Morgan Parker's Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night is being reprinted! This is the first collection of the author's. Her other notable works are There are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé and Magical Negro. This version has a new forward by Danez Smith, where he sings nothing but well-deserved, high praises of Parker.

Stylistically, these poems have a flow to them as the poet draws inspiration from rappers such as Jay-Z. At the heart of the poems are the trappings of a young Black girl navigating space with a slew of millennial pop culture references. These poems are as fun as they are breathtaking. An incredibly impressive set of debut poems that I'm so glad is going out into the world again.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Tin House Publishing. I am giving this review voluntarily.

"I know a little something about pissing / in public but nothing about loving."

What an amazing debut collection of poetry! Any fan of Parker will enjoy this look back into her early career. In fact, the most enjoyable part of this collection is how 20-something all the poems feel. There's a sense of desperation and loneliness throughout the poems that I certainly feel as a 20-something. My favorite poems were the "Miss Black America" series. You can really see Parker's future collections in those poems. Overall, it's a stunning collection of poems about finding yourself in a world that's not designed for you.

Morgan Parker is a powerful voice, and this new collection is a distillation of vision, experience, emotion, and hope. A poet (and book) that must be read.

This is a beautiful collection, and I didn't realize it was a re-release until after I'd read it, partly because the poems just feel good and new and timeless. I really like the pacing and flow of this book, which feels quite dreamlike in the way that it continuously incorporates the familiar and domestic with strange and unexpected imagery.

"When dogs look at me
as they pass I imagine
they are ancestors
watching."

This collection didn't speak to me, but I caught an odd whisper or two. Sometimes you just read poems that don't connect, and that's okay. The poet's voice is full of lyrical imagery and disjointed thought - which is a positive, if you like that kind of poetry. For me, there were too many random ideas introduced like dots making up a painting; if I were a different reader, perhaps I could've stepped back and seen the bigger picture. Instead, I just saw a confusion of dots and felt like I was missing out.

Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available July 13th 2021.

The first time I came across Morgan Parker's work, I was awestruck. Hanging in an art gallery in front of me was the most sublime poem I had ever seen, "Towards a New Theory of Negro Propaganda", with its chaotic yet inspired amalgamation. In a similar vein, Parker's "Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night" is a bombastic celebration of all things Black and pop culture. With a natural cadence and soul to her work, Parker takes on a slew of subjects - anything from an ex hookup to a Real Housewife to ancient philosophy. With dry humor and wry wit, Parker makes each of these subjects shine. A captivating collection from one of America's best contemporary poets.

The pain and emotion in this collection of poetry are so, so real. The words feel like... like pictures in the mind, like you're watching a moving picture instead of reading text.

If you like thought-provoking poetry on a variety of topics including race, pick this up.

I don't have many words.

Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night is incredible. It’s riveting, you want to keep reading to catch that next amazing line from Morgan Parker.