsnTMyEoZf4UfVQb0u-GRSUqIEuWpCcei94pKZy5n4i0750mo1jXjg0CEXv8Q1shOwZm36pFRCmt2O8rkGU5KHpry9XNA1tIlKQhsktw0MIaSvfS9ogwkV1rz1iOICChGsVmqc1YDgmzkgEkgWURMrch9fqpMU8PuGyR0RQE6DhjyDfxeytNvvTxlcp6kjGoclE.wbbNNxO7wUGtNOnxTddTY-5sOElYZtnZGM7maL291PQ\u0026amp;dib_tag=se\u0026amp;keywords=a+little+grief+break\u0026amp;qid=1760922181\u0026amp;sprefix=a+little+grief+break%2Caps%2C169\u0026amp;sr=8-1\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #232f3e; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Amazon\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-little-grief-break-derrick-c-brown\/1148540365;jsessionid=BF267B1FEB6030F70A8BC6790D1E3894.prodny_store02-atgap14?ean=9781949342888\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #295135; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Barnes \u0026amp; Noble\u003c\/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/a-little-grief-break-the-collected-poems-derrick-c-brown\/7e4c26bfe225c96a?ean=9781949342888\u0026amp;next=t\" style=\"display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 8px 16px; background-color: #d74b2a; color: white; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eBuy on Bookshop.org\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Little Grief Break\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a tasty, thirty-year retrospective from one of contemporary poetry's most \u003c\/span\u003eelectrifying voices, a collection that refuses to sit still. Derrick C. Brown has spent three decades honing a singular poetic style that marries devastating emotional precision with sharp humor, bar-stool philosophy with literary craft, and the raw immediacy of performance with the carefully wrought architecture of the page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis almost 300-page collection gathers the essential poems from Brown's ten previous books alongside nineteen new works in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eNight Collapser\u003c\/em\u003e, creating a portrait of a poet who has never stopped taking risks. Here are poems that detonate with laughter before breaking your heart in the next breath. Poems about love that acknowledge love's absurdity without diminishing its power. Elegies that refuse easy comfort. Celebrations that don't ignore the darkness gathering at their edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrown writes with the fearlessness of a former paratrooper and the precision of a jeweler. His poems are inhabited by grief-struck fathers and waitresses with secrets, by motorcycles and monsoons, by all the beautiful wreckage of being alive and paying attention. He can pivot from cosmic to comic in a single stanza, finding profundity in dive bars and divinity in the mundane. His work carries the energy of three decades performing in intimate venues and theaters—readings that feel like Sigur Rós meets Steve Martin meets Kerouac—but every poem on the page demonstrates a master craftsman who understands that the wildest performances still require architecture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhether chronicling subtle heartbreak, weird romance, or the small murders of daily living, Brown's poetry operates on a frequency all its own—simultaneously hilarious and haunting, formally inventive yet accessible, intellectual without pretension. This is poetry that trusts its readers' intelligence while never forgetting that poems should move us, shake us, remake us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Little Grief Break\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis essential reading for anyone who believes poetry can be both serious art and a damn good time, that craft and accessibility aren't enemies, and that the most important question we can ask isn't \"is this poetry?\" but \"does this change me?\" Brown's answer, accumulated across thirty years, is a resounding yes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBLURBS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Little Grief Break yokes together thirty years of dynamic work from a singular and vital poet. The poems in this collection are brimming over with voice and humor and hurt and all the rich particulars of an adventurous and attentive life. I've been mesmerised getting to witness Derrick cast these spells aloud in bars, theaters, and basements for the past fifteen years and am so grateful for this collection in which he's assembled a home for that magic from a language we all share. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—    \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSam Sax, author of PIG, YR DEAD\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMost poets seem keen to check the ingredients on boxes or to run out of burning buildings, not Derrick Brown. Buy this book! \u003ci\u003eA Little Grief Break \u003c\/i\u003eis all charm and language and daring under flame-retardant humor, which is me saying, his tropical heart never vacations, and he sings more courageously than any newly arrived poet in hipster boots. The difference? His poems are honed, quick-witted, and settle scores only with himself. Look at how he wildly grins behind his helmet of wit, going in, flares flickering off its cracked glass.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMajor Jackson, author of Leaving Saturn, Razzle Dazzle\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Write Bloody Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43706985644143,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0014\/0535\/4099\/files\/Screenshot2026-05-19at17.23.01.png?v=1779236624"}],"url":"https:\/\/writebloody.com\/collections\/start-here.oembed","provider":"Write Bloody Publishing","version":"1.0","type":"link"}