Button Poetry continues to knock it out the park with their releases. Most (all?) of their authors are well-known spoken word poets. Even if you think poetry is really not your thing, please hop over to youtube, find Button Poetry, and dive in. You will not regret it. I am a giant fan and often peruse their video archives when I need a creative boost.

As with all spoken word poets, I suggest you go over to youtube and check out a poem or two of theirs before reading so you get a better understanding of their delivery and lyrical voice. You’ll enjoy reading this text more if you do.

Still Can't Do My Daughter's Hair by William Evans is another amazing publication from Button Poetry. Focused primarily of what it means to survive life in modern America as a black man, Evans dives in to his experiences and history without apology. It’s often hard to read in the best way possible, the weight and pain leave an impact, poem by poem, note by note. He doesn’t shy away from the ones that are hard to tell and doesn’t avoid the stories that may leave him not in the best light. He manages to brilliantly articulate major issues in the smallest nuanced ways at times. Raw and powerful.

My Wife Is Shaped Like has been one of my favorites by Evans since I first heard it. If you’re going to watch him deliver one poem in spoken form, this is a great place to start.





I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my opinion, rating, or review.

I cannot remember the last time I read poetry this incredible and honest. I would definitely recommend this one.

*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I wasn’t impressed with this poetry collection. I only liked one poem in here and it was called My Wife Is Shaped Like.

I'm such a huge fan of Button Poetry. When I saw William Evans' book was available, I was so excited. His poetry is raw, full of love and hurt and anger and memories. Full of so much emotion, enough to place you in his mind and shoes. Enough to give you goosebumps everywhere and make your eyes well up. I love his poetry.

I am tempted to psycho-analyze the title of the book and the poems within but a piece of me is telling me to keep still "ain't nobody got time for that!" so, I'll delve right into my two-cents!
Short version: Surviving in America.
Long version: A collection of experiences, emotions, memories and hopes of a young black man growing up in America with glimpses into his family, the generations before him and the male influences in his life as vividly depicted in Inheritance.
The poems depict different struggles and in each you are bound to hear not one voice but many voices that echo the message therein. In Call the Gospel by its name, and I say cathedral when I mean gunpowder you feel the rage, loss, and confusion. If I were to sit back and listen to everything that's been happening in America and to forget all that the media houses have been sharing with the world, I'd come back to these two poems. I believe my clarity lies there and my empathy resides in ...to see him lowered into the world that tries to claim me each and every day.
Then there is My wife is shaped like which I loved.
I've never read any of the author's works and this was my first time being ushered into his world courtesy of Button Poetry Books and NetGalley and I see myself perching right here.

A great collection of poetry. Ranging from humorous to heartfelt. Looking forward to more from this author.

The hurt in this poetry is real. The sorrow of this poetry comes from outsiders blindness. The joy of this poetry is from the little things, the texture of the daughters hair, her smile, her light, her beauty. The worry of this poetry comes in hushed tones of a man in wife wondering how to tell their little girl that she lives in a world built to be against her. Worrying that one day the father will go out and never come back. The truth that that almost happened years before.

This poetry made me ache. It made me feel so sorrowful because we now live in Trump’s America and while racism was never a thing of the past that it is rising like a demon created to divide all of us… all of us human beings (of course we don’t always see that when we look at another human do we?)

This poetry also made me feel sorry, sorry because my skin is of the same skin that has formed this poetry’s hurt. Sorry because no matter how I feel I can’t change another’s hateful heart.

Read this poetry to understand another’s version of what it means to be alive. Read this poetry no matter who you are or what you believe, because this is the stuff we need to mend some of our brokenness.

While the title makes you think this book revolves around Evans' daughter, it really focuses more on growing up and being black in America. Evans looks at what young black men deal with as well what fathers go through. You can feel his pain, his anger, and his sense of disenfranchisement.

Evans joins many other spoken word poets in publishing a book. I've been a fan of Button Poetry for a while now and am glad they are getting these out into the world.

This spectacular collection impressed me from Hanif Abdurraqib's prologue to its very last page's offering, illuminating the experience of a black father navigating this white supremacist world!