boy maybe: poems
51 achingly eloquent poems from a young Cave Canem fellow: W. J. Lofton's verses explore Black queer Southern identity, grief, love, and intimacy while enduring and witnessing unfreedom in America

W. J. Lofton writes vivid, accessible poems that channel the energy, urgency, ambitions, joys, and sorrows of a young Black queer artist. They are about love and flirtation, sweet tea and hot sauce, God and family, life and death, police brutality and extrajudicial killings. His verses honor some of the young lives extinguished by these killings—Breonna Taylor, Kendrick Johnson, Ahmaud Arbery. He also pays tribute to some of the towering figures of Black culture who have come before him—Richard Pryor, Assata Shakur. His style is endlessly propulsive, informed by some of the Harlem Renaissance greats—Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks—but also transforming that rich tradition for the present day.
1145898125
boy maybe: poems
51 achingly eloquent poems from a young Cave Canem fellow: W. J. Lofton's verses explore Black queer Southern identity, grief, love, and intimacy while enduring and witnessing unfreedom in America

W. J. Lofton writes vivid, accessible poems that channel the energy, urgency, ambitions, joys, and sorrows of a young Black queer artist. They are about love and flirtation, sweet tea and hot sauce, God and family, life and death, police brutality and extrajudicial killings. His verses honor some of the young lives extinguished by these killings—Breonna Taylor, Kendrick Johnson, Ahmaud Arbery. He also pays tribute to some of the towering figures of Black culture who have come before him—Richard Pryor, Assata Shakur. His style is endlessly propulsive, informed by some of the Harlem Renaissance greats—Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks—but also transforming that rich tradition for the present day.
17.0 In Stock
boy maybe: poems

boy maybe: poems

by W. J. Lofton
boy maybe: poems

boy maybe: poems

by W. J. Lofton

Paperback

$17.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

51 achingly eloquent poems from a young Cave Canem fellow: W. J. Lofton's verses explore Black queer Southern identity, grief, love, and intimacy while enduring and witnessing unfreedom in America

W. J. Lofton writes vivid, accessible poems that channel the energy, urgency, ambitions, joys, and sorrows of a young Black queer artist. They are about love and flirtation, sweet tea and hot sauce, God and family, life and death, police brutality and extrajudicial killings. His verses honor some of the young lives extinguished by these killings—Breonna Taylor, Kendrick Johnson, Ahmaud Arbery. He also pays tribute to some of the towering figures of Black culture who have come before him—Richard Pryor, Assata Shakur. His style is endlessly propulsive, informed by some of the Harlem Renaissance greats—Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks—but also transforming that rich tradition for the present day.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807017821
Publisher: Beacon Press
Publication date: 03/25/2025
Series: Raised Voices
Pages: 88
Product dimensions: 5.30(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

W. J. Lofton, a Chicago-born poet and multimodal artist, is the author of A Garden for Black Boys Between the Stages of Soil and Stardust. His work explores the intersections of race, class, and gender while focusing on Black queer men’s attempts at intimacy and the tensions and wonders of boyhood. Lofton has received fellowships from Cave Canem and Emory University. A recipient of Ava DuVernay’s LEAP Grant, his work has appeared in TIME, wildness, Obsidian, and Scalawag. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he co-curates Rebellion: A Writing Salon.

Table of Contents

Preface

here today, gone today

after each death

dreamhouse

gravity reports:

we report:

Mama reports:

to know touch better

many things

property

for Cadarius, Keith & Miles

to keep the flies away

for Tae

using

dominium

pig

petting the dog

when your touch went missing i remembered

first time we met

sweet

right hooks

language

half brutal

counting

dark

polka dots

fire eats

a mighty long time

double u, double d

for Kendrick

the flower will make its debut when everyone is dying

would you kill God too?

boy falling

adjust your hips

ain’t dying

begging

fragile things

water we share

already flesh

the leash

between boys

that one uncle we all know

asking for miracles

baby’s breath

jellyfish eye

lady day visits glynn county

butcher shop

aint neva

as long as the dying die without dignity

danger dodge

little brown bat

leaving kessler

& oceans

Acknowledgments
Notes
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews