01
Why it matters
The collection turns public events into urgent personal and historical reckoning.
A celebrated work
Head Off & Split
Nikky Finney2011 selection · Poetry
Head Off & Split
Poems confront Black history, public catastrophe, intimacy, and political spectacle with dramatic precision.
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Read this if…
You want politically engaged poetry with narrative force.
03
Ideas inside
Black historypoliticsmemoryjustice
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National Book Award for Poetry — official winner recordOfficial record↗ (opens in a new tab)